I was still intrigued with guilt as Jie Moshu stood up all wet. My mind kept replaying the scene in total disbelief. I spilled on him with mixture of water and my saliva. Yuck. Even I was already feeling gross on myself, I wasn't sure if he had grown disinterested of me—but it was obvious enough.
"Noble god Huashe," Jie Moshu said, anger humming before his cool facade. "What's your purpose of doing here? Can't you see my wife is resting?"
Oh, God. How could his eyes still glimmering of love when he claimed me his wife? The main point was, I didn't detect any decreasing intimacy from him. In fact, it oddly increased—seeing him didn't make any comment on me. And I couldn't help the feeling profoundly shocked. He even gave me the vibes that he was furious because Huashe had disturbed my rest. (Which his obsession of protecting me made my heart fluttered the tiniest bit; marked my words well).
"It'sss none of your business. Stay put!" Huashe's nose scrunched up in irritation. He was clearly not amused with Jie Moshu too. "You, female human, have to re'sssponsible for me! It would have been my nice brumation I had once in a hundred years, if it wasn't you who ruined it. Pah! What a good master I got for myself."
My attention wrenched back to the present situation. I looked up at the mention of my "mistake". What was what? What had I done? My head was swimming, for a second I thought I was hearing things. He was seriously accused me for disturbing his brumation? Yeah, right. At least, care to spit some information on how I did that.
"I woke up coughing blood! Do you even know how precious my blood is'sss? Why can't you just take a good care of yourself?" He continued to glare me, "To think that you even made me, the mythical beast, have a good search for ya. Five days! It took me five days to break this damn barrier. What a mess'sss."
I looked at Huashe and felt a twist in my stomach. I was unconscious for five days, like who was he kidding? It didn't even feel that long when I was in my inner core, which felt like a few hours. But significantly five days had passed. Five days. No wonder I was feeling weak and spacey—I was the real sleeping log.
"Oh," Jie Moshu nodded with perfect calmness, but his gaze flickered with annoyance. "I thought who was causing a uproar, so it was you."
Outrage was burning in Huashe's green eyes, "You made that damn barrier? What a waste for my five hundred years of cultivation base." He hissed under his breath. "If you weren't one of the immortals of Sky Realm, I'd kill you where you stand."
Jie Moshu got this tense smile pasted with his frightening glares. "Try me."
"What the hell—!" Huashe said through gritted teeth. Suddenly in a flash, Huashe was standing before Jie Moshu as he clutched his throat, squeezing it tight. I bet if Huashe claws weren't damaged, he would probably go ahead choked Jie Moshu to death, or snapped his neck. But he stood there, maintained his grip.
I was blinking in surprise, seeing Huashe's speed almost took my breath away. Jie Moshu's eyes widened with surprise too, before his gaze coolly assessing the situation. He didn't seem to bother by the death grip on his throat. As expected from an immortal. He must have had some sort of massive strength that could let him ignore grip like that, any one of which would have made another man to struggle and gasped for air. He grabbed Huashe's arm, and bright crimson sparks ignited from his fingertips. I watched in horror as hellfire-like flames swirled, practically burning Huashe's skin.
Huashe immediately jerked back with a muffled hiss. He waved his other hand, followed with water magically spiraling off his fingers. In an instant, liquid streams prevailed over his burned hand, putting out the flame as the smell of burn filled the air.
"You!" Huashe tsked, forked tongue flickering behind his sharp snake-like teeth. "I've been really, really patience with you, immortal boy. From the blood oath, now this'sss!"
"If I'm not mistaken, it was noble god Huashe who intruded us first," Jie Moshu's voice was deep and rich, with an edge of sophistication. "Do you know you're bothering my wife's rest?" he gestured at the mess I made, care to remind me the spilling water part. "Look at what you've done. Not only you made my wife choked, but you've gravely offended your master. I was simply giving you punishment on behalf of my wife to her ungrateful familiar."
Whoops. I didn't see that coming. Was that how he thought in that heavy head of his? I couldn't predict the taste of an immortal.
"Why you!" Huashe snarled, swaying his head to sides like a deathly viper. "I'll make you regret—"
On a split second, the ground started trembling as the furnitures clang-cla-cla-clanged across the room. There was a stir of movement out of the corner of my eye, and suddenly lamps, paintings, vessels in the room started to float like a feather on the breeze.
