One Last Time 

by Heart

 

Premise Tags: Reincarnation,

Devoted ML, Soulmates,

Afterlife, Sacrifice, Heartwarming,

Haunting, Spirits.

Content Warnings:

horror elements, suicide.

 

In a dark murky room, a pair of red eyes appeared. It gradually turned gray and the owner of those pairs of eyes started to groan. He scrunched his brows and squirmed his body as he looked around the room. 

The sky was dark with only the moon shining down to vaguely illuminate the space. There was only a single bare bed that was being used by himself and an old cupboard inside. 

The whole room was covered in a thick layer of dust, showing that it had been abandoned and uncared for a long period of time. Spiderwebs were covering almost every inch of the room making it feel gloomier than ever.

Han XiaoJun finally moved after a long pause to check every inch of the dusty chamber. He moved his pale body and left the bed using slow steady movements. He felt a little out of sorts as his mind was in a state of confusion.

Where was he and how did he get here?

These questions kept swirling in his mind as he heard the howling wind and it felt as if shivers going down his spine. The darkness didn’t help the atmosphere. Something was watching him, like he was prey waiting for slaughter

Did someone kidnap him and put him here as a captive?

He moved to the door and tried to listen to the sounds outside. It was quiet, too quiet to his liking. He grabbed the handle hoping that it wouldn’t be locked. 

He turned the handle all the way and was silently glad that it wasn’t locked. The person who placed him here probably didn’t know that the lock was broken or had forgotten to lock it. Either way, it worked in his favour. 

He needed to get back home.

People think owning a company would make you a free man but truly, he was still a slave to work. Never having time for himself. There should be people looking for him right now. There wasn’t any time to waste as his eyes scanned for a way out of this creepy old house.

Han XiaoJun walked out of the room with relief after seeing that there wasn’t anyone at both ends of the dark corridor.

However, his face froze when it was clear that something was truly watching his every move. Han XiaoJun slowly turned to look to his right. Han XiaoJun’s eyes went wide as he clearly saw a man in striped clothes standing at the end of the corridor. 

The man’s hands and feet were bound by rusty old iron shackles. His head hung to the side awkwardly but the pair of eyes staring straight at him were full of dark desire and his mouth curved to present a malicious grin.

The crazy man let out weird resounding laughter that seemed to be echoing through the wooden walls. The voice of the crazed man seemed to come from everywhere. 

Han XiaoJun reacted almost instantly as he was used to act first before thinking when his guts told him to do so. He ran away but found that he had made a full circle when he saw the door that he walked out from once again. His face turned paler than it already was upon realising he made no progress in his attempt to escape the place.

His eyes darted around but the crazed man was no longer visible. This made him uneasy since that guy could appear and jump at him out of nowhere. He immediately looked behind him and luckily, no one was there.

When turned his head back, he almost leaped backwards out of fright. This time a long-haired woman with pale blue skin was standing there. Her long wet hair covered her entire face and reached the floor. She was definitely inhuman and there was no use trying to reason with these things.

He ran away without looking back but dread overcame him as it was futile to run. She grabbed him by the shoulder and his body froze in place. From the corner of his left eye, he saw a distorted grin forming on the woman’s face.

“You look delicious.” Her voice was so raspy and screechy that it almost made him cringe.

She started to giggle uncontrollably, seeing as she managed to catch a good prey. She even licked her lips as she imagined the taste of consuming this high quality food. Her free hand started to reach out to his face while her shrilling giggles resounded in his eardrums much to his dismay.

Before her mucky hand could touch him, a gust of wind pushed her backwards and slammed her to the wall. 

A man dressed in outdated ancient clothing appeared before Han XiaoJun in a blink of an eye. It was clear that his outfit was skillfully handsewn, something that was no longer available in the modern era. The man appeared dignified and immaculate. His bun was secured neatly with a crown, with not a single hair out of place.

The man acted like a gentleman as he extended his pale bony hand. It was a harmless invitation as he did nothing more. Han XiaoJun could see that there wasn’t anything about this man that raised a red flag. 

