CHAPTER 28: QUESTIONS UNANSWERED

Mei Mei and Qiao Shun’s men stayed at a nearby Inn to wait for Kai and Qiao Shun’s return from the palace. She was disappointed that she couldn’t go with them, but knew it was for her own good. Her life would be at risk if traveled with them, especially when Cecilia was close by. Not only Cecilia was going to be a problematic situation for Mei Mei, Qiao Shun’s men now knew her true identity as well.

Gossips and curiosities within the Qiao’s residence were an everyday life for the workers. When Mei Mei set foot back into the residence a month ago, she was the main hot topic. Her special treatment, pampered by their Young Master Qiao Shun created tension between her and the workers. She got cold stares from maids and servants; some were rude to her while others remained their distance. However, they did not know she could feel their strong negative energy, and how much it affected her deeply. Saddened, Mortals reminded her of her own kind; Demons ridiculed and judged her of her different beliefs and desires which made her an easy target to be killed by those who hated traitors.

Qiao Shun’s men sat across the table from Mei Mei and stared at her in silence while waiting for their food.

“Stop staring at me,” she said coldly.

The men looked away, knowing it was a rude gesture.

“We apologize Little Mei Mei…it’s just that we’ve never thought you were a demon,” said one of the men.

“Please, don’t tell anyone back home of my identity. I don’t want everyone to hate me,” she pleaded.

“Little Mei Mei, we are Young Master Qiao’s trustworthy bodyguards and have been loyal to him since he was a child. Any of the Qiao’s close friends and family members will be treated with great respect. What we see and hear remain silence; therefore, your demon identity will be safe with us,” said the other man.

His words made her felt relieved, “Thank you,” and she smiled widely, showing her teeth.

The waiter brought out their foods and began to place them on the table. She was extremely hungry and couldn’t wait any longer for the waiter to finish. She grabbed a set of chopsticks and picked up a piece of sweet pork from one of the plates to eat. Qiao Shun’s men watched and slightly chuckled at her ill-mannered behavior. With food stuffed into her mouth, she glanced up at them.

“What are you two waiting for? Eat.”

They picked up their chopsticks and ate with her.

---

At the Eastern Pavilion Manor, Kai and Qiao Shun waited patiently in a guestroom for Kai’s wound to be treated. It had been a long and difficult journey for Kai to search for Cecilia, but at the end, he was glad it was finally over. He was relieved to see her alive and living well. Now, he wanted to make sure not to lose her again.

Qiao Shun paced back and forth, pondering of Cecilia’s god-like powers. He stopped and sat down next to Kai.

“We need to take Miss Xiao to see my mother,” he said anxiously.

Kai’s smile faded and thought of Cecilia’s hidden special qi. “Through my childhood years of knowing Cecilia, I only knew she could heal faster than anyone…I’ve never thought she have the power of transporting and killing demons as well…”

Qiao Shun tightened his smile and patted Kai’s shoulder. “That is why my mother can help solve Miss Xiao’s mysterious identity.”

Kai remembered Madam Qiao’s soul searching skill she used to read his memories. It was incredible for Kai to witness such power from a Fallen Immortal to know about his life and his relationship with Cecilia. Besides Cecilia’s identity, he hoped Madam Qiao could also find a way for them to go back home.

Kai nodded in agreement.

---

Outside, Cecilia, Wu Jian, and Guo Jing walked toward Kai and Qiao Shun’s guestroom. Cecilia held a big bowl full of lukewarm water and a wash cloth in her hand, and Guo Jing had herbal medicine and a clean cloth in his. Wu Jian glanced at her and noticed she had an absent facial expression.

“Xiao Xing, are you going to be alright?”

She nodded. “I’m a bit nervous of meeting him that is all.”

“Don’t push yourself if you’re not ready to confront him,” said Guo Jing.

She turned to Guo Jing and sighed. “When will I ever be ready Physician Guo? …When Xing Fu was still alive, I’ve given up my search for my lost identity to live a new life. However after his death, my unknown powers have emerged greatly and I begin to question myself, Am I a goddess, mortal, or assassin? I cannot ignore my lost identity anymore. I need to know who I am.”

Guo Jing understood and nodded, “Very well.”

They reached the front entrance of the guestroom. Knowing that Kai was on the other side of the closed doors, she started to have knots in her stomach and was scared of knowing the truth.

She pondered, “What if I cannot accept who I am? What am I going to do?”

“Are you ready?” asked Wu Jian.

She closed her eyes and heavily exhaled to relax her body before meeting Kai. After calming down her nerves, she gave a nod. Wu Jian knocked on the door and announced their presence. The door opened and Qiao Shun stood there with Kai.

