Chapter 7: Discovered Secret

[Luo Xiao Zhao]
Luo Xiao Zhao hid behind a tree trunk and peered into the clearing he had followed Shi Fu Wang and his assistant to. The clearing was carpeted with green grass as flowers started to bud on bushes around the clearing. He saw the two men: one was Shi Fu Wang who stood as tall, commanding, and elegant. A ray of sunlight shone on him and reflected off his white robe, nearly blinding Luo Xiao Zhao. The other man beside him had grayish hair and wore very rough fabric.

From afar, Luo Xiao Zhao heard the old man speak. "Wang Jing Ling! Ge Ge! What did you think of my acting skills? Didn't I seem like a grumpy old man?"

"You acted perfectly, Chen Ming, especially when you were talking to that boy! The one who was giving you a hard time," Wang Jing Ling Wang patted him on the shoulder. "Your acting skills are so advanced that even I thought you were an old man for a second. If I didn't know who you really were, I would've been fooled like the rest of the crowd."

"Really?" Chen Ming asked as he got closer to Wang Jing Ling. He stared into Jing Ling's eyes as he excitedly anticipated an answer.

Jing Ling flicked his wrist and the fan opened. He fanned himself and looked straight ahead as he said, "Of course. Why would I trick you? You're the best actor I've ever known."

Chen Ming snatched Jing Ling's right long sleeve  and the fan fell to the ground.

"Unbridled!" Wang Jing Ling yelped as he tried to pull away.

Chen Ming clung on to Jing Ling's sleeve and started to sway it back and forth. "Now that I've played my part with you, don't you think I should get a reward?"

"Let go," Wang Jing Ling ordered as he tried to rip his arm away but without success.

"I won't. Not until you promise to get me food now."

"I said, let go. Are you not even going to listen to me now?"

"Wang Jing Ling, oh Wang Jing Ling. I only listened to you because you were my 'Shi Fu' but now that our acting is finished, I no longer have to listen to you."

"You!" Jing Ling , angered, couldn't speak. Finally, he said, " Fine. I will buy you food. But first, you must wash off all that makeup we applied. Looking at you this way burns my eyes so much. Here," he said as he tossed a jug of water and a piece of cloth to Chen Ming. Then he bent down and picked up the fan and blew on it. After gently wiping it, he tucked it into his clothing.

Chen Ming caught both. Tipping the jug of water sideways, he let water trickle onto his hand and washed his face. Then wiping his face with his sleeve, he said in a muffled voice, "How about your hair? Are you going to dye it back to your normal hair color?"

"Of course. I can't let them recognize me. After all, what would happen if they found out everything was just a ruse? Besides, we did take 500 liang from them. Plus, if they found out who we are..." At this, he took out a small bottle and opened it. Shaking out some powder, he sprinkled it on his hair and bit by bit, his hair started to change from a white color to a black. After a few minutes, his hair turned completely black and there was no trace of his hair having ever been white.

"Chen Ming, is my hair completely black?"

"Huh what? Is your hair black? Oh... yes. It's black," Chen Ming answered, a little distracted as he stared at the black hair.

"This really is some good treasure," Jing Ling said as he stared at the small clay bottle. Tucking it back into his clothing Jing Ling said, "Chen Ming, stop staring at my hair. I know you're amazed by it. But let's go get some food, shall we?"

The mention of food seemed to have gotten Chen Ming to focus again for he became animated. "Yes! Let's go get some food! I'm starving!" Chen Ming grabbed his arm and pulled Jing Ling toward the direction of the town.

"Oh yeah, Wang Jing Ling. What did you mean by all the tests? Something about being brave and knowing your limits or such? Could you explain it to me? How come I didn't understand any of it?" Chen Ming was still clutching Wang Jing Ling's arm.

"Oh those?"

"Yeah."

"I made it all up."

"You made it up?!" Chen Ming asked incredulously.

"Or else? Do you think it was easy acting like a wise man?"

"That makes sense."

"Come, come. Let's go get something to eat now."

"Sure!"

"Let go."

"Fine," Chen Ming said as he reluctantly let go of his arm.

Well, so much for finding a master to learn martial arts from. I guess it's time for me to go too. Luo Xiao Zhao thought to himself as he turned to leave. Unfortunately, he accidentally stepped on a twig and it snapped with a loud crack. Luo Xiao Zhao threw his head back and saw a fan whirling his way. In half a second, Luo Xiao Zhao side stepped but was knocked off balance. He fell forward and covered his head with his hands as he cried out, "Don't hurt me!"

"Look what we have here."

Luo Xiao Zhao slowly uncovered his head and glanced up. He saw Wang Jing Ling standing in front of him, fanning himself as if he were watching a play.

"Get up," Wang Jing Ling ordered.

Luo Xiao Zhao slowly stood to his feet.

Behind Wang Jing Ling, Luo Xiao Zhao saw Chen Ming shifting from one foot to the other nervously.

"Who are you?" Wang Jing Ling demanded.

"Don't you know who I am?"

