"Welcome, Miss Chu!" A row of flight attendants line up in front of the door as they await their biggest customer.
Donning casual clothing disassociated from the luxurious ambiance of the Vip class lounge, Chu Nuan's group entered with relaxed steps. Paying no heed to the curious gazes of other passengers, the attendant led them towards the inner hall. As the only group allowed in this extravagant room, the escort left after making sure nothing is amiss.
Leaving Lei Lin and Xie Luochen to their own devices, Chu Nuan closes her eyes in contemplation.
Immediately, after returning from Hell, she booked the earliest flight available to Macau. Leaving the ever so busy Hong Wen and Blackie behind, she arrived at the airport with an excited Lei Lin and calm Xie Luochen.
Tracing the outline of the plastic card in her pocket absentmindedly, thoughts form and broke apart to convert into new ideas. The unknown purpose of Fu Xi, suspicious movement in the demon world, the archives, plus those lower envoys, and the three ghost lord's escape. Pausing her finger movements abruptly, Chu Nuan's eyes flutter open with a cold glint as she wonders, what could be waiting for her in Macau?
"Big sis."
Pulled from her line of thinking by Lei Lin's chirpy voice, Chu Nuan soothed the turbulent emotions in her eyes before moving her gaze to meet his. "What is it?" She smiled in curiosity.
"This place is amazing!" The teen praised in high spirits. "There is a large television, a full bar and a kitchen with an area to play games! Even the bathroom is twice the size of my room in the temple! How is it possible to receive this type of treatment?" He asked with sparkling eyes.
Chuckling from his enthusiastic reaction, Chu Nuan gave a vague reply, "when you live as long as I do, it's normal to have an empire or two."
"Wow!" Eyes evolving from curiosity into unconcealed worship, Lei Lin presented her with a piece of peach flavored candy. He watched her eat with anticipation before taking out his phone to take pictures for Hong Wen who couldn't come.
Seeing that child run off with a skip, her gaze trained onto Xie Luochen with a serious light, a jesting voice became a whisper only loud enough for the two of them to hear. "Of course, all this will become part of your dowry when I marry you."
Inching forward to the man sitting on her left, Chu Nuan slid her arm half way around his flushed neck. Pressing herself against his stiffened body with a pleased expression she continued coyly. "Now that you are aware of the nonexistent relationship between me and Bai Ling, I can assume you don't have additional misgivings?"
Surprised by an unexpected topic, Xie Luochen's eyebrow creased in confusion as he tried to move away from the searing temperature on his right. Unable to properly process the words of this conversation due to the soft arms wrapped around him, he answered with a casual, "En."
Seeing the face of her man trying to act calm while sporting such a flushed look, she laughed lightly as she continued to cajole this block of ice. "Xie Luochen, look straight at me and listen well. I like you, I really like you. Never in my life have I ever experienced such an influx of emotions regarding other people. Only you, you are the only one that has the right to influence me."
"You..." His voice trembles.
Placing both her delicate hands onto his cheeks, she turned his face towards her own. Dark eyes collide with pupils layered in specks of gold. Tracing with a finger along with her eyes, she continued to confess in utmost seriousness. "I am obsessed with you, those sword-like eyebrows, peach blossom eyes, your nose, and tightly pressed lips."
Inching closer until a few centimeters apart, Xie Luochen can smell the faint scent of peach, coming from the candy Lei Lin gave her moments ago.
"The feel of your slender fingers around my wrist, your sharp gaze running across my body, and those firm muscles under my hand….." Eyelashes flutter and graze against his skin, dying it crimson. Breathing intermingle together as the smell of peach seems to travel all the way to his brain and enveloping his mind.
"So? What do you think?" Chu Nuan said whilst waiting for his answer.
"What?" Face heating up uncontrollably, Xie Luochen's eyes took on a layer of mist. Looking like an extremely enticing piece of rabbit to the large wolf peering dangerously at him.
"At my confession….what is your answer to that?"
"I..." Before there is a chance to answer a loud knock ruined the unique atmosphere, pulling the two adruptly away.
Entering the room in a respectful manner the attendant bowed to them with a polite tone, "dear customer, your flight is ready to board, please follow after me."
As the plane lifted off towards their destination Xie Luochen entered into a deep sleep.
_____________
Opening his sights to familiar darkness, Xie Luochen observes the area with a leisure gaze. Spotting the speck of light not too far from his location, he took a step forward.
"Good to see you again, young man." The raspy androgynous voice of the same misty figure appears within his sights awaiting his arrival. Stretching his tense body with a comfortable sigh, the cloaked guide began to walk forward in a relaxed gait. Lantern swinging slowly from side to side, the mysterious figure said in awe. "You came back faster than I predicted."
Following behind in silence, the usually shy Xie Luochen became no more. Instead, his face took on a frosty sheen as his eyes sharpened with a dangerous glint. Removing the surprise and curiosity from the last visit, what's left is only a sense of annoyance and caution. "What is your purpose for calling me here?" He asked as his brows crinkled with impatience. "I don't have time for you to waste." That question....he wasn't able to answer her.
Hearing his aloof words, instead of anger the figure chuckled with a shake of its head. "Ay, young people these days sure lack patience. Are you not curious? As to why you are here?"
Giving a disdainful laugh at this ridiculous situation, Xie Luochen tilts his head a little to the left as his eyes reveal unending arrogance. "I don't need to, nor wish to know."
"Oh? Even if it has something to do with that envoy by your side?"
Pausing for a split second before returning to former calmness, he decided not to listen to those provoking words. Eyes narrowing almost into slits whilst his hand reaches for the daggers hidden within his clothes, Xie Luochen's footsteps become a beat faster. Dashing forward in one quick motion, gleaming daggers pierce through a layer of black mist without substantial form. The blanket of fog disperse then reassemble a few feet in front of him.
"It's no use." The raspy voice said without emotion as it continued to walk forward. "This place is the boundary between conscious and unconsciousness, the deepest part of your soul in which even you are unaware of. Something that you don't know cannot fall under your control."
Storing back his set of blades, the young man continued to trail behind. "What does she have to do with this?"
"She doesn't have anything directly related to this, I just said it to get some kind of reaction from you." A laughter formed from inside the fog. "Although she isn't directly related, she is part of the reason you are here."
"How so?"
See this road here?" Lifting the glowing lantern to indicate the long winding walkway ahead, it continued, "this path is a test and I am your examiner. By remembering your past, can you materialize your true form and Chu Nuan, she is the key to your awakening."
With a wave of his arms, multiple white screens appear on both sides of the trail. Like an actor featuring in different dramas, from ancient, modern, to fantasy, he can clearly see himself appearing on each screen with dissimilar personalities and backgrounds.
"This...." Widening his eyes in astonishment, Xie Luochen felt an unprecedented amount of familiarity coming from the images before his sight. "What is this?" Sight focusing onto the back view of a woman standing a few feet away, he strongly wishes for her to turn around to face him.
"This is you, these are all you from the past. After many years of reincarnation, you finally came here. For your one last trial.....I won't tell you what it is but you should prepare mentally. I have a feeling you'll be here much sooner than you think. " The shadow coughed with sadness and anticipation.
"You should be very confused right now so go back." Sighing with understanding, the misty figure blew out the light to his candle, extinguishing the flames.
Awakening with a start, the overhead announcement of the plane continued the last of its words, "thank you for flying with us, please enjoy your stay."
Signaling the arrival to their destination.