A wave of fear, panic and sheer of exhaustion slammed into me. I was more frantic to see these two beings having a life-and-death struggle near my direction. Not that I had any choices for getting myself involved. I tried to stop them, but my voice just wouldn't come out in an equally dramatic fashion. Also, I was practically glued to this bed, might as well faced the danger of becoming a victim of this domestic violence.
Apart from anything else, I was useless. Honestly... I wanted to get out of their line of vision, let them fight to their heart's content. But I was here, paralyzed. That was why my intent and desperation was there. The threat of being swallowed in the midst of their fight faintly alarmed me.
Huashe's slowly changed into his real serpent form—like I first saw him but even more horrid. His winter white scales was turning into thick spiny ones like those of an armadillo lizard, as his body was turning muscular more beast-like than beauty. Greenish light sizzling down his human fingers as they pivoted to claws—not fully grown yet, but sharp enough to cut his foe.
On the other hand, something weird was happening with Jie Moshu. Magic flared up around him, a golden crimson halo of fury. Fiery aura was burning through the eerie glow of his eyes. Then fire sparked, singeing both of his hands. He didn't wince, didn't blink. It was my first time seeing him like that. I was so transfixed by his inhuman power that it raised every hair on the back of my arms.
A little voice inside me was calming me: 'Okay, Huayu. Stay sane; don't freak out.' But reality hit me like a lightning bolt. How would I not fret when those two were glaring each other through me? Maybe my presence there was just a display, though I was basically the reason they rifted into dispute.
As if gods had heard my prayers, Mr. Fang suddenly made his entrance through the massive doorway.
"Goodness! Master!" Mr. Fang peered at the chaos those two men had made, sounded extremely flummoxed. "What have you done to this place?"
Finally, a savior had appeared! Mr. Fang's voice alone stopped the two from bickering and stood still like perfect soldiers. Jie Moshu's halo and flames were faded. Followed by Huashe slowly turning back to his human appearance.
As I gaze up at Mr. Fang, there seemed to be a light haloed around his head. As if he was filtered by effect, his gray hair was shining and his eyes were gleaming. He was the true existence of an angel itself! My mind prayed: 'May all gods blessing bestowed on the old man.'
Mr. Fang looked at me. "Ms. Liu, how are you? Feeling any better?"
I shook my head firmly, as if I was blurting the words through my eyes: 'No! I'm not fine at all!'
"Why is female human didn't speak?" Huashe glared at me, looking more disparaging than furious. "Did she become mute while I was away? No! I don't want a mute master."
Suddenly, Huashe bellowed as his knees hit the floor next.
I was confused, I didn't even make a command or anything in my head. My eyes locked on Jie Moshu. He lowered his head. It was his doing all along. I assumed it was some sort of psychic, massive blow rammed against his stomach. I just had the thought that Jie Moshu was quite a despicable man for his gentleman looks.
Huashe turned to face Jie Moshu. He hissed out of the corner his mouth. "You stinky immortal, what are you doing?"
"I thought my wife ought to give you a lesson to that sharp tongue of yours."
"Female human didn't even say a word, why would you be so nosy doing things on her place?"
"I'm not nosy—I'm her husband."
Oops. That caught Huashe speechless. There was a stunned silence fell on place. My face was boiling hot, they were probably as red as tomatoes right now. I could see Mr. Fang astounded look as well. Jie Moshu was way too blunt!
"An-anyway..." Huashe utterly taken aback by Jie Moshu. He looked away, then turned at me. "Female human is the reason I'm here. And you, immortal boy, can sense it too; she's dying."
A frowned bothered Jie Moshu's handsome face. I agreed that Huashe was a bit straightforward, but I wouldn't expect any secrets kept from me. At least, both Kylin and him had told me about the ultimate beauty poison. If my voice wasn't as hoarse as now, I would have overwhelmed him with questions. Instead, my eyes did all the talking.
His frowned deepened. "She is poisoned by ultimate beauty flower, and one of six petals has fallen."
"That deathly purple iris?" Huashe froze and stared—no, gaped. "It has been a long time since I last heard of it. As far as I know, that a rare poisonous flower has extincted since my master's—" he paused briefly, gulped hard, "—soul scattered."
Jie Moshu shook his head. "Goddess of Souls also nurtured them. As long as she is alive, souls that once entangled with the flower can still be poisoned."
"Then, what did it have to do with female human? Those who entangled with that flower had long gone—unless..."
Huashe jerked his head around, staring at me a moment before turning back his attention back to Jie Moshu. "Female human is one of those souls that escaped from Eighteenth Layered of Hell's Dungeon."