《Rebirth and Reincarnation》


 Chapter 1 - 1st Arc: Rebirth Of Shen Mu

    Rebirth and Reincarnation are, in essence, the same thing, but with a key difference: choice.


    In Rebirth, the soul¡¯s next life is determined by its Karma; whereas in reincarnation, the soul can decide where and to whom it will be born. This happens because the more advanced a soul is, the more specific learning experiences it requires so, in a sense, we all go from rebirth to reincarnation over time.


    What we sometimes forget is that time is not linear for the universe.


    That''s what I discovered when I opened my eyes after being killed by a new disease.


    Before I died, I remember being unable to breathe for the longest time. I had been plugged into a respirator for almost a week until my body couldn¡¯t take it anymore and gave up. After a moment of nothingness, I began registering new sensations: warmth and then something akin to floating underwater¡­ only that I didn¡¯t need to breathe.


    I heard murmurs and voices, but they were too far away and indistinct for me to understand anything.


    The water surrounding me was warm and tranquil and I easily lost track of time. After a while of simply being there, there was a bit of movement, followed by a lot of movements; the place where I was at began filling out and I felt pushed in every direction.


    I was beginning to panic when a strong yet melodic voice began murmuring sweet nothings. I did not recognize the language, but there was no way to mistake the intention: caring, beckoning. They were expecting me.


    The warmth that once surrounded me was replaced by darkness and cold, and the next thing I knew, I was screaming with pain and surprise.


    Strong hands covered my back and legs before a cloth was carefully wrapped around my body.


    ¡®What is this? Where am I? What is going on?¡¯


    I desperately wanted to open my eyes to find my answers, but as soon as I tried, something distracted me: singing. It was the same melodic voice as before, and its tone was soothing.


    From its tone, I knew that whoever was singing was incredibly happy.


    ¡®Ah, this song is so comforting¡­ her voice is marvelous. I wonder who is singing?¡¯


    I was so immersed in the beautiful sound, that I completely forgot everything else and just drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 2 - Age: 2. Family

    I¡¯m unsure of how much time has passed since then, but now, at least, I know what¡¯s going on: I was reborn.


    No idea how or why it happened.


    Well, I mean, in my past life I had read about it. There was a whole genre of fiction dedicated to people being reborn into different cultures or eras and, of course, there were also those ¡®self-help¡¯ books about past lives and the continuation of life after death, but I never sincerely gave it much credit.


    But now¡­ now I sincerely don¡¯t know what to think.


    I was reborn into the past: somewhere in ancient Asia, but I still can¡¯t figure out where or when. I never really studied the language, history, or culture, so I¡¯m unsure as to where I truly am¡­ not that it really matters, because I doubt I can go back to the future. The fastest thing in this world seems to be horses, so no chance of achieving the needed 88 miles per hour, and no DeLorean either.


    As I ponder this, I sit on my current mother¡¯s lap.


    This woman is beyond beautiful. I sincerely don¡¯t know how I lucked out with my current parents: My father is a big man with a winning smile, he¡¯s around his thirties and seems to be somewhat important, because many people are coming and going from his study every day; yet despite all the work he does, he always seems to have time to spend with mother and me, unlike my own father from my previous life who was so busy making money to actually see his children.


    My current mother, as I stated before, is a drop-dead gorgeous woman with a melodious voice that is just a minor part of her charm. She can¡¯t help but smile when her eyes land on me, and despite the fact that I still can¡¯t understand a word they¡¯re saying, most of the time I get the feeling behind it, so I can say that I somewhat understand what she means.


    I don¡¯t seem to have more siblings, which serves me just right, because I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with them in my current state, but I have seen plenty of different faces to know that there are many people living with us.


    The only problem of being reborn like I did, is having the mind of a 36-year-old man inside the body of an infant. No matter how much I want to do or say, this body simply can¡¯t handle it and I, more often than not, sleep my life away.


    I¡¯ve resigned myself to learning what I can from the people around me while my body gets slowly accustomed to being alive.


    ---------


    More time has passed.


    I must be somewhere around two years old.


    My sense of time is skewed since my days are spent exploring this curious world I find myself in.


    These people don¡¯t celebrate birthdays as I did in my other life: yes, there is a party, food, and presents but no cake and no candles and, while I understand the language better, there are still many gaps in my knowledge.


    At least I made my mother laugh and smile the first time I said ¡°Mama¡± to her, which I believe is the equivalent of ¡®mother¡¯.


    I sincerely don¡¯t care if it¡¯s not, since it made her shine that precious smile down at me.


    I¡¯ve also spent some more time with my father who I believe is named Shen He Long. I¡¯ve seen him write many letters each day, he has also taken me out of the gigantic home where we live to visit the surrounding towns and forests. He seems to be in charge of a group of armed men, probably soldiers, since they all wear the same black uniforms and armors, who I¡¯ve seen hanging around the house every day. Sometimes a bald man in white clothes comes home and he sequesters my father for hours before he leaves in a palanquin to who knows where.


    Many defer to that man but there are also plenty of pity stares sent his way, for some reason.


    ¡°Shen Mu, darling, what are you doing?¡±


    I turn around to see my mother sitting on her knees to look at me while her hand gently pats the top of my head.


    ¡°Mother!¡± I smiled and hugged her then point to the thing on the ground ¡°read¡±


    My dearest mother blinks in surprise and looks at what I¡¯m pointing at.


    My chubby baby fingers are hard to use and my mind wanders more often than not, but I¡¯ve been able to somewhat work around that to begin training myself in learning the written language.


    I wasn¡¯t an author in my past life for nothing. And I sincerely miss writing poems and stories for my blog. So here I am, a lifetime later, trying to do the same thing.


    Mother looks at the poorly drawn characters and beams down at me, although I can sense a great deal of surprise coming from her.


    ¡°You did this, honey?¡±


    I think the coal stains on my hands are proof enough, but still, I nod at her.


    She hugs me ¡°This mother is pleasantly surprised. Her boy is so intelligent.¡±


    ¡®Ah, flattery will get you anywhere¡¯


    My little practice session was cut short when my mother noticed how dirty my hands and arms were and I was thus carried to bathe.


    I resigned to my fate.

 Chapter 3 - The Invitation

    Seasons come and seasons go, that¡¯s the easiest way for me to calculate time.


    Six winters have passed since I was born.


    I¡¯ve long since learned to read and write and on top of my literary classes, I¡¯ve had to learn martial arts and meditation.


    Only after coming here did I understand just how pampered we are in the future.


    At this age, no noble boy can live without learning martial arts¡­ in my past life the closest I ever was to knowing martial arts were Hollywood movies and anime.


    In here, ¡°one¡¯s body is a temple and we must work to care and strengthen our link to divinity¡± that was the first-ever lesson I got from the kung-fu master coming to the house to teach me.


    If I were my past self, the intensity of the exercises I normally perform now would have probably killed me. This body, however, is incredibly flexible and I love the feeling of freedom and strength I get from every exercise I do. If gym freaks get this rush from working out, no wonder they spend their lives pushing and pulling weights!


    But there are no gym subscriptions in this place. Here, the teachers come to me every day to teach all they can in their not-so-limited time.


    As a noble, society has many expectations of my young self. I¡¯m supposed to continue my father¡¯s career as a servant of the emperor. I¡¯m also supposed to be knowledgeable, fair, compassionate and honorable, while still remaining myself.


    I am also very fond of books, but there isn¡¯t much variety. Most literature I¡¯ve found is about war, martial arts, cultivation (whatever that is because it appears to hold no relationship with plants), or romantic fiction for females. There are no fantasy sagas and of course no science-fiction.


    I might be doing the world a favor by writing something innovative.


    Fortunately, practicing martial arts and the discipline behind them aids my creativity, so it¡¯s a win-win for all.


    My teachers are pleased by my dedication, I¡¯m pleased by my quick progress in both areas, and my parents are pleased by their genius son.


    ¡°Young master¡± I heard the voice of my MA teacher calling me as I finished the kata I was taught that same day. As soon as I stop, a younger boy comes and hands me a towel so I can clean the sweat from my face.


    I turned to the old man ¡°How did I do, Master Fa?¡±


    ¡°Excellent as always, young master. This teacher is honored to have such a talented student.¡± That¡¯s one thing I still have issues with. Most people here talk in the third person when they refer to themselves as formal speech.


    ¡°The honor is mine for having such a knowledgeable teacher¡± I bowed my head with a wushu salute, and he returned the gesture with a more pronounced bow.


    He keeps smiling ¡°young master, the Emperor¡¯s eunuch is here, and Master Shen is calling for your presence in his study.¡±


    I sigh.


    The bald man I mentioned earlier turned out to be the royal Eunuch, a messenger from the Imperial Family that comes and goes at their bidding. This past year, my father has requested my presence every time the man appears in our home. I always feel like I¡¯m being put on the spot whenever he comes because my father loves to boast about how intelligent his son is.


    I gave the towel to the servant who then rushed to the house, probably to fix my bath and clothes to receive the imperial messenger.


    Before exiting the training room, I looked at my teacher ¡°Master, will you teach me how to cultivate my spirit?¡±


    Master Fa smiles pleasantly but doesn¡¯t seem surprised. It seems he had been waiting for me to ask that. ¡°Of course, young master. I shall bring the books with me tomorrow.¡±


    I bathed and dressed quickly and went to my father¡¯s study, where a servant announced my presence, and I was soon admitted.


    ¡°Good afternoon, master Sun, Father.¡± I bowed to both, still unsure as to how I was supposed to greet the messenger, so I gave him a polite bow.


    The eunuch smiled for a change, as did my father.


    ¡°Master Shen speaks highly of you,¡± the eunuch said, still looking at me. His smile was polite, but I could sense a glint of untruthfulness from his eyes. It would do me good to take his words with a grain of salt. ¡°Even at court, your talents are known¡±.


    Even I knew that answering arrogantly was not a good idea, ¡°It is all thanks to the teaching of my family and masters. Father is a great man, and I can only hope that someday I will be as strong or talented as the great General Shen.¡±


    My words made my father smile further. He placed a hand over my head ¡°The empress has sent a word with Sun here: we have been invited to the palace for the third son¡¯s birthday.¡±


    Ah, so that¡¯s what it was. My father is well known in court, it was to be expected that his family was invited to a party. It must mean that the third prince is close to my age, so that¡¯s why they¡¯re taking me this time.


    ¡°Does mother know?¡± I asked, using the same innocent act that has served me much in this life.


    ¡°Not yet. Be a good boy and tell your mother and siblings.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father.¡± I bowed to both again and left the room.


    As soon as I was out of earshot, I sighed.


    It would seem that my cultivation would have to wait for a few days.


    I walked back to the house intending to search for my mother, when a pink torpedo impacted my chest, stopping me in my tracks.


    ¡°Ge-ge!¡±


    Ah yes. How could I ever forget about this tiny source of chaos?


    I¡¯m the first of three children, so far. This one here is Shen Zhi Ruo, my younger sister. She¡¯s three years old and very cute, but also mischievous. I sincerely fear for the man who will marry her in the future.


    ¡°Mei-Mei, where is mother?¡±


    She pouted at me. She probably wants to play with me but knows that if we go to mother, she will be scolded for running in the halls.


    ¡°Ge-ge play with me!¡±


    I pet her on the head, and she smiled. ¡°I will, but I must talk to mother first.¡±


    ¡°Come then!¡±


    She took my hand and pulled me around the house until we found mother, who¡¯s breastfeeding the youngest addition to the family. Shen Yin was born a few months ago, and like myself at that age, does nothing but sleep and eat. He is a normal boy though and shows no desire for anything other than eating and sleeping. I¡¯ve tried talking to him in English and Spanish, but there is no sign of recognition, so I¡¯m thinking that I¡¯m the only weird one in the family.


