Chapter 28
Rebuilding an Empire
In the Crown Prince's palace garden, drops of dew hang on the bamboo leaves, a stream of water drips from the Yin and Yang fountain, and a yellow-to-auburn leaf brushes the ground. Birds are chirping in the air, and a god-like figure is meditating quietly.
Fog and mist, stained with grayish smoke, spiral up from the valley. From the fresh morning air, he takes a deep breath.
Life here is beautiful and peaceful amidst the surrounding unrest of the Qinghai Empire. Not far away is the Chu Jing Kingdom, where its repository of mysteries thrives.
Raindrops begin to pour from the heavens, and the dew-washed earth issues a blessing of comfort that lightens the load on his shoulders. He continues to sit there, a sense of calmness from the sound of falling raindrops, leaving his ears with a timeless peace, if only for a short suspended moment.
Yuwen Yue sees a vision of two celestial bodies, two figures in the sky: the moon setting, its fading light giving way to the sunrise on the horizon, bringing daybreak.
After his meditation, he comes to a table and smells the aroma of tea boiling beside his study area, where he is about to start reading the gold book. He finished the blue book just last night.
He had no difficulty understanding the terms, but the royal blue book is a compilation of the Chu Jing Kingdom, where nothing is left to speculation.
A knock comes at the door of his office, followed by a eunuch's voice: "Prince Ra Zheng has arrived and requests a tea ceremony with the Crown Prince."
Yuwen Yue signals Zuo, and Zuo opens the door. Prince Ra Zheng enters while Yuwen Yue prepares two cups of tea. Suddenly, they hear the whistling sound of the boiling teapot.
With cold, expressionless calm, Yuwen Yue doesn't look at his brother, who is already walking toward him. Without any assistance, he perfectly pours tea into the two small jade teacups.
The refreshing aroma offers warmth and comfort from the cold prince in front of him. After the rain, this is a welcome way to escape the knife-like chill of the season.
"Ra Yue, is there anything you want to talk about?" Ra Zheng asks.
"Like what?" Yuwen Yue responds coldly.
Ra Zheng smiles. "Perhaps the secret princess from the Moon Kingdom."
"Thank you, brother, but I'm not interested."
"Are you single, taken, or building an empire? What's your status?"
With a hint of amusement, Yuwen Yue replies in the same tone, his voice slightly softening. "None of the above."
Ra Zheng is about to react, but Yuwen Yue quickly adds, "Or maybe I'll choose building an empire."
Ha... ha... ha... Ra Zheng laughs heartily. "The fact that you're here with the Poe Yue Jian sword means the empire is already rebuilt. You just need to run it and expand it to the ends of Ximeng."
Yuwen Yue takes a sip of tea, feeling slightly relaxed by his brother's laughter.
Growing impatient, Ra Zheng continues: "What's left to build? Our empire is only waiting for its crown princess. The stars have shone too long, and the seventh moon refuses to appear in its dark skies?"
Still amused, Ra Zheng slowly drinks his tea.
Yuwen Yue, sensing an opportunity to gather more information without being obvious, asks, "How can we breach the Moon Kingdom?"
"There are secret paths, my brother."
"Secret paths?" Yuwen Yue's ears perk up at the words, though he jokes, "It seems the blue book didn't list them all. You have to read between the lines and navigate its stratagems. Reading is different from walking the path."
"Difficult, spine-chilling, creepy, and hair-raising paths?" Yuwen Yue jokes further, not yet serious.
"Oh, feel the rush!" Ra Zheng laughs briefly. "Not to mention, the secret princess possesses the most powerful martial art, called the Kung Fu of Ice."
"The Kung Fu of Ice?" Yuwen Yue raises an eyebrow, now a little more interested.
"The last I heard, the leader of the Afterlife Camp spies in Liang State experienced it firsthand. He learned a hard lesson in this life."
Yuwen Yue says nothing more, but inside, a fire lights his instincts.
Ra Zheng continues: "I heard that from where you came, the Western Empire, Father hid you in your mother's homeland. A smart move, no one ever knew about the Poe Yue Jian sword because Father ordered the only town in Wei that knew its story to be burned down and forgotten."
Yuwen Yue, picking up critical information from his brother's words, replies, "You have a perfect spy."
