Chapter 3
Ruins of the past came to life again
It was twilight when the two shadows reached their destination.
Chu Qiao's face was filled with dismay; she did not appreciate what she saw.
They passed by a small village and found people who were sick. Living in poverty, they had no food, no water, and no shelter.
Beggars approached Chu Qiao and touched her, but their hands felt electrified, causing them sharp pain.
The beggars cried out, but Chu Qiao did not care. She gently touched one of the beggars and looked them in the eye.
With eye contact, suddenly, the beggar transformed into an evil witch.
It was too late to realize it had been a disguise, a frail old woman cloaked in dirt and rags.
The old woman said, "She cannot enter unless she passes the test."
Viper took out her long whip, positioning herself, ready to fight and protect Mimi Gongzhu.
Chu Qiao suddenly suspected an ambush. She looked sharply at Viper, eyes filled with fury, and wanted to ask, "Who dares disguise this haggard old woman as a beggar to attack me?"
The old woman kicked Viper, displaying strength equal to ten men.
Viper got up, casting a fierce look, and used her whip, demonstrating her shadowless martial arts.
It seemed the old woman was unbeatable and knew how to counter Viper, even in a shadowless fight.
Chu Qiao looked confused when suddenly Viper was almost struck on the head.
Chu Qiao's killer instincts awoke. She blocked the old woman's punches by grabbing her hand and looked her straight in the eye.
The old woman felt as though her hands were burning. She could not release herself; her hands were glued to Chu Qiao's grip.
The old woman's hands turned red, and Chu Qiao had no intention of letting go.
She unleashed the Wind and Cloud Decree powers. The old woman, in agony, was forced to sprinkle dust powder to distract Chu Qiao.
Chu Qiao reacted swiftly, using her indigo scarf to catch the powder, saving her eyes from its attack.
The old woman conceded, offering a key to Chu Qiao. However, it was a trick meant to deceive her. Still, Chu Qiao held tight. The old woman begged, but Chu Qiao, unmoved, twisted her hand. Though the old woman possessed the strength of ten men, Chu Qiao's power was invincible.
Viper shouted, "Enough! Don't provoke her! If she loses control of her power, everyone within three meters will die!"
The old woman, heeding Viper's warning, accepted defeat and stepped aside. "Alright, you may pass."
Chu Qiao calmly released her arm.
The old woman pulled her cloak over her head and walked past them as if nothing had happened, disappearing without a trace.
"Who the hell is she?" Chu Qiao asked Viper.
"She is the Skyshadow Master, the gatekeeper of Chu Jing Palace," Viper replied.
Chu Qiao creased her brow, looking both angry and impressed.
"Where is Chu Jing Palace?" Chu Qiao asked again.
"Mimi Gongzhu, do you have the key to unlock the secret door?" Viper asked.
No… Chu Qiao thought, was it the key from the old woman's wrist?
"This way, Mimi Go—"
Suddenly, Chu Qiao cut her off and placed two fingers on Viper's lips, just like when they were children, smiling at each other.
"Where is the key?" Viper asked again.
"I don't know. Was I supposed to get the key from the old woman? I wasn't sure if she was testing me again, so I didn't bother to take it."
"Look at your wrist," Viper replied.
Chu Qiao was stunned to find a gold key on her wrist.
"Here it is," Chu Qiao said, handing the key to Viper.
They used it to unlock the secret door, one keyhole in the upper, middle, and lower parts of the door.
When the door opened, an uphill labyrinth of green tea bushes appeared before them. It seemed unfamiliar to Chu Qiao, but not to Viper.
Chu Qiao experienced random flashbacks.
A sharp pain struck her head. She leaned against the door for a moment, then continued walking.
Viper used her whip to clear the path, as wild vines clung to their hands and feet whenever they touched or stepped on them.
As darkness enveloped them, Viper's whip glowed, illuminating their way.
The labyrinth was full of obstacles, but Viper knew the secret pathways to avoid and evade the traps. One wrong step could kill them both.
"Do not touch anything unless I tell you to," Viper instructed Chu Qiao.
"I'm not touching anything," Chu Qiao replied.
