Pamella hadn't read about those yet in Chinese literature. Now the tables turned, and she was the one with the dumbfounded face.

- Pardon me... The five what?

Xián Leng cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and started explaining.

- The five , are the five wise spirits that protect each kingdom.

- So, they are like guardians of the five kingdoms?

What five kingdoms?

Xián Leng accerted to Pamella's conclusion.

- Yes, exactly! Each presents itself in a particular form; the Golden Scaled Dragon from the Jīnhuáng kingdom, the Rhinestone Shelled Turtle from the Shuǐzuàn kingdom, the Brass Horned Elephant from the Yǒu jiǎo kingdom, the Inked Winged Owl from the Fēi kingdom, and the Flame Haired Monkey from the Zōng kingdom. With their Qi interaction maintain the spiritual energy among the kingdoms, and the whole of China in balance.

- Then, what happens if one of them gets you know... Destroyed...

- ...

Pamella felt she said something that she shouldn't have because Xián Leng became grim. He watched as the fish browned a bit. Pamella could swear she saw that his eyes had turned that bright enticing crimson red but discarded such idea and blamed the bright woodfire flares reflected on his eyes. In a serious tone Xián Leng answered,

- If that someday happens, Heavens prevent it, the Qi balance would be disrupted, creating chaos; war, suffering, hunger, rape, illness, and even death would result.

- But... Don't all those things already exist? Yesterday on the news... I mean, at the town I saw a man beat another until he almost died. I also saw children hungry, and homeless watching what to steal for food. And...

Pamella was abruptly interrupted.

- Yes, yes... All do exist, but not at an alarming level. If one of the Wise Spirits ends up ill, its kingdom, and the whole world would be affected. If it died... The awful consequences could not even be counted or described.

- ... And how are they related to the charmed necklace?

Xián Leng took away the fish from the fire and stacked them aside to cool them down. He directed his sight towards the intrigued face of Pamella.

- As the book goes, the five charms were not designed for the necklace, but were stolen, and forced on its build. A long time ago by the impulse of vengeance, and result of social mockery, a jeweler from the Heavens, had designed the necklace with only its pendant for a warm-hearted emperor. As the emperor being known for his ignorant nature, the jeweler had talked to him in secret about how the necklace could give him more power. The emperor was not that who chased for how you say, "world domination", but having more power could make him invisible against his enemies. So, he ordered the jeweler to make it, so the necklace made him more powerful than his enemies. The jeweler affirmed him that the necklace would not only make him more powerful than any fiend who defied the emperor, but will make him the master of the Heavens, the Underworld, and the Earth.

Xián Leng, holding the free end of the stick which had the roasted fish, gave a bite to it. He felt as if he hadn't had fish to eat in a long time which was weird, considering this was his favorite meat. Since when he has not eaten some fish, he couldn't come up to a right answer. He continued after eating down one of the four fish.

- The jeweler went to each kingdom, and while transforming into different individuals he acquired a blood droplet from each Wise Spirit.

Pamella looked like an excited kid. The story was fascinating.

Why hadn't Lao Zhi Chen jumped to this part of the story? SO much was left out in that legend written in that college text book... So much money wasted in an incomplete book!

- And for what would the jeweler need the spiritual blood droplets?

Xián Leng gulped down another piece of meat and smiled. There was a mocking, sinister character on his lips formation.

- The blood droplets, by the usage of dark Qi, were transformed into golden figures of the Wise Spirits.

Pamella's eyes widened in surprise. She exclaimed,

- The blood was transformed into gold?! Now that's something!

Xián Leng nooded.

- Indeed! Many ignore the fact that it was an amazing thing to do, because of the use of dark spiritual energy but even so, for those who are not blinded by cultural and religious norms, it is something to be congratulated upon. Anyhow, back to the main story...

Without noticing, both had shifted closer than before; only mare inches apart.

- He added to the necklace five hooks from where the five figures would hang. To finish his master piece, he painted in melted silver, the reversed first name character of the Wise Spirit on its back. The reversed characters would instead of creating balance, and harmony like what the powers of the Wise Spirits does, it will instead create destruction, fear, misery, and...

He hesitated. He shifted on his sitting area, and in an audible but low tone, he murmured looking straight at the wood's darkness,

- ...Death...

Pamella's back neck hairs raised. She got goosebumps all over her body.

What happened... to the one holding the necklace?

As if reading her mind, Xián Leng answered with the same tone as before.