Kai was thrilled to see her and muttered beneath his breath. “Cici…”

She turned to Wu Jian and Guo Jing and nodded to signal for them to leave.

Guo Jing turned to Qiao Shun. “Young Master Qiao, let’s leave Xiao Xing and Mr. Yang alone to talk.”

“Alright.”

Guo Jing handed the medicine and cloth to Kai. “This herbal medicine will heal your wound faster. Xiao Xing will help you put it on.”

“Thank you,” replied Kai.

Wu Jian felt uncomfortable to let Cecilia be alone with him since Kai’s background was unknown. No matter how much he wanted to be present with her, he respected her decision.

“I will be outside. Call me if you need anything.”

She tightened her smile and nodded.

Wu Jian stared down at Kai before leaving with Qiao Shun and Guo Jing. Cecilia closed the door and walked toward the table to set the bowl of water down. Kai’s eyes followed her and watched as she began to soak the wash cloth in water.

“What are you standing there for? Come and let me tend your wound,” she said.

Kai did as told and walked toward her with the medicine in his hand. He placed the medicine down on the table and sat on the seat next to her. He continued to gaze at her while she unraveled the bloodied cloth from his wound. For the first time over a year, seeing her up close made him missed her dearly. He missed the touch of her soft skin, kiss on her rosy lips, and feel of her silky hair against his fingers. His eyes glistened from the thought.

She sensed him staring at her and felt uncomfortable. “Stop staring at me and take off your shirt,” she said coldly.

He chuckled a bit. “I apologize for my rudeness.” He started to take off his shirt and added, “I am glad to finally found you Cecilia…”

She squeezed the excess water from the cloth. “You keep calling me Cecilia and Cici…”

“Because that is your name, Cecilia Lin…Cici is your nickname that was given to you since you were a child,” explained Kai.

She remembered Tsui Man calling her Cecilia and questioned herself, “Am I really Cecilia then?”

She turned and saw Kai half naked. She was shocked to see his muscular body covered with old scars. There was a circular closed wound on his right shoulder and another one on his torso. There was a diagonal line across his chest to his collar bone made from Tsui Man’s knife on the night of the assassination.

“Why do you have so many scars?” she asked curiously.

As she cleaned his wound, he replied, “Each scar tells a story of our adventures together as assassins.”

She remembered her dream of being trained and killed people, and Tsui Man’s haunting words. Her eyes widened in surprise and stopped what she was doing.

She glanced at him. “Assassins?”

He nodded. “We used to work as secret agents for the CCIA’s Black Ops Force. We were assigned to kill high profile criminals.”

“It’s true that I am an assassin then…” she thought to herself and started to smear the herbal medicine onto his wound.

He jolted a bit from the sting.

“Relax,” she said calmly.

She then wrapped his wound with a clean cloth and tied to secure the medicine. Through this process, Kai was mesmerized by her gentleness on his wound. It reminded him of the years when she bandaged his wounds after their assignments. Just like now, she was careful and gentle.

He couldn’t withhold his emotions anymore and quickly grabbed her hands and held it.

“Cici…I miss you so much…I’ve been searching for you over a year now…”

Stunned by his actions, she pulled her hands away from his grip and stepped a few feet away from him.

He got up and took a couple of steps forward, but Cecilia raised her voice, “Please don’t come any closer to me. I do not know what we had in the past, but my heart is with somebody else.”

He interrupted, “I know…with Xing Fu…”

She raised a brow, “You knew?”

He sadly nodded. “Young Master Qiao told me everything when I saw his grave.”

Her eyes started to get watery from thinking about Xing Fu’s death. A tear fell down to her check and she looked away. Kai was about to wipe her tear but she took another step backward. She didn’t want him to touch her and wiped the tear herself.

She stared at him coldly. “All I want is for you to tell me who I am and what you know about my abilities. So please, do not make things difficult for me when it already is.”

Kai respected her decision and sadly nodded. “Alright Cici…”

She interrupted, “Call me Xiao Xing…”

He was stunned by her name preference and faintly smiled, though deep inside, he was devastated. “Alright…Xiao Xing…”

He started to tell her about herself. “You were a newborn when founded abandon in Mystic Mountain, and was taken to the orphanage where the nuns raised you.” He started to reminisce their childhood years together, and slightly laughed at the good old times. He continued, “At six years old, you were a tough little girl. You didn’t tolerate bullies and fought for the weak…” he looked at her, “I was one of the kids you’ve helped…” and smiled.

“Me? What did I do?” she asked.

“You beat the bullies with a wooden stick. I didn’t understand why they didn’t fight back until later on. I found out you were the nuns’ favorite child, and you were very special…”

“Special?”

Cecilia wondered if he meant her special qi.

