Chapter 21
Its time to Act
Qiao Qiao is still missing. He spent all his efforts looking for her in secret ways.
Xiao Ce uncovered all the whereabouts and information of Jianghu spies, underworld spies, and their relationship with the afterlife campers. He also sent spies to monitor Zhan Ziyu's activities, reporting to him occasionally.
He holds all this information and is still waiting for pieces of the puzzle regarding Qiao Qiao's disappearance after the icy lake tragedy. Xiao Ce also holds Yue Qi, Yuwen Yue's bodyguard, who is currently residing at his secret mansion in Kong Sang Mountain.
Xiao Ce brought all healers and royal doctors to revive him. Yue Qi died for a few minutes, but Xiao Ce's bodyguard took his body and brought it to the Black Palanquin. Xiao Ce believed he could be revived by a healer his father had imprisoned, but whom Xiao Ce later freed to become his spy. The healer ran a business as a shopkeeper, selling weapons and antiques.
The spiritual healer came from the Chu Jing Kingdom, but the Liang Prince controlled his business. Xiao Ce summoned him and showed him Yue Qi's lifeless body. The healer initially refused to help, but Xiao Ce recounted the heroic story of how Yue Qi tried to save Yuwen Yue and Chu Qiao.
Unfortunately, Yue Qi had died.
When the healer heard the names Chu Qiao and Yuwen Yue, he remembered them from when they were trapped in a cave and suddenly agreed to help.
Yue Qi was placed on a platform where the healer prepared a cup of water and a cup of tea.
The healer performed some incantations and laid his hands on Yue Qi's body. Yue Qi's physical wounds had been treated by the royal doctors, who had done everything they could, but he had been unable to bear the pain and breathed his last breath.
The healer called Yue Qi's spirit back, telling him not to disintegrate with his body as his work was not yet finished. Suspended in time, Yue Qi's spirit saw Chu Qiao.
In a different form, he also heard his master, Yuwen Yue, calling her name three times: "Xinger, Xinger, Xinger." Chu Qiao touched Yue Qi, and suddenly, he was wrapped in light and vanished from her sight.
At the third call, Yue Qi heard his name.
The healer was right. Yue Qi's spirit went to see his master in the Forgotten River. When Yue Qi was about to board a boat to cross to the other side, the healer touched his middle temple, directing his eyes to look at the Higanbana flowers but not to smell them.
Yue Qi saw Chu Qiao walking among the Higanbana and remembered his past life. The healer then snapped Yue Qi back to consciousness, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Zao Baocung, the shopkeeper, should have been dead. His enemy slit his throat because he refused to talk about the heir of Luo He, the leader of the Wind and Cloud Decree. But he survived, and no one knows what happened to him, not even the devious Liang Prince, Xiao Ce.
Zao Baocung's pet hamsters helped him at the moment of his death, but no one knows how. He knows many things, including his past as the most powerful spiritual healer in the Chu Jing Kingdom, though now he hides behind the humble guise of a shopkeeper.
Xiao Ce knows this well and suspects Zao might be key to unlocking the lost Chu Jing Kingdom. However, extracting information from him is difficult. Xiao Ce remains patient, waiting for the right moment to act. For now, he brushes off Zao, but his true plan is to pull him out when needed, without exposing him prematurely.
"Yue Qi, how are you?" the Liang Prince asked, visiting him in a purple robe adorned with autumn flowers at the hem. Despite sleepless nights for almost a year, the Prince smiled gorgeously, his hopelessly romantic heart stranded in time, as he cared for Yuwen Yue's bodyguard.
Yue Qi's face had matured. Disguised in expensive attire, he looked like a eunuch serving the Prince of Liang, but this was only a facade, a public show to hide his identity until the right time, or until Yuwen Yue returned and recalled his loyal bodyguard.
Yue Qi bowed to the Prince and said in a lively voice, "What brings Prince Xiao Ce to visit a humble servant?"
"I came for a chat and a short cup of tea," the Prince replied, while Liang servants prepared the tea ceremony.
"This way, Prince," said Yue Qi.
They both sat together in a lovely gazebo tea garden, staring into each other's eyes. Yue Qi remained silent, and after a few minutes, Xiao Ce broke the silence by inhaling deeply and speaking to his servant as if he were a friend.