    Then again, how often is an old man reborn with his memories intact? Most people think I¡¯m a genius, when in fact, I¡¯m the product of two school systems: the scientific-minded of the 21st century, and the spiritually-minded of this age. In pure knowledge of the world, I have at least two thousand years of advantage, so I can focus my mind on learning about the spirit-body connection that this culture is so famous for, and still come out on top in everything else most of the time.


    ¡°Mama! Ge-ge¡¯s here!¡± Zhi grins, sitting beside our mother, and gazes lovingly at the small bundle that¡¯s her new brother.


    My still beautiful mother looks at me with surprise. Normally, I would still be training at this time. Of course, one look at my fancy clothes and she understands.


    ¡°Mother¡± I smiled and bowed to her. ¡°We have been invited to the third prince¡¯s birthday.¡±


    ¡°Dearest Mu, must you be so cold to your mother?¡± she scolds me lightly for being so formal with her.


    I must still be influenced by the clothes I¡¯m wearing to forget that she¡¯s always preferred me being warmer with her.


    I can¡¯t help but blush a little as I scratch the back of my head. ¡°Sorry.¡± She, of course, laughs at me, but in truth, I prefer her light teasing. It helps me remember that there are two environments in this life: family and work, and both have different rules.


    ¡°Ge-ge, can we play now?¡±


    I rolled my eyes at the hopeful tone of my baby sister, making mother laugh.


    ¡°Yes mei-mei, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Thus, I get pulled into taking care of my baby sister while the servants fuss about to comply with my mother¡¯s orders to prepare for our departure.

 Chapter 4 - I Think I Broke Her

    What I didn¡¯t know was that only my father, mother, and I would be going to the palace while the rest of the family waited at our house in the capital. Both my siblings are too young for such gatherings, which told me just how boring it would be.


    Fortunately, I planned to use this gathering to find out more about noble society. Hopefully, that would help my future novels.


    Oh yes! I was already planning some of them: I wanted to write an action-packed thriller for men, and maybe an epic romance for girls. I had already created the main characters, but I needed to know how much was appropriate and what I could get hanged for before publishing them.


    I was hoping the royal family would have a library I could raid.


    The trip from our house to the capital took over two days by horse, but since mother was traveling in a palanquin with my siblings, that became four days instead.


    Fortunately, I could choose to ride in the palanquin or a horse with my dad. Which I did every other day, so I could maximize my time with both parents.


    It was the night of the fourth day when we finally arrived at the capital. Only then did I understand how important father really was: He had his own mansion in the capital city, with the symbol of our last name engraved in silver on the main doors of the state. I don¡¯t know if it is the norm for the Empire¡¯s officials or not, but even if it were, our family must be quite connected.


    There were many servants waiting for us at the door, and we were quickly led to our rooms. But, instead of bathing and going to sleep like everybody else, I decided to investigate the place.


    Although more opulent, this place was smaller than our main place of residence. There was no training room, and the stables were on the smaller side. I found the horse that carried me here and handed him a carrot which he made disappear from my hands in a moment. I patted him on the side of the head, and went on my way, colliding with someone.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± a shrill voice demanded. I found myself having to look up at a girl, who was glaring at me.


    ¡°Looking at the horses?¡± I answered unfazed. Raising an eyebrow at her.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be here! Only the masters and stable hands can touch the horses!¡± She must have been one of the servants of the house, and since it was the first time I came here, she must have thought I too was a servant. I couldn¡¯t blame her, with the amount of dust on my clothes and face.


    She grabbed my arm and tried pulling me forcefully. Unfortunately for her, I had been well trained by my masters and she ended up looking up at the stars from the ground. She looked up at me with bewilderment, as I grinned down at her.


    ¡°You ok down there?¡±


    Her glare intensified at my grin. She picked herself up and put her hands on her hips. ¡°Just wait until the lead servants know what you did! I hope they flog you!¡± Seeing I was not afraid of her, she invoked the higher powers, but all I did was raise an eyebrow.


    She tried grabbing me again, only to find herself biting the dust again.


    I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as she glared daggers at me from her sitting position on the ground.


    ¡°If you ask nicely, I might decide to accompany you to see the lead servants.¡±


    I think I broke her.


    She stared at me as if I grew another head.


    I turned around and took a few steps toward the main house before looking back ¡°are you coming?¡±


    I heard her huff and walked behind me. Her legs are longer than mine, so that¡¯s a feat, I guess.


    As soon as we reached the house, she jumped at the chance of calling her boss to punish me.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her face when the lead servant appeared and bowed to me.


    I asked if my bath was ready, to which he responded affirmatively. The old servant turned to her and ordered her to lead the young master to his bath.


    On our way, she kept sending timid, apologetic glances my way, probably thinking I was going to punish her for shouting at me. But truth be told, I¡¯m not a petty person, and early on, I knew she was making a mistake.


    Not that I couldn¡¯t tease her for it.


    ¡°I never got your name¡± I asked when she opened the door to the bath for me.


    She grimaced. ¡°This servant¡¯s name is Ling, young master.¡±


    ¡°Very well Ling. You may leave.¡± I smiled at her disbelieving face ¡°don¡¯t go jumping to conclusions at every turn..¡± I closed the door behind me, leaving her alone in the corridor.

 Chapter 5 - The Princes Birthday Celebration

    The next day, we arrived at the palace dressed in our best clothes. We were announced to the hall by another eunuch, and we took our place fifth from the emperor¡¯s table.


    The emperor was an old man, probably in his fifties, while his first wife was no older than thirty. Behind them were two more women, a few years older than the first. Once my mother was installed in her place, father took me to the Emperor. We both knelt in his presence


    ¡°Great general Shen, I am glad to see you and your eldest present today.¡±


    My father didn¡¯t say anything until the old man made a gesture with his hand ¡°The pleasure is ours, your majesty. You honor us greatly with your invitation.¡±


    ¡°How is my dear cousin, general?¡± The empress asked with a smile.


    ¡°To answer the empress, my wife is a little tired. The little one kept her up last night.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t quite believe it.


    My mother was the empress¡¯ cousin!


    And here I thought that my father was the important one.


    The elders spoke among themselves while I simply sat on my knees looking at the ground.


    ¡°General is this¡­?¡±


    The empress¡¯s voice hung for a second before my father answered her unasked question ¡°This is my eldest, Shen Mu, your highness.¡±


    I bowed at both regents and could feel them smiling down at me.


    ¡°I have heard only praise from master Fa regarding you, young Shen Mu.¡±


    I blinked in surprise ¡°this subject was unaware the Emperor knew Master Fa.¡±


    I heard him chuckle, but it was his wife who answered ¡°Master Fa is well known to us. He was my brother¡¯s master and we wanted him to teach my child, but the prince isn¡¯t very interested in martial arts.¡±


    There was a tinge of reproach in her tone, which made me think that there was more to it than that. My father wisely said that the third prince would make a fine scholar in the future. The prince apparently wasn¡¯t in attendance yet, so we returned to our seats to enjoy the show ordered by the empress.


    We made small talk among ourselves and later received the visit of the eunuch Sun who had brought the prince to the gathering.


    The boy was a year younger than me, and received his gifts gallantly, but without much enthusiasm. His face was haughty and only smiled when his mother talked to him. It was her too, who requested my presence upfront after the meal.


    ¡°Dear, meet your cousin Shen Mu.¡± The empress introduced me to her son, and I bowed low to both.


    ¡°Is it true, cousin? What they say about you?¡±


    I blinked in confusion ¡°To answer the prince, this subject does not know any rumors about himself.¡±


    The empress laughed softly behind a bar of gold and white fan while her son frowned.


    ¡°I have heard that you are a prodigy in martial arts and that you¡¯re also very knowledgeable, more so than many scholars.¡±


    I sincerely didn¡¯t know how to answer that. ¡°I do not consider myself a prodigy, your majesty. But it is true that I find it easy to learn from my masters.¡±


    ¡°So modest!¡± a new voice interrupted our exchange, and I glanced up and discovered that the one who had spoken was one of the Emperor¡¯s concubines. ¡°Perhaps, we should put you to the test?¡±


    She stated it as a question, even if it was anything but.


    The young prince smiled and clapped, ¡°That is a wonderful idea, second mother!¡± The young prince then asked the emperor for me to demonstrate my skill in martial arts, and he, of course, gave in.


    Inside I was fuming, but couldn¡¯t help but consent.


    I went back to my parents to tell them about what had happened. My father was ecstatic, while my mother frowned. She gave me a hug and wished me luck.


    I went to the center of the room, where two masters were waiting with two students each. All students were at least five years older than me.


    ¡°Let us see how good Master Fa¡¯s fabled student really is.¡± One man said while sneering at me.


    ¡®So, it¡¯s personal, huh?¡¯


    Apparently, these people had something against my master, and I was going to pay for it.


    ¡®Mr. Miyagi help me!¡¯


    Silently cursing in two different languages, I bowed to the six of them. ¡°I am under your care.¡± Let¡¯s hope that would prevent them from trying to kill me.


    I faced one student first. He was stronger than me, and taller too. Good thing I was a good student.


    He rushed to punch me, but I used his impetus against him, making him land face-first into the hard ground. He got up with a red face and tried rushing me again. I was about to use the same movement when I sensed someone behind me.


    I bent low and kicked the feet of the guy in front and he landed hard on top of the one that had wanted to surprise me.


    I didn¡¯t want to have to fight four people at the same time, so I quickly approached the students that were beginning to get on their feet and silently knocked them out with a couple of well-placed hits behind their necks.


    Unfortunately, that left me open for another of the students, who came at me with a flying kick.


    It sent me to the ground, and I landed with a painful grunt, but rolled away from his follow-up move and stood up a moment later.


    The last student was nowhere to be seen, which means that he was probably behind me.


    The boy in front of me wasn¡¯t as stupid as the first pair, so he didn¡¯t rush at me, but instead watched me from afar.


    Again, I felt something creeping from behind but pretended not to notice it, instead, I moved to circle the boy in front of me.


    Buying my bluff, the guy at the back advanced on me.


    When he took a swing at me, I took a step back and his elbows hit my shoulder. The pain made him let go of the stick he was carrying. I took that moment to snatch the stick, and in one swift motion hit him on the side of the head with it. I had to backstep again to avoid another swift kick from the only student that was awake. I hated his kicks with a passion, so I brought the stick hard against the offending appendage, and the boy let out a sharp cry when it landed.


    Both teachers clicked their tongues at the demise of their students and sent venomous glares my way¡­ that¡¯s until someone applauded making us all turn.


    On top of his raised platform, the emperor was applauding.


    In a moment, the whole room was filled with applause, and I couldn¡¯t help but blush. I put the stick down and bowed in front of the emperor and his family.


    ¡°Indeed, Master Fa¡¯s praise is not misplaced.¡± He smiled down at me while motioning one of his servants. The man came forward with a parcel and reverently handed it to the Emperor. ¡°Shen Mu¡± he smiled down at me ¡°Accept this small token with my gratitude for a most excellent display. I shall await your visit to the capital when you¡¯re old enough to participate in the Spring Competition.¡±


    I took the parcel without raising my eyes from the ground.


    ¡°It shall be as his majesty wishes.¡±


    He nodded, thanked me for the spectacle, and then dismissed me again.


