24 The White Snake and The Green Snake are Lost

Tear shaped petals touched the surface of the water, creating ripples across the pond. Purple curtains made of wisteria tree flowers formed arches over the little stone bridge the snakes walked on.

The sight mesmerized She LiangLin. He had never seen these flowers before, and the scent was intoxicating, sweet but heavy, drowning all other fragrances.

Lan QingYu walked hand in hand with him, his eyes sparkling in awe.

"Brother LiangLin, where are we?" QingYu whispered as if scared that his loud voice would disrupt the blooming flowers.

"Lost," LiangLin said as he pulled the green snake to a stop at the top of the bridge.

QingYu frowned, his lips protruding as LiangLin strained his neck, studying the blossoms above them.

"But, you pulled me into this pavilion."

"It's because of the flowers," LiangLin said, shrugging his shoulders. He reached up to break a few of the wisteria branches and started crushing the flower petals between his palms.

Lan QingYu's eyes widened in surprise as he whisper-shouted, "What are you doing?"

"There is a dog after us. These flowers' fragrance is strong enough to confuse ChangChang. Can't let her ruin our fun before it even began."

QingYu had on a mixture of an amused and a pained smile. Pained, since such flowers were being mashed so mercilessly, amused, because LiangLin thought of everything.

LiangLin took hold of QingYu's hand and dumped the murdered flower pulp in his palm.

QingYu mewled as he looked at the purple remains.

"What are we doing with this?"

LiangLin had a handful of petals in his palms, which he was grinding like no tomorrow. "Use it to spread over the pillars and walls. The smell should be enough to hide our scent."

The two trailed across the bridge, but before they could reach the end, a shout stopped them.

"What are you doing here? Who are you? Alert the guards! We have intruders!"

Two female servants with peach-shaped faces were glaring at them over the path cutting through the field of daisies. A basket rested on their arms, filled with weeds they have been picking from the garden.

Great, they hadn't even wandered far enough! LiangLin gnashed his teeth and tried to turn back when a drowsy rose scent wafted over, breaching through the intoxicating scent of wisteria. He recognized the fragrance. It was one of his sisters!

LiYue was fanning herself leisurely as she stepped behind the two servants, who had frozen in place with vacant expressions on. They were staring over nothing when LiYue stopped before them. She wore a sweet smile as she whispered in a low voice, coaxing the fumes of life-force to flow from the two.

"2nd sister, what are you doing here?" LiangLin hissed as the two male snakes hurried over to her side. The mouth-watering essence filled their lunges and fueled their senses, making them stop in their tracks.

QingYu's eyes fluttered shut as he took deep breaths in.

None of them had inhaled any life-force since leaving Lushan. They could survive with regular food, but to maintain their youthful appearance and immortality, they had to consume life-force once in a while.

LiangLin inhaled the fumes more cautiously, controlling his intake. Too much life-force made him thirst for more.

"Don't inhale too deeply, QingYu. You will drain them." LiYue said as she took another breath, then snapped her fingers, waking the two girls.

"We are visiting the palace, his highness' special guests," LiYue said, and the two girls nodded slowly, still in a trance from her enchantment. "Continue your work. If anybody passes by, tell them there are guests in the palace. Don't disturb them."

Another nod and the girls slowly walked back to the field.

"2nd sis-" A loud smack over his head silenced LiangLin and rearranged his brain cells.

"You! Because of you two I almost fell in the pond! If I develop a wrinkle, I will strangle you!" LiYue was shaking her fan in the two male snakes' faces.

QingYu shrunk back in submission. The two were much taller than LiYue, but it didn't stop her from beating the shit out of them if she saw it fit.

"Why are you here?" LiangLin muttered as he rubbed his throbbing head. If LiYue kept beating him like this, he would be braindead by the time they returned home.

"Sleeping is not enough to maintain this much beauty," LiYue said with severity as she motioned at herself. "I've been without life-force for two weeks already. I can already feel the gravity's pull."

"Oh." QingYu squeaked. He had never seen someone as vain as LiYue, and the snakes were already the vainest creatures among the zodiacs.

"You two are lucky the servants here are mortals," LiYue said as she sat over the bridge railing, fanning herself. "They are easier to charm."

"How can we run around freely if they're around every corner?" LiangLin grumbled and kicked the ground under his feet.

LiYue broke into a cackle as she reached into her robe and pulled out a palm-sized brass plate. She dangled it between her fingertips like a treat. The red tassels swayed in the air.

"That is why I came here, Lin'er." She cooed. "You two can't charm even a fly, so I thought you would need some help."

"Where- where did you get that?" The two male snakes gasped in unison.

The plate had the royal guard's insignias carved over it and probably granted access to all areas. LiangLin nearly drooled at the thought.

"From that stone-faced guard. When she pulled me in from falling, I took it from her sash." LiYue drawled with a mischievous grin. "They are all the same, blinded by a damsel in distress and oblivious that they are being robbed until they only have the clothes on their back."

"You are a genius!" LiangLin beamed at her.

LiYue clicked her tongue.

"Of course! As if I'll let her wrap her arms around me for free. I still haven't billed her for all the nuzzling as that damned husky!"

"But she saved you." QingYu pointed out.

"You want to run around the palace or not?" LiYue side-eyed him with disdain. Her hand retracted, pulling the plate out of their reach.

"She should pay. Stealing from her is definitely justified." QingYu said meekly as he snatched the plate from LiYue before she changed her mind.

Covering her yawn with her fan, LiYue stood up and dusted her robes.

"Go and plant chaos, little ones. This snake will take a nap. I'm sleepy again after that meal."

"You sure you don't want to distract that husky for us, 2nd sister?" LiangLin teased, dodging her flailing fan in time.

"As if I have time for your little games. She is all yours, Lin'er." LiYue said with a slight blush and left.

"Your sisters are all so nice, scary, but nice," QingYu said as he turned the plate over in his hand, giddy from excitement.

"Be happy you didn't grow up with them. I think they got the evil from ma."

"Your ma sounds nice."

It was the first time someone said that to LiangLin and actually meant it.

___

"Brother LiangLin, I'm tired," QingYu complained for the hundredth time as they walked through the many corridors that looked exactly the same as the one before them.

They were lost, but LiangLin strut on. He wanted to see the back entrance to the palace, just in case. One never knew if they needed to get out through there. He was paranoid, to a healthy extent.

"I'm also hungry," QingYu mumbled, and his stomach churned on cue.

"Me too, but I think we are almost there, QingYu. We have been travelling north for hours now."

"The corridors twist and turn so much, how do you know where is north?"

"... Instincts."

LiangLin had no idea where north was. He just walked forward and hoped for the best.

QingYu pouted but followed him, anyway. He was holding onto LiangLin's hem, trailing along like a lost puppy.

Soon they walked off the path, trailing under a cluster of trees that grew within the palace walls. The yard seemed to have no end as the two weaved through the tall grass, hopping along the irregular stone steps that peeked from beneath the unattended green.

The area was shadowed by the drooping willows that brushed against the ground. No one had cared for the place for years now. It was eerily silent as the two snakes finally reached a white stone wall, partly covered in dark vines and moss. The gate doors were left unlocked, and QingYu stepped in while LiangLin stayed behind, studying the sign over the gate.

Under years of grime and cobwebs, he could make out the gold letters that once had shined under the sunlight. They had arrived at the Plum Blossom Hall.