CHAPTER 16: IDENTITIES UNRAVELLED

Wu Jian and Ching Chen walked with Cecilia back to the clinic to make sure she didn’t get into anymore mishaps. During their walk, she told them about her memory loss, but left the parts of her ability to heal and kill demons. It was not their business to know more since she wasn’t close to them and she despised Wu Jian. They listened to her story with an open mind and pitied her. She was like a lost soul that wandered the world unknowing of her fate.

“I’m deeply saddened about your situation. It must be very hard for you to adjust,” said Ching Chen.

“It is, but I am glad to have friends to help me through this.”

She thought about Xing Fu and the Physicians. They were the ones that helped her since the beginning. She owed a lot to them, especially Xing Fu. Then she started to think about her feeling for him. She touched the hand that held his and could still feel his warmth and softness of his skin. Her face started to glow.

Wu Jian glanced down at her and saw her smiling. “What are you so happy about?”

“It’s none of your business,” she replied.

He gave a quick huff, “Like I want to know anyways…” and walked away from her.

She sneered at him and then looked down at the crutches that helped support hisweight as he walked. Cecilia thought about his unexpected entrance after she fought with the men. It was strange that he appeared out of nowhere. Usually there would have been sounds of footsteps entering the place but none was heard. Moreover, he could have helped instead of watching her from a distance.

She caught up with them and turned to him. “Why didn’t you help me back there?”

“That’s a stupid question. Can’t you see that I’m handicapped? Also, you were doing fine without my assistance.”

What he said was true. When she fought the three men, she felt that it was too easy. Their skills were mediocre compared to hers. She got chills just thinking about her ruthless skills and shook thefeeling off.

There was silence among the three. In her mind, she contemplated on how to explain to Xing Fu and the Physicians about her assault. She didn’t want to scare them if they knew she could fight; losing the people she cared and loved was one thing that she feared the most.

Wu Jian kept glancing down at her, wondering about her real identity. A person that could use a knife like a sword to block every move must have very sharped eyes. Such skills as that would take years to master. When he stood on the rooftop to watch the fight, she fought with quickness, stabbing and throwing knives accurately at them. Then he saw her eyes; there was something about them that made his hairs on his skin rose. They were colder than his and merciless. Whoever she may be, he knew she was a woman no one should mess with. He wanted to know more of her background; but knowing that she lost her memories, it was harder to investigate.

They were a hundred feet away from the clinic when she saw Xing Fu, Physician Wei, and Guo Jing at the gated entrance. Xing Fu looked worried and paced back and forth, scratching his head, while Physician Wei tried to calm him down. She knew what was happening. Xing Fu was worried about her ever since she went missing. She stopped walking and became nervous. Wu Jian and Ching Chen looked at her.

“Why did you stop?” asked Ching Chen.

“I…I want the both of you to keep my ability of fighting a secret. I do not want them to know.” None of the men replied and it made her anxious. She pleaded, “Please?”  

Wu Jian exhaled. “No. A person must always be truthful. That is one of the codes we as mortals live by.”

She bit her bottom lips and couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She felt stupid to tell them about her situation. Now everything was going to be revealed. Her head tilted down, saddened from all of this. Wu Jian saw her sudden facial expression from the corner of his eyes and his lips curled up. He enjoyed toying with her mind and feelings, while Ching Chen knew he was only playing around with her, and kept quiet.

Xing Fu turned and saw Cecilia stood there with Wu Jian and Ching Chen. He couldn’t understand why she was with Wu Jian, but was glad she was safe. He shouted her name, alerting Physician Wei and Guo Jing. They turned and saw them as well. Xing Fu ran toward her and quickly hugged her tightly in his arms. At first, she was astonished by the hug, but quickly warmed up to his affection and hugged him back.

“I was so worried about you.” Then he slowly let go of her. “What happened to you?”

“I…”

She tried to find words to say but couldn’t. She didn’t want to lie; yet, she also did not want to tell them what happened.

Again, Wu Jian spoke for her. “She was lured to a trap by the con artist and his men. They tried to assault her, but I came in time to help.”

She was baffled by his words, wondering why he was helping her lie. What happened to his code of being truthful? She couldn’t figure him out and turned to Ching Chen. He had a big grinned on his face, and winked to let her know that her secret was safe after all. She exhaled in relief.

Xing Fu got upset hearing about the con artist and clenched his fist. “Where is he?” he demanded.