- He lost everything he loved. He got consumed by the hatred that one day appeared and grew him into a monster. He killed his wife, his own five children, and defied the gods from all the realms. The King of Hell was furious. He united forces with his brother of the Heavens, promising this one that he would grant him permission to get back in the circle of the celestials. The emperor was defeated, and from the jewelers where about, there were none. Only a note was left by him at Heaven's gates,

"He who chooses to use such object,

Should not be judged by which is right, or wrong.

Do not hesitate, because it will decide for you

What should be so."

The mouth of Pamella resited without sound the said words.

- The necklace was confiscated, and be dismantled, but what was used to build it was too strong for even the celestial beings. They sealed the object away in the Cave of Mourning, but one day the necklace disappeared, and the King of the Underworld was accused, and expulsed from the Heavens. Breaking his deal with him of being able to be among the celestials, the King of the Underworld swore to make them suffer one day.

As he descended the hellish stairs to his sulfur intoxicated home, he stepped into something. As he peered down, there was a package note. It read the same thing I told you before, only that it instructed that the object could only be used by mortal born.

In other words... The holder needed to be human...

Finishing the last fish, and already full, Xián Leng concluded,

- "Choose your candidate well... Time is precious..."

- Huh?

He repeated it again and explained.

- It was what it instructed.

Pamella remained in deep thought.

So, the candidate for the necklace was then, Hu Xián Lèng, the emperor's bodyguard. It makes sense though. Controlling the one nearest to the emperor makes a good strategy to create chaos among the Heavens being the Emperor a gifted individual by them, and as Xián Leng said, those who read that ancient evil book, become themselves corrupted, then it all went to the Evil King's favor. But the way I see it, Xián Leng doesn't remember much about his villain person. Don't know why he doesn't but maybe I shouldn't rush him; even if I want to go home as soon as possible...

- And... does this necklace here... Does it look like it? Are they the same?

Only seconds passed, after Xián Leng looked at it once again, feeling something familiar of it, but pushing the thought aside.

- It does... But the charms are missing...

- What if they were separated from it?

- Impossible.

Pamella insisted.

- I truly believe it was disassembled!

- And I tell you impossible! I just told you no being could pull it apart. Were you even listening?!

Not knowing why Xián Leng became agitated and said the last question in and angered and loud voice. Pamella ignored him, pouting in annoyance.

You are such an easy person to push his temper.

Xián Leng was suffocating because of the tensed atmosphere. Pamella still ignoring him, holding the necklace, and staring at it was waiting for him to apologize for his unneeded outburst.

As Xián Leng glanced at her, feeling guilty, he also eyed the necklace. It looked the same. Exactly, the same, so why didn't it have the golden figures. As he concentrated, he immediately realized that the necklace had five broken hooks.

Taking Pamella by surprise, he grabbed her by both shoulders, and by being already so near, his interrogation sounded far louder than it really was.

- Who are you really?!

- Huh? What do you mean?! I already told you who I was.

- That was a lie, and you know best than to tell worthless see through lies. Who gave the necklace to you, and what happened to its figures?!

Has this guy gone CRAZY?! Sure, that wasn't my name, and I'm none of the things I said in my real life, but that's who the owner of this body is in this life. I should be the one interrogating you, not you to me!

- Would... You... Let go of me?! God!

Xián Leng was already at his feet unsheathing his sword. Pamella did not calculate this would happen. She was wishing that at the moment the necklace would be better of being fake, but now it wasn't an excuse worth telling.

- Hu Xián Lèng! Put the dam sword down this instant! Chill out bro'! Weren't we in good terms talking, and so? Why now you decide we play Hero and Villain?!

He was already building up his Qi; red flares encircling him, and his sword; red eyes with the presence of blood.

Guess I'll have to be considered the crazy. It's far better than being the villain. OK! Pamella confess your way out of this!

- OK OK OK! I'm not Wú Chù Zhī, I mean this body is, but I'm not him! My name is Pamella! Pamella Zavala! I live in a little island in the Americas, but have been studying at a university in Beijing, China. Somehow, I touched this necklace and got transported into this time, and place, inside this body! This necklace no one gave it to me! It was found in an excavation in 2019!

DROP THAT FLARING THING ALREADY!

Xián Leng was already dumfounded enough, that the last scream from Pamella made it easier to let fall the weapon. Pamella sighed in relief, and still half naked, with the cape of Xián Leng on, and necklace on hand, she slumped to the floor. It wasn't easy to be thrown into a world which you don't know about and having to deal with a temporary amnesia suffering dude by the other. All that was left to do was to explain thoroughly everything about her situation and all would be well. Of course, that was what Pamella believed.