    I went back to my family and sat painfully inside our pavilion after handing my father the present from the emperor, which turned out to be a small medallion with the form of a dragon, made of pure gold.


    My mother fussed over me, while my father smiled proudly.


    ¡®Parents, really.¡¯


    Hours later, we all went to the Emperor¡¯s pavilion to say goodbye, and while my parents spoke amiably with the regents, I was trying not to flinch at the murderous glares from the concubines and the awed smiles of the prince.


    He pretty much forgot about his manners, asking me all kinds of questions one after the other, without giving me time to answer.


    Seeing him so excited about martial arts made me curious about the reason why he couldn¡¯t practice them himself.

 Chapter 6 - A New Friend

    We spent a whole month at the capital, and each day, the youngest prince would come over to speak and play with me. He also called mother ¡°Aunt¡±, and the whole family was invited to dine at the palace the day before we were to return to the north.


    Mother spoke at length with the empress, and together they fussed over my youngest brother. Zhi kept looking at the empress with adoration but barely spoke at all. Father spent the time conversing with the Emperor, while I spent mine talking with the young prince.


    ¡°I envy you Shen¡± he said after we had wandered away from the adults and the rest of the family. With the amount of time we spent together, we had begun to forget the formalities and just spoke plainly between us.


    I raised an eyebrow at him, this wasn¡¯t the first time he had said that to me, but it would be the first time I got an answer to my question:


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He smiled bitterly, ¡°You have a nice family.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, making him chuckle ¡°Yeah, a brother that doesn¡¯t stop eating no matter what, and a sister that is too cute for her own good.¡±


    He laughed ¡°Maybe so, but at least you aren¡¯t surrounded by intrigues.¡± He sighed and looked away to the horizon ¡°Since I was able to think for myself, I¡¯ve noticed the angry, jealous stares directed at me from my siblings and my father¡¯s concubines. I have lessons all day, yet nothing seems to stick, no matter what I do. And the thing I want the most, my mother doesn¡¯t want me to practice.¡±


    I blinked in surprise ¡°you mean the empress doesn¡¯t let you practice martial arts?¡±


    He nodded sadly.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°She said it¡¯s too dangerous for me. You¡¯ve seen the masters in the palace¡­ they work for the concubines.¡±


    Since our little altercation the day of his birthday party, the masters in the palace and their apprentices glare at me whenever we cross paths. If the prince were to train with them¡­ indeed, it could be a disaster.


    I frowned ¡°Why doesn¡¯t your mother ask for another tutor?¡±


    He shrugged ¡°She asked master Fa, but he refused.¡±


    I stared at him with both eyebrows raised to my hairline. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was possible to refuse the emperor or his wife.¡±


    Heng laughed ¡°Only if you¡¯re considered a national treasure like Master Fa is.¡± I laughed with him, thinking of the old man. ¡°When mother asked the reason, he said that he had found his legacy and that he would be working on it for the foreseeable future.¡± He glanced at me with a grin ¡°a month after that, we began hearing rumors about your talent.¡± Heng sighed and shrugged.


    I looked at him ¡°If master Fa won¡¯t teach you¡­ do you want me to teach you?¡±


    The prince wanted to learn martial arts from master Fa, but he was busy teaching me. Therefore, it was the next logical step. I might not be as good as the master, but I could at least give him some pointers, to begin with. And the capital was only two days away from my home, which meant that I could arrange some form of travel to visit every so often.


    Heng stared at me in silence, with his mouth and eyes wide open.


    Suddenly, he took my hands in his ¡°Would you really?¡±


    I nodded ¡°um¡±.


    He jumped, laughed, and eventually hugged me for all he was worth, which wasn¡¯t much at the time.


    Yet, as sudden as his hug was, he let go and groaned ¡°But you¡¯re leaving tomorrow!¡±


    Oh, right.


    I scratched my chin thinking. ¡°I have a notebook with most of the basics written down, I could bring it for you tomorrow. And you can practice in your own time.¡± Then I shrugged and told him about my plans for traveling to the capital to see him every once in a while.


    He agreed wholeheartedly with them, going so far as to promise he would find a way to bring me to the palace more often.


    The notebook that I had offered him, I had done it when I began studying under Master Fa, thinking it would make it easier for me to remember if I ever forgot the basics. I went over it every morning for the past two years, so it was obsolete for me now that Master was moving onto more advanced forms. And, since it was made by me, a writer of another time, it was made in the form of a short novel.


    Who knew, maybe the prince would like the story as much as I loved writing it?


    I went over some of the basic breathing and meditation techniques with him over the course of the evening and only stopped when our stomachs began to rumble.


    We arrived late at the dinner but were both in such high spirits that the admonishment of our parents hadn¡¯t been all that bad.

 Chapter 7 - The Man Who Refused An Emperor

    The next morning, as my family began getting ready to leave the capital, I parted on horseback to the palace to deliver the book to the prince. I got in easily and was able to hand it directly to him. We said our goodbyes and I promised that I would visit as soon as I was able to.


    When I arrived back at the mansion, I got a glance of the girl that tried to get me in trouble on my first day here. Every day I would catch her looking oddly at me from afar, but we barely interacted at all since I spent most of my time with the prince.


    With a smile, I approached her and asked ¡°Hello, Ling.¡±


    She bowed deeply, and I detected a faint blush in her cheeks ¡°Good day, young master.¡±


    ¡°Will you be here when we come back to the capital next season?¡± I asked bluntly, and she blushed even more.


    ¡°Ling will serve as long as the Master wishes.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I look forward to meeting you next season, then.¡± I smiled mischievously.


    I turned and walked back to the lead servant, who was with my father.


    ¡°Mo Fang¡± I said as soon as I reached my father¡¯s side


    ¡°Yes, young master?¡± I knew the old man was pleased that I remembered his name, since none of my siblings did.


    ¡°Can I ask a favor from you?¡±


    Both he and my father blinked in surprise. The old man glanced at my father and I saw him nod. Thus, the old servant turned back to me with a smile.


    ¡°As long as it is within my power, consider it done, young master.¡±


    Without looking away from the old man I pointed to Ling ¡°next time I come to this estate, I want her to serve me my meals.¡± The request wasn¡¯t all that strange, but for the fact that Ling had never attended to the family inside the house. She was one of the lesser maids, meaning she would tend to the grounds and the overall cleanliness of the house.


    Maids that tended to the lords and ladies underwent a more strenuous training, to make sure they wouldn¡¯t offend the nobles and, more importantly, they worked hard to make sure that everything was made to their master¡¯s tastes.


    I was practically promoting a maid I had only seen once, but I liked her spirit.


    Both adults followed my pointing finger and found Ling, who immediately kowtowed toward us. They looked back at me with surprise written all over their faces.


    My father hadn¡¯t objected before and he didn¡¯t say anything this time either, so the elder servant bowed to me ¡°I shall see to it that she is ready when you visit us again, young master.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mo Fang. I know you won¡¯t let me down.¡± I smiled up at my father. ¡°The prince sent his regards and wished us safe travels.¡±


    He smiled back ¡°I am pleased to see you develop such closeness to the imperial family.¡±


    I bowed to him and bid farewell to the old servant while I went to my mother who was smiling brightly at me. She didn¡¯t say anything, she just hugged me. Behind her, my sister decided that what my mother was doing was fun and she ended up hugging my waist.


    I am still unsure why mother hugged me then, but who am I to reject her.


    We said our farewells and finally left for home. As we left the property, I stopped my horse to watch the servants saying their goodbyes. Amongst them a peach-eyed girl dressed in grey and green was smiling at me unabashedly.


    Who would have known that in the capital I would make friends from every caste.


    The day after we arrived home, when I finished my training with master Fa, I asked him about his relationship with the imperial family. He said that he had indeed refused to train the third prince to concentrate on teaching me.


    He had recognized my talent from early on and had bowed to himself and the gods that he would make me the best martial artist of the age or would die trying.


    I humbly thanked him for his faith, and his time, and decided to give my everything into learning all he could teach me.. It would be my way of honoring the man who refused a king for me.

 Chapter 8 - Bandits Begone!

    I kept my promise to the prince over the course of the following six years. Every three months I would take a week to visit the capital. And each time I would stay at our home there, I¡¯m being served by Ling, who only grew more beautiful and amiable with each season.


    I always tried not to be a burden to her, and she in turn dedicated herself to me. If we were older, it would have been said that we were courting each other, but the truth was much stranger than that: we were friends.


    At the age of 13, when my family received the Emperor¡¯s invite to participate in that year¡¯s Spring Competition and the Flower Viewing festival sponsored by the empress, we made our way to the capital. This time around, father asked Master Fa to accompany us, stating that it would be good for my future to be seen with my master in the competition.


    Master Fa had no reason to deny his request, and he accompanied us on our way. My sister and two younger siblings were already studying under him, he hadn¡¯t expected them to be as talented as me, but they weren¡¯t slouching either. Zhi was by far the most talented of the three, and she loved flaunting it in front of our brothers, who would get upset and try harder.


    I had long since learned the art of spiritual cultivation from my master, which led me into a path of discovery that I was almost addicted to. It was the furthest thing I had ever found from science, but that had been present in the anime shows I loved the most back in the day.


    The use of Chi.


    It wasn¡¯t like in anime though, you couldn¡¯t shoot energy beams from your hands or feet, but you could influence the elements if done correctly. It also gave me strength and speed above the norm, and my body healed naturally five times faster than normal.


    After asking about it, Master Fa answered that it was the reason why he could still teach the way he did despite his age: the man was 112 years old.


    I was taught by Albus Dumbledore of Kung-fu.


    With his guidance, a week before the invitation arrived, I had finally surpassed the second Heavenly Tribulation. Which was nothing short of a miracle for one as young as me.


    I kept up with my writing, both to help my friend the prince and to amuse myself. So far, I have written four novelized manuals surrounding the teachings of kung-fu.


    I was well and truly hooked. Cultivation gave me a sense of absolute power that nothing ever did in either lifetime.


    I was seated in the carriage with mother who was pregnant again and my younger siblings.


    ¡°Ge-ge¡± Zhi smiled up at me with her sparkling eyes ¡°do you think we will get to see Heng-ge at the Capital?¡±


    I chuckled lightly, ¡°I¡¯m sure Heng Li will find a way to come for us if we don¡¯t find him first.¡± I clicked my tongue at her dreamy tone ¡°Keep that up mei-mei, and this ge-ge will have words with the prince. I¡¯ll make him leave you alone.¡±


    She looked scandalized but couldn¡¯t do more than glare my way with our mother there. Yui and Hui chuckled at her predicament and when Zhi transferred her glare to them, they ended up laughing harder.


    ¡°Jie-jie, do you like Heng Li?¡± Yui asks with the insolence of innocence, making me chuckle and my mother hides a grin behind her hand.


    My poor sister is spluttering in outrage.


    Suddenly, I felt something coming from outside and was barely in time to stop an arrow from piercing my sister¡¯s face from the side.


    ¡°Bandits!¡± One of the guards shouted outside.


    My mother and siblings all paled and hugged each other. Mother extended a hand toward me, but I shook my head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this¡± I approached the door and opened it ¡°don¡¯t come out until I or father calls your name¡±. Before her hand could reach me, I stepped out of the carriage.


    Outside, it''s absolute chaos. Armed guards stood around the carriage, while a line of mounted bandits surrounded us. I didn¡¯t see my father or Master Fa, but I could hear the battle raging onto my right.