Han XiaoJun decided to trust his instinct and naturally placed his hand on the fine gentleman’s as if he had done this before. They moved across the place as though they were gliding and he was brought into a well-furnished room. It was a far cry from the initial room he woke up earlier.

He was curious but he did his best not to blatantly inspect the room. 

When they walked into the light of the full moon, the man stopped and Han XiaoJun politely took his hand back before turning to look out the window in a daze. Han XiaoJun saw the opportunity to ask a question when the man remained silent.

“Where am I?” 

Instead of answering, the man asked him thoughtfully, “Do you remember anything?”

When Han XiaoJun shook his head truthfully, the man frowned.

“Do you know that you are no longer living?” The man's voice didn’t falter even though he had dropped a massive bomb on top of Han XiaoJun’s head. 

Han XiaoJun lost all of his composure at this moment. He blinked rapidly as he tried to recall the scene of his death, but he couldn’t remember anything at all.

“Then… why am I… not like them?” His voice came out as a whisper as if he feared someone would overhear. 

His body hadn’t shown any cause of death and it was a clear contrast compared to the two he met earlier. The man suddenly looked pensive. He either didn’t want to answer or couldn’t answer the question.

“Bask in the moonlight. It’s good for your body. Avoid the sunlight when the sun rises. Don’t leave the room and you will be safe here,” The man finally spoke but didn’t give Han XiaoJun time to respond before disappearing.

Han XiaoJun found that there was no one to answer his question anymore, so he decided to follow the man’s suggestion while he digested everything. The moon shone upon him but nothing happened. Despite that, Han XiaoJun didn’t move away since he wasn’t tired at all.

After a while, he finally realised that he didn’t introduce himself to that man. It was rude of him to do so and he silently berated himself while giving a reminder to do it the next time he saw his benefactor again.

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

A day passed and night time arrived.

The gentleman from last night reappeared before Han XiaoJun. Han XiaoJun politely greeted the man and introduced himself with the hope that the man would do the same.

“My name is Han XiaoJun and I would like to thank you for saving me last night.” He was sure that if he had fallen into that woman’s clutches, he would have disappeared completely.

“Lu Weimin,” The gentleman said no more but that was enough to make Han XiaoJun happy.

Lu Weimin approached Han XiaoJun but stopped a few inches away. Their gaze met one another. If Han XiaoJun had a body, he would have felt the blood rushing to his cheeks. 

Han XiaoJun had long known his sexual orientation but he wasn’t brave enough to find himself a man. Coincidentally, this ancient man fit his aesthetics. Han XiaoJun might have been brave enough to pursue this man if they had met while they were still alive.

However, there were no buts and what ifs once you have passed.

“Have you basked in the moonlight all night?” It was at this point, Han XiaoJun realised that Lu Weimin had his brows all scrunched up again. It made him wonder what had gone wrong.

Han XiaoJun nodded his head and explained that he didn’t leave the spot as standing all night no longer tired him out. Lu Weimin didn’t say anything but his brows furrowed deeper. This made Han XiaoJun a little anxious.

“Is something wrong?” He asked in a flurry.

Lu Weimin didn’t reply. Instead, he snapped his head in a certain direction near the door. His face changed from gloomy to menacing. It scared Han XiaoJun since Lu Weimin's ferocious aura was affecting him.

Lu Weimin noticed Han XiaoJun’s discomfort and apologised in a small voice before saying, “Stay here. Don’t come out,” Then he disappeared behind the door. 

Han XiaoJun glanced curiously towards the closed door and acted on impulse when he moved towards it to peek. He pushed it open slightly and saw Lu Weimin facing two guests wearing black and white. One was taller than the other but both were wearing similar tall hats and outfits.

He wondered if they are the underworld’s Black and White Impermanence and had come to get him.

“We know you have housed the wraith. You may have stopped us yesterday but we cannot let this matter go,” the shorter guest adorned in black spoke with clear conviction.

“I won’t give him to you.” Lu Weimin's aura changed at this very moment and turned hostile.