"Don't act all smart. I'm asking a question. If you don't answer me, I'd be glad to throw this fan at you again," he said as he gently rubbed his finger on the edge of the creases. When he took his finger away, Luo Xiao Zhao saw that Wang Jing Ling's finger was bleeding.

Luo Xiao Zhao waved both hands in front of Wang Jing Ling and stuttered, "N-n-no n-n-need. I will answer. I will answer."

Luo Xiao Zhao threw a glance at Chen Ming who looked away. Turning back to Wang Jing Ling he answered, "My name is Luo Xiao Zhao and I was one of your students who took the test."

"Oh? Your face does seem familiar. Oh. I remember now. You were that person who tried to cheat. Well? Why did you follow us? How much did you hear? Are you going to rat us out?" He came closer and closer to Luo Xiao Zhao as he asked each question.

"Oh! No! Don't get me wrong. I was just um... walking this way. I definitely didn't hear what you said, something about a ruse or�"" He glanced at Wang Jing Ling and the look on Wang Jing Ling's face made him stop abruptly.

"So you heard everything?"

Luo Xiao Zhao gulped and looked about wildly.

"We can't leave you alive," Wang Jing Ling said as he raised his fan and prepared to strike.

"Wait!!"

Wang Jing Ling paused in midair. Chen Ming dashed up to Wang Jing Ling and yanked his arm down.

"You can't kill an innocent person! You can't kill him! I won't let you kill someone innocent!" Chen Ming yelled as Wang Jiang Ling tried to shake Chen Ming loose. A struggle ensued between the two. Chen Ming clung onto Wang Jing Ling's arm for dear life. Fascinated by this scene, Luo Xiao Zhao forgot to run and instead watched with anticipation to see who would win. They both seem like perfect matches in terms of strength. Luo Xiao Zhao smiled to himself.

After a few minutes of fierce struggling, Wang Jing Ling collapsed on the ground and dragged Chen Ming down with him. Both were exhausted.

"You...w-won...t-t-this...time, Chen Ming. But next time... I will not...let you off...the hook...easily!" He panted as he lay on his back.

"Y-yeah, if there is... a...next time," Chen Ming gasped.

Wang Jing Ling then raised his head slightly and spotted Luo Xiao Zhao standing not far from him. "Why are you still here?" He scowled.

"I was just about to leave," Luo Xiao Zhao hurriedly said as he walked briskly away.

"Wait! Where are you going? Not so fast!" Chen Ming called.

Luo Xiao Zhao's ear twitched. In an instant, he leaped into the air and his body was in a vertical position. He was barely in the air when he saw a white object spin right under him. Oh great. This Wang Jing Ling really wants my life.

Luo Xiao Zhao landed on the ground. His feet spread apart as he bent his knees, his hands lay flat on the ground beside him. He was in a crouched position ready to attack if needed. He glanced up only to see the object that had flown at him arrive back into Wang Jing Ling's hands. It was the fan.

Wang Jing Ling, after catching the fan, immediately opened it and started fanning himself slowly and deliberately, acting as if nothing had happened. "Are you done with your tricks?" He asked.

Luo Xiao Zhao, weary of Wang Jing Ling slowly stood up. He dusted his clothes off and glared at Wang Jing Ling.

"Ohh! I love the look on your face. I like it when people have an attitude," Wang Jing Ling laughed as he continued to fan himself.

"What are we going to do with him?" Piped up Chen Ming.

"I promised you I wouldn't kill him. So I won't kill him... For now. It is out of the question to release him, however."

"Wait. Why can't we release him? He didn't harm us," Chen Ming protested.

"Not yet he didn't. Just wait, Chen Ming. If we let him go, he will certainly tell on us and then, we're done for."

"But�""

"No buts. Here," he tossed Chen Ming a rope. "Tie him up."

Turning to Luo Xiao Zhao, he warned, "If you try to get away again, I will most certainly kill you."

Luo Xiao Zhao didn't resist as he was tied up by Chen Ming.

"Now that he's all tied up, let's take him to our house," Wang Jing Ling decided.

"How about my promised food?" Chen Ming inquired in a worried voice.

"Don't worry, Chen Ming. I never go back on my word. You're my dear brother, after all. Besides, when have I ever lied to you?"

"Never?" Chen Ming asked with uncertainty.

"Exactly. I would never lie to you. Let's go. The sooner we drop him off, the sooner we can get some food," Wang Jing Ling said as he patted Chen Ming on the back.

"Let's go," Chen Ming said as he pulled the rope that tied Luo Xiao Zhao's hands. Slowly, they made their way toward the town. Wang Jing Ling was in front leading the way, Chen Ming walked right behind him, and Luo Xiao Zhao trailed behind both of them as he stumbled from time to time.

However, to Luo Xiao Zhao's surprise, halfway to town,  they suddenly steered away from it and went deeper into the forest. As they walked deeper and deeper into the forest, Luo Xiao Zhao felt more and more uneasy.

