Chapter 5 : “Wandering Through The Misfortune IV”
Arc 1 : Reincarnated Memories
━━━━━━━༺🌾༻ ━━━━━━━
He felt so at ease with Yongyuan. Resting his eyes without any fears of anything. As the cool water washed his bruised face, the dawning sunlight warmed his skin further as they share this moment of calming solitude together. Not needing to say anything else.
.
.
.
By Sundown, Yongyuan could hear the crackling fire beside him and Bu Chongyao. His heart and limbs felt like they were ripping apart, again. It seemed like his hourly agonizing pain came back. As he felt his inner organs twist and turn, seemed like even after all of this time he still wasn't use to his reincarnated body. Not one bit. As if his own body was trying to kill him alive, Yongyuan felt as if he was gonna gag out 2x the amount of blood when he woke up. While his organs were ripping each other apart, his mind decided to join in as well as the foresights begin to kick in like some kind of (literally) headache.
As Yongyuan internally bled out from every part of his body, all he could do was close his eyes and pray to the actual gods that when he wakes up the pain will be gone, forgetting he's technically a god as well, or once a god in his past life. As he rustled to his side, feeling the soft grass on his skin.
He could be in the coldest place on this damn planet and yet he would still feel the sensation of being burned alive. Yongyuan shut his eyes tight, laughing and crying. Oh god. This better go away once I wake up. Digging his nails into his own skin.
It wasn't long until when he shut his eyes, he saw glimpses of the future that soon will become his reality and not just his foresight. It all moved too fast for him to really grasp onto what was happening. It was all nothing but a clear blur. He saw everything and nothing at the same time, it was clear visions of something that will happen, but never giving the idea of when, how, where, it happened. Making it a blur as well. After all that happened today, Yongyuan still paid with all his attention, but not getting a single clue back. But somehow it was enough for Yongyuan to put it all together in some way.
Feeling his body fall asleep, he dozed into a slumber, finally letting his nail out of his skin. Closing his eyes tighter, not in a forced manner, just properly resting his eyes and himself. Until he saw a silver butterfly, fluttering its wings toward Yongyuan. It was alluring, it was captivating, it was graceful.
The butterfly that appeared in this dream-like state was surreal.
The silver-like green wings glistened, seemingly like it was creating its own light that shined and captured the multicolored shades of green and silver scales. Almost like it was glowing a small light, landing on Yongyuan's finger. As a hand reaches out towards Yongyuan and the butterfly. A voice echoes through his mind and head, the voice was soothing and gentle to Yongyuan ears, comforting and attractive. As the voice says "Your Grace, you won't have to wait long. I will find you once again.." The low-pitched voice softly spoken. Sounding imitate and caring as Yongyuan's ears blushed a shade of cherry red.
.
.
.
As Yongyuan woke up to him being lightly shaken, by wounded hands. As he heard words being spoken out.
"Xiansheng. Wake up."
Although the wording choice sounded harsh and demanding, the voice was gentle as a leaf. As the teenager placed his hand over Yongyuan's shoulder he lightly shaked his shoulder, trying to wake up Yongyuan who was in a sleepy daze. When Yongyuan woke up, feeling like his organs were still bleeding out, he saw the young 14 year old, Bu Chongyao. His expression was dull but not cold, rather nonchalant. Seeing Yongyuan wake up, his eyes became warm as the corner of his lips turned into a small smile. It was almost unnoticeable, only people with sharp eagle-like eyes could see it.
"Didn't you say we had going to Yin Shancun?"
Bu Chongyao asked, as he stopped shaking Yongyuan. Letting him get up. It was as if his eyes were playing around with him. The bruised up and beaten up to a pulp teenager was nowhere to be seen. The strangled mess, mixed with blood in his hair, the swollen black eye, disappeared like it never existed in the first place. It was as if Bu Chongyao healed overnight, which shouldn't happen because of how severely beaten to a bloody ass pulp he was. There, knelt down, facing Yongyuan, a normal looking teenager, who just happened to be unlucky as hell. Being jumped by 5-6 other teenagers for "stealing something" when he didn't.
Yongyuan had to blink once and twice as he stared, hard, at Bu Chongyao.
The teenager wasn't completely healed up, but considering yesterday he was so beat up like some left-over toy that was owned by a
bratty spoiled brat. Being tossed and kicked multiple times as he hissed out mouthfuls of blood and tears. The bleeding slit lip was healed, now it was just cracked capp lips. The bruises and cuts all over Bu Chongyao's body were gone. There weren't even stains from the blood that was oozing out of every cut the teenagers wounds. His hair that was tangled to a mess and would take hours to brush out was now, just normal. Not so well-kept but also looked like he didn't let go of himself yet. His eyes that were void of any hint of emotions looked more alive than dead-corpse now.