“Fighting us will do you no good. He has been rejected by the world’s law and he will soon cease to exist even if you stop us from taking him to be judged for his actions,” the white-clothed guest was fearful of Lu Weimin but spoke with strong affirmation.

Han XiaoJun couldn’t see Lu Weimin’s expression at this time but based on the two guests’ facial expressions, he bet that it wasn’t good.

“Are you saying that he would be better off with you people?” This was the first time Han XiaoJun heard Lu Weimin speak with deep emotion. He knew that Lu Weimin was angry without seeing the man’s face.

The two guests quivered in fear of this man the moment they were questioned by him.

“I won’t give him to you!” This time a gust of wind and powerful aura swirled around Lu Weimin. He declared his intention to attack the two of them through his offensive stance. 

The guests quickly changed their tune and charged at Lu Weimin but he only needed to wave his hand to fling one of them to the wall. The guest in black slung his chain toward Lu Weimin but it was avoided with a swift sidestep. Lu Weimin began his counter-attack by aggressively sending sharp splinters scattered around toward the other.

At this time, the white-clothed guest had gotten back up and swung his fan toward Lu Weimin while the man was preoccupied. Lu Weimin barely avoided the wind blade before finding himself surrounded by them. The two guests glanced at each other then leapt toward Lu Weimin and hurled their weapon at the same time.

Lu Weimin blocked their attacks successfully but was slowly being pushed to a corner. They continuously struck at Lu Weimin fiercely as they didn’t want to give him a chance to retaliate. Both of them became desperate and increased the speed of their attack when they saw that Lu Weimin remained unscathed.

Their eyes flashed when one of their blows landed on Lu Weimin. 

Lu Weimin’s eyes suddenly turned red and the pressure emanating from him had caused the guests to lose their footing. The white-clothed guest only puked some blood but managed to remain standing while his partner had dropped to his knee and grunted in pain.

Han XiaoJun eyes went wide as he fell to the ground, allowing the door to be pushed open widely. Every fibre in his being hurt, making him groan in pain. If he had blood running through his veins, he would’ve coughed them out already.

“XiaoJun!” Lu Weimin saw Han XiaoJun, who had fallen halfway out of the room he had enchanted with protection. 

Lu Weimin disappeared from his initial spot and reappeared by Han XiaoJun's side. His face was full of distress to the point Han XiaoJun wanted to tease him. 

He did exactly that even though he's in pain. He reached out and poke at the centre of Lu Weimin’s brow and said, “Why are you always frowning? It ruins your pretty face.”

Lu Weimin was surprised at Han XiaoJun's gesture. An old memory he had long forgotten resurfaced and collided with the current, merging into one. Lu Weimin was bridled in sadness so he clutched Han XiaoJun’s hand. 

“You’re going to be fine, XiaoJun. I will protect you,” he mumbled, yet Han XiaoJun was able to hear clearly.

This man he barely knew looked so worried about him. If only he had met such a man while he was alive, he would probably have lived a happier life instead of working himself to death.

After the white-clothed guest helped his partner to stand, Lu Weimin glared at them with threatening red eyes. The white one raised his empty hands as a form of surrender, as they couldn't stand a chance against him in their current condition. He didn’t understand why Lu Weimin was holding back earlier but it seemed like the reason was currently in that man’s arms.

“We will excuse ourselves here.” with those words, he walked away with his partner despite the other showing discontent. Both of them disappeared after a few steps.

Once their presence had completely disappeared, Lu Weimin brought Han XiaoJun back to the room and laid him on the bed. Although the pain had subsided, Han XiaoJun was still uncomfortable. 

“Are you okay?” Lu Weimin’s voice sounded as if he was the one in pain. Han XiaoJun chuckled at that thought and shook his head to ease this man’s worry.

He stared into the red eyes that were slowly turning back to their original colour.

“Why do you care about me?” They had only met as far as Han XiaoJun knew.

Lu Weimin seemed reluctant to say anything so Han XiaoJun could only push him further.

