Every Lifetime I Fall {COMPLETED but undergoing revisions}

Chapter 174: Fifth Life - With Fate II

"What are you doing?!"

Squinting, I find it hard to fully open my eyes. As if oversleeping during an afternoon nap, my head throbs with mild pain.

That voice...

"Yang Zi Huo?" My own voice comes out a groggy sound.

Under the covers, the warmth entices the desire to snug closer to the bundle of clothes in my arms. It feels comfortably familiar, and the scent undeniably tempting.

"Yuxing, get up now..."

Looking where the disgruntled whispering came from, I'm faced with alluring lips and the stare of startled ocean waves.

My arms are looped around his neck. Our bodies close together on the bed.

The door burst open and a young man skips in with an aura of confidence. Yang Zi Huo covers me with the blanket.

"Hey, Da Ge! Get up! It's time for us to go. Can't believe you're making me come get you."

"Get-- Get out!" Yang Zi Huo sits up on the bed, throwing his pillow at the young guy.

"What?! You're mad I woke you up?!" The man raises his hands to defend himself.

"Just get out." Yang Zi Huo throws the pillow I was lying on, and my head hits the mattress with a thud.

Ack!

"Fine! I'm going! Are you hiding a woman or something?" The young man heads out the door, about to close them shut but his head pokes back inside. "Don't tell me you and Zi Xue Jiejie finally..."

He raises his eyebrows with a playful smile. Yang Zi Huo, annoyed, throws off the blanket and hurriedly walks toward the door. The young man screeches before closing the door finally.

Yang Zi Huo places the wooden lock down to secure entry. Still on the bed, I'm wondering how I got here.

I was sleeping at Invigorating Essence... Our conscious were connected, and somehow I was able to travel here. The last thing I remember was reaching out to grab his shoulder. It must have been when I made physical contact as he was about to awake that I was transported.

Yang Zi Huo turns around to face me. I immediately become flustered. This scene is too familiar, the uncomfortable memories Shui Jing Mountain makes me blush.

"How did you get here?" He breaks the silence. His voice mimicking a sincere scolding tone.

"So this is where you've been hiding?" I don't care to answer him. I can't believed he's been holed up at some tavern having fun while we were trying to find him all this time. "I must have intruded on you and this Zi Xue Jiejie."

"It's not-- You can't be here. It's dangerous." He walks to the window, opening it slightly. Peeking outside, he closes it and looks back at me.

"Where is this place?" I ask, rising to my feet.

Yang Zi Huo puts pressure on my shoulder, forcing me to sit back down on the bed.

"What are you doing?" I could feel the rush of heat infiltrating my face.

"I have to suppress your internal powers. The aura is slightly concealed by my overpowering demon scent, but it is still much too blindingly pure."

A darkness of suppression enters my body, almost suffocating me. Trying to hold back the pain, I question his methods, "Yang Zi Huo, are you trying to kill me?"

"It'll only be unbearable for a minute." Lifting his hand off my shoulder, the discomfort disappears.

Walking to the other side of the room, Yang Zi Huo announces, "We are in Huanjue Feng, the demon city."

Demon city? We're really in demon city?

"Yuxing, it is especially dangerous for you to be here. Yan did not see you... You need to go back as soon as possible."

"What are you doing here? Why are you in demon city?" I interrogate.

He is unwilling to say but then mumbles, "I'm here to investigate Wicked Mist."

"Are you looking for Qin Yu?"

Yang Zi Huo doesn't turn around nor answer my question.

I tell him, "Lucky for you, I know where he is, and he's not here."

He turns to face me, roughly saying, "What does that mean? You know where he is?"

"If he's still where I left him. Since he's on the run from Bleak Night, Wicked Mist and the Immortal Sects, I've offered to help him."

"Help him?"

"Just for the time being... Why? Are you mad?"

"I'm not mad." He doesn't sound convincing. "He's a dangerous demon. You cannot trust him."

"I know you both have your differences--"

"He tried to use you to get to me. That I will never forgive."

Oh... How do I respond to that?

"You stay away from him, you understand?"

Standing, I place my hands on my hips. "Look, I understand that he's dangerous. I've lived with him for a couple months, and he didn't harm me. I know he's not innocent, he's harmed others. But I'm sure he's changed for the better now that he's not affiliated with Wicked Mist."

"You lived with him?" Yang Zi Huo's menacing stare causes me to slump my shoulders.

"Just for awhile as he recuperated."

"Just you two?"

"Well... I couldn't bring him to Invigorating Essence or anywhere else."

"So you two have been playing house all this time." Yang Zi Huo crosses his arms.

"What?"

"You cannot be in such close proximity with him. He's a manipulative, self-serving person. He is always up to something."

"He couldn't have always been like that, Yang Zi Huo. He is Xiao Feng's child."

After a short sigh, he says, "She was his mother, but was robbed of the chance to raise him."

"But then you took him in, didn't you?"

"He lived at Bleak Night for some time... after being raised by Wicked Mist as a child. I did not get to build a bond with him. He disappeared after a mission with the Night Ravens. He's not-- You cannot let your guard down with him."

I take a minute to reflect on what Yang Zi Huo said. It's not a secret that Qin Yu is corrupt. Perhaps, there is no way to steer him off this path, it's already gone on for too long. He will be punished by the heavens for the wrongdoings he has inflicted upon others. I'd just hope everything was different. That his loving parents weren't taken away from him.

"Zi Huo, I met Qin Yu in the border town where the demon plague started. I have a feeling he may have something to do with it. But... maybe not?"

Yang Zi Huo nods. Silently pondering, he doesn't respond right away.

"Let's get you out of here, and I will have Wu Jing go with you to find Qin Yu."

"Why can't you leave?"

"Like I said, I'm investigating."

"Don't the innocent people dying from the plague mean anything to you?"

"Of course, I don't want innocent people to die. But I trust Wu Jing and Sect Leader Gao to deal with this crisis. And you."

Me?

"What are you talking about?"

Half-heartedly, Yang Zi Huo lips curve into a smile. "You always wanted to help people who couldn't stand up for themselves... Even though you hate people, you cannot stand injustice and cruelty."

There's a moment of awkward silence as my thoughts refer back to our previous history together.

"I'll teleport back now then," I clear my throat.