Ra Zheng straightened his shoulders and boldly said, "It's only the tip of the iceberg. More is coming."
Yuwen Yue replied, "I can only guess, like the spy with a long whip from the underworld."
Ra Zheng responded, "To the stars who listen, you read a lot."
"I didn't just read about it. I might have met someone, maybe she's the secret spy for the mysterious princess. Indigo scarf, angelic face, lips like hell?"
"Did you see the face of the lady wearing the indigo scarf? Lucky you're still alive!" Ra Zheng slightly raised his voice, gave Yuwen Yue a sharp look, grinned, and shook his head from left to right.
Ra Zheng came closer and said, "You took off her scarf! As far as I know, no one can come near the secret princess while she's wearing her indigo scarf. It's either you get close and die, or... well, I'm sorry, brother, but your options are limited."
Yuwen Yue, absorbing more information despite the coded conversation, replied, "I took it off accidentally. I only had a glimpse of her eyes."
"So brave of you! Congratulations!" Ra Zheng cheered loudly, continuing to shake his head in disbelief.
From this exchange, Yuwen Yue was now certain he had encountered the secret princess.
The only puzzle left in his mind was how she came to possess his Poe Yue Jian sword.
Did she steal it while he was fighting for his life in the Frozen Lake? And does she know about Xing'er?
As far as he could recall, Xing'er was the last person to use his sword to defend him.
And why did she abandon it on site?
Moreover, how is he supposed to understand his instinctive urge to protect her from an arrow shot by one of his cold warriors?
Yuwen Yue was caught between two conflicting emotions, familiarity and strangeness, two feelings that should never coexist but did at that moment.
Those eyes... it was déjà vu. He was sure he had seen them before, but he couldn't confirm it.
He remembered, but it was like a blind spot he couldn't fully grasp at the moment.
Ra Zheng, suddenly feeling bored, said, "I must go, or we'll be discussing this until evening. Sorry I wasn't much help, but if you need anything, you know where to find your big brother."
Ra Zheng stood tall, looking handsome in his white Hanfu, then turned and walked outside where the eunuchs and servants were waiting.
After three steps, a masked, ninja-like figure appeared out of nowhere. Like cold air, three needles were suddenly hurled with a high-pitched whistle, aiming directly at Ra Zheng's chest.
Yuwen Yue, still wearing his cold, expressionless face, swiftly unsheathed his sword and executed a fast counterattack, sliding in slow motion. He held his unsheathed sword horizontally as a thin shield in front of his chest.
The three needles fell to the ground.
Yuwen Yue stopped them just in time, standing in front of his brother. He tapped Ra Zheng on the shoulder with a sharp gaze and applied a gentle yet firm force, causing Ra Zheng to fall, one hand touching the ground.
Ra Zheng suddenly somersaulted through the air, landing a distance away from Yuwen Yue.
Zuo, Yuwen Yue's loyal guard, immediately jumped, twirled onto one of the palace walls, and pursued the masked ninja. In moments, the figure vanished, like the wind, gone without a trace.
Yuwen Yue picked up one of the needles. Zuo returned and inspected it closely, while Ra Zheng remained in a fighting stance. Then, Ra Zheng stood straight, as if nothing had happened, and approached Yuwen Yue.
"Did I die? What's the fuss, brother?" Ra Zheng said, half-joking.
Ra Zheng examined the needle, which suddenly crumbled like desert sand, turning to ash in his palms.
Yuwen Yue had survived hundreds of assassins, threats, traps, and ambushes. He had even faced death at the icy lake, only to be saved by a strange, crepuscular light, marking the end of one story and the beginning of another.
He could never forget what he saw, magical, silver clouds swirling around a woman with fast-moving streams of light trickling across her body, and the flower tattoo on her back.
How could he forget calling her name three times: "Xing'er, Xing'er, Xing'er?" At the third call, he heard a voice, and then his vision faded.
Yuwen Yue said, "A sand drizzle needle. It freezes you, then kills you."
Ra Zheng replied, "A sand drizzle needle!"
Yuwen Yue asked, "Why not? The book explains how it works."
Zuo, curious, asked, "Your Highness, how?"