“Tell me. I want to know,” he pleaded for an answer. Hearing Han XiaoJun acting spoiled made Lu Weimin smile unintentionally. 

Since it was the first time Han XiaoJun saw the man smile, it made him feel delighted. 

“I love you.” Lu Weimin didn’t look like a man that could outright speak such words but he had done so. Han XiaoJun stared with wide eyes showing disbelief. They had just met and already this man was in love with him. 

How does one react to such a confession?

“We met a long time ago and you had been reborn countless times, but I had always been with you,” he continued further after seeing the look of disbelief.

“Why didn’t we stay together back then? Why start now?” It was weird that this man decided to appear before him.

“Back then, you were taken away from me too soon. When I came to join you, you had drunk the soup and got reincarnated. You no longer knew me and if I had done the same, we might never cross paths again, so I have chosen to stay by your side in this form,” he explained quietly.

Han XiaoJun didn’t know what to say to this but seeing as this man had sacrificed himself just to guard him for so many years, it made him feel slightly responsible. He was already attracted to the man, surely it was a matter of time before he truly loved him.

“Does this mean we will be together now?” Han XiaoJun was feeling a little excited since he finally might have a boyfriend and funny enough, it happened only after he had died.

Despite Han XiaoJun's excitement, Lu Weimin frowned instead.

Seeing that he didn’t get a reply, Han XiaoJun finally noticed the frown on the man’s face. He might have gotten ahead of himself.

“Sorry. Was that not okay?” He asked, worried that he was embarrassing himself if this was one-sided.

After hearing the question, Lu Weimin's face softened.

“Would you like to be with me?” Lu Weimin tried to tread lightly when he asked because he wouldn’t want to be rejected by the man he had loved since the beginning of his existence.

Han XiaoJun joyfully smiled. “It would be nice if we could have a lifetime together,” he said since he would finally drop his single status and live with someone he likes.

Lu Weimin also responded with a gentle smile and nodded. “For now, you should rest,”

It was weird that even though Han XiaoJun didn’t have physiological needs, the moment Lu Weimin said those words, he fell into slumber.

Lu Weimin watched Han XiaoJun falling into a state of rest from the spell he cast onto the other. It seemed that his beloved was already fading away and being awake would only hasten it. He needed his beloved to be around before he had achieved his goal. 

In order to do so, he must leave and go to the underworld. Before he left, he reinforced the protection spell he had placed around the room. Once he was satisfied, he went to meet the only man who could allow him to enact his plan.

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

The underworld was a dreary place. Everything moved following protocols. It was rare for chaos to occur here since those who worked here were strong enough to subdue unruly souls.

Lu Weimin entered unimpeded as he worked with them for so long that they recognised him as one of them. They often sent assignments to him to ensure peace in the mortal realm. 

Although he had never come down here, nobody cared as work in the underworld never ends. Since he was an employee of the underworld, it was fine to leave him alone. Lu Weimin briskly reached an opened door office to which he entered without permission.

A large man dressed in formal official wear sat behind a desk with a mountain of paperwork. Neither of them spoke as the man continued doing his work as if no one was there. It took a long time before the paperwork on the desk dwindled in number and was put aside on the ground along with the other piles.

Before the next batch came in, it was clear that he had to promptly deal with the problem in front of him unless he wanted to multi-task.

“Have you come to mock my busy lifestyle?” The King of the Underworld finally acknowledged Lu Weimin’s presence in his office.

“I’ve come to make a deal,” Lu Weimin didn’t back down from the pressure of facing the King of the Underworld. 

“You are willing to lower your head for a mere wraith.” 

“He has a name.” Lu Weimin didn’t hide his dislike on how The King of the Underworld was referring to his beloved.

“He has killed almost a hundred people. You knew that all too well. It was clear he was in the wrong. Why are you protecting him?” He had sat on the seat of the court to judge the souls in the underworld for so long yet he still couldn’t understand mortal’s sentiments. 

“It wasn’t his fault.” Lu Weimin truly believed in this.