    ¡°Young master Shen!¡± a guard calls to me, scared at seeing me leaving the carriage. The idiot.


    Immediately the bandits take stock of me and two of them point their bows at me ¡°Put down your weapons or the kid gets it!¡±


    I sigh. They are all fools.


    Gathering chi in the palm of my hand, I send an open-palm punch in their direction. The air around us hears my command and launches a gale of wind that throws the riders out of their seats, while their arrows snap in two.


    Everyone, bandits and guards together, stop and stare owlishly at the fallen riders, then at me and back again.


    I glare at the bandits ¡°Surrender now or die like the flies you are.¡±


    Everyone was staring with confusion.


    ¡°I suppose you need further motivation.¡±


    This time I gather chi on both my palms, cross my hands over my chest, and throw them out quickly. Like before, the wind follows my movements, creating a force that hits all bandits in front of us with the force of a storm, sending them to the ground in a daze.


    Seeing that the guards still haven¡¯t done anything, I shout at them ¡°what are you waiting for? Capture them!¡±


    Fortunately, their captain isn¡¯t a complete moron and gets his people to work. They are busy tying the last of the bandits when Father and Master Fa finally rejoin our group. Both their clothes are stained with dirt and blood, but they don¡¯t seem to be injured.


    When my father saw me outside the carriage, he got really angry, but as soon as the captain relayed what had happened, he went from angry to scared and then proud. Master Fa nodded as if what I did was nothing out of the ordinary.


    Once all bandits had been dealt with, father called mom by her full name, our code to say that everything was fine. One of the maids opened the door for her, and mother practically jumped from the cart to hug both my father and I in a tight embrace. After calming her a bit, we continued our journey. When we stopped for the night at a town, Father dispatched a messenger to the man in charge of the pass about what had happened.


    Early the next day, we received the visit of the apologetic lord with two dozen guards. They would aid in escorting us to the Capital, while the lord dealt with our captives.


    By the end of the day, me defeating the bandits was all the guards could talk about. We had stopped in four different villages where word got around as quick as wildfire and by the time we arrived at the Capital, I was a legend in the eyes of many of the common folks.


    My mother patted my head while I sighed. She, whose cousin was the empress, understood.


    ¡°I know it is hardly what you want, dearest Mu. But good deeds rarely go unrewarded. You saved more than our lives, you saved many of the guards¡¯ lives, and thus helped their families. You¡¯re also Master Fa¡¯s apprentice and your father and mother¡¯s son. Fame will follow you wherever you go. Whether you benefit from it or let it crush you, is up to you.¡± She smiled at me with barely contained tears before kissing my forehead and hugging me to her chest. ¡°It goes without saying, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, mother will always be proud of you.¡±


    My spirit lifted at her words and I returned the hug, minding her growing belly.


    As soon as I dismounted from my horse at the Shen residence in the Capital, Ling was there to greet me.


    ¡°Greetings, young master.¡± Her smile was infectious even in my somber mood. She had grown more beautiful in the years that passed and knew me so well that she had ended up as my personal maid. Of course, knowing me well meant she instantly caught on to my mood, despite my poker face.


    She was older than me by two years, but even at 13, I was already taller than her by an inch and a half.


    I gave her a lukewarm smile ¡°Good seeing you, Ling. Did something interesting happen in my absence?¡±


    She blinked a couple of times, looking at me worriedly, but then smiled again. ¡°How about I draw the young master a warm bath? You must be tired from your travels.¡±


    I nodded and she went away to get things ready.


    Zhi used that time to grab me by the arm and pull me aside. We walked arm in arm through the garden until we reached the small pond of the state where nobody could overhear us.


    ¡°How are you really, ge-ge?¡±


    I sighed and patted her hand on my arm.


    ¡°I will be fine. I never thought that standing up to grown men was going to get me so much attention.¡±


    She smiled beautifully, a pair of dimples forming on her cheeks. Seriously, this girl was going to be the death of some man when she became of age¡­ and I was going to have a hard time taking names and addresses of her suitors. Who knew, maybe being a famous martial artist would be a blessing? Her suitors would be much too scared of her older brother to harm her.


    ¡®Let¡¯s hope¡¯


    ¡°And what about your girlfriend?¡± Zhi asked suddenly after we spent some precious moments chatting amiably.


    ¡°Beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her name again?¡± she smiled wickedly at me while I tried my hardest to understand what she was speaking about. ¡°Ling, was it?¡± my eyebrows met my hairline and my face flushed completely red. ¡°It is!¡± she laughed at my inability to speak, before rushing away from me and into the house.


    ¡°Mei-mei! I¡¯ll get you for that!¡±


    I heard her laugh over my shout and couldn¡¯t help but smile. She might be a she-devil, but I loved my sister with all my heart.


    As I rejoined the family at dinner, Ling was there serving me with a big smile and dressed in a light pink kimono.


    When I caught my sister¡¯s smile from the other side of the table, I wanted to smack the back of her head as I often did when we were younger. Fortunately for her, Ling spent all her time fussing over me, which prevented me from crossing over to do it.


    After our family meal I followed Ling to the bath, she had already prepared my clothes after I exited. Before I entered the bathroom, however, she held onto my sleeve. ¡°How are you, really?¡± She sounded truly worried and I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her.


    ¡°I am good now.¡± I shrugged ¡°It seems I had been worried over nothing.¡±


    Her eyes searched mine for the truth but caught herself staring after a few moments. She blushed intensely.


    ¡®I want to tease her so much¡¯


    ¡°Where did your mind wander to?¡± I asked, getting slightly closer.


    She emitted a sound like ¡®eep!¡¯ and her eyes were as wide as saucers, staring up at me, then down to my lips and her hand holding my sleeve still, then back to my eyes.


    ¡°Ling...?¡±


    I approached, attracted by the warm smell coming from her. And she nearly jumped out of her skin.


    ¡°Ma-Master should hurry and take a bath. I¡¯m sure he will receive an important visit tomorrow.¡± She bowed deeply and practically ran away.


    I chuckled and went to take my bath.

 Chapter 9 - The Princess

    Ling had been absolutely right, for early the next morning, we received the visit of the third prince and his entourage.


    ¡°Shen Mu!¡± The prince shouted as soon as he spotted me coming out of the house.


    ¡°Good morning Prince Heng Li¡± I bowed to him, but he ignored it and instead came to hug me. I blinked in surprise, but then felt him trying to crush me. Certainly, the exercises I had taught him over the years had helped his constitution.


    ¡°Good morning, your highness¡± my parents chorused from my side, and the boy finally let me go, inclining his head briefly.


    ¡°Aunt, Uncle Shen, it¡¯s good to see you too.¡± He looked back at me and then to someone behind me. His mouth went slack.


    ¡°Go-good morning, your highness,¡± My sister stuttered.


    ¡®So that¡¯s how it is?¡¯


    I gazed critically at Heng and Zhi, and after a moment hit the back of the Prince¡¯s head to snap him out of his daze. ¡°Stop drooling over my sister¡±


    Everyone around us was scandalized, all but the prince, who grimaced and sent me a reproachful look. He composed himself after a moment and offered my sister a gallant bow ¡°Good morning Shen Zhi, it is truly a pleasure to see you again.¡±


    I scoffed, rolling my eyes. ¡°Are you two finished doing lovey-dovey eyes at each other?¡±


    Both flushed deep crimson and I chuckled.


    Unfortunately, our fun was intruded on when a man grabbed me by the ear and began screaming in my face.


    ¡°How dare you touch the prince! I¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°Mo Chen!¡± The prince glared at him indignantly ¡°release him this instant!¡±


    ¡°Bu-but prince, he-¡±


    The man known as Mo Chen sent a venomous glare at me, while I simply stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Even his pinching of my ear didn¡¯t hurt much.


    ¡°Mo Chen!¡± the Prince glared daggers at him ¡°you¡¯re embarrassing me!¡±


    Only then did the man release my ear and kowtowed to the prince. ¡°Forgive this subject, my prince!¡±


    ¡°Forgive you!?¡± the prince bellowed, glaring at the kneeling man. ¡°Captain¡± he called the captain of his guard, who came forward ¡°take this man away. 100 flogs and I do not want to see him in the palace ever again.¡±


    ¡°As your majesty wishes.¡± Two guards came forward and dragged the now sniveling man away.


    Still embarrassed, the Prince placed an arm over my shoulders. ¡°Hear me, everyone!¡±


    Everyone in the mansion but me bowed to the prince and heard his words in rapt attention.


    ¡°I hereby declare that this Shen Mu is my esteemed older brother. Anyone who disrespects him disrespects the imperial family. Do I make myself clear?¡± I stared at him as if he were crazy, but nobody noticed.


    ¡°Yes, your highness!¡± Everyone bowed formally, and I could see my mother holding in her tears, while my father was failing to hide a smile.


    The prince asked everyone to raise their heads and we went on with our day normally. Well, as normal as it could with everyone bowing to me as if I was a prince. Eventually, we went out to see the city. Heng Li and I were accompanied by my sister, her maid, and a dozen guards.


    I looked at the people around us and how they craned their necks to look at us and I suddenly felt tired.


    My sister was ecstatic, walking alongside us, holding my arm in hers. But the way she was eyeing the prince, I knew she would have preferred to cling to him.


    ¡®Dear sister, you¡¯re so transparent¡¯


    We walked and talked amiably until we reached the site where the Flower Festival would take place in a couple of weeks. There was little to see, but a few plum trees that were beginning to blossom.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure this place will look amazing by the time of the festival¡± Zhi said, admiring the row upon row of trees. There were many imperial servants moving around, carrying potted plants, or maintaining the place in a perfect state for when the time came for the imperial family to exit, the palace would be ready for the festival.


    ¡°Are you going to participate in the competition too, your majesty?¡±


    Normally, the Spring Competition would be held for the commoners, but this year, the emperor had wanted to create a special division for the nobles to take part. I had heard that the second prince would be participating in Go.


    ¡°I think it could be interesting, but I doubt I¡¯ll participate in anything your ge-ge tries too.¡±


    I snorted but, truth be told, I was relieved. The imperial family was believed and supposed to be the best at everything¡­. If someone not from the family were to best them¡­ it would not only be bad for the princes, but for the emperor himself.


    Besides, I had the feeling that the Emperor had created this new division for my sake. It might seem conceited, but I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was trying to make me famous.


    ¡°Ge-ge, what divisions did you want to participate in?¡± my innocent sister looked up at me, and I smiled at her


    ¡°I was going to the martial arts, archery, sword fighting and mathematics, calligraphy and maybe Go.¡± Both stared at me as if I had grown another head.


    Then Heng Li laughed ¡°only those? Why not go for the lot already?¡±


    I gave him a blank stare ¡°I don¡¯t like hunting and can¡¯t paint to save my life. And don¡¯t you think that music and dancing are more suited for women?¡±


    ¡°There is also poetry.¡± My sister pointed out ¡°I still remember the cute haiku you wrote for mother on her birthday.¡±


    Heng raised an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged my shoulders ¡°Mother likes poetry, but my rhymes felt too forced for my liking. I don¡¯t think creating poems suits me.¡± Truth be told, I had written my share of poems, but most were made with modern metrics in mind, and they were mostly unsuited for the era.


    ¡®Roses are red, violets are blue¡­ I¡¯d give my kingdom for a plate of fruity loops¡¯ Nope; they weren¡¯t ready for such majestic rhyme.


    ¡°Is there anything you can¡¯t do?¡± Li asked half jokingly.


    ¡°Paint.¡± I dead-panned and continued walking.


