Chapter 18: The Collector's Forest

Wei Yue and the others escaped from Xiao Na and Ning's grasp. But not for long. Since she found out that the power of the Goddess is inside Luo Na, she will stop at nothing to draw it off her body and wouldn't care if she'll become a corpse.

"We're riding for hours and we couldn't find a safe hiding spot to stay." Zhang demanded to General Hua while staying hidden in plain sight behind the thick array of trees.

"Ning's power is really strong especially now it's the night of the full blood moon. My powers are weakening at this point now it's up to you General, where are we going to go?" Wei Yue said to General Hua.

Still carrying Luo Na in his arms he knelt down and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he was transported along with Luo Na into the Parallel Dimension of Dragons.

"Please, I ask for your claivoyance, where do we need to go and escape Ning and Xiao Na?" He asked the heavenly dragon while lowering his head.

Luo Na is still unconscious. The dragon looked at Luo Na and said...

"Have you not do what the king told you? Have you not share a bed with her?" The Heavenly dragon hovered.

"I love her but I cannot take advantage of just one ritual to get her purity. If we are wed, we are to be one but if it was for the ritual, No... I would never do such thing." General Hua humbly said to the Heavenly Dragon.

Moved by General Hua's words, the Heavenly Dragon gave both of them two necklaces that are made of Dragon metal.

"You are to enter the Collectors forest, these necklaces are the only key to the hidden realm that you are going to hide."

The Dragon said as he gradually disappears.

"Why did you help us?" General Hua asked his final question.

"You are a kind man, General." After he said this, the dragon disappeared and General Hua awakened back to his senses.

"Come, I know where Xiao Na and Ning wouldn't find us."

General Hua gathered all of them and rode off into the night once again until they came across a large, steep, mountain which no one would dare to climb.

"This is dead end General. This steep mountain is not suitable for climbing. Even with a pickaxe or sword, the edges are too steep." Li An said. Her hopes are getting slim so as the other but General Hua remembered about the necklace.

"The necklace is the only key."

He took off the necklace and placed it into the steep rock.

The mountain suddenly disappeared and replaced by a thick forest with lots of unusually colored fireflies.

"That's unusual." Zhang said looking at the peach-colored fireflies.

"Talking about unusual, would you rather face that insanely powerful witch? Or go through the forest?" Li An sarcastically said with a slight grimace.

"Through the forest of course." Zhang lightly laughed.

They all went inside the forest and soon after, when they are all inside, the steep wall appeared again magically.

They wandered around the forest looking for a spot to lay and camp the night.

"This is the collector's forest so you all should behave accordingly." General Hua warned all his friends and they all nodded.

"Where's his highness?" General Hua asked Li An.

"He took a walk he said he'll be close."

General Hua laid Luo Na on a pile of soft leaves and stood up to find Wei Yue.

He walked for a short while and then found Wei Yue at the middle of the forest talking to someone.

"Your highness, sorry for disturbing you." General Hua bowed.

"Not at all General. Here is the Collector, Diao Jin Hung is his name and he goes back and forth from this realm into the human realm to collect the things that he likes."

Wei Yue introduced the floating creature with a weird mask on it's face. General Hua stared at it with a befuddled look on his face.

"Oh am I frightening you? Sorry." The creature transformed into a young man about Wei Yue's age wearing unusual clothes.

"What are you wearing? Why are your arms exposed right up? And what kind of shoes is that? Why don't we have this kind of clothing?" General Hua looked at him from top to toe. He's more befuddled than the last time.

Wei Yue just face palmed and decided to just sit down since the blood moon is weakening his powers.

"I collected these from the future. This one is called a T-shirt and this one are pants and these one is from Nike."

Hearing the explanation of Diao Jin, General Hua's head might have exploded in contact.

"Why do you wear these? They look comfortable." General Hua said touching Diao Jin's arm rubbing the T-shirt.

"Do you want one? It protects you from being detected by magical powers or spells so I think you'll all be safe by a new line of clothes." Diao Jin said pulling out strange clothes from a mysterious dark hole.

"Woah you have that many Diao Jin?" General Hua looked amazed by how many strange-looking clothes he pulled out.

"Yes, now... Go help yourself." Diao Jin presented the clothes and allowed General Hua to pick the one that suits him.

General Hua picked up a shirt and a pair of pants and pair of shoes then went away to change clothes.

When he came back, Diao Jin pulled another thing out of the black hole.

"You need this to match your clothes. Come on it looks good on you." Diao Jin tossed a ball cap to General Hua and he put it on.

"These clothing is really comfortable I didn't knew we have this kind of clothing." General Hua said admiring his new clothes.

"Oh these things will come to you but in the far brink of future." Diao Jin laughed.

"Say, Diao Jin... Why are you called the Collector?" General Hua asked.

"I move through time and space from future, past, and present collecting all sorts of things I can find." Diao Jin said putting one of his hands in the black hole once again.

"Did you overlooked on my future as well?" General Hua asked him. Diao Jin shooked his head and pointed at him.

"It's up to you to forge your own future. It was never up to time travelers, fortune tellers, star gazers or palm readers to lay the future that only belongs to you."

General Hua stepped back and pondered. What if in the future, he'll be killed and Luo Na would be all alone? What if he'll never live to see the day? What if...

Many questions ran through his head and after a while, he snapped out of his thoughts back to reality when Luo Na placed one of her hands in one of his broad shoulders.

"What kind of clothing are you wearing? It's unusual." She said as she circled General Hua examining the unusual clothing he wore.

"These unusual clothing will keep us safe, right Diao Jin?" General Hua turned at Diao Jin.

Diao Jin nodded and presented one dress for Luo Na.

"Please call the others and change to the clothing that I will provide." Diao Jin gestured and Wei Yue and the others followed him and received and changed into the unusual clothes.

"You're all set. You can just spend time here at my forest if you want and ride at the first sunrise." Diao Jin set up a bonfire and tents for them to lay comfortable and tons of unusual food for them to eat. He is really one welcoming creature.

"Wow this is one hell of a feast!" Zhang dig in on the food.

"Hmm... This is very delicious, thank you Collector." Elaa said while eating the shrimp shumai.

"Uh, what is this for?" Zhao pointed at the round thing with a handle. Zhao Min is very confused since she only eats with chopsticks.

"This is a spoon. In the future you will use it for eating." Diao Jin smiled.

Zhao min picked the spoon up and shoved one of the food to her mouth. Her eyes brightened as she savored the food.

After eating, they all called it a night and went to their tents however, they're one tent short so Luo Na and General Hua shared a tent.

The others glaringly looked at General Hua specially Zhao Min and Elaa Yin.

"As if I would do something bad to her." General Hua toned up his voice for Elaa and Zhao to hear.

The night went on peacefully. General Hua laid on the tent with Luo Na still wide awake.

"I..." General Hua began but Luo Na silenced him up with a kiss on his lips.

"I already know what you're going to say." Luo Na said after kissing him passionately.

General Hua smiled at her and hugged her.

The cold night went by and the warm sun replaced it.