Knowing that she could fight, Wu Jian scoffed to see Xing Fu get worked up for nothing. He stared down at Xing Fu’s physique.

“What are you going to do anyway? With no martial art skills, you’re just courting death.”

Xing Fu didn’t say anything because Wu Jian was right. He could have been dead and left her vulnerable for the men to continue their assault.

Physician Wei interrupted them. “Thank you Mr. Wu for saving Miss Xiao. Why don’t we all go inside and talk more?”

Wu Jian leaned on his crutches, folding his hands behind his back. “Fine.”

Ching Chen stared at Wu Jian in disbelief. Staying at Mu Village for a couple of days had already delayed their travel to their destination. Another day would be worse, worrying that Wu Jian’s father won’t be happy.

He turned to him, “But Young Master, we need to leave…”

“Another day won’t hurt.”

All Ching Chen could do was to accept what Wu Jian said and bowed his head slightly.

“Yes Young Master.”

Physician Wei laughed heartily, “Great! Let’s go in!”

Xing Fu lightly placed his hand on her shoulder as they walked. She stopped and looked at Xing Fu, “You go ahead inside first. I want to talk to Mr. Wu for a bit.”

Xing Fu glanced at Wu Jian and saw his cocky grin. He didn’t want her to be left alone with Wu Jian, but he had to respect her decision also.

“Fine, I’ll be at the gated entrance watching. I want to keep a close eye on him just in case he plays any dirty tricks.”

Cecilia sighed and nodded, “Fine. Now go.”

He left and stood at the entrance, watching Wu Jian like a hawk. Wu Jian signaled Ching Chen to leave also and left. Wu Jian playfully shivered in front of her as he looked at Xing Fu.

“Your boyfriend is creepy.”

Already being irritated by him, she replied, “He’s not creepy. He’s only protecting me from a**holes like you.”

He scoffed at her remark and dived into the question. “So, what do you want?”

She crossed her arms in front. “Why did you lie for me?”

“I only did it because of your pity situation.”

“Thank you,” and her lips tightened to a smile.

Then his tone of voice harshened. “Don’t get the wrong idea Miss Xiao. I’m only letting you off this time.” He started to walk away from her, “I still need to deal with you for the humiliation that you’ve caused upon me,” and huffed angrily.

She murmured, “A**hole.”

---

Guo Jing and Physician Wei walked Wu Jian and Ching Chen to the backyard. They got to a little garden full of different flowers and in the middle, was a small pond full of koi. Then they saw De Ming kneeled in front of Guo Wei. His head tilted down while Guo Wei lectured him.

“How many times do I have to remind you not to spend money for these fairies? The more you spoil them, the more materialistic they become!”

“I’m sorry master,” De Ming said softly.

Guo Wei took out his bottle of wine and raised it up to drink. He had forgotten that it was empty and got even more frustrated. “AIYA! Just when I need wine, it’s empty!” He paced back in forth in front of De Ming and then stopped. “You know the punishment so get into your position!”

“Oh…” he nodded.

De Ming stood on his knees, facing front, and raised his arms up to a ninety degrees angle.

“Stay there for three hours to think of your wrong!”

“Oh...”

Guo Wei turned to leave and saw them stood there. They had watched and heard everything what was said. Wu Jian recognized the magic sword that Guo Wei was carrying.

“Isn’t that the Celestial Immortal Sword?”

Guo Wei stared at Wu Jian and wondered who this young lad was to know his sword’s name. He walked toward them as he stroked his scruffy beard. When he got in front of Wu Jian, his eyes stared down at his masculine physique.

Without any formal introduction, he asked, “Who might you be to know my sword’s name? Only a few knows it…” then he leaned forward, “…And these people are much OLDER than you…” He crossed his arms in front and started to twist his beard, continuing to stare at Wu Jian. “…Unless…you’re one of their kins…”

Guo Jing dumbfounded by Guo Wei’s assumption and turned to look at Wu Jian. “Are you one of the Mortal Protector’s kin?”

Wu Jian had a big smile and nodded. “I am the son of Wen Jian Tao, the Prince of Wu, Wen Long Wei.”

Guo Jing and Physician Wei’s eyes bulged like they were going to pop out, hearing of Wu Jian’s royal identity. But what baffled them the most was Wu Jian’s identity as the kin of a Mortal Protector. Guo Jing, Guo Wei, and Physician Wei folded their hands in front and bowed their heads to address him.