    We ended up eating in a restaurant named Ying Yi that catered exclusively to nobles. Everyone bowed to the prince when we entered, but were led to a private room where we were served the best food I had ever tasted.


    We were drinking tea when somebody clapped outside the door.


    I raised an eyebrow at Heng Li who shrugged.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I called


    The captain in charge of the prince¡¯s security answered. ¡°My lord, Princess Meiling would like to speak with the prince.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at the boy, who slapped his face. ¡°It seems it¡¯s unavoidable¡± he grimaced, and ordered the guard to let her pass.


    The door opened and in came an incredibly beautiful girl, not a day older than my sister with pale skin and deep brown eyes. ¡°This princess greets third brother Heng Li.¡±


    Behind her, a maid kowtowed.


    Both ladies stepped into the room, closing the door behind them.


    Heng Li¡¯s face was apathetic, the same he had shown me the first time we met at the palace.


    A tense silence spread in the room, while both royals stared at each other.


    Finally, the boy sighed.


    ¡°Meiling, meet Shen Mu and his mei-mei Shen Zhi Ruo.¡±


    With a winning smile, the princess directed her gaze at me and stared. I gave her a polite bow, while my sister offered her a more profound one.


    ¡°These subjects are pleasing to make your acquaintance, milady¡± My sister spoke for the both of us since I hadn¡¯t.


    Meanwhile, the girl continued staring at me, at which I raised an eyebrow and quickly gazed at the prince, who was trying hard not to laugh.


    ¡°To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence today, milady?¡± I finally asked. The girl blushed and looked away.


    ¡®Dafuq¡­?¡¯


    The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife.


    Both my sister and her maid were staring at the back of my head trying to swallow their laughter, while the Prince simply sighed and looked elsewhere uncomfortably. The princess¡¯ maid was shaking her head despondently, and the princess was looking at everything but myself.


    Not knowing what to do, I reached for the cup in front of me, only to find it empty. I was about to ask the maid for a refill when a small frail hand entered my line of sight.


    ¡°Allow me¡± The princess said, taking the cup from my hand and serving me as if she was in charge.


    I looked at the prince with a confused frown, to which he only shrugged.


    When she finished serving me tea, I took the cup and nodded my thanks.


    ¡°To what do we owe the honor-¡±


    ¡°How was your trip?¡± the princess interrupted me, finally looking up from the floor.


    I tilted my head and she elaborated.


    ¡°Your trip to the Capital. I heard from Heng-ge that you live near the northern frontier.¡±


    I frowned and took a sip from the tea, feeling my throat parched from the pressure in the room. I shrugged ¡°not too bad.¡±


    ¡°Ge-ge!¡± Scandalized, my sister intervened. ¡°To answer the princess, we were attacked by bandits on the way, but my brother dealt with them.¡±


    The eyebrows of both royals rose to their respective hairlines. ¡°Bandits?¡± They asked in unison and my sister nodded, shuddering at the memory.


    To comfort her, I placed my hand over her head. ¡°I would be a bad ge-ge if I let my mei-mei get hurt by bad men.¡± She smiled at me and continued the tale. I hadn¡¯t known until then, but she had witnessed everything from inside the carriage.


    When she finished, both royals were looking at me in awe while I tried to make the earth swallow me whole.


    Unfortunately, I did not have such luck.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you scared?¡± the princess finally asked, to which I shook my head.


    ¡°I was angry.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Highwaymen were threatening my family, one of their arrows nearly hit mei-mei. Also, my mother is four months pregnant, scares like that could cause a miscarriage.¡± The princess paled (which was almost unnoticeable, given her already pale complexion).


    Heng slammed a fist in the table, cursing under his breath.


    Suddenly, I felt my hand being grabbed and, when I turned, discovered the princess was holding it with both her hands and looking at me with adoring eyes. ¡°Your family is lucky to be able to count on such a strong warrior as yourself.¡±


    ¡°Err-¡±


    I heard the prince chuckled and my sister giggled behind me.


    I smiled awkwardly ¡°I- I see.¡± I looked toward Heng Li, silently asking him to save me, at which he simply laughed harder.


    My eyes roamed the room for a way to escape until they came to a stop at the window. Outside, the sun was already setting. I would have to take Zhi home before long.


    I looked awkwardly at the princess and patted her hands before turning to the prince. ¡°Heng Li, it is time we leave. I must bring mei-mei home before the sun sets.¡±


    At my mention of the time, the princess seemingly came out of her stupor, and put some distance between us, blushing furiously.


    The establishment refused my attempt to pay, saying that it was an honor to serve the imperial family, to which I mentally shrugged and thanked them for the food.


    Heng and I led the two girls back to our home, while they talked among themselves in the back.


    ¡°Sorry about that¡± the prince apologized in a whisper. He elaborated when he saw my raised eyebrow ¡°Meiling has been asking me to introduce her to you since a few years back. She is the Second mother¡¯s only daughter.


    ¡°She caught us training one morning and has been all over your case since then.¡± His smile was teasing ¡°It seems you have fans even within the palace.¡±


    I sighed and resigned to my fate. It seems I would be famous no matter what I do to prevent it.


    I left Zhi at home with my parents and then accompanied both royals on their way to the palace.


    Meiling¡¯s happily walking between Heng Li and I. She often gazed at me or tried making small talk, almost ignoring her older brother. If it wasn¡¯t for his smile, I would have thought him to be mad at being kept out of the conversation. I bid them farewell at the entrance of the palace, promising to come visiting soon.


    When I finally arrived home, I felt completely drained, a feeling that only worsened when I caught on the way my mother was staring at me over dinner.


    Zhi was looking smug, which meant that she had told everything to our parents.


    ¡°A princess, huh?¡± Ling said, her tone tense after I had retired to my room. Despite my misgivings, she had insisted on helping me change clothes for bed.


    I groaned ¡°not you too.¡±


    She remained silent, but I could tell by her posture just how affected she was. Not knowing what else to do, I placed my hand on her head as I did with my sister.


    ¡°There, there.¡±


    Surprise, embarrassment and shock were written all over her face, but I paid them no attention, instead continued petting her.


    ¡°Frowning so much is going to lay waste to your beautiful face¡±. Shock turned to embarrassment, and she stared at my feet. I sighed, taking off my outer garment, which was promptly followed by my shirt ¡°I seem to gain fame wherever I go, even if it isn¡¯t my intention. And now I even have a fan in the Capital.¡± I groaned. ¡°Say, could you massage my back?¡± I turned to her bare-chested and saw her eyes turn as wide as saucers.


    I saw her gulp and nod. Ling asked me to lay face-down on the bed and I complied.


    Her hands were rough but skilled, and I fell asleep right away.

 Chapter 10 - The Spring Comptetition: Day 1

    At the Spring Competition, I chose to participate in archery, mathematics, martial arts, sword-fighting, go and calligraphy, aiming to win the champion title that would be given to him or her who won in the most categories. Even winning one was a great honor, but I wanted to win the favor of the emperor so I could visit the imperial library whenever I wanted.


    My spirit was aching for something new to read.


    My first event was mathematics, and I very nearly laughed at the ease of the equations. A judge would pose a problem and we were to calculate the result using an abacus as our only help. Not that I needed it, since I could do most calculations mentally.


    ¡°A man has three horses; each can carry up to six sacks of grain. If the man sold each sack at two gold teals. How many gold teals would he have at the end of the day?¡±


    He had barely finished the problem when I raised my hand.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How many sacks can the man¡¯s farm yield, and how far is the market from his farm?¡±


    The judge blinked owlishly at me. He then looked at another man who shook his head.


    ¡°You must answer the problem with the information given.¡±


    I crossed my arms ¡°then it¡¯s 36 for each full load. But he could do more or less each day if we take into account the time needed to transport the goods, and how many sacks he could have in storage.¡±


    The first judge frowned, and after that they would pass onto another problem, which I would solve just as quickly. At the end of the event, I was pronounced the undisputed champion since nobody had been able to answer even a single question before I told them the answer.


    After the competition, one of the judges came to me with a question that took me about five minutes to answer. The question was how many moves one can perform in the game of Go. I stared blankly at him until he smiled, thinking he had won.


    ¡°The answer is an impossibly large number, are you sure you want to hear it?¡± He raised an eyebrow at me, clearly thinking I was joking. No man before had ever been able to number the amount of possible go plays.


    I shrugged. ¡°With its breadth of 250 possible moves each turn and a typical game depth of 150 moves, there are about 250^150, or 10^360 possible moves. If you want me to write down the number of possibilities it would take me a few days to finish writing it, but I can give you an estimate: It¡¯s 49090 with 387 more zeroes after that¡±


    I smiled at him and went on my way, leaving him stumped.


    I had of course borrowed that answer from the future. I remembered seeing an article about an AI that had been created to play Go and that was the number of moves it had calculated before being able to defeat the world champion.


    As the winner of the event, I was taken in front of the emperor, who greeted me like I was an old acquaintance. He congratulated me on my victory and said he looked forward to seeing me in action in the martial arts competition on the third day.


    That same day I participated in the sword-fighting competition and won just as easily. I had been trained by master Fa since I was strong enough to stand on my own, no normal thirteen-year-old would stand a chance against me.


    Again, I was summoned to the emperor, and we exchanged some small talk before he congratulated me yet again and laughed after he heard the number of competitions I would be participating in. He also said something that amazed me.


    ¡°The second prince has entered the martial arts competition. I expect you to give it your best, even if it is against my own wayward son.¡±


    It seemed that the prince had entered the competition against the emperor¡¯s wishes, and his father was asking me to give him a fair fight. But how fair would it be if I had already passed the second tribulation, while most of the people in this competition were still learning the forms?


    I frowned and lowered my head, which the emperor took as my acceptance.


    I left with a troubled mind and walked without seeing until I reached the tent my family was sitting under. They congratulated me, even Master Fa, who hadn¡¯t known how good I was at mathematics, which had been a sore topic for him in the past.


    My father caught my mood and asked me about it.


    ¡°I do not know what to do, father.¡± I retold them what the emperor had said, word for word. Both he and my mother appeared as troubled as I was, but Master Fa said I shouldn¡¯t worry.


    ¡°The inhabitants of the palace are forbidden from entering these competitions¡± he said truthfully ¡°If he entered himself, it was without the emperor¡¯s permission as you have guessed. If so, then you must do as the emperor ordered. You must do your best. If the prince should lose, it would be the emperor¡¯s wish.¡±


    I nodded my understanding, even if I wasn¡¯t too sure it would be so easy.. Perhaps I could ask Heng Li for his opinion.

 Chapter 11 - The Spring Competition: Day 2

    The following day, the whole family accompanied me to the grounds of the competition, setting up a pavilion for themselves while they waited. Today I would be competing in calligraphy and Go, not exactly flashy, but they were certainly challenging.


    Heng Li joined my family in watching the bouts where I participated.


    Calligraphy was by far the strangest competition I had ever been with. We were given rolls of parchment and ingredients to make ink with, then we were told to draw a certain ideogram. Points were given or deducted according to the direction and thickness of our strokes, as well as the cleanliness of our overall piece.


    I smiled, expertly drawing out the words I was given: Dragon, Heaven, Empire, Honor. The words flowed out of me as if I was in a trance, and I found myself humming an old song I had heard my father sing many years ago. It spoke of the legendary Yellow Emperor, the forefather of the nation.


