Episode 9

As Mao Lu walked across the bridge, he was surprised by how quiet everything was. His feet didn't make a sound, he couldn't hear the swishing of the breeze or anything. It was so very quiet.

Other than the presence of the book of Gates, Mao Lu believed he was entirely alone.

When he got to the end of the drawbridge and entered through the open entrance into the courtyard, he felt his entire body become lighter.

His one step became the equivalent of five, and if he jumped just a little bit Mao Lu felt like he would fly, or at least float.

"What's happening!?" he yelled as his black hair began to ripple and wave, the same way it would when in contact with static electricity.

"Do not be concerned." Gates voice echoed. "In this castle there is 100 times more essence compared to the levels you experience in your mortal realm. Essence is simply the energy of life itself. Since you're not used to this amount, your body hasn't conformed yet. Don't worry, soon enough you'll adjust."

"Is that so," Mao Lu mused aloud, he hopped about in curiosity.

Although he couldn't see it, he could feel it. As if it was making his limbs stronger, making him healthier, and invigorating him with power. This was all just from standing here and breathing it in. This essence was truly amazing.

"No wonder realms are ranked by the amount of essence they have. If an immortal Realm has this amount of essence than naturally the people there would be stronger and live longer. People who live with this can't be compared

to people in mortal realms who live without it. It's truly wondrous." He sighed as he began walking further into the massive courtyard.

The courtyard was rather large. It was littered with strange silver flowers that looked like a mixture between a rose and a lotus.

As he walked into this courtyard, he noticed that there were four pathways. He was at a crossroads.

"This…" he looked around him, "where do I go exactly?"

"Whichever you feel like. Each path will take you to what you need to know, it doesn't matter which one.

Mao Lu was surprised. Shouldn't there be a type of order to these things. Yet it was so random.

After momentary hesitation Mao Lu decided to go for the path that was in front of him. There's a Chinese proverb that states, “If we don't change direction, we're likely to end up where we are headed.” Since it didn't matter what path he was going to take why change direction and deviate.

As he took the path in front, Mao Lu didn't notice the other three paths fading away.

The book of Gates muttered to itself. "So, he's chosen this path… Interesting, this is the first time in Realm 145 that a Gatekeeper has chosen this path."

_________

DAXING SUBURB- MAO LU'S APARTMENT

Fei Bing Bing pressed the buzzer on the door repeatedly. Beside her stood Zhao Detong, with a frown he said, "I don't think he's home."

"How can he not be home!" Bing Bing exclaimed, "If he's not home where else could he be? He wasn't at work. When we called his friend Tanaka, he said he wasn't with him. It's not like Lu to just up and disappear. What if he's collapsed in his room from some illness!!" She exclaimed hysterically as she continued to ring the buzzer and bang his door.

Zhao Detong took out his phone and dialled Mao Lu again. "Listen," he said as he put his finger gently to Bing Bing's lips and leaned his ear towards the door.

His phone rang and rang but there was no reciprocating ringing coming from Mao Lu's flat.

"See," Detong collectedly stated, "He isn't in, or else we'd hear his phone ring."

"If he isn't at home...then… where could he be? What if something bad happened to him.... oh god!" Fei Bing Bing began to hyperventilate.

"Bing Bing calm down" Zhao Detong said calmly as hugged her, "It won't help the situation if you panic, now will it?"

He rubbed her back until she began breathing evenly.

"Are you calm now?"

"Un" Bing Bing replied slowly, nodding her head against his broad shoulder.

"I'm just worried that something terrible might have happened again. Don't you remember that incident from 2 years ago, when those loan sharks tracked him down. They terrorised Lu daily but even then, he still didn't ask for help once.

When it escalated, they kidnapped Lu, those bastards cut him open. He would've had all his organs taken out and sold the police hadn't come14.

He spent weeks in the hospital and even had the balls to say it wasn't a big deal. Not a big deal!! He could have died if the police hadn't coincidentally already been investigating those gangsters and planned to raid them that day," Fei Bing Bing trembled.

"And look at this area he's living in now. It's worse than the previous place. What if he got caught up in some kind of conflict?" Bing Bing choked a little with hysteria and sounded close to tears.

"That fool has zero regard for his own life. Why can't Lu just tell us when something isn't right… Why does he always run from us and keep a distance from us...we're his best friends, we've known each other since small. We're basically family."

Zhao Detong stroked Fei Bing Bing's soft hair, "That's just the type of person Lu is. He doesn't want to cause us trouble, so he never tells us about his problems. It's annoying but I think he thinks he's helping us by doing that," Detong sighed.

"Perhaps, he still secretly hates us because of what our parents did back then." Bing Bing muttered.

When Mao Lu's family had begun struggling financially, it was both Fei Bing Bing and Zhao Detong's parents who were the first to turn their backs on them.

Zhao Detong still remembered when he ran to his Father's office and begged him to help the Zhang Family.

His father had coldly told him, "There's no reason to waste so much money on acquaintances. It's their own fault they're in this situation. They should deal with it themselves."

Even today Zhao Detong harboured resentment towards his Father for acting like that. Wasn't his Dad practically sworn brothers with Mao Lu's father. Turning his back on a comrade in need, such backstabbing made Detong feel ill.

Bing Bing's family had done the same, turning their back on the Zhang family.

Yet despite all that Lu hadn't been angry with them. He'd simply said "It's not like you were the ones who turned your backs on my family. I won't judge you for the actions of your parents since they aren't your actions."

Zhao Detong since then had felt eternally indebted to Lu for keeping their friendship. Friends are supposed to help each other, friends don't abandon friends. After that day Zhao Detong swore that unlike his father he'd become a man that would always be there for those that were important to him.

Yet despite swearing that, he still was helpless. When Mao Lu's Mother was killed, when his father went to prison, when his name changed from Zhang Lu to Mao Lu, and when he was pursued by debt collectors. Zhao Detong had been helpless.

Only there to give him a hug, and an occasional drink. And now that he was finally in a position where he could finally help him, Mao Lu constantly refused his offers. It ate him up inside.

Perhaps Mao Lu really did hold a grudge against him for what his parents did in the past. Perhaps he really secretly hated him and Fei Bing Bing.

The thought made Zhao Detong upset.

Sighing Zhao Detong pulled away from Fei Bing Bing and turned towards the stairs. "We might as well leave since he isn't here. In the morning if he isn't working at the convenience store then we'll call the police. They won't take us seriously if we report it now."

"Maybe we should wait a bit longer, maybe he'll come back soon." Bing Bing persisted as she pulled Detong's arm.

"I don't think lingering at his door will help. If he was really fine and about to come back, then he would have seen our missed calls by now and contacted us." Zhao Detong retorted as he pulled Bing Bing with him down the stairs of the apartment block.

"Also, this neighborhood isn't too safe at night for us to be lingering outside his door."

Bing Bing looked as if she was going to argue but instead, she bit her lip and resigned herself. Following Zhao Detong out of the building and to their car.

"Don't worry, I'm going to call Detective Wang, I'm sure he'll be able to help us out."

"Detective? Do you mean Frank Wang, from high school? I heard he works as a detective now, wow that takes me back I haven’t seen him in a while."

"Yep, he owes Mao Lu and I a few favours, I'm sure if something is really wrong, he'll find out."

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***