“Prince of Wu, the kin of Mortal Protector, forgive us for not noticing you during your stay here.” said Guo Jing.

Wu Jian shook his head, “No need to worry, I prefer nobody to know my identity. Also, call me Wu Jian.”

Guo Wei then formally introduced himself. “My name is Ma Guo Wei, the student of god Yu Ze Min; one of the five Mortal Protectors.”

Wu Jian’s face lightened with excitement when hearing his name. He quickly folded his hands in front and bowed his head to Guo Wei.

“Master Ma, I’ve heard so many demon hunting stories of your Seven Seas travel since I was a child. I am very ecstatic to finally meet you.”

Guo Wei guffawed at his comment.

“Hey Master, it’s great to hear that you’re well known!” De Ming shouted happily from behind.

Guo Wei immediately turned to De Ming and raised his voice, “You are not allowed to speak when punished! An hour is added!”

De Ming frowned and turned to face forward. Guo Wei turned back to Wu Jian and the others with a wide grin on his face.

“Now, where were we…” Guo Wei said as he stroked his beard. “Ah yes! I’m glad to run into you Wu Jian. I’ve just gotten an urgent letter from Elder Tao of Taoist Sect and have to meet them at Wu Tribe. If you don’t mind, my student and I can travel with you back to your tribe?”

Wu Jian was very happy to hear the request. “OF COURSE! Why wouldn’t I?”

“Great. Then we will have to depart Mu Village as soon as possible.”

“Alright.”

Ching Chen reminded Wu Jian, “Your Highness, what about our task?”

Guo Wei felt bad. “Wu Jian, I didn’t know that you had other priories to attend. I am not going to trouble you any further and will go to Wu Tribe alone then.”

Wu Jian shook his head. “No. We are departing to go Wu Tribe together. You’re a hero figure and I may not have the same opportunity to meet you again later in the future.”

Then he turned to Ching Chen, “Go buy some lavishing gifts and I will write a letter to send it off to Chu Palace. King Chu and Princess Xiu Rong will understand my absence. As for father, if he sees my state of condition, he will understand.”

Ching Chen bowed, “Yes,” and left.

“Master Ma, when Ching Chen gets back, we can depart then. As of now, may you please enlighten me of this urgency?”

---

After Ching Chen got back with a cart of gifts and some delivery men that he hired, Wu Jian handed the letter he wrote to Ching Chen.

“Give this letter to the main delivery man to deliver this letter. Is the sedan ready for me?”

“Yes.”

Wu Jian nodded. “Good.” Ching Chen went and handed the letter to the man. He instructed the man what to do and the man nodded.

Guo Jing brought a jug of wine and handed it to Guo Wei. “Here, take this. It is the 10,000 years old wine my friend.”

Guo Wei’s eyes widened with excitement. “WHOA!!! He grabbed it from his hands and placed it under his nose to take big sniff of it. The plum aroma stung his nostrils, giving him the pure pleasure of sweetness. “Ahhh…The smell of heaven…”

Cecilia was glad that Wu Jian was leaving. It was hell for her to listen to his smartass comments. De Ming walked to Cecilia and Xing Fu and handed each of them an item that he had bought from the vendors. He gave each an animal figurine made out jade-Xing Fu’s was a monkey and hers was a bird.

“I want each of you to have this as a token of gratitude. I appreciate the both of you to take me touring of this wonderful place.”

“Aren’t these for your fairies?” she asked.

He sadly nodded; then he whispered softly so Guo Wei wouldn’t hear, “I got punished for spending most of our money, so he wants me to get rid of the items that I’ve bought.”

“We’re sorry to hear this…” said Xing Fu.

“It’s ok. It’s bound to happen sooner or later.” Then he took a deep breath and exhaled. “I hope to see the both of you again.”

They nodded. Guo Wei shouted De Ming to hurry so De Ming bade farewell to them. Wu Jian got inside the sedan; Guo Wei, De Ming, and Ching Chen got on their horses. Wu Jian turned to stare at Cecilia from the veiled window. She was an interesting woman to know for a short period of time. Unlike other women, she was the only one that was bold enough to fight with him. Others bowed at their feet in fear or pretended to be friendly toward him to gain his favor. Cecilia was his challenge and he enjoyed her presence while it lasted. Wu Jian had to say something before he left.

“Wait,” he ordered.

Ching Chen and the others wondered what he wanted this time. He opened the veiled curtain from the window.