    When I finished the last stroke, I put my brush down and sat in silence, waiting for the judge¡¯s decision. I¡¯m not worried, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll join this event again. However, I think I might end up taking calligraphy as a hobby. I felt myself entering a state of near-meditation as I wrote down each word.


    After a few minutes of deliberation, the judges declared a tie between me and a lady named Bai Fan. We were taken to the emperor to be congratulated for our performance, and on our way there I couldn¡¯t help but praise her work. Calligraphy is, often, a subject for males, given that females are allowed very few chances to practice. At this time and age, they are expected to be perfect wallflowers.


    And while Bai Fan¡¯s beauty was exceptional, her talent was what amazed me and I admitted that to her.


    She smiled brightly and offered me a slight bow. ¡°High praise coming from the Emperor¡¯s favorite.¡±


    I chuckled. Apparently, my suspicions were founded. ¡°Will you be competing in another event, my lady?¡±


    She glanced at me with a slightly mocking tone ¡°In which events are you not competing, milord?¡±


    I snorted ¡°I will root for you in half the events, then.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow ¡°rooting for the competition?¡±


    I smiled at her ¡°there is no competition when the talents are complementary. I will look forward to watching your events, my lady.¡±


    She bit her smile, but I saw it nonetheless.


    Trying to be a gentleman, I offered her my hand so she could mount the steps toward the emperor.


    Disregarding the eunuch¡¯s hand at her side, she chose to take mine instead. ¡°You, my Lord, are a dangerous man.¡±


    I returned the smile. ¡°I am only dangerous to my enemies, my lady. I have yet to find one here.¡±


    Bai Fan raised an eyebrow, staring haughtily at me but with half a smile on her face. ¡°Friends, then?¡±


    The way she asked made me think of another time and another place. To the time I met my best friend in a bookstore in the future.


    ¡°It would be my honor.¡± I answered with a slight bow before climbing the steps and standing at her side. ¡°Shall we?¡± I motioned forward and was rewarded by a blinding smile.


    ¡°We shall.¡±


    Kneeling in front of the Emperor¡¯s golden pavilion, I saw Heng Li sitting at the old man¡¯s right, and Meiling beaming at me from behind them.


    ¡°We meet again¡± the emperor beamed at me, and without losing his smile, he looked at the woman beside me ¡°and you are?¡±


    ¡°To answer the emperor, this subject¡¯s name is Bai Fan, daughter of General Bai from the western border.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes!¡± the emperor chuckled,


    ¡°General Bai is a great man. It warms this old man¡¯s heart to see that his daughter inherited her mother¡¯s looks. We will be on the lookout for your future events, Miss Bai.¡±


    ¡°I am sure my father will be pleased by your praise, your highness.¡±


    The emperor made a gesture and a eunuch approached Miss Bai with a present: a brush made of jade and horsehair.


    ¡°You may leave, and give my best to your father, Miss Bai.¡± Bai Fan made a low reverence and left me with the emperor and his family. ¡°That was the prize my wife had chosen for the first place in calligraphy. It is not common for me to find myself without something to give to those who make their best effort in whatever endeavor they undertake. So, what should I award you with, young Shen Mu?¡±


    I bowed my head ¡°If I¡¯m permitted, your highness, there is one thing I would like to petition.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m allowing you.¡±


    I nodded ¡°This subject simply requests permission to enter the imperial library.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± by his tone, I knew my request had surprised him.


    ¡°To answer his majesty, this subject wishes to pursue a life of cultivation, it would be a great aid to have access to the immense knowledge base stored in the imperial library.¡± I risked a glance at the old man, and I saw him lightly pull on his beard.


    ¡°I think that access to the said library would indeed be an apt prize to bestow on one who would win the title of champion of my Spring Competition.¡±


    He was testing me. If I asked for it as a prize for the event I just won, I would seem vain. And I had stated that it was my intent to continue the path of cultivation, so he would want to first see if there was merit to my words.


    I smiled ¡°I wholeheartedly agree, your highness.¡±


    The old man answered my smile with his own. ¡°Very well, if you win the said title, I shall bestow upon you the prize that you have asked.¡±


    ¡°This subject thanks you greatly, exalted one.¡±


    My words might have been a little over the top, but that''s how grateful I was for the opportunity. Now all I needed to do was win first place in every event I had subscribed myself to.


    After I was dismissed by the emperor, I walked straight to the next event.


    Go was both more complex and simpler than chess, but both board games were about strategy and probability. Studying hard from age four, I had played Go with one of my teachers, who had incidentally been the empire¡¯s go champion in the past. From him, I learned many strategies and stratagems to come out on top in every game. It took me years, but I had been able to defeat him twice, which he had deemed ¡®good enough for me, before continuing with other topics.


    I played every game thinking that I was facing him, and that¡¯s how I ended up in the first place.


    And again, I found myself in front of the emperor.


    ¡°It appears some in my entourage were beginning to miss you.¡± The man joked, making both the prince and princess at his side blush.


    After some small talk, I was praised for my achievement and then sent on my way.


    My family celebrated my triumphs by taking us to eat at Ying Yi where we were soon joined by none other than Heng Li and Meiling.


    It was the first time my mother met the princess. My father had had the honor before since it was common for him to visit the palace in official businesses, but this was the first time he had a chance to watch her in close quarters.


    And, of course, both my parents were able to witness her interest in me¡­ and my hesitance to her advances.


    After eating I accompanied both royals to the entrance of the palace. But before I could leave, Heng Li addressed me:


    ¡°Shen Mu, the martial arts competition starts tomorrow, right?¡±


    ¡°Um¡±


    ¡°I look forward to seeing you in action, master¡± He smiled and offered a small bow, to which I responded in kind. ¡°And do not lose to my brother.¡±


    ¡°I shall do my best for his majesty.¡± Since they weren¡¯t leaving yet, I asked ¡°There is a taboo that prevents me from fighting your brother, so I might have to withdraw from the final.¡±


    Meiling looked troubled, but Heng Li was grinning like mad ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong. The taboo is to touch the imperials. Plus, he entered the competition without the emperor¡¯s permission. The dishonor can only land at brother¡¯s feet.¡±


    I scratched my chin, nodding. ¡°So as long as I don¡¯t touch him, I won¡¯t break the taboo¡­?¡±


    Meiling approached me and took my free hand in both of hers, which made me look down at her.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    I smiled confidently, ¡°I¡¯m sure I can come up with something.¡±


    ¡°Mei-Mei, I think the only one who is worried Sheng-ge will lose is you¡± the prince teased, and his sister puffed her cheeks, glaring back at him.


    ¡°I am not!¡±


    ¡°You are too!¡±


    ¡°Am not!¡±


    I lightly chuckled at the pair and quickly bid them farewell.


    Even as I left, I could still hear them bickering.

 Chapter 12 - The Martial Arts Competition

    Unlike the other events, the martial arts competition lasted three days in total, and it was rare for anyone under 17 to participate. If you were older than 13 and not a day older than 18, you could participate. Of course, this meant that the first prize almost always went to the older combatants.


    Therefore, when my age was announced, most kids laughed while the parents looked worried.


    ¡°Ready to die, worm?¡± the 17-year-old boy sneered at me


    I sighed at the idiotic attempt at provocation. I clasped my hands behind my back and adopted a low stance.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    As expected, the boy rushed me, attempting to punch me in the face. Therefore, all I had to do was move away from the path, kick his feet from under him and let physics do the rest.


    My calculations were correct and the idiot landed face-first outside the platform.


    ¡°Winner, Shen Mu!¡± There was no applause, nor did I expect anything from such a horrible display. To think I had high expectations for the noble children!


    I walked out of the platform, and immediately found the guy¡¯s ¡®friends¡¯ surrounding me.


    ¡°You signed your death warrant, peasant.¡±


    ¡°We will beat you to death!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t stop even if you beg!¡±


    I raised an eyebrow and smiled. These three reminded me a lot of a show called the three stooges.


    ¡°What are you smiling at, you worm?¡±


    ¡°At your poor attempt at intimidation¡± I dead-panned. ¡°Now, be patient and wait for your turn on the platform.¡±


    Their answer was suddenly cut off by the announcer¡¯s voice shouting ¡°Winner, Heng Hui!¡± We all turned to see an 18-year-old on the ground, and the 15-year-old prince kneeling on his chest.


    The older boy had surrendered instead of laying a hand on the prince, in retaliation, the royal had kicked him into submission¡­ well, further submission.


    I shook my head and took that time to evade the wanna-be bullies to return to the waiting area, expecting to be called at any moment.


    A commotion began outside the tent the moment my name was called again, when I stepped outside, I finally figured out why: the emperor had ordered his servants to move his pavilion so he could directly watch the bouts. It was completely unheard of because children''s kung-fu was mostly considered ¡®impure¡¯ for the eyes of the holy emperor. That was the reason why most competitions had imperial representatives as judges. They were to be the eyes and ears of the emperor in each event.


    In my mind, I figured that the fact that the emperor himself was watching the match could only mean 2 things: 1, he had considered the representatives¡¯ work as incompetent; or 2, the competition was going to be used in a political power play.


    I had planned to defeat the prince without touching him, but even that might be regarded as a taboo now that the emperor was present. I sighed, hoping that I wouldn¡¯t be beheaded before I turned 14.


    I was paired with one of the boys that had threatened me before and I smiled. ¡®At least fate seems fit to give me some release to my frustrations before the real fight.¡¯


    We bowed deeply in the direction of the emperor and said in unison ¡°These servants salute the emperor!¡±


    At a gesture from the old man, the announcer instructed us to bow to each other, which I did willingly, and the other with little reluctance.


    I clasped my hands behind my back and adopted a low stance yet again.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    What is with bad guys rushing at me?


    I frowned, stepped to a side, and kicked him in the guts with only a fraction of my strength.


    And just like that, the match was over.


    I shook my head and bowed to the emperor once more.


    ¡°This subject is sorry for the lackluster display of this match.¡±


    I heard him chuckle and was thus dismissed until my next match.

 Chapter 13 - The Secret Strategy

    (In the emperor¡¯s pavilion)


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t he using his arms?¡± Princess Meiling asked the curious old man sitting with them.


    The emperor glanced his way too.


    ¡°To answer the princess, Master Shen Mu is following this teacher¡¯s advice.¡± Master Fa answered from his bowing position.


    After it was reported that the young Shen Mu had refused to use his arms in the competition, the Emperor had been intrigued and thus summoned his teacher. When the strategy had been explained to him, the Emperor had wanted to witness it first-hand and ordered his pavilion to be moved to oversee the arena.


    Master Fa hadn¡¯t been dismissed, so he accompanied the procession and sat on his knees behind the emperor, answering the questions of the imperial family, who hadn¡¯t been present for the first interrogation.


    ¡°Why would you tell him to fight with only his feet?¡± Heng Li asked next.


    ¡°To answer the prince, this servant suggested the young master such handicap so that he could benefit from fighting those less talented than himself; also¡­¡± his eyes went to the emperor, who faintly nodded ¡°also, this servant advised the young Master to only use his arms against Prince Heng Hui.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°To answer the princess, it would be his way to honor the Prince. By restraining himself against everyone else, he will only show his true strength to the Prince.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®his true strength¡¯?¡±


    The old Master smiled proudly ¡°To answer the princess, this servant is proud to announce that the Young Master already overcame the second Heavenly Tribulation.¡±


    Heng Li¡¯s eyes went wide as saucers and he stared open-mouthed at the old man, but Meiling had no idea what that meant, so she asked for clarification. The one to answer, however, was the third prince.


