Chapter 6
Loong Fucan lay on his bed, his forearm resting on top of his forehead, looking up at the ceiling but not seeing it. His mind was full of thoughts about Kun Ji.
Her lips were so soft and warm. He touched his own lips with his fingers, remembering the feel of the kiss he had stolen underneath the pine tree. His heart beat faster.
He should feel happy, after having finally kissed those lips, but instead he felt more anxious than before. Kun Ji invaded his thoughts with even more frequency.
There came a knock at the door.
"Fucan, are you busy?" asked a voice from the other side.
Fucan sighed, lifting himself into a sitting position.
"What do you want, Ch'ing-Wa?" he asked resignedly.
"I've got a lead" he replied suggestively. "It's after dark, your mom has already left. Let's get going, we have to be home before dawn."
Fucan sighed again. It sounded like he was in for a long night. He probably wouldn't have gotten any sleep anyway.
"I'll be right there" he told Ch'ing-Wa.
He dropped his feet off of the bed wearily, and got dressed in the black robes he used when traveling to the Demon Realm.
As he opened the door he could see Ch'ing-Wa Sheng pacing impatiently in the courtyard. He was dressed in the black armor that he only wore during their treasure hunting expeditions.
"Finally!" Ch'ing-Wa exclaimed as Fucan stepped outside. He leaned his head to the side and spit. A coin flew out of his mouth and bounced on the flagstones of the courtyard.
"My Mother hates it when you do that" Fucan reminded him.
Ch'ing-Wa looked at the coin on the ground and shrugged. "Sorry" he replied nonchalantly.
Fucan rolled his eyes. "So where are we headed?" He asked.
"Tengchong" Ch'ing-Wa replied with a wide grin. His eyes flashed red.
"The volcano that I fell into?!" Fucan exclaimed in shock.
"Relax" Ch'ing-Wa told him, "I know where we went wrong now. We won't make the same mistake again" he said in reassuring tones.
"My Mother has only just allowed you back here. Why are you trying to test her?" Fucan asked incredulously.
Ch'ing-Wa looked at him skeptically. "Don't get hurt, and we won't get caught" he replied facetiously. He reached into a pouch, pulling out another coin, and popped it into his mouth. Fucan could hear it clinking against his teeth as he moved it around in his mouth.
Fucan had asked him once why he did that. "I just like the taste" Ch'ing-Wa had replied at that time. He seemed to find those coins everywhere. He had a never ending supply. Nobody had a nose for treasure like Ch'ing-Wa Sheng.
That was why Fucan accompanied him on these treasure hunts. If anyone could find the Baozhu, it was him, and Fucan was desperate to find it. If he possessed the legendary flaming pearl, the foremost of the Eight Treasures, then his wishes would become reality.
He could make his Mother happy. He could make Kun Ji love him. He could protect his Big Sister. He could earn his Royal Father's respect.
"So how is Big Sis doing?" Ch'ing-Wa asked him, breaking him out of his reverie.
"She's still in her Mortal Trial" he replied.
"Really? She's been gone a long time" Ch'ing-Wa commented. "How old is her mortal body by this point?"
Fucan did the math in his head. "Approaching 80?" he guessed.
Ch'ing-Wa cocked his head to the side, staring off into the distance, making clinking noises as he worked the coin in his mouth with his tongue. Fucan could imagine what he was thinking. Most mortals did not live that long, but it wasn't unheard of. Ch'ing-Wa came back to reality with a shrug.
"Let's move" he ordered.
They set off towards the Demon Realm.