He wanted to tell her how special she was to him, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. He continued, “Besides a young heroine, you healed quicker than any of the children, but when you’re sick, it took a while for you to heal.”

“What about killing demons?”

He shook his head, “That, I do not know. It was my first time hearing it from the Wu Prince…”

“What about the Celestial Mark?”

“Celestial Mark?” he repeated. He was confused and never heard or seen it from her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about but…” He paused to collect his thoughts before continuing. “…I need to tell you something.”

She gave him a quizzical look. “What is it?”

“We’re not from this realm. You, me, and Tsui Man are from Earth. Mortal Realm is a parallel dimension to our world…”

She laughed at him. “Stop bullshitting me,” and crossed her arms in front as she looked away.

“I’m not. You and I fought Tsui Man that night when we tried to assassinate him. You hit the Celestial Pillar and transported us to Mortal Realm.”

Disgusted from his lies, she scoffed, “This is ridiculous…”

He was desperate in trying to prove to her and pulled out her drawings, his drawing of her, and the heart shaped necklace. He held them in front of her face.

“Then explained this to me, why in all of the drawings we look different from the people here? Why is this necklace different from other jewelries here?”

She couldn’t believe he had these items and grabbed them from his hands.

She didn’t answer and questioned him instead. “You went into my home also?”

“Mei Mei and I were going to Mu Village to meet Young Master Qiao’s mother and accidentally stumbled upon the place.”

She stared at the items and saw a folded paper that she didn’t recognize. She opened it and saw a picture of herself. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and wore a tank top.

“I drew this to help search for you. We fell from the sky into this world, and lost you when we fell from Mystic Falls. Since then, I never gave up my search.”

She remained silent as she held the items tightly in her hands. The items and Kai were her past that she had ended to live a new life. Now that Kai appeared in front of her, she was clueless in what to do.  

Kai added, “When we entered the realm, you wore black leather shirt, black pants, and black boots. You also wore the heart necklace that I gave you for our three year anniversary…” He noticed she was still in disbelief. “Qiao Shun’s mother is a Fallen Immortal and will help you find your identity. She may also help us get back to our world.”

She stared unblinkingly at him and shook her head. He knew what she was thinking. She didn’t want to go back with him to their world.

“You don’t belong here!” he raised his voice.

“I don’t care if I am from your world or not!” Her eyes started to get teary. “All I wanted is to find out who I really am! Is that too much to ask?”

Knowing she was unwilling to accept where she was really from and their love, he took a couple of deep breaths to calm his frustration down.

The entrance doors swung violently opened and Wu Jian barged into the room along with Qiao Shun and Guo Jing. He quickly pushed Kai away from Cecilia and used his body to block between them. Wu Jian slightly turned his head to the side, while he kept a watchful eye on Kai.

“Xiao Xing, did he harm you?”

She wiped her tears. “No, but I want to leave this room.”

“Alright,” and they started to leave.

Kai didn’t want to see her drifted away from his life again. “Cici…”

Wu Jian glared at Kai. “Enough! She’s going through a lot already and doesn’t need any more problems in her life. I want you and Young Master Qiao to leave the palace at once!”

Kai watched as Wu Jian escorted Cecilia out of the room until she disappeared from his sight.

“What happened?” asked Qiao Shun.

Still looking outside, Kai answered, “I’ve told her what she needed to know…I can’t leave her again.”

Qiao Shun turned to Kai, thinking he was crazy to continue in pursuing Cecilia. “Didn’t you hear His Highness? We’re done. There’s nothing much we can do anymore.”

Kai turned to Qiao Shun with a wide grin on his face. “His Highness didn’t say anything about leaving Wu Tribe…” Qiao Shun and Guo Jing understood what he meant. “We’ll go back to the Inn and wait,” then he turned to Guo Jing, “I need you to be my eyes and ears in the palace. I also need you to persuade her to come back with us to meet Madam Qiao.”

Guo Jing nodded, “I’ll do my best.”

Ching Chen entered in with two other Wu warriors and knew it was their clue to leave.

---

At Bloody Lake, Elder Tao finished covering the layer on the Demon Realm seal with Taoist Binding Spell. For the first time since the Elders and Taoists started to bind the broken seal, he felt his body weakened and drained. He quickly sat down to meditate in recuperating the loss of energy. After several hours later, he was fully recharged and opened his eyes.

He stared at the Demon Realm seal. “It’s happening. Our energy is being depleted as we continue to bind the seal.” He sighed, “I hope we find the three Mortal Protectors soon.”

A white dove flew up in the sky and he knew it was Grandmaster Huang’s letter. It unraveled for him to see.

As he finished reading the letter, he became flummoxed. “A possible hybrid?”