The air held a stillness like that of death. There was no sign of wind or any birds singing in the trees as Luo Xiao Zhao had heard only a short while ago. It was as if all the living things had vanished. The trees were thicker here and at first, there was sufficient light for them to see their way. Luo Xiao Zhao glanced at the ground and found no signs of foliage whatsoever. All he saw was dust and dirt that flew up with each step he took. As they continued deeper and deeper into the mysterious forest, the sunlight slowly dwindled until there was almost no light except for a few stray rays of sunlight here and there. Finally, even the stray rays of sunlight disappeared, giving way to a complete and utter darkness.

From up ahead, he heard Wang Jing Ling's voice. "It's about time,  Chen Ming."

Luo Xiao Zhao heard a click and an instant later, he saw a small torch about the size of a firecracker.

"Come on," Chen Ming said, giving Luo Xiao Zhao's rope a tug.

The deeper they went, the more uneasy Luo Xiao Zhao felt. There was something sinister about this place. Something evil lurked just beyond the circle of light. He knew it. His gut twisted in agony and sweat began to form on his brows.

"A-a-a-are we s-soon t-there?" Luo Xiao Zhao's voice quivered.

"Don't ask questions and don't talk. Or else you might attract unwanted attention," Wang Jing Ling replied from up ahead.

"U-u-un-unwanted...attention?" Luo Xiao Zhao squeaked.

"Shhhh. If you don't want to die, stop talking," Chen Ming whispered.

Luo Xiao Zhao gulped.

Deeper and deeper they went. Luo Xiao Zhao felt the darkness choking him as the air became more and more stale. Then it hit him. A sudden smell of rot and flesh. Luo Xiao Zhao gagged and doubled over. Stumbling, he tumbled to the ground, yanking Chen Ming down as well.

"Hey!" Chen Ming yelped. The torch Chen Ming was holding fell and was extinguished.

Unfortunately, in that brief instant, Luo Xiao Zhao already saw too much: the blood on the ground amidst many half eaten rotten bodies. His hands touched soft sticky liquid.

Panicked, and he yelled, "I'm getting out of here! I'm getting out of here!"

Luo Xiao Zhao desperately tried to break free from the rope that bound his hands. Chen Ming clung on to the other end and whispered frantically, "Stop it! Stop it now! You're drawing attention to us! You want to attract spiky arms ?"

Luo Xiao Zhao wasn't listening. He continued to thrash around wildly as his heart pounded so hard his chest hurt. "Let go! Let go!" He screeched even louder than before.

A low grumbling suddenly erupted from around them.

"Oh no. We're done for," Chen Ming muttered.

"What was that?" Asked Luo Xiao Zhao who finally managed to stand up. He looked around wildly and to his horror, he saw that in the darkness, millions of human eyes suddenly appeared. They were eyes of all different colors: red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple�"every color in the world could be accounted for. They glowed in the darkness and stared at him with hunger.

Something shot out so quickly that Luo Xiao Zhao had no time to dodge it. It quickly wrapped itself around his body and started to squeeze. A searing pain like that of being on fire suddenly hit him. To Luo Xiao Zhao's horror, he realized that the plant had inserted a vine into the vein of his left wrist. He felt a sticky liquid flow down his wrist and glanced down. It was his blood. Not only was he bleeding, he was also struggling to breathe. As his vision blurred, he saw another torch in Chen Ming's left hand. In his right hand, he wielded a sword and he slashed the pink, thick vines that stretched toward him as they attempted to grab its prey.

Out of nowhere, Wang Jing Ling suddenly appeared, throwing some kind of white powder on the vines. An inhumane screaming sound emitted from the arms as they sizzled and whined, shrinking as time went on. At last, they turned into a gray ash. However, Wang Jing Ling did not throw any of the powder on the vine that held Luo Xiao Zhao captive and it continued to squeeze the life out of him as his blood turned from a flowing small stream to a roaring river. He was losing blood too quickly. Soon, he would go unconscious.

As his brain started to go hazy, he heard a distant voice and saw Chen Ming holding Wang Jing Ling's sleeve as he begged frantically, "We have to save him, Wang Jing Ling! We can't let him die!"

"Let go! I told you I wouldn't kill him and I didn't. He caused this to happen to himself. Who told him to make so much noise? He is getting what he deserves!"

"But�""

"No more buts. Let's leave. Now," Wang Jing Ling grabbed Chen Ming's arm and turned to leave.

"I'm not going!" Chen Ming swung Wang Jing Ling's arm in a downward fashion and forced Jing Ling to release his arm. "I'm going to save him!" Chen Ming said in a determined voice.

Chen Ming grabbed the container of powder from Wang Jing Ling's hand and scrambled over to Luo Xiao Zhao. With one move, he threw the powder on the vine which immediately loosened its grip and started to shrivel up.

With the last of his consciousness, Luo Xiao Zhao was dimly aware of Chen Ming's face looming over him as he lay in someone's arm.

"T-thank...y-you," he whispered as he finally surrendered to darkness.

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Ge Ge (�"��"�）: a way to address one's older brother