The King of Underworld curled his lips as he stared at Lu Weimin. He had seen the results of the wraith atrocities and it was outrageous! The blood flowed like a river and the stench of death was so rancid that it polluted the air. Miasma would’ve formed had he not sent a few officials to clean the area. Lest it attracted more trouble.

The King of Underworld grimaced as he recalled the scene and his body trembled in disgust. Rarely had he shown such strong emotions towards souls that had fallen under his jurisdiction. It was inevitable that the heavenly law no longer accepted the sinner. 

He wanted to berate Lu Weimin for standing with the miscreant and finally noticed something was off with Lu Weimin.

“You have lost half of your cultivation for him.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement because it didn’t need affirmation as nothing could be hidden from his sight.

“I would do anything for him.” Lu Weimin didn’t hide away from the scrutinizing look and bowed his head to show that he was willing to do anything including humbling himself for his purpose.

“Anything?” This seemed to please the King of Underworld.

“Yes, as long as you let us reincarnate together to spend a lifetime, I will do anything,” Lu Weimin said assuredly.

“Would you give up your power for him?” 

Lu Weimin nodded without hesitation which made the other smile mischievously.

“He cannot reincarnate anymore. You do know that, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Lu Weimin responded with a strong sentiment. 

“Then, if it means you too would not be able to reincarnate afterwards?” The King of Underworld narrowed his eyes as he gauged the bottom line of this powerful arrogant man.

“Yes. I don’t care.” Lu Weimin didn’t need to think about it. He had loved this person and had never stopped. If his love hadn’t changed for thousands of years, it wouldn’t change even after the person was gone. Life would be meaningless then.

The King of Underworld propped his chin on his hand before leaning back in his chair while scanning Lu Weimin from top to bottom. 

The biggest cause of his constant headache has offered to go without him having to lift a finger, it made his grin widen to the point he had to stop himself from laughing aloud. He neutralised the expression on his face before saying,

“Fine, I can let the two of you go and reincarnate together. However, this would be the last lifetime it will ever be for the two of you and neither of you can cultivate whether during your lifetime or in death.”

This made Lu Weimin pause. He wrinkled his brows wondering if his beloved would approve. He wanted this since it was definitely better than letting his beloved disappear now after all that had happened. In fact, all of his beloved previous reincarnations had lived each life alone as well. 

Lu Weimin stared at the distance while recalling every reincarnated life of his beloved. He clenched his fist while remembering how lonely it was, but he still didn’t pull his beloved to cultivate together. It wasn’t only because they didn’t know each other, but also because he wanted his beloved to live as much as he could and experience the beauty of life. 

Now, it was time for them to live it together.

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

Han XiaoJun woke up to an empty room. He tried to look for Lu Weimin but he was blocked by something at the only exit. He turned around feeling at a loss but decided that it was probably best for him to stay in the room since he may encounter the others that ‘lived’ here.

Han XiaoJun wasn’t able to keep track of time so he didn’t know how long it took before Lu Weimin came back. The man stared at him with gentle eyes and even reached out to brush his hair. The words spoken to Han XiaoJun were to trust and to follow him.

Again, the man put out his hand to him. Han XiaoJun placed his hand on the other while feeling shy. The two of them ended up holding hands all the way to the underworld. The sight of the awed Han XiaoJun but was laced with confusion, so he shot a curious look to Lu Weimin.

By the Bridge of Forgetfulness, Lu Weimin only said, “We’ll grow old together.”

Han XiaoJun wanted to squeal as this handsome man had just proposed to him. He might as well go for it since it meant that in his next life, he had a predesignated lover. The excitement surged within Han XiaoJun after realising that he wouldn’t be alone and he couldn’t wait to live their lives together. 

Although this was probably the most impulsive thing he had chosen, something just told him that he would have a good life with this man. If they grew up together, he would probably understand this man’s love for him.

After drinking the soup, they continued to hold hands as they jumped into the well of reincarnation together.

 

☠️

 

ıllıllııllıllı

 

As the leaves turned yellow and started to fall, two children could be found playing around the pile of dead leaves. One of them chased the other around the big old tree. 