    ¡°It¡¯s the second milestone of the Path of Cultivation. Just passing the first Heavenly Tribulation would put the cultivator above most men¡­ to have surpassed the second Tribulation at his age is unheard of-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not unheard of,¡± the Emperor interrupted his son, who stared at him wide-eyed, ¡°only extremely rare. The only other man to achieve such accomplishment was the Yellow Emperor.¡±


    Now both kids were gawking at their father.


    ¡°Wh-what are these heavenly tribulations?¡± Meiling asked, already dreading the answer.


    Master Fa answered ¡°To answer the princess, they are the test of the Heavens and they depend on the path one chooses to achieve illumination. For the young master and myself, who chose to walk the Elemental Path first, we had to survive the elements.¡±


    ¡°W-What elements did Shen Mu choose to challenge?¡± Heng Li asked


    ¡°To answer the prince, the young master chose Earth and Wind.¡±


    ¡°But they are opposites!¡± The prince was scandalized.


    Master Fa nodded with a wide smile.


    Heng Li was stumped. Normally those who walked the Elemental Path would choose to conquer first air and then another complimentary element, like water or fire, since it was easier. Choosing the opposite element would mean that your first element would be of little to no assistance during the Heavenly tribulation.


    Now he understood why Master Fa had devoted all his time and energy in training Shen Mu. If he was capable of mastering two opposing elements at his age, there would be very little the boy wouldn¡¯t be able to do with the proper guidance.


    This was the reason why the Emperor had wanted to witness Shen Mu¡¯s abilities first-hand.


    There was silence in the arena, which made the Emperor and his children look toward the match just as Shen Mu¡¯s voice reached them ¡°This subject is sorry for the lackluster display of this match.¡±


    The emperor chuckled and motioned for the judge to end the fight.


    When it was announced that Shen Mu¡¯s next fight would be the next day, the emperor lost interest in the bouts but remained on his post for an hour more for the sake of fairness.. Then, before his children could escape to meet with their friend, he forbade them to speak of what they had learned there with anyone.

 Chapter 14 - Blood Of My Master

    The second day of the martial arts competition was a bit better because only the winners of the previous day could participate.


    My first bout was against an 18-year-old named Zhao Yu. He stared warily at me while I kept my hands on my back.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    We measured each other, looking for openings. The previous day I had been using the serpent stance, so it was a surprise for him when I switched for Tiger guard and went for him with my legs.


    He stopped my downward kick, but the strength behind it still brought him to his knees. I took half a step back and hit him with a roundhouse kick which he barely blocked.


    Being in close quarters was an advantage for him, so he launched a fist my way and I blocked it with a knee.


    I backtracked, trying to keep my distance but, battered as he was, he wasn¡¯t going to let me gain the upper hand again, so he pursued me. I took him on a merry ride around the platform, blocking or evading all his attacks until we were at the edge of the arena. Stepping out would mean disqualification, which gave him the notion that he could win by simply pushing me.


    Poor guy.


    He tried tackling me, and before he struck, I used the earth-breathing technique, anchoring my position to the ground.


    For him, it was probably like running headfirst into a wall.


    There was complete silence in the arena until I took a step forward, pushing the knocked-out boy away from me.


    I looked up, waiting for the referee, who finally came out of his stupor to declare ¡°Winner, Shen Mu!¡±


    I breathed out, relaxing my back and arms, and bowed to my downed opponent, before directing a more profound bow to the emperor watching from above.


    As I jumped down from the platform, I found myself surrounded by a group of children. Ages varying from ten to fifteen, they stared at me with awe and began asking me question after question after question.


    ¡°How did you become so strong?¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you use your hands at all?¡±


    ¡°Can you use your hands?¡±


    ¡°Where do you live?¡±


    ¡°Who are your parents?¡±


    I tried answering their questions as I heard them, except for those directly related to the strategy Master Fa had devised.


    ¡°You really are a sensation.¡± A cultured, feminine voice made me turn only to find Bai Fan smiling wickedly at me.


    ¡°Miss Bai Fan, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you today. At what deity do I owe the honor?¡±


    She laughed prettily, turning the heads of many of the males.


    ¡°Can I not come to watch a friend compete?¡± she teased, and it was my turn to laugh.


    ¡°Woe be me if I dared to forbid you anything.¡± Our friendly banter was interrupted by the arrival of the imperial princes, Heng Li and Meiling. The latter was openly glaring at the older Bai Fan.


    ¡°Alas! It seems that is my cue to leave. Good luck in your next bout!¡± She curtsied to the new arrivals ¡°Your majesties.¡±


    The rest of the kids appeared rather intimidated by the princes and their entourage, so they bade me luck in the next fight and retreated.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you knew Miss Bai¡± Li mused out loud.


    ¡°We met at the calligraphy competition.¡± I smiled remembering our chat on the way to see the emperor.


    ¡°Hum¡± he acquiesced. ¡°Anyway, it was a great match, my friend.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡±


    Li rolled his eyes, while Meiling laughed behind her hand.


    ¡°Did you watch the bout, princess?¡± I asked just to be polite, making Li snort.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t keep her from coming even if you tried.¡±


    Said lady glared daggers at her older brother before composing her face and answering my question.


    ¡°Yes, I found it very¡­ exciting.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow, not quite expecting that answer.


    ¡°I confess that I was worried you would be pushed out of bounds by the older boy.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°That was precisely what I wanted him to think.¡±


    She pouted ¡°I don¡¯t like being fooled.¡±


    Smiling, I did what I always did when Zhi pouted: I patted her head ¡°There, there.¡±


    Only noticing my actions when I heard Li gasp behind me.


    The princess was blushing deep red and I wanted to curse myself. ¡°Forgive me, princess. I don¡¯t know what came over me-¡± I attempted to remove my hand only to have it caught by the little girl I was apologizing to.


    Her tiny hands caressed mine for a moment, before letting it go.


    ¡°Th-there is no reason to apologize.¡± She bit her lip and looked up at me with rose cheeks. ¡°Meiling is happy.¡±


    ¡®Well¡­¡­shit.¡¯ I wanted to kick myself


    ¡®Stop encouraging the fangirls, idiot!¡¯


    I was thankfully prevented from further digging my own grave when the announcer called my name.


    ¡°Later!¡± I practically fled from the scene, not caring that Li was laughing at my misfortune.


    I was somewhat surprised that my second bout arrived so quickly after the first one until I discovered that the one after mine had lasted two minutes and the following even less, won by Prince Chen Hui.


    If I won this next bout, I would face the prince in the finals tomorrow.


    For My master¡¯s honor and my own ambition, I wouldn¡¯t let myself lose.


    When I heard the name of my opponent, I couldn¡¯t help but gulp.


    Fa Min, my master¡¯s grandson.


    ¡®Well¡­shit¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t seen any of his bouts, but I was known for using the snake and tiger stances and not using my hands. I still had three more stances to surprise him with, but I was sure that this bout would be the hardest by far.


    The boy was two years older than me and received me with a genial smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m honored to be facing my grandfather¡¯s star student.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m honored to be facing the blood of my master.¡±


    We both bowed in front of the Emperor before making a wushu bow to each other.


    ¡°So, you can use your arms¡± he smiled after our bow, as I again snapped my arms behind my back.


    ¡°Master¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± He adopted the snake style.


    For this match and since I couldn¡¯t use my arms, I decided to capitalize the power of my legs with the crane style.


    Murmurs rose from the public, but I ignored them in favor of focusing on my opponent.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    As fast as a real snake, Min attacked me with his fists and I barely evaded them, countering with a frontal kick directed at the groin. He moved out of the way and the tip of my shoe only grazed his inner thigh.


    ¡°You don¡¯t pull punches, do you?¡± He was smiling and so was I.


    ¡°Do you want me to?¡±


    ¡°Not for your life!¡±


    His next attack was so low that I evaded by jumping, giving him an opening that he capitalized with a punch to the ribs. I was only saved by my faster-than-normal reflexes, kicking his punch away and taking a step back.


    I landed on my two feet with a flourish and took a moment to reassert my breathing, switching to the element of air.


    The speed of my next kick was doubled by the element, and Fa Min blocked it but was sent back a couple of steps. He shook his arms to ease the numbness I knew he was feeling now.


    ¡°Wind breathing, huh? This fight gets more interesting by the second.¡±


    I was sincerely amazed he had read my movements.


    He switched to tiger style and I grimaced on the inside while keeping a poker face on the outside. Still maintaining the flow of air, I evaded his next attacks that came even faster than before.


    Apparently, he too had mastered the element of air.


    Switching styles in between evading usually isn¡¯t a good idea, because the body needs time to readjust, but with my mastery of the earth, the readjustment period was almost non-existent. So, it took him completely by surprise when instead of a crane, the tiger fought a dragon.


    Evading his last punch, he had expected me to try and gain some distance, but instead, I attacked with a headbutt that connected with his upper lip, followed by a shove and a powerful short kick to the stomach.


    The guy grunted and stumbled to his feet only to find the sole of my feet coming in a straight trajectory to his face. He threw his body back to avoid my kick and lost his balance at the edge of the arena falling on his butt on the grass.


    The arena was silent for a second before it exploded in cheers and applause.


    Some were chanting ¡°Fa! Fa!¡± while others went with ¡°Shen! Shen!¡±


    I looked down at my opponent who was grinning like a fool. I extended my hand to him and he took it, so I pulled him up to the arena again.


    ¡°You are something else, Shen Mu.¡±


    ¡°So are you, Fa Min. I haven¡¯t had such an interesting bout in¡­ well, never.¡±


    He laughed out loud ¡°I shall train intensively for our next bout. And I expect you to use your arms and hands in it.¡±


    ¡°It will be my pleasure¡± We bowed to each other before we turned to the emperor.


    The emperor allowed the people to keep applauding and chanting for a whole minute before waving for silence.


    ¡°A most excellent display to both of you, truly befitting of this Imperial Spring Competition. You have my thanks for giving us such a show.¡± He applauded and, with this tiny gesture, the entire arena went crazy.


    We kowtowed to the emperor before leaving the arena. We were walking side by side and, before we were swarmed by the good-wishers, Fa Min whispered something that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear if I hadn¡¯t already mastered Air.


    ¡°Be careful of the Prince, Shen Mu. He has won all bouts due to his royal blood, but he is also an accomplished martial artist. Do not drop your guard.¡±


    He smiled and clapped my shoulder, before going on his own way.


    Outside the tent reserved for the participants, I found a huge throng chanting my name and wanting to ask me a million questions. The furor caused by our fight was so high that not even the presence of Heng Li and his guards dissuaded the people from trying to swarm me.


    Only after I had been slapped in the back so much that my shoulders felt numb and answered enough questions to write an encyclopedia was I free to reunite with my family.


    ¡°Ge-ge how does it feel to be the talk of the town¡­ literally?¡±


    I sighed. We were dining at home since people followed me no matter where we went. We had wanted to dine at the Ying Yi, but it would have been impossible.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather have a quiet dinner with my family.¡± I rotated my shoulders ¡°My back is sore from all the pats on the back I¡¯ve received since the fight.¡±


    My parents chuckled, and because I was in an evil mood I added ¡°I do not envy our parents from this day on.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Zhi hid a smile, probably guessing where I was going with my comment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to imagine the number of marriage proposals they are going to receive from my adoring fans.¡±


    Both went slightly pale and chuckled weakly.


    It was mostly an auto-score, but the only one I could get on both at the same time.


    That night Ling offered to wash my back in the bath and I didn¡¯t refuse, I was so tired that the fact that I had always avoided being in the bath with her to prevent indecent situations, was the last thing on my mind.