There was no way Bu Chongyao would have healed so fast. Even if his healing cells were working overtime it would never take this long for Bu Chongyao to heal up so fast. It was like you blinked too much that you confused yourself. Not even Michael Myers from the Halloween Movies healed up this fucking fast. Sure he survived getting his eyes blown out by bullets but that at least took a Y-E-A-R for it to heal. NOT IN ONE FUCKING D-A-Y.
There were two options. Bu Chongyao had a goddamn inhumane healing system or it was the time shifting and changing. Moving faster without them noticing at all, speeding up his healing process by several months or even a year in one day.
Bu Chongyao couldn't help but tilt his head, slightly raising an eyebrow seeing Yongyuan staring at him. Bu Chongyao looked down, feeling himself and realizing that all of his unnecessary wounds and injuries are gone, just like that. The teenager puts his hand on his face, feeling his skin, all healed and not bruised. As Bu Chongyao blinks to feel that the once swollen black eye is gone, finally feeling both his eyes and not just one half puffy and red. It was then, Yongyuan finally noticed that he's just been staring at Bu Chongyao this entire time. Realizing how rude and uncomfortable Bu Chongyao must've felt while he was just staring stupidly.
Yongyuan rubbed his temples as he replied. "My apologies, Bu Chongyao. I must have overslept a bit." His undertone, embarrassed. Lowering his head. Yongyuan arm reaches out to grab the straw hat that was nearby his feet.
"If you want to sleep more, you can." Was the words Bu Chongyao immediately replied to the tired individual.
"I can't, we have to get to Yin Shancun as soon as possible." Yongyuan sighed out, his voice was low and had a hint of fatigue in his tone. Bu Chongyao raised an eyebrow but didn't question any further on why Yongyuan wanted to go so bad. Bu Chongyao face turned from curiosity to doubtful. The mountain Sect, Yin Shancun. didn't have a good reputation, or history at all.
"Yin Shancun is on the Mountain Yiyong Feng. It will take a while for us to get there, Xiansheng." With this information, Yongyuan nodded as he stretched out his arms. Letting out a yawn as he stood up. Bu Chongyao gazes up at the very much taller figure. Standing at around roughly, 198 cm. His eyes widened in shock, he stared dumbly at the way, taller figure in front of him. Was Xiansheng always this tall? Was all Bu Chongyao could think about.
When he was basically half-passed-out, Yongyuan, in his eyes at least, looked to be around an average tall guy, not some slander-man from the stories his bullies would tell him to make him coward in the side of the room, and piss off his pants as they laughed and kicked him even more.
It was now Yongyuan turn to stare back at Bu Chongyao, uncharacteristically, he was gawking, no, just staring back stupidly at Bu Chongyao. The studden hit in Yongyuan mind that, yes, he is a fucking tall ass person compared to an average, normal, ass, human being. Standing high at around 198.12 cm was not a fucking everyday thing. Realizing he was built like the god-fucking-damn Burj Khalifa while other people around him looked like pitiful Skyscrapers around Yongyuan. To Yongyuan, he was always the one who had to look up, not /down/.
Yongyuan couldn't help but just laugh internally at this. He had forgotten that Gods and Primordial Ones are freakishly always tall. Somehow..
"Then we should get going." Yongyuan finally replied to Bu Chongyao. As his fingers grabbed the rims of the straw hat and pulled down the ribbons on the corners to tie a knot. The see through veils surrounding the simple straw hat give a hint of elegance to Yongyuan.
The cool breeze of the wind flew past, both individuals, uncovering the light glimmering through the rays of the warm sunlight. The once cool tones of nightfall, was now a mellow shade of daylight. The lukewarm-like sun was peeking through the water-colored autumn leaves falling down like gentle petals of flowers. With Bu Chongyao still knelt down on the ground, he stood up after moments when Yongyuan spoke, as he lifted his head to see light glistening on Yongyuan hair and face, highlighting his beauty as Yongyuan turned his head. His mouth and lips curved upwards into a gentle yet small smile. Waiting for Bu Chongyao to follow him.
It was as if they were both in a cliché shot in a movie, the void-like black eyes, hollow and dark had a warm glimpse of light. The curve of Bu Chongyao mouth turned from a nonchalant straight line to a wormy line. Almost, as if struggling to make a simple damn smile.
He ran towards Yongyuan while he was walking. Joining him by his side as they both walked through the thick warm toned forest, full of vibrant autumn leaves.
