3 The Wanderers from Far and Wide

Hei'ang was a city that all had heard of, most wished to visit it at least once, but only a few could really afford to go. The city was built within a cluster of mountains. Hidden within these steep green hills, one had to travel across a lake to reach Hei'ang. The Wind Pier of Hei'ang was the port to what mortals described as paradise on earth.

The streets were abounding with beautiful women, food and wine were of the finest calibre. Gambling, sex, drinking, gluttony - one could experience it all in this city. The word was, once in Hei'ang, even your deepest desires came to fruition. That was why, once you had visited Hei'ang, one yearned to come back and relive the fleeting fantasy once more.

A large boat was currently docking into the port of Wind Pier. It had stood silently over the still lake, waiting its time as the boats before it had docked, released its customers and moved away. This boat was the biggest one today to dock, yet it carried only two men with it to everyone's surprise. As the two stepped out of the boat and walked along the pier to the city, murmurs spread like wildfire.

"Must be rich."

"Show-off! Renting the entire boat to themselves."

"They don't look very wealthy to me."

"Looks like an outlaw, that one with the eyepatch."

"How pitiful, such a handsome face, but disabled."

The two men paid no attention to the words that carried over to their ear. They were busy studying a small, iron table on the palm of the man wearing the eyepatch. The table had 12 zodiacs around it and a black needle in the middle was twirling around the table uncontrollably. The needle had been sitting still the entirety of the boat ride, yet now that they were on dry land, it made no signs of stopping its movement.

"XueYa, this place must be filled with shapeshifters." The elder man said, as the two passed the white city gates and stepped into the main-street of Hei'ang. XueYa's stoic face broke into a grin as he turned his eye to the other man.

"Uncle WeiJie, if you call me by that name all the time, I will have to have your tongue cut out. And we both know how messy that is."

"You are starting to sound like your father." Uncle WeiJie said but refrained from saying his name again. XueYa never kids around, not on these matters at least.

"You seem to think that is a bad thing."

"Because it is."

"Then I'll gladly accept it. Like father like son. Bastards till the bitter end." XueYa put the zodiac table away in his pocket before he dusted his black coat with his left hand. There were only three fingers left on it, the pinkie and the ring finger had been cleanly sliced off long ago. XueYa had wrapped his hand in a black cloth, creating a glove-like cover. The missing fingers were no big deal. XueYa didn't use his left hand much for anything. Even if the entire left arm was cut off it would barely make a difference.

"You are not alone in this world. You will always have me."

XueYa laughed at his uncle's words. It sounded cold and uncaring, sending unsettling shivers down WeiJie's spine.

"You are here because you need me." XueYa finally said.

"Do you really believe that?"

"Yes, but that is beside the point." XueYa offered. "You are here only because I allow you to be."

WeiJie looked at his nephew with silent disgruntlement. He sometimes wondered, which one this nephew of his resembled more, his sister or his brother-in-law. Neither of the options seemed comforting to him.

"I'm not like my mother. I'm still here, aren't I?" XueYa said coldly. He had sensed his uncle's thoughts.

WeiJie shook his head but said nothing. This child was going to be the cause of his untimely death, WeiJie could already see it coming. He just hoped it came soon enough before this nephew of his turned him mad of anger or made him pop a few important arteries.

"How can we find what you are looking for when there are so many zodiac gods present in one area?" WeiJie asked in a hushed tone, changing the topic as they walked pass many small street-shops.

The street was filled with people, but the majority seemed to be male of all ages and backgrounds. Women could be seen among the crowd, but most of them seemed to be either merchants or brothel workers. The scents of stirred pork and steamed buns mixed and matched, creating a mouth-watering aroma.

"I have my ways," XueYa said as he stopped and stepped back, approaching the shop they had just passed by.

The street-shop table was filled with golden and silver hairpins, presumably all fake and low quality. But that wasn't what caused XueYa to stop. He hovered his hand over the hairpins, then making up his mind, picked up one of silver and white jade. The jade snake curled its body around the silver pin, with its head slightly protruding outwards. A blue gemstone was embedded over its eyes.

Without a word, XueYa put the item in his pocket and handed the shop owner some coins before he stepped away.

"Why did you buy it?" Uncle WeiJie asked as he trailed after XueYa, passing many other shops that sold hairpins, but XueYa didn't spare even a glance their way.

"We must be in the right place. The snake is the one we are looking for."

"The blue crown snake?"

"The blue belly snake, to be exact." XueYa corrected but he didn't elaborate on it any further. They had now reached the main attraction of Hei'ang, Xiangqi, the largest brothel in a hundred miles' radius. The heady fragrance of roses hung over the street, the beautiful faces and delicate bodies were leaning over the railings of all three floors of the building, handkerchiefs of every colour swayed in the light wind. Red lanterns with golden stripes littered the outside of the brothel, giving it an inviting reddish hue.

Uncle WeiJie looked at the scene with his lips slightly parted. He took a hasty step forward but was pulled back by XueYa. WeiJie struggled against XueYa's firm hold, determined to step inside the brothel. XueYa dug out the pin he just bought and stabbed it in his uncle's shoulder. The man yelped in surprise and his eyes widened, all the colour escaping his face. He turned to XueYa, rubbing his shoulder in pain.

"What just happened?"

"Enchantment," XueYa said as he pulled out the zodiac table and took a look at it. The needle was now vibrating in place, pointing at the snake zodiac. A cruel smile quivered on his lips as XueYa raised his eye to look at the brothel once more. He found them, the snake gods.

"Under all those harsh and cruel words, you still care for this old man," WeiJie said, smiling gently at his nephew.

"What made you think that?" XueYa raised his brow as he walked away from the brothel. They would stop by the brothel later, now was not the right moment. XueYa had found the snake gods nest, but it didn't tell him of the snake he was looking for.

"You didn't allow them to enchant me." WeiJie pointed out, glad that his nephew was not an incurable asshole after all.

"You really are too naive for your age, old man. If you were enchanted, you would have blabbered about my plans for everyone to hear. I couldn't let such a thing happen. If I ended up killing you to shut you up, it would only cause me more trouble in the long run."

"If you have so little trust in me, just cut my tongue out then!" WeiJie said, anger fuelling his every word. His nephew clearly didn't want him to have any good memories of their time together. He had to remind WeiJie at all times that XueYa indeed was a piece of shit, just like his father had been!

An amused laugh erupted from XueYa's lips. "You know I would never cut it out myself, uncle WeiJie. If anything, you would be cutting it out willingly."

"You are deranged, my son. Just like your father." WeiJie said, looking at his nephew with concern.

"Far from it, dear uncle. Say, if I was to send a letter to the emperor, telling him about the whereabouts of auntie, while you send a letter to your family's new hiding place, which one would arrive at its destination first?"

"She is your aunt!" WeiJie snapped, horrified that his nephew so little as insinuated of getting his family killed. At this rate, XueYa would soon be overriding his father in the asshole department.

"I never really liked her and I could tell the feeling was mutual." XueYan shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's a matter of principle!"

"Which I know nothing of."

"Just hand me the knife, I'll cut my throat while we're at it!" WeiJie snarled. This kid was going to be the death of him, no doubt about it! WeiJie just had to go and swear at his sister's deathbed that he would watch over XueYa. Now see where it had led him. Across the world and back again while being reminded of his piece of shit brother–in–law every time he so little as looked at XueYa's way! Truly Heaven was cruel enough to grant XueYa the exact handsome looks of his father with the same rotten nature too.