“Mr. Yu, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Xing Fu was stunned and looked at Cecilia. She signaled him to go and so he went. He got to the window and saw that Wu Jian had a closed-mouth smile.

“Yes Mr. Wu?”

“Between you and me, I wanted to tell you that you’re a lucky man to have a woman like Xiao Xing. Cherish her well or else I will steal her from you.”

Shocked by his comment, Xing Fu couldn’t help but chuckled. “Don’t worry. I…I will.”

Wu Jian nodded and let go of the veiled curtain. He shouted, “LET’S GO!” and they left the clinic.

Cecilia came up to Xing Fu and was curious of what they were talking about.

“What did the a**hole say to you?”

“Oh…you do not need to know. It’s only man talk.”

She crossed her arms in front and huffed upsettingly at him. “Now, you’re keeping secrets? Fine!”

“Aiya…don’t be like that. Just be happy that he won’t be bothering you anymore…” Then he nudged her on the arm, “Let’s go home tomorrow ok?”

She nodded and all of them went back to the clinic.

---

That night, many thoughts lingered in Cecilia’s mind that she couldn’t sleep. She got up and decided to take a stroll around the clinic to ease her mind. In the middle of the small garden, she saw Guo Jing sitting on a stone bench, staring at the full moon. Its lights casted on him, illuminating his porcelain skin that he looked like a bright star. Guo Jing felt a presence and turned to see Cecilia stared helplessly at him. He smiled at her and knew that she was admiring his beauty once again.

He patted the empty seat next to him, “Come and sit down next to me.”

Surprised by his daring invite, she had to make sure, worrying that she may kill him. “Are you sure?”

“Just don’t touch me,” laughed Guo Jing jokingly.

It was great to see Guo Jing laughed freely and she was relieved to know that he trusted her. Happy, she quickly ran and sat next to him. Both exchanged smiles and gazed at the full moon to enjoy each other’s company.  

“You can’t sleep?” he asked.

She nodded and sighed, “I have too many things going on inside of my head. What about you?”

“Same here.”

Surprised to hear that, she turned to him. “Care to tell me?”

“I wish that I have my demon powers so I can help heal my patients.”

She gave him a blanked stare. “Huh?”

He saw her clueless face and explained, “When a demon becomes mortal, the demon loses all of his powers and immortality, making him vulnerable. That is the price a demon has to pay.”

“Immortality?”

“Just like gods, demons live for eternity Miss Xiao.”

“I see…so why do demons want to become mortals when they could live eternity? Isn’t that a gift?”

Guo Jing stared down at the ground and was silent for a bit. Then he turned to her with a sad look on his face. She could tell that he wasn’t too thrilled of her question and was going to tell him to forget it, but he spoke.

“It’s a curse.” He saw that she was puzzled by what he meant and continued, “Becoming mortal is important for demons. You see, mortals tend to label demons evil, but they don’t realize that there are good demons also.” Then he sighed sadly, “But no matter what, if we are good or evil, we get hunted and captured…and even get killed.”

She remembered Guo Wei and Guo Jing’s reunion and didn’t understand one thing. She had to clear it with Guo Jing.

“Can a demon hunter still capture or kill an ex demon like you then?”

He chuckled at her question. “No. Once a demon become mortal, the demon hunter cannot do anything about it.”

She now understood and was relieved. She began to be curious of Guo Jing’s life and asked, “I know everyone has a story to tell. So, if you don’t mind, why do you want to become mortal?”

His face lightened and had a genuine smile as he stared at the moon. “I found happiness from living among the mortal race. I cry when I see people’s pains and sorrows, I’m happy when I see people’s love and excitement, I get mad when I see injustice…I wanted to help…” then he turned to her. She saw the sparkles in his eyes. “…I fell in love with the mortal race.”

She was touched by his story. He was a man full of compassion. His love for mortals weighed so much that he sacrificed his immortality to become mortal. This was his love story.

“Honestly, I’ve never knew there are demons like you. In fact, I’ve never thought demons existed among us and thought they were only fairytales.”

He laughed at her illiterate knowledge. “Now you know.”

Still intrigued by his young looks, she wanted to know. “Physician Wei said you are forty years old, but you looked as if you’re only in your teens. How old exactly are you?”

He chuckled from her question and glanced at her, “Which one do you want? Mortal age or Demon age?”

She never knew that there was a demon age and answered curiously, “Both.”