After several hours of winding through treacherous paths, Chu Qiao memorized the secret routes as she followed Viper.
This included dodging mounted traps, swinging on ropes to cross gaps, crawling on the ground, and walking sideways to avoid bottomless pits.
"We're here," Viper said as they arrived at a stone-walled dungeon. Despite its scorched, cracked ground, the air was fragrant, with tiny purple flowers thriving in the crevices. Chu Qiao suspected the flowers emitted the scent. But she grew dizzy and yawned, about to collapse. The fragrance seemed to poison her, slowly draining her life. Viper caught her just in time.
"Mimi, use your scarf to protect yourself." Viper doubled her mask, using her indigo scarf beneath her thin red mask to cover her nose and mouth.
The plum blossoms embroidered on her scarf were infused with plum blossom oil, which saved her from the poison. She let Chu Qiao sniff the scarf. "Plum blossoms are a friend in winter, a gift from the heavens," Viper said.
Chu Qiao recovered and stood up. She was astonished by this entirely new world, so different from Green Hills Courtyard, Wei, or Yanbei. She slowly remembered parts of her past, Xinger, her deadly trip to Jile Pavilion where she killed Yuwen Xi, and the stratagems in the Eyes of God at Green Hills Courtyard. However, her memories were fragmented.
By the time they reached Chu Jing Palace's inner courtyard through the secret door, night had fallen, and the moonlight was vast and bright. Chu Qiao could barely contain her emotions. Everything seemed new, yet familiar. Viper caught her attention before she could speak.
"This is the ruins of Chu Jing Palace," Viper said, coughing. "We still have much to do tomorrow. I'll walk you to your room."
Viper noticed the secret tears in Chu Qiao's eyes. "Mimi, is something bothering you? You seem burdened with sadness."
"I don't know," Chu Qiao replied, unable to keep secrets from Viper. She let her tears flow. She felt as if she owned the room, sneaking into her own territory. Chu Qiao felt like a stranger in familiar surroundings but didn't tell Viper she was beginning to remember the past, though it remained blurry. She recalled her mother, Luo He, riding a black horse while she screamed, "Mom! Mom!" But Luo He only said, "Don't forget what I've told you," smiling sadly as she rode away.
Viper was busy preparing the royal mattress when a sudden cold wind blew around them. Only two people could summon weather through martial arts: Viper and the warrior who followed the Prince of Yanbei, the future king awaiting his coronation. Before she could react, Viper cracked her whip and struck the window.
Chu Qiao saw someone lurking and called out, "Zhong Yu!"
Zhong Yu didn't reveal her face at once, hiding behind her light orange scarf. She walked toward them as bluish feathers fell onto the secret princess's diamond hall.
The room was called the Diamond Hall because its ceiling, made of clear glass and rough-cut diamonds, made the moon and stars appear ten times closer, like an instant telescope. There were many secret passages, most forgotten by their owner.
It seemed Viper and Zhong Yu had unresolved issues. Zhong Yu looked fiercely at Viper while Chu Qiao, happy to see her, couldn't understand the tension between them.
"A'Chu," Zhong Yu said, "the Prince of Yan searched for you everywhere and failed to find you. He refuses to be declared King of Yanbei until you are found. If you are dead, we'll show him your bones. But we cannot kill an innocent person just to present your likeness to him. And one more thing: the prince, once wise, has given in to his darker side, hungry for justice to avenge Yan. Now, let's go!"
Viper suddenly stood in front of Zhong Yu. "You can't take her. She is the Mimi Gongzhu, protected by Wu Dao Ya, who gave his life to exchange his position. He was meant to lead Yan's highest officials under the Yan King."
Zhong Yu was unconvinced. "I don't trust you, Viper."
"You must trust me this time!" Viper shouted.
"You never returned after the princess fell from the cliff. You didn't report to Wu Dao Ya. Now you've taken A'Chu, general of the Xiuli army. Prince Yan Xun is searching for her. We need to take her back to Yanbei," Zhong Yu said in a cold, steady voice.
"I don't have time to explain, Zhong Yu, but if you touch her, I'll have no choice but to cut ties with you forever and forget you as my sister!"
Silence filled the air…
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