After explaining it all to the stupefied Xián Leng, she waited for an answer; maybe a breathing sound would suffice. Non came. He was not even blinking. Pamella could understand why he would be so petrified; other than explaining who she was and how she got there, she also bluntly told Xián Leng he was the owner of the so-called evil necklace. Since she didn't study about the legend figure Lord of Darkness, Hu Xián Lèng so much, she didn't know his every past, and she felt it wasn't a good idea to bombard him with so many facts about his life. Why would you believe someone who you don't know, never met, and now is talking crazy nonsense?

Pamella could do no more to defend her posture as an innocent sneaker wearing damsel from 2019 trapped in a strikingly, well built, and slightly weak young man.

The night felt silent. Xián Leng's expression had softened due time, but he still didn't utter a word. Pamella sat at a corner now of a tree, far away from the wood fire's warmth. She was trembling, and if it weren't for the flower-scented cape she was wearing, her smell; she could tell, would be awful to describe. As soon as she came to the fact that the cape wasn't hers, she took it from her immediately, not wanting to give it a stench that could not be rubbed off. Her hands were static for a moment, trying to decide if to take it off and surrender to the cold breeze, or to keep it on and just shiver instead of becoming a block of ice.

She slowly unknotted the cape, but as soon as it started to fall from her body, without noticing, Xián Leng had came to her side, tucking it back unto her bare body. His hands could be felt over the soft thin fabric. She never had such contact before. Even if she was already a grown woman, such intimacy was never experienced by her. Yes, she could kiss men, but never did they show any warming, and caring action towards her, not that she wanted them too though.

After carefully placing the garment over her, Xián Leng extended his body at Pamella's side, and rested his head back over one of his hands, shifting away from Pamella.

- Keep it on... The night is colder than usual...

Pamella was bewildered. Looking down at him, a little smile could be seen on her face.

- Thank you...

It wasn't easy indeed. Pamella had said many things to Xián Leng. So much about her, yet little about him. Ever since he appeared out of nowhere on that lake, at that inconvenient moment he couldn't quite place himself into reality. All that he saw, the nature, the animals, the sounds were strangers to him. He wondered what had happened to him. Most of his memory was a blackhole, with only parts of it a light. He said in a low voice,

- Where is my past gone too? Wú Chù... I mean... Pa... me... lla...?

Well at least he tried to pronounce it right~

Hearing him address to her with her name, made her heart flutter. It was the first time, since she had come into this world that someone addressed her by her real name; other than thief, bastard, and Wú Chù Zhī.

- Yeah...?

If she heard wrong, Xián Leng's voice seemed to be trembling.

- From what you've read in... the books... Are there other things, other than the necklace being mine? Like... bad things... Even good things are fine!

Pamella knew best to shut up. Not lie, but don't say anything now. She could not ruin this poor lost man's night with stories, of the blood spilled from so many innocents on his hands, or how he was known as the world's most hateful, and fearful other than the King of Hell, or how he was used as a pawn. She was between "la espada y la pared".

- I... I... don't remember much! Really, my memory is as bad as yours. Maybe even worst than yours! Hahaha...haha..ha~

He knew that the young woman in the man's body was trying to evade his question. Maybe it was best to just close his eyes, and drift to sleep. The feeling of someone beside him had been long since he hadn't felt it. It felt nice. In a daze, he had inched a little closer to Pamella's resting body, and with that he drifted to sleep. The night stopped being as cold as before. Things were still like blank puzzle pieces; down right questionable, but at least there were no conflict between the two people who in just one night, had learnt more about each other, than they knew about themselves.

Good night...

[Hún Bó Xué]- The Wise Spirits; the guardians from each of the kingdoms mentioned in this novel.

- Lín Qiú Jīnhuáng (Golden Scaled Dragon)

- Dài Biē (Rhinestone Shelled Turtle)

- Dà xiàng Huáng tóng zhì Yǒu jiǎo (Brass Horned Elephant)

- Xiū Mò (Inked Winged Owl)

- Hóu Huǒshāo (Flame Haired Monkey)

[entre la espada y la pared]- Is a Spanish form of expression. In English it's "between the blade and the wall" which most of the time is used when one can't come to a significant answer to a problem and is unable to decide.