Yuwen Yue explained, "It's used to attack from every direction. Once airborne, the sand needle can land on a chakra point, rendering the target immobile. It allows for an attack with no blind spots. Often used as a lure in battle, the needle distracts the opponent, who looks upward, only to leave themselves vulnerable to an attack from below. A swift, bold strike from underfoot finishes the job."
Ra Zheng, impressed, replied, "You read a lot, brother! You saved the day, but don't spoil me, or I'll make you do it again."
Ra Zheng leaned closer and whispered, "In short, I owe you, brother." He patted Yuwen Yue's shoulder.
Then, more loudly, Ra Zheng said, "'Til next time," squinting as he left, with servants trailing behind him.
"We're in a prison with no walls. It seems like we're free, but in reality, we're not," said the Flashing Spear ranking brother as he tried to throw his weapon, which couldn't pass through.
Outside the prison of invisible walls, a thin layer of creeping plants extended across the atmosphere, creating a barrier unseen by the naked eye.
Chu Qiao was finishing her daily training when she completed another round of swordplay with the Skyshadow woman.
They were about to retire for the day when suddenly an unknown masked ninja appeared. The ninja hurled three needles at the Skyshadow woman, who turned into a shadow-like entity to defend herself. Viper rushed toward the ninja, using her whip to catch the attacker.
However, Viper lost control of her whip as the masked ninja blew sand into her eyes, momentarily blinding her.
Chu Qiao quickly came to the rescue, using her indigo scarf to shield both herself and Viper, while the masked ninja disappeared from sight.
"Viper, are you okay?" Chu Qiao asked.
The Skyshadow woman reverted to her usual form, wearing her beggar's dress with its black hood covering most of her face.
The Skyshadow woman handed Chu Qiao the three needles, which suddenly melted into grains of sand and gradually turned to ash.
Chu Qiao asked, "Was it the sand drizzle needle?"
"I'm afraid so. This type of weapon hasn't been used since the last Celestial Warfare battle. It was effectively countered by Master Archer Yuwen Hao, who led the Chu Jing Kingdom with his crossbow and devastated his enemies with missile-like weapons known as Bing Arrows (Ice Arrows)."
"These arrows shattered the entire Chu Jing palace and slaughtered everyone, shutting down the underworld headquarters."
Viper, regaining her sight, suddenly spoke: "Mimi Gongzhu, there is only one assassin who has mastered this lure and possesses the martial arts to wield this kind of weapon."
Chu Qiao asked, "Who could it be?"
"He is the direct disciple of the late Queen Luo He, your mother, and her assistant. He fought bravely until we saw her fall from a cliff, defending the underworld spies, including Trailkoya and me. We never knew he survived, until today. I cannot be mistaken. He is known as the master of Chasing Sand Drizzle."
Chu Qiao suddenly remembered her last stand on the mountain cliff and said to Viper, "I recall the man I fought on the cliff, the man who slaughtered our entire kingdom and my mother, Luo He. The man with the long spear. I summoned the four winds, but he couldn't be defeated by spiritual means. I changed my course, and with might and strength, I broke his bones and gave him the gentle touch of death. His heart gave out, and he fell from the cliff. Then, I blacked out. The force was too strong, and my power almost destroyed my body because I used my physical strength instead of my inner source."
Viper became excited as Chu Qiao began recovering memories of her past self. Chu Qiao remembered their last moments before everything happened in a flash.
Chu Qiao suddenly remembered again and asked, "What happened to Trailkoya?"
Viper turned her back, her eyes heavy with sorrow, and didn't answer. The Skyshadow woman spoke instead: "He sacrificed his life to save you both."
"He was the master of trails, my personal advance scout, and knew all the maps and paths of our journeys."
Chu Qiao, now feeling weighed down by sadness, said softly, "Trailkoya can't be dead… He couldn't have been defeated that easily…" Her eyes filled with tears.
The Skyshadow woman said, "If the opponent is too powerful, and their presence can cut through underworld power like a blade, attacking even in daylight, then it's a sure victory. Remember, our powers are only at half strength during the day and full at night."
"I can't be mistaken. I saw the son of the man who slaughtered my entire family and Trailkoya. He's here, and there's a band of brothers," Chu Qiao said fiercely, staring at the prison with no walls, her anger rising.
Viper asked, "Who? The man I fought?"
