The Return Of Soul | Zhanyi

The Peony Pavillion

Yibo was swapping sides in his sleep on the canopy bed under a thick cover. One time he was tossed to the left side and another time he was tossed to the right side. Even though the air was cold there was sweat forming on his forehead. Because he was having a nightmare.

In his nightmare, he found himself in the caves where after withdrawing from the military academy he was usually teaching Marxist beliefs to several high school students like ten to fifteen who wanted to start a revolution. This kind of teaching is called reading societies. By the night they were seating leisurely in a circle arrangement when a smoke bomb was stumbled inside from the back end of the cave.

The chaos erupted.

Coughing and staggering, boys escorted girls outside from the front end from where the smoke was also coming out but there were also some boys dressed as maroon overall soldiers to be exact with the baton in their hands waiting for them to come out. That time Wang turned Xiao Yibo knew it was a trap. Laid by none other than Xiao Zhan, his so-called husband, and his Huangpu military academy lackeys.

Xiao Zhan's lackeys looked at Xiao Zhan with concern they had orders to kill. Even though Yibo was found among communist students he was their boss's husband. He also didn't know Yibo going to be there much less the founder.

At that time high school students didn't receive martial arts training and Yibo was with the one but no matter how much he fought in the end he was outnumbered. He was bloodied. All the remaining students were tied up and shoved on their knees in a line on the ground bruising. Soldiers circled them like predators.

"It's my fault, I called them up. Let them go. Take me. Kill me instead. Please. Kill me," Yibo cried holding his husband's leg. But Xiao Zhan was standing stiff, stoic, and unmoved from his husband's pleading. Not even batting an eye at his husband. He signaled Xu Zhizhou his fellow.

"Start with him..." he pointed at Wang Yibo.

Xu Zhizhou looked at his boss with disbelief. So as everyone. Without further ado, he denied beheading Wang Yibo. After all, they were friends.

"Fine. I will do it by myself..." Xiao Zhan grabbed a fistful of Wang Yibo's hair, Wang Yibo winced, eyes closed, his face scrunched up in pain, and his mouth bloodied.

Xiao Zhan made him stand face to face; his stomach flutters every time he saw Wang Yibo. He couldn't deny Wang Yibo was pretty. Prettiest among all the girls and boys he met.

Everything was going smoothly until... they heard the agonized scream of Xiao Zhan's lackeys.

"Shit, Communist soldiers..."

It was an open space where everybody was standing and surrounded by communist soldiers with rifles.

Now the tables had turned.

Communist soldiers were firing at nationalist soldiers who had nowhere to hide. They were particularly leaving Yibo and high school students. It was not the first time Xiao Zhan and his lackeys attacked the reading societies, kidnapping their members, and torturing them to death for the piece of information. The rampage went on for weeks this was the main and last society that remained. They had orders to kill... Xiao Zhan and bring Wang Yibo back. Wang Yibo was their prince and Xiao Zhan was their rival prince.

By the time communist soldiers enclosed the circle the nationalist soldiers were dead. they were moving forward with caution checking the dead soldiers with feet in between.

Xiao Zhan was grabbed by three pairs of hands and forced down to their knees with his head forced up.

The communist soldiers were checking on Wang Yibo for injuries. But Wang Yibo was begging them to stop. Whatever they were doing.