"Yue Qi, do you remember the time when you first met your master, Yuwen Yue?"
Yue Qi, somewhat puzzled, answered the prince: "I remember vividly." He took a sip of tea.
Xiao Ce, with his fox-like eyes, calculated as he asked, "Would you believe it if they told you he has finally walked into the afterlife?"
Yue Qi, struggling to control the emotions swelling in his eyes, stood up, turned his back to Xiao Ce, and inhaled deeply, pausing for a moment.
Xiao Ce waited through the silence, as a cold breeze passed between them. Then, Yue Qi turned back to face the Liang Prince.
Xiao Ce looked up at him, still waiting. Yue Qi finally said, "If I am alive, then my master is alive too. I don't know how, but I truly believe he is out there, searching for us, just as we have searched for him for nearly a year now."
"Do you truly believe that?" Xiao Ce pressed, as this was a crucial decision for him, hinging on Yue Qi's conviction and belief.
"I don't just believe; I have faith in him. My master may be cold, but his heart is strong and warm. He cannot be defeated so easily. It's too simple." Yue Qi spoke with full conviction.
Xiao Ce exhaled and, to conclude, said, "Well, if you say so, then I will believe as well." He drank his tea and stood up, giving Yue Qi a fox-like smile.
Yue Qi bowed to the prince and said, "I will wait for the day we see him again, just as we did with Xinger. We have come to this place before."
Xiao Ce felt the weight of the possibility that Yuwen Yue must still be alive, and he replied, "Indeed, with a little time and patience, it will soon happen."
Yue Qi nodded, locking eyes with Xiao Ce until the prince turned his back and left.
Xiao Ce, accompanied by his bodyguard in disguise, strolled through the Xianyang business district to meet Zao Baocung. Xiao Ce removed his woven rattan hat and met Zao's gaze. Zao Baocung, with his usual airy attitude, humbly bowed to the prince.
The Liang Prince nodded and said, "People will see what you are doing and suspect me. Get up!"
"My Prince, long time no see. Is someone dead again, and you've come to bring them back to life?"
Xiao Ce laughed and replied, "Not this time, but I need you for a special purpose."
"Oh, I thought you'd heard the news and were here to revive another dead body?" Zao Baocung joked, making faces at the prince.
"Haha…," the prince chuckled, entertained for a moment, then became serious and whispered into Zao's ear, "You know Yuwen Yue very well, and you will help me find him."
Pretending its reluctance, Zao Baocung said, "Oh my prince, have pity on this old man. Can't you see I'm retired?"
Xiao Ce laughed again but, growing serious, showed Zao Baocung a map.
Zao Baocung straightened up and said, "What can I do for you, Liang's Crown Prince, son of King Tang?"
Xiao Ce smiled and replied, "Now we're buddies. I like you even more."
The map was an ancient map of the Chu Jing palace. Zao asked Xiao Ce, "Where did you get this?"
"I have my ways, and when I want something, I get it," Xiao Ce answered.
Zao mockingly replied, "Even the dead come back to life. It's no surprise," and smiled at the prince.
"We have a deal then?" Xiao Ce asked, "This time, not for a dead person but for a living one."
"At your service," Zao Baocung said, tapping his chest.
Xiao Ce put his hat back on, and they slipped away unnoticed by the crowd.
Zao Baocung, left alone with his thoughts, mused, "Chu Qiao, I hope you're doing well and that your powers have returned. The time I healed your Chibi was just a temporary fix. It wasn't completed. I can't let them disturb you again like Yuwen Yue did. I made a promise to your father."
Zao hid the map in a secret place beneath the cave.
"Now, this will take a lifetime before anyone can find it," he said to himself as his pets watched him hide it.
Xiao Ce returned to the palace and informed his father that he planned to go to the Woolong Mountains for a break from his duties, to pray and refresh himself.
"It has been a while since my last visit, and I wish to seek guidance from the temple masters and get answers to some lingering questions," he explained.
His father disapproved, telling him it was too risky.
Xiao Ce reassured his father, "I won't blow my cover," but his father warned him, "My son, I haven't told you everything. It isn't safe because the Eyes of God are shut down."
