Reunion: The Guardians of the Five Elements

Chapter 25

Upon arriving at the hotel that they have reserved before their departure from Shāndōng Province which, surprisingly, the other party reserved at the same hotel, they were instantly surrounded by black vehicles until they reached the specific building of their hotel. The hotel this time is a three-building-styled. Each has eight floors, a pool on the rooftop, and a resto-bar beside it. This hotel is exclusive for the VIPs that wanted to be out and near nature without leaving their luxurious lifestyle and, shockingly, for an excavation team like them. As Wu Xie's team gathers things with a few bellboys helping them check-in, a familiar-looking young lady in a black overall suit with a young man beside her and his Wu Er Bai walking closely at the young lady and, "Qi Ling ge!" "Hua Mei." Zhang Qi Ling greeted his youngest sister as the latter jump around him like a puppy and then smudged her face against his arm. Of course. How can I forget? Nuwa gù assigned young Yang Hua to him as his assistant and personal bodyguard. Wu Xie thought as he watched the young girl smiling at her big brother which is unlikely to return a smile but never left his eyes away from her. "Hi, Yang Yang." Xia Yu Yan said, bending down to look and greet her which the other looked back and happily smiled at her and jump right to her receiving attention like a puppy.

"What are you doing here? Who is she and what's going on?" Wu Xie asked, confused looking at his uncle then at the young lady who looks a lot like his aunt but different at the same time. He heard his uncle sigh. The same sigh he heard when things are not going as planned. "There's a lot to talk about and it's safe to say it once we all get inside." Wu Er Bai said, ushering them to get inside first before Wu Xie could protest when all of a sudden Bo Sying yelled to Wu Xie to get down as everyone else did instantly. The moment he got down, a liquid-covered-arrow passed through over his head. Not waiting for another attack, the bodyguards around them, escorted Wu Xie and his team inside instantly, as well their boss while the hotel staff were terrified and immediately went away to inform the hotel manager and owner about the sudden turn of events.

"She's getting anxious." The young lady said that made Wu Xie asked her as they are being escorted to a huge sitting area but she didn't answer him until his uncle pulled him in. When the bodyguards secured the place, Wu Xie and his team, as well Wu Er Bai's settled themselves down. "We will be in our respective rooms once it is cleared. For now, get yourselves comfortable. This will take a while." Wu Er Bai said, sighing as Zhang Yang Hua fetch her fuqin a cup of coffee and a glass of water as the other girls, except for Bo Sying that is still shaking because of the sudden turn of events, to get their friends something to drink and eat. Hoping that they all have the appetite to do so. "Papa, here's your coffee. It's decaf. You haven't had sleep since we arrived." Yang Hua said as she placed a cup of coffee and some biscuits beside it with a glass of warm water as well. Wu Xie was about to ask when he felt someone tap his shoulder to see Bai Hao Tian looking at him as she shook her head and placed some tea, biscuits, and glasses enough for everyone present inside their living room while Chu Chu placed two pitchers of warm water. "Calm down. We will get our answers once your uncle collects his thoughts." Bai Hao Tian said and give him assuring smile and sat beside him as a buffer. She has been doing this since he started working at Warehouse 11 and when they start looking for the Sea South King, then after. She keeps herself in between me and potential harm against me, may it be physical or mental, she's always near me. But, I can't let her do this all the time. It should be me doing the protecting and not the other way around. Wu Xie thought mentally sighing. He needs to step-up if he want to protect his girl.

"The day all of you left, Nuwa jie starts behaving differently. At first, it was just minor mood swings. A typical occurrence for a woman. I thought it was nothing since it's normal. No offense." He stop to look at all the women present who let him continue, not minding what he said. "Then, her moods escalates. She would scream in anger, cry in grief, laugh in happiness in a snap. It was worrisome. I don't know how to help her so I asked Jun Lian if her doctor gave instructions if symptoms appear, assuming that she has one. She said that she contacted her doctor and was already doing the prescribed medications and that the symptoms will subside in a few days. But it didn't. She got worst." Wu Er Bai then drink the coffee Yang Hua prepared for him to get himself to calm down. He can't still get the image of one of his big sisters going mad in a week and then, insanely kill anyone that is not in her circle. Them. He breathed in deeply and then breathed out. "Jun Lian was the first to noticed and warned me. It was early in the morning and the sight of her, covered in blood is not a sight I want to remember and tell at the same time. Your aunt is beyond saving, Wu Xie. Jun Lian tried everything she can before that day." "It didn't work." Huo Dao Fu said as Wu Er Bai sigh and nodded. "At that crucial moment, she arrived." Wu Er Bai said and looked at the young lady seated on a single-sitting couch with the same young man standing beside her. "It was chaos inside the Wu Mansion. Dead bodies everywhere. My staff, my men, my team, all dead. Or I thought they were. She and her team saved anyone that can still be saved. It was not an easy escape. Jun Lian and Yang Hua helped fighting so that we can get away and it almost cost Jun Lian." "Nuwa jie is not the same anymore, Qi Ling ge." Zhang Qi Ling looked at his youngest sister standing near her boss and fuqin, that was smiling and jumping a while ago, now crying her eyes out and trembling in fear. Was she hiding it from us earlier so she wouldn't make us worry? Or making Xiao Ge mad? "Where?" Wu Xie can hear the anger in their Xiao Ge's voice. I thought so. No one should have mess with the Zhang's. Their master or not. They protect their masters and at the same time, kill them if they have to when the mutual understanding is taken lightly. Wu Xie thought when he noticed that his uncle ended a call not noticing that he got a call in the first place. "She is in her room, sleeping. Our men are keeping watch. You can visit her now if you want. The whole place is secured. Yang Hua can take you there, Xiao Ge." With that being said, the two Zhang siblings went out of the sitting area while Zhang Qi Ling let his sister cling to him, still crying, as his way of comforting her.