.
.
.
As they walked through autumn woodlands. Bu Chongyao turned his head high and up to watch the clear blue sky. Hazy clouds pass by in his view, tree brunch's that hung high in the air as flock's and colonies of birds, chirping and tweeting like newborns chicks that just hatched right out of the egg. Squawking infuriating raw noises, as if it was coming out of a human's mouth. Driving Bu Chongyao mad almost, making his ears bleed as the ear piercing rough screams of the now, howling birds were more loud. Deafening as Bu Chongyao glared at each of the birds.
One out of the many birds that hung high up in the branches appeared to be a bit younger than the rest.
The small feathered creature had navy blue feathers and white undertones. With bright red bills, a blue body, heads are black with a speckled crown and orange skin surrounding the melancholy eyes.
What made the fledgling stand out among the rest of the feathered bird was it tail. Loosely behind it in flight, hanging low as if it was dragging the creature down instead of helping it stay high up.
The longer Bu Chongyao stared into and at the small bird-like creature, something, anything, about it gave away that it wasn't an animal. Or at least, the animals he had known all of his life. The eye of the animal was pitch as night, void of any expression and emotion. Unlike the other annoying non-stopping chirping birds, this small creature was just staring off into space. Like some overworked, underpaid worker, working a 9 to 5, that couldn't give a shit about the job and just wanted the money. Staring off into god knows what.
The more Bu Chongyao stared at the bird, something in his body was screaming that it wasn't a damn normal annoying tiny ass bird, he was used to. As Bu Chongyao narrowed his eyes, squinting to take a better look at the not-so-ordinary Red-Billed Blue Magpie. The creature snapped its neck, almost in half to stare right back at Bu Chongyao, it's eye still dead on the outside and inside. Bu Chongyao could only stare back in shock and dismay, not from annoyance of the birds anymore.
As Bu Chongyao eyes still widen, the little bird flapped its wings. Picking up a rapid pace as the bird swiftly flew itself little wings away, showering through the air. Leaving Bu Chongyao still wide eyed.
As his eyes began to sting a bit, Bu Chongyao had to blink multiple times, and one more time when he heard a soft voice say his name. "Bu Chongyao." The soft-like spoken voice was none other then Yongyuan. Bu Chongyao snapped out of his daze, realizing he had stopped walking to eye the annoying birds, especially that weird one that give him a wrong vibe.
Running back besides Yongyuan, Bu Chongyao looked up to see Yongyuan having his full attention on something. Soon, Bu Chongyao heard other voices of people, yelling out words to catch the eye of customers, trying to prove how their product is special, like any other vendor, auctioneer, scheming merchant that ever existed.
As they both continued to walk, it wasn't just voices or noises they heard anymore. The loud bustling sounds and deafening howling of noises that came from people, all individual voices mixed in together into chunks of sound and buzzing were right in Bu Chongyao's face.
The two outsiders actually walked right into a robusting, howling market. It was an uproar, with people shoving others around to get one thing or the next. One commotion was started after the last one was solved, pushing and shoving around the cramped area. No room to properly breath, well fortunately, and probably the only good thing that happened in Bu Chongyao's life, was the fact that he was above average when it came to height. Standing up a pretty good height as he was being pushed and shoved around. One person even jabbed his stomach, around the same area he was kicked in and rocks were thrown at him multiple times.
With the overflowing amount of people, Bu Chongyao was soon backed in a corner, unable to kept up with the racing speed all of the customers had somehow, bright in the morning.
Piles of dirt were kicked in the air, intoxicating Bu Chongyao lungs as he wheezed out like a dying grandpa on the verge of death. Shutting his eyes as his hand hovered over his mouth, making a tight fist as he kept coughing. Bu Chongyao peeked one eye open, looking for a tall graceful-like figure that wore a straw hat with white flowing, airy, veils.
Bu Chongyao 's eyes buzzed around like a newborn fly, trying to find its way, sighting the area for Yongyuan. Turns out he was facing the wrong direction since Yongyuan was just at the right corner of his eye.
Standing at a venue with only one or two other people was the tall figure, with long silk-like pitch black hair, a straw hat surrounded by white see through veils.
Yongyuan fingers glazed through each item the merchant had to offer, brushing through until he felt some old, dusty, wrinkled up paper.
As Yongyuan dusted it off, he unfolded it to see it was a map to no where else but god damn Mountain Sect, Yin Shancun. One of the Four Mountain Sects of Mt. Yiyong Feng. Alongside with three others mountain sects, Fùráo gāoyuán, Shuǐyòu lǐpǐn, and Qiángdà kūqì. All high above the ground, where no one dared to step a single foot on either of those grounds for many years.