"No," Chu Qiao replied. "It's the man who held me in his arms and made me abandon the Poe Yue Jian sword."
The Skyshadow woman asked, "The man is the son of Yuwen Hao?"
"Yes," Chu Qiao confirmed.
The old woman asked again, "How do you know it's him?"
Chu Qiao, with a blank stare, answered, "I seem to remember his cold, sharp eyes, his strong arms, his fast movements, his bold presence, and his god-like face. I cannot be wrong. He is Yuwen Yue, the fourth master of the Yuwen household. He is the master of the Eyes of God."
"Then we are all doomed if we don't retrieve the Poe Yue Jian sword," said Viper.
"What do you mean?" Chu Qiao asked, irritated. "He owns the Poe Yue Jian sword, the local townsfolk know this well."
"No," Viper corrected. "The Poe Yue Jian sword belongs to the Qinghai Empire. Your father swore to protect it with his life, along with the Canhong sword. Don't you remember?"
"I only remember that the man owns it, and he even gave me another sword, the Broken Moon, the Canhong sword, but I lost it during the battle at the Frozen Lake," Chu Qiao said, her heart heavy.
Suddenly, Chu Qiao began recalling everything, stunned by her own revelations. She remembered it all as if an object had come to life before her eyes.
"It can't be!" Chu Qiao said, in disbelief. "Viper, you said the owner of the Poe Yue Jian sword is the son of the Qinghai King."
"If I recognized that he owned it before the battle at the Frozen Lake, then that means he's the lost son of the Qinghai King. And I am Xinger, who used the Poe Yue Jian sword and fought in the Frozen Lake?"
Viper, with a concerned look, suggested, "Mimi Gongzhu, we need a spiritual healer to fully restore your memories, and the Skyshadow woman can help us find him."
"I will help you find him," said the Skyshadow woman. "Tonight, we go to the Thousand Caves."
"Wait, what about the Higanbana flower on my back? You said the petals would bloom in the fall," Chu Qiao asked, worry crossing her face.
Viper added, "The Higanbana flower will reach its full power this coming winter. When the mortal body is weak, the spiritual body becomes strong."
"The spiritual healer won't be able to help you recover your mortal memories. I'm sorry, Mimi Gongzhu," Viper said.
"Is there any way to stop this power that only emerges in winter and lasts until summer?" Chu Qiao asked.
"Only the spiritual healer can tell," said the Skyshadow woman. "He knows all the secrets, from beginning to end."
"Then we have to find him and ask. For now, I can only recall the man, and I hate him. I feel like I want to kill all his brothers," Chu Qiao said, her face filled with anger.
The Skyshadow woman rebutted, "If you hate the son of the man who killed your family and slaughtered the Chu Jing Kingdom, why did you fight to save him at the Frozen Lake?"
"That's why I need the spiritual healer. I don't remember everything yet, but to be honest, I often have flashbacks. Now I'm convinced that I was the woman called 'Xinger,' who bravely fought for Yuwen Yue," Chu Qiao said.
Viper interrupted, "That's where I found you and saw the Poe Yue Jian sword floating in the lake. My hands were burned when I pulled you from the lake because your powers were overwhelming. It was the first time I saw you again after the battle, but there was no other body found in the lake, only yours, Mimi Gongzhu."
Chu Qiao confirmed, "Yes, I can remember when I first saw you and myself near the Frozen Lake. After that, I can't recall why I was even there. I really think that whenever my dark powers are used in extreme situations, my mortal body suffers, and the Higanbana flower collects all of these memories and empties them from my body. But where do they go? Is it to save someone? Are my memories a powerful tool to save someone? Why does this always happen whenever I encounter the Yuwen bloodline?"
"Well, I can see the difference," Viper replied, continuing: "The first time, you killed Yuwen Hao. The last time, you saved Yuwen Yue. Wasn't that the name of the fourth master of the Yuwen household?"
"Yes, so strange," Chu Qiao said, thinking deeply. "I killed one and saved another. How can that happen?" She paused for a moment and then added, "Whatever the cost, I must see the spiritual healer and regain my mortal memories before the winter season comes."
"Then you should rest. You'll need your mortal strength later," said the Skyshadow woman.
No comments:
Post a Comment