The title refers to Zhao Yunlan who survived a crash that was meant to kill him when he was eight, and also to Shen Wei who continues to live on. In this book Wei has recovered from the death of his last partner who still comes to talk to him somet...
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The guards were busy in the museum. They worked in pairs and while two acted as security, the other two continued with their search for Yunlan for a set time, before they swapped places. Therefore they managed to keep the museum secure and search at the same time. Apep was amused at their behaviour but didn't know who they were trying to find, and he wasn't interested.
He liked living in the Egyptian Exhibition, even though the plants were plastic, however, these last three days, he wasn't feeling well and couldn't understand what was wrong. Snakes don't get sick, he'd never had a day's illness since he took this form of life, part time snake, part time mystical weapon. The only drawback he had, was trying to find his master time and time again. However he always did, except possibly once. He felt as if he was being called but didn't immediately recognise who or what was calling him and he was trying to ignore it, but the strength of the summons was increasing, and he knew that he would have to leave his world of plastic and follow the signal before he would he feel any better.
He left the museum just before the guards activated the protection wards and made his way through the city, trying to remain hidden for fear of being attacked or caught and taken to a sanctuary for snakes. Apep was never hungry because he was a predator and fed off small mice in the back streets as he travelled, but avoided rats. They were unpredictable and tough to eat. Therefore when he made it to the edge of the city, he was full of energy for his trip across some rocks to ascend the mountain, a path he had taken many times before and he had realised where he was being drawn.
There was a human male sitting on the edge of the cliff on the plateau, looking down and enjoying the view with his back to Apep. He sat talking to himself while he bitterly cried and then laughed alternatively, as he drank from a glass bottle. The snake felt nauseous, not because of the smell of alcohol, or the fact that the man hadn't washed or looked after himself, it was because he recognised him, and all the emotions behind his unexplained behaviour instantly hit the snake's mind. He felt an overpowering sense of guilt and sadness, mixed in with self loathing and a feeling of desperation to make it all stop. Apep now knew that the mountain had summoned him, and hoped that it would help with this wreck of a human, if he managed to stop him from doing something stupid.
The snake slithered through the short grass and slowly approached Yunlan who was finishing his bottle, the last one before he would take the quick way down. If he survived, he would buy another bottle and if he didn't, he wouldn't need to, simple logic Yunlan thought, and then heard the snake hiss. He turned around to look at him without fear, this was just great, it made things more easy. The snake could poison him and then he would jump, he definitely wouldn't need another bottle, and he put his hand closer to its mouth, waiting for it to bite.
Apep knew exactly what Yunlan was thinking and agreed up to a certain point, when he sank his fangs deep into the man's wrist before he released a controlled amount of venom. The drunk tried to stand up but his legs gave way and for a moment, Apep really did think that he was going over the edge, but he fell backwards onto solid ground, unconscious. Very rarely did Apep ever ask for help, in fact he couldn't even remember the last time, but today he did, and sent out a mental signal to any vipers who were close enough to hear him.
He positioned himself on top of Yunlan's chest, coiled with his head raised as if to claim this human as his trophy while he watched the movements in the grass, informing him that help was on the way. Snakes of all different shapes and sizes appeared and drew closer, ready to bite into the human who was lying on a serving dish, but Apep stopped them. They sat in silence as if obeying a leader and anyone who made a move against him was dealt with quickly, before they got any closer to Yunlan. Once he established his seniority, they all slid their bodies under the human, slowly moving him across the hard ground towards the cave, leaving him inside before they retreated back to the forest and safety.
The mountain rumbled, and inside the cave small jets of steam shot out from the fissure in the rocks, causing Yunlan to sweat heavily while he dreamt unbelievable stories as his temperature gradually rose. Apep watched and listened to him calling in his sleep, sometimes it was Shen Wei's name and other times , it was names that the snake hadn't heard since he'd walked on two legs. The combination of hot steam and Yunlan's own body heat, helped the alcohol to lose its potency as it was expelled through the pores in his skin.
In his dreams he watched Shen Wei standing at his side in different situations, while he continually left him over and over again in one way or another, and Yunlan cried constantly in his sleep. He listened to all the promises he made of returning to be with Wei who waited for him with a strong heart which was damaged with every parting, while he repeatedly searched for him. Apep kept him asleep until all the alcohol was out of his system and then coiled around his right arm to feed him nourishment, keeping him alive until he would be able to care for himself.
Eventually Yunlan opened his tired eyes and looked around the inside of the cave while he lay flat on his back before he tried to move. He felt every ache in his muscles from the positions of the rocks below him, and realised that he'd been here for several days but was still alive, maybe it was his fate to live. He could smell the strong odour which permeated from his clothes and was disgusted but glad that he was alone, no one else would see him in this condition, and he walked shakily towards the corner of this dimly lit cave where a backpack had been left. Curiosity made him look inside and he found a message from the owner.
"This is an emergency pack for the first person who is in need of help, because I believe if you are here in this cave, then you need assistance. The mountain has a way of looking after its visitors but it cannot provide fresh warm clothing and personal items. If you use any of these supplies, please replace them for the next lost soul to find."
Yunlan replaced the message and looked at the contents, surprised to find clothing that would fit him and a small hand towel with a bar of soap. Now all he needed was some water and he heard the sound of a drip coming from the rear of the cave, so he looked for the source. He felt like one step was leading to another, and he didn't have the energy to question why everything was made easy for him, he just followed where he was led.
The small steady drip of water increased to a stronger flow, heated by the underground volcanic activity and Yunlan stripped off his soiled clothing to take advantage of nature's shower while it was still available. He was grateful for the fresh smell of lavender left by the soap, as he washed from his head downwards, clearing away all the unpleasant odours from his body before he used the small hand towel and went to find out what clothes he could wear.
Now that he was clean and fresh, and also sober, he had no idea how he managed to be halfway up a mountain. He remembered leaving the hospital and all the emotions he'd brought with him, none of that had gone, but not much after he'd started his second bottle of booze, bought from a local grocer. He wasn't even sure what it was, except that it had a high alcohol content and was sweet, the shop owner had recommended it.
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