"I just received a report yesterday from Xiao Yu's spies that the Wei state civil government has gone quiet for a time. Do you know what this means?"
"Tell me, Father," Xiao Ce said eagerly, like a hungry child.
"It means chaos," his father replied in a flat tone.
"There must be a reason for this," Xiao Ce responded.
King Tang told him, "Your sister, Princess Xiao Yu, is set to marry Yan Xun in nine months."
"It's not a surprise," Xiao Ce replied calmly.
"You knew this already?" his father asked, surprised, looking at him expectantly.
Xiao Ce said, "I was there when Yan Xun crushed a rebellion on the day he was supposed to marry Wei's Princess Chuner. I thank him every day for it because I was saved before the Wei Emperor could recall me. So now, Yan Xun's only choice is my wicked sister. They belong together."
King Tang narrowed his eyes. "I'm very upset with the Wei Emperor. I should have a grandson by now."
"Father, when I marry, I hope it will be with the one I truly love. I don't need another concubine or to add more girls to Liang's harem."
King Tang looked at him and asked, "Since when have you disliked beautiful girls?"
"Since I met the punch girl," Xiao Ce replied, staring off into the distance like a lovesick fool, imagining the girl's face.
King Tang waved his hand in front of Xiao Ce's eyes and said, "You're in a dry spell. You need to tend your gardens. Who is this punch girl? Is she a princess too?"
Xiao Ce remained lost in thought, not paying attention to his father's questions.
"Did you know, Father, I became the punch prince when I met her, and I think I left my heart at that moment," Xiao Ce reminisced.
King Tang, amused by his son's foolishness, laughed. "A punch prince meeting the punch girl? That's insane!"
Xiao Ce, irritated by his father's teasing, snapped, "Have you considered the consequences of agreeing to Xiao Yu and Yan Xun's marriage?" His tone became serious, sensing a shift in fate.
"If the Wei Emperor won't form an alliance with Liang, then I will do so with Yanbei," King Tang said, staring off into the distance, clearly displeased.
Xiao Ce didn't care much for Xiao Yu, but he knew that with his sister expanding her influence, Yan Xun could potentially overpower him in the future. His half-sister, the Queen of Yanbei, could one day take over Liang. He realized he needed to be vigilant if this marriage was to happen.
With that thought, Xiao Ce's mood turned formal. He felt his father's disappointment in him for not marrying the Princess of Wei to strengthen their influence. Meanwhile, Xiao Yu seemed to be scoring points with their father by planning to marry the Prince of Yanbei.
Yan Xun had already expanded his power, conquering more towns along Wei state's borders, including Chang'an, weakening Wei's intelligence network in the process. With the absence of Yuwen Yue, the Eyes of God had been shut down, and Yuwen Huai remained in limbo after the destruction of the secret repository in the Green Hills Courtyard.
Xiao Ce realized he couldn't go to the Woolong Mountains. The Liang royal family was preparing for his half-sister Xiao Yu's marriage to the Prince of Yanbei, though the event was still nine months away. The family was planning a grand banquet celebration, not only for the royal wedding but also for the union of two powerful states: Liang and Yanbei.
Xiao Ce felt immobilized, unable to roam freely or find Yuwen Yue to inform him about the shutdown of the Eyes of God or how his character had been assassinated, leading to his family's disowning him. Xiao Ce feared Yuwen Yue might even consider suicide to escape the pain.
However, Xiao Ce knew Yuwen Yue wasn't one to give up easily. He was the only person capable of rebuilding his life and turning things around for both himself and Qiao Qiao. Xiao Ce had already tested Yuwen Yue's abilities and knew he had learned his lessons well.
Xiao Ce wanted Yuwen Yue as his ally. He aimed to restore Yuwen Yue's honor after the Yuwen family had forbidden even the mention of his name. Yuwen Yue had nothing left to return to in the Eyes of God, and this was the perfect opportunity for the Liang Prince to recruit him into his envoy, a major victory in his father's eyes.
Xiao Ce smiled and said, "This is going to be grand. I hope Zao Baocung finds Yuwen Yue before the grand banquet celebration."
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