As the merchant lady chewed on a piece of a stick that seemed to be a cigarette of some kind, Yongyuan lifted his hand up, by only a little. Similar to some child back in elementary school that was too shy to get the teachers full attention in one go, but still wanted the teacher's attention. Raising his hand shyly, catching the merchant's attention.
As she swung around, biting down onto the cigarette and spitting it out in the trash nearby her foot. The merchant gaze fixed up onto the figure that's in front of her, with a map she forgot she even had, in his hands. Her eyes peered up and down, gawking on why the tall figure needed her in the first place until Yongyuan spoke.
"Excuse me, is this a map to Yin Shancun?" Yongyuan asked, flipping the map over for the merchant to view the other side. The map had colors of old ink, it wouldn't be a far stretch to say it was painted years ago.
The merchant chuckled as she stretched out her arms to put behind her head. "Hm..Yeah why?" She hummed.
A hand slammed down onto the table, it wasn't loud or hard enough to be an adult or light enough to be a child. The hand was scarred up, with wounds and cuts, the slammed down hand was a young teenager's hand. It was Bu Chongyao's.
Looking disheveled as he softly yelled out. "Give the map. Xiansheng asked." Bu Chongyao demanded, well it didn't sound like it at least. His voice was raspy and tired, it sounded more like an 8 year old tryna get a free lollipop from an auntie.
The merchant snickered and crackled, replying back nonchalantly. "Well, your Xiansheng actually has some manners unlike you, Devil Child. Why don't you spare him the trouble and learn from him?"
Bu Chongyao ignored the merchant's words as demanded. "How much for it?"
"Just take it. No one wants that map." The merchant shrugged. As she grabbed the map from Yongyuan's hands and rolled it up. Handing it over to Bu Chongyao.
As both Yongyuan and Bu Chongyao we're leaving the market, Yongyuan whispered apologetically to the merchant lady. "Please don't mind Bu Chongyao. He's a good kid and he means well."
The lady crackled out a cruel laugh as she replied. "You won't be saying that for long." Her undertone was harsh and demeaning. Not caring for how the teenager felt.
Expecting this, Yongyuan walked away, not batting an eye for all of the customers or sellers nearby his commotion with Bu Chongyao and the lady created.
Walking the path the map showed to the Four Mountain Sects of Yìyǒng Fēng. While the sun dawns down into a cool daylight.
.
.
.
With the help of the map Bu Chongyao got (stole) from the local marketplace, Yongyuan held it tight, reviewing the map for each little detail he missed, (none) to see what else he could look for. The map he held tight in his hands was old. Probably made in B.C.E.
The paper was yellow and fragile, Yongyuan held it tight but not so tight it was somehow snap in half like glass. The uneven distribution of the fibers, dark stripes beside the chain lines, a watermark, creases, wear, and dirt of the worn out paper roughed up Yongyuan fingers.
The ink was faded and judging by the geographic features the map showed in somewhat clear and blurred detail, over the years the land has changed so much.
After all, it didn't show a gaping waterfall that poured down into the continuous sea of water. From where Yongyuan and Bu Chongyao stood, they both could see islands surrounding a tall mountain. Yongyuan starred blanky at this, Bu Chongyao shrugged as he got up as he started peeling a tree bare of its skin.
Ripping it raw, Yongyuan turned his head, slowly, to now stare at the teenager, peeling off tree bark like it was some kind of fruit, reminding him of peeling an orange, somehow..
Yongyuan was a reserved soul, not bothering to ask the reason for people's actions, even if it was unreasonable. He firmly believed there's a reason to everything, even nonsense. But this was something he wanted to ask, while walking and hiking up all the way up to this hill Bu Chongyao..wasn't this random. In fact, he was a reasonable kid.
Bu Chongyao managed to rip off one plank of wood. Somehow. As he layed the piece of wood down, Bu Chongyao lifted up his head to see Yongyuan staring, still having the same pose, holding the map.
As Bu Chongyao began to work on the piece of wood, he finally said. "We need to build a boat." He pointed at the edge of the mountain. "After we're down building, we have to carry it down onto the shore and began swimming to the mountain." After he said those words, a piece of information was missing and Bu Chongyao just realized as he added. "We need to build paddles as well."
This was probably the most Bu Chongyao talked since they've met.
Yongyuan nodded as he rolled up the map and placed it in his sleeve. Yongyuan sighed a deep breath. A long day of building was ahead of them.
✧
•
.