"This is Wang Li Xiu. Nuwa's twin sister, as well as your aunt, Wu Xie. The one beside her is Wang Fuxin, her bodyguard and husband. They are the ones that saved us and what remains on my team. We all rushed here to get the wounded treated and to get any information about all of you, but-" "We are still inside the tomb when your men checked on us." Black Glasses Ge said, cutting Wu Er Bai who nodded. "Then who are those men that were watching us?" Jia Le asked his boss. "And that was possessed inside the tomb? Aren't they the ones Miss Nuwa told us or was it all a trap?" Kang Jian voiced out everyone's been wondering. Was she the enemy from the beginning? Then, her words, are they even true? Wu Xie added in his mind and his uncle can already tell what he was thinking. "What my sister said before you set out is true. The stones, the history, and the quest. All are true. She was still sane. She was still your Nuwa jie when all of you were training. I was there, watching and observing. You don't have to worry about your mission and the information you got from her." Wang Li Xiu said firmly as to not make any of the younger ones doubt about their quest. She then continued.

"Nuwa has a dual personality since we're kids. Both personalities are already considered two individuals living inside one body. The Nuwa jie you knew is still there but because she relies on the power of all the stones that were still in her possession before she gave it to you, was helping her control her other person." Wang Li Xiu said, directing it to the girls who all looked guilty and dreadful and continued, "That person was the one responsible for making the chaos all over the world without Nuwa knowing it. That person orders her pawns, to look and destroy the relics in all five mountains. They've already had the remains of the guardians but don't have any idea which ones are they since they need their special items for those remains to respond. We've been observing her when she was showing some familiar symptoms that I will never ignore." Wang Li Xiu answered some of the questions that they all have in mind and that was not voiced out by the two boys but is still lingering thoughts that needed to be cleared out. Then they heard Wang Fuxin sigh and smiled gently at them. "I think we can continue this when all are rested a bit from everything that is happening now." Li Xiu looked up at her husband, irritated by his sudden suggestion which her husband smiled still, now loving at his wife. "Your brother needs to rest, honey. Now that your nephew and his team are here, well and safe. They need to rest and have time to gather their thoughts in the matter, don't you think?" Li Xiu sighed and stood up, looking at her nephew and sigh then went towards her younger brother, who looks older in physical appearance. But, in age, Wang Li Xiu and Wang Fuxin are the same age as Wu Nuwa and the Zhang siblings.

"I'm glad that all of you are alive after your first quest. And, it's nice seeing you again, San Xie." Wang Li Xiu said, giving her nephew a soft smile and then helped her brother stand up, telling him to take it easy as they walk away, leaving her husband to handle the rest. On cue, three bodyguards followed the siblings prior to Wang Fuxin's command. And then, he looked at Wu Xie and his team and took a seat that was vacated by his wife. "I know. It's a lot to take in and you might not believe in us. That's why I told Xiao Li to leave and help Er Bai ge to get some rest. He was worried, too worried, for you. She was worried as well. She did promise your parents and your San Ye to keep you safe and well. Those two didn't get a decent sleep knowing that all of you are still out there and that Nuwa Jie can get to you before any of us can to protect you, all of you." Wang Fuxin said then signaled half of the bodyguards present inside the room to do their assigned task. Then, Wu Xie and his team noticed that those bodyguards were women and is getting the girls' things as well as carefully escorting them which made Pang Zi almost hit a female bodyguard that was about to reach for his daughter when he felt piercing eyes at him.

"The girls will be fine, Mister Pang Zi. They need to rest. Miss Bo Sying needs to relax and that her bandages needed changing. Miss Xia Yu Yan is still sore from the hits she got from Zhang Qi Ling. Miss Chu Chu and Miss Bai Hao Tian will need all the energy after taking care of all of you if you didn't notice. And your daughter, little Miss Xiao Mei, needs to rest. The stone in her can only handle as much healing. Her body needs to heal by all-natural means, as well. So, don't make this harder for everyone. I will not tolerate childish banter and aggression at this time." Pang Zi is about to get his mind out of Fuxin when Xiao Mei stood up in front of him and shook her head. That's when he noticed her daughter as well all the girls in their team are exhausted, though they didn't voiced or show it in their actions, their expressions have said it all. He then sighed and smiled at his daughter affectionately and let her leave with the rest of her big sisters. When the group is far enough, Fuxin then looked at the boys, sternly. "Did any of you used the power of the stones?"

That question felt wrong and terrifying. Was there something wrong with the stones?