The sounds of crushed leaves could be heard as their short legs trotted all over it. Their laughter filled the air, making the scene feel warm.

When the chaser finally caught his target, they stumbled down onto the pile of leaves which scattered it all over the ground. All the hard work in piling the leaves was wasted by these two naughty children once again.

“Xiao Jun! Wei Min!” The dean of the orphanage called out to the two children as the sky had already turned to an orange hue, yet they were the only two that hadn’t returned.

The two of them looked at the mess they created and looked at each other sheepishly. They giggled without remorse, knowing full well that they wouldn’t be scolded. Xiao Jun brushed off the leaves on Wei Min’s hair and the other did the same too.

Afterwards, Wei Min put out his hand to Xiao Jun and the other took it as they had always done so. The dean saw that the inseparable two came back hand in hand with pieces of small leaves and branches all over their clothes. She knew they had played around instead of cleaning up but she couldn’t bring it up to scold them.

She brought them inside while lamenting that as Xiao Jun grew up, he was resembling the man who funded this orphanage more and more. She would have thought that he was his child if it weren’t for the fact that it had been many years since the man passed before these two children came under her care.

She had taken the man’s name and gave it to Xiao Jun out of a whim but never would she have known that he’d grown up looking like him too. She was truly indebted to that man as he had invested his money in this orphanage when it was barely surviving. She remembered clearly as she was already a teenager at the time and had the opportunity to meet him.

It was sad that the Han family had fallen to its current state. When the news of their mass murder came out, she couldn’t believe her ears. That day the Han family had a family gathering party that even the extended family along with some close friends attended. Everyone died gruesomely, including the people working there that day.

She even saw the leaked photos before they got taken down and banned. The way each of them had died was grotesque and unnatural, but the police said it had been done by a deranged man. 

It was also during the investigation of the mass murder it was revealed that the Han family had blood on their hand. They also had cruelly murdered their own family member, who was her benefactor. 

The prestige of the Han family disappeared with that incident and there was only a small amount of the Han family members left. 

Despite the fall of the family, it was found that her benefactor had donated almost all his wealth to charity. This had made various institutions change their name to his so he would be remembered for many years to come. The orphanage had once again received his goodwill too. 

Years had passed and she took over the orphanage. She only hoped that the boy named after the man will grow up healthy until old age because regretfully he died at a young age. 

However, she wasn’t too worried, since this boy had a strong protector whom she believed would be by his side for years to come. After all, Wei Min had always been protective over Xiao Jun and had gotten into fights whenever someone bullied the other.

Wei Min often gave her endless headaches because only Xiao Jun could reign him in whenever the boy went on a rampage. Although these kids often made her go through a lot of trouble, she only wished that they would live happily.

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

The dean’s wish must have been heard by someone as the two grew old and grey, they are still standing by each other’s side, hand in hand. They had gone through thick and thin together in their youth and had achieved many things in life.

When they had enough money, they bought a house in the village where they were raised. They came back to live here after retiring and the place hadn’t changed much despite many years have passed. It was still a place where one came to live during the final stage in life or to live as a farmer in the countryside.

The view of their house faced the direction of their favourite tree, but they had planted two tree saplings near their house a long time ago and it had grown big. Now that they are older and their sight wasn't as good as before, the two trees had long become their favourite view.

When the leaves turned yellow once more, signifying the change of the season, they sat on the porch drinking tea while watching the leaves fall. They could no longer run around the tree like they used to, but their memories of the good times had never left. The leaves on the tree may have changed over the seasons but their love for each other remained the same.

When one of them passed away, the other followed soon after. They were buried under the tree by their adoptive children who believed that these two lovebirds deserve to watch the season go together, forever. 

After they had passed, the contributions they had made in their lifetime allowed their names to be recorded for future generations. Their children even ensured that the records also showed the endless love they had for one another thus allowing them to continue to live in books and stories for generations to come.

Their lives had ended, but their love was endless.

 

🍁

 

 

 

Author's Account:

Heart (SH).