“Alright. I look really young because as demons, we start to age very slowly at a certain peak. But everything changes when we become mortals. We stop aging, but our years of living as mortals start and could only live an estimation of one hundred and twenty years. So for your question about my age, I’ve became mortal forty years ago, so I am indeed forty. As for demon age, I am 44,000 years old.”

Her eyes widened in shocked. “40…44,000 years old?” then she slightly laughed, “That is VERY OLD…”

“For demons, that is still young. There are some demons that I know who are in their 300,000s.”

Her hands covered her mouth in astonishment, which made Guo Jing chuckled. She couldn’t believe the high numbers and became speechless. There was a second of silence between the two. Then she was curious about his and Guo Wei’s conversation. She wanted to know what they talked about.

“I saw a magical letter in the forest with Mr. Ma earlier this morning. I didn’t know what it said, but from his facial expression, I knew it was urgent. What did he want from you?”

Guo Jing teased, “Miss Xiao, you’re a really nosy person. No wonder Guo Wei warned me about you. He knew you’re going to ask me about this.”

“No I’m not! I’m just…curious and worried for the people I cared about…That is all…” She said and pouted.

Hearing that she cared made him happy, but he could not tell her what their discussion was about. For the sake of Mortal Realm, he didn’t want to spread any fear amongst the mortal race.

“It is great that you care, but some things are not meant to be said for now.” Then Guo Jing changed the subject. “Miss Xiao, inheriting these God-like powers is a gift, but it can be a curse as well. Demons fear it, but if any mortals or fallen immortals know that you have these powers, they may come after you to use or even kill you. So be extra careful.”

She was glad that she didn’t tell Wu Jian or Ching Chen about her abilities then, but more weight had placed upon her shoulders again. She never knew that this special qi would have her life be at staked too. Now, she needed to be extra cautious of whom she talked to.

She nodded.

Guo Jing then saw the talisman hung from her dress and chuckled. “Why do you wear a talisman for?”

She looked down at it and wondered why it was a joke to him. She looked at him confused, “Physician Wei gave it to Xing Fu and I for protection…Why is it funny?”

“Think about it Miss Xiao. Your special qi scares demons. You are a repellent so you do not need a talisman to protect you.”

She never thought about that and laughed slightly. “I guess I do not need to worry about being attacked by demons then.”

“Brother Wei…He may know a lot, but when it comes to demon realm, he knows the general information. I was the one that educated him, just like I am doing to you now.”

“I did learn a lot. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

There was silence for a couple of seconds again. Then he spoke, “It seems that you and Xing Fu are close now. I’m really happy that he found someone.”

She began to blush.

“That kid needs someone to take care of him. Living alone without starting a family can be lonely.” He turned to look at her, “So…you can help him with that right?” He joked.

“We will see how this relationship goes…” she paused and thought about the faceless man. She held the heart necklace from her neck in her hand and Guo Jing saw it.

“I’ve never seen such beautiful jewelry. Where did you get it?”

“This is the only item that I have from my memory loss. Xing Fu and I thought it maybe a gift from the faceless man.” She paused a bit, not wanting to say her possible relationship, then continued, “He maybe my lost love…Kai.”

He repeated, “Kai…so…what about you and Xing Fu?”

“I really like him, but I’m afraid at the same time. I’m afraid if I ever regained my memories, my feelings for Xing Fu may change, because of my feelings for Kai.”

He let out a short sigh, “Feelings, you cannot control…You’re a strong woman and will know what to do when the time comes.”

Her feelings for Xing Fu weighed more than her lost love for the faceless man. Although she may not know what the future may be for them when she regained her memories, she mind as well cherished every bit of Xing Fu that she could now.

“I hope so…” she said softly.

Guo Jing yawned. “It’s getting very late, I’m heading to bed. You should as well.”

She smiled and nodded, “I will. You go ahead first.”

“Alright, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

He got up from the stone bench and walked away. She looked up at the moon. With the craters, it looked like a smiling face. 

She began to talked to it. “Moon, honestly I do not want to regain my memories and Kai anymore. The more I find out who I am, the more I am afraid of knowing my past…” She paused for a second as her eyes started to weld up with tears. All of these dreams, visions, unknown habits, burdens, and her feelings for Xing Fu had taken a toll on her. Trying not to cry, Cecilia took a deep breath and exhaled. She felt better.

Then in her sad tone of voice, she said to the moon, “I only wanted to be Xiao Xing.”