    So, I only had myself to blame when I spotted her entering the bathroom¡­ And I wasn¡¯t even wearing a towel.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I was staring, I know. But my mind was trying to process the chain of events that led us there and, of course, when I discovered I was to blame, I quickly averted my eyes and turned, covering my bits with my hands.


    ¡°I-Is something wrong, Master?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡± How could I tell her that having seen her naked was having an effect on me?


    In my flustered state, I completely forgot that in ancient Asia, the rules about nakedness weren¡¯t the same ones I had in the 21st century.


    While she was embarrassed, it wasn¡¯t like she would forget her duties and kill me with the bronze gourd used exclusively for the bath.


    I nearly jumped out of my skin when her hands gently pushed my stronger, taller frame to sit on a stool so she could wash me.


    But when she unceremoniously began washing me, I relaxed.


    ¡°Aah, your hands are magical, Ling.¡± I stated after she had scrubbed my back diligently.


    Surprisingly, I heard her giggle. It was a sound I had never heard coming from her, but it suited her.


    I tensed again when she leaned in to whisper an answer near my ear ¡°they are only for you, master.¡±


    ¡®Come on Mu! You¡¯re older than her! Act your age!¡¯ I totally forgot that I was a 35-year-old soul in a 13-year-old body and that the reactions from the body were sometimes stronger than what my older mind could control.


    ¡°Then perhaps we should do this more often.¡±


    ¡®Did I¡­.?¡¯


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    ¡®Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡¯


    I wanted to kick myself for saying that, but even more, because I had casually turned and seen Ling biting her lip, her eyes full of mischief and longing.


    ¡®Well¡­ shit¡¯


    I think that phrase could easily define my day.

 Chapter 15 - Preparations

    The finals of the martial arts event was different from every other competition, not only because there were hundreds of people watching, but there was sanctioned betting as well.


    I had asked father¡¯s permission to bring Ling with me, which he only acquiesced after my sister pointed out that I would probably need a good massage before the bout.


    The lead servant had gone out of his way to train her in massages before she became my personal maid, which stood to reason now that I was on the receiving end of so many fans. More than once, Zhi and mother had asked me for permission to ask Ling to give them a massage. I had never refused, so she became an important member of the household, so much that my father was planning on taking her with us when we left the Capital.


    Back on the grounds of the Competition, I was surprised when I was welcomed by people chanting my name.


    Clearly, word had gone around about my bout with Fa Min, and more people came to witness the finals. Although those who had witnessed the whole event would be having bittersweet emotions, knowing who I would be facing, but for the time being, they enjoyed themselves in the furor of the event.


    From my tent, I was staring at the people outside and, to my utter surprise, found Bai Fan sitting with an older man (who I suppose was her father) in a pavilion of their own, close to the emperor.


    The emperor sat on his raised chair like every time I had seen him, but unlike before, many of his most trusted advisors and prime ministers were present too.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re not nervous!¡± My sister hissed, taking in the same sight as I did.


    ¡°Who says I¡¯m not nervous, mei-mei?¡± I smiled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t act nervous!¡± she lightly bit her thumb ¡°I would be a mess on the floor. I mean, look at me¡± she showed me her hands and I could see them trembling ¡°I¡¯m like this and I¡¯m not even the one participating!!¡±


    I chuckled lightly and hugged her, giving her some comfort as well as taking some.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry mei-mei, your ge-ge will be fine.¡± She returned the hug, and we remained like that for a moment before she pushed me away. I let her go willingly and my smile widened when I saw her fighting back tears. ¡°Ling.¡±


    Ling came forward with a trembling smile, clearly affected by the environment.


    ¡°Will you please accompany my sister to the family¡¯s pavilion? I need to get ready.¡± I smiled at her, placing my hand on her shoulder, to ease some of her nerves too.


    Ling bowed and silently took my sister away.


    Inside the silent tent, I took a minute to center myself and meditate. I needed to be at my best for this fight. Fa Min had been right. According to Heng Li, his brother was a good fighter, but he also had too much pride. And to make matters worse, I couldn¡¯t touch him.


    My chi would aid me there, but I still had to be very careful about how I handled this fight.


    Using the earth elemental-breathing technique, I settled my nerves and recomposed my breathing, and then proceeded to gather as much Chi as I dared inside my body.


    When I heard my name being called by the imperial announcer a minute later, I was ready.

 Chapter 16 - The Gamble

    I came out of the tent with my hands clasped behind my back. Today was the last day of the ruse, and I was planning on milking it for effect.


    The crowd went berserk when they saw me, but I was simply looking forward. I marched to my starting place and bowed to the emperor and the spectators.


    ¡°The last fight!¡± the announcer began, and the crowd went silent quickly. ¡°Young Master Shen Mu showed us a spectacle that moved even the Emperor himself! His prowess in martial arts at the tender age of thirteen is second to none!¡± The crowd clapped and shouted a chorus of ¡®Shen! Shen!¡¯ that only stopped when the announcer held up his hands.


    ¡°Today is the final day of the martial arts competition, an event that has blown the minds and opened the eyes of many to the possibilities these arts bring those who dedicate their lives to the betterment of the empire!


    ¡°Now! Let us cheer for the other finalists! Come forward, Prince Heng Hui!¡±


    Instead of the deafening cheer I had received, the crowd stood silent for a moment while their minds wrapped around the notion that my opponent is an imperial prince.


    Murmurs of dissent were heard among the polite applause that accompanied the prince as he approached the arena.


    He stood on his side, staring at me with a bored expression.


    ¡°Are you like all the other sissies without pride?¡± he challenged, but I didn¡¯t respond, to which he sneered.


    ¡°Participants, get ready!¡±


    The prince took a neutral stance, I observed him for a second, before unclasping my hands from my back and adopting the style of the tiger.


    The silence in the arena was so deafening that one could have heard a nail falling from a mile away.


    There were many whispers about me, who had dared to face the Prince who all had yielded to. And those who had seen my previous bouts, knew the significance of me using my arms. Suddenly more murmurs arose, about the martial artist that would honor the prince by fighting him with all he had to offer¡­ something nobody had dared before.


    Even the prince looked surprised, but also pleased.


    The announcer let the rumors stir for a few moments before shouting ¡°Begin!¡±


    I focused my chi and was about to take a step forward when a more commanding voice


    interrupted us.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Everyone recognized the voice of the Emperor as he moved forward in his seat. ¡°Shen Mu!¡±


    I changed my pose to kneel in his direction ¡°Yes, your majesty!¡±


    ¡°You do know that touching with the intention to harm any member of the imperial family is a taboo punishable by death, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I do, your highness!¡±


    ¡°And yet, you intend to fight my second-born son?¡±


    ¡°To answer the emperor, it was my intention to honor the Prince by fighting him, yes! With utmost respect, your majesty, a true martial artist can only honor another by fighting for all he¡¯s worth.¡±


    The entire arena was silent before a round of applause and cheers exploded.


    My heart was beating fast in my chest, yet I felt curiously serene.


    The arena went silent again at a gesture from the emperor.


    ¡°I see that you have no intention of backing down from the challenge, or are you?¡±


    ¡°To answer the emperor, with utmost respect, I do not.¡±


    There was a moment of deafening silence.


    ¡°Very well, then you leave me no choice.¡±


    I gulped.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry Master Fa, it seems my words were not enough to move the emperor like you had hoped¡¯ I said a silent goodbye to my family and friends, hoping I would get to meet them again in my next life.


    ¡°Shen Mu! To whom do you belong?¡±


    I was stumped by the question and had to take a moment to understand it. Still, neither my voice nor my heart wavered when I gave my answer.


    ¡°My heart beats for the nation, and my life exists for the empire!¡±


    ¡°And I accept your pledge of fealty and sacrifice.


    ¡°Shen Mu, I hereby name you Honorary Fourth Prince. You shall henceforth be known as Shen Long Mu!¡±


    I kowtowed to the emperor. My pledge had been accepted and I was now free to fight with the second prince.


    The crowd went berserk chanting ¡°Shen Long Mu! Shen Long Mu! Shen Long Mu!¡±.


    ¡®Wait¡­ Did I just become a Dragon Ball character?¡¯

 Chapter 17 - In The Eyes Of...

    (From Bai Fan¡¯s point of view)


    The moment the name of the other competitor was announced I was worried. Shen Mu was an honorable kid with great potential; his last fight with the grandson of the National Treasure, Master Fa He Long was enough to prove that he would get far in life.


    But he was also a mystery.


    Shen Mu was the only male I had ever met that treated me like a valuable person instead of just a pretty face. It was a pity I am not attracted to younger boys because he had proved to be both witty and interesting.


    Beside me, my father sat frowning. Unlike me, he hadn¡¯t seen the boy¡¯s previous fight, but my interest had piqued his and he had decided to accompany me to the finals.


    I waited with bated breath at the interaction between Shen Mu and the Emperor and was both surprised and elated when he was pronounced Fourth Prince! While honorary, that would give him the liberty to show his true talent, something I was keenly interested in seeing.


    I had planned to use him as an inspiration for a character in a story I was secretly writing and had decided that I would like to have some of his input in it.


    When the imperial announcer called for order again, I berated myself for spacing out and waited in rapt attention for the match to begin.


    -----


    (From Heng Li¡¯s point of view)


    I was happy for my friend and incredibly excited because I would finally see him fight for real.


    Having practiced with him for years, I thought I knew him better than anyone, but finding out he had already passed a second Heavenly Tribulation was an eye-opener. It had never occurred to me that anyone could do that while still underage.


    I took a calming breath when Meiling¡¯s hand landed on top of mine. Ever since yesterday¡¯s bout, she had been somewhat subdued, but now that I really saw her, I discovered how affected she had been by the possibility of Shen Mu breaking the taboo.


    When father named him honorary prince, my heart soared. I could now openly call Shen Mu- no Shen Long Mu, a brother like I had always wanted. My sister, however, was openly weeping.


    ¡°What is it Meiling?¡±


    ¡°Shen Mu is now my ge-ge too¡­ I had wanted to-¡±


    Ah, yes. Meiling liked Shen Mu. She had asked her mother and father to marry her to him, but now that he was a prince, her wish would never come true.


    My mother interrupted us by patting me on the head. ¡°It is only honorary¡± she explained. ¡°If the emperor deems you compatible, he can still match the two of you.¡±


    To my utmost surprise, Meiling kowtowed to father, thanking him for the opportunity, and bowing to be further deserving of his grace.


    ¡°Let us enjoy the bout..¡± father said, calling everyone to order as the two competitors resumed their places.

 Chapter 18 - The Final

    ¡°Ready, Mu-Di?¡± The second prince asked with a confident smile.


    ¡°Um. This brother is ready to win against Hui-ge¡± I answered in kind and his smile broadened.


    ¡°We shall see.¡±


    ¡°Participants, resume your places!¡±


    Heng Hui adopted the snake style, while I resumed my tiger starting position.


    Free from the reins of propriety, I breathed in and gathered Chi around my person.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    The instant the call was made, both the prince and I launched simultaneous attacks. He with a double fist strike, while I released the chi from the palm of my hand with a shout, air following it and causing a gale of wind that lifted him off his feet and pushed him backwards.


    He was too accomplished of a fighter to lose from one move, no matter how surprising it was, and he landed on his feet a step away from the edge of the arena.


    He stood rooted to the spot, watching me with wide eyes, as did the rest of the audience but for those in my family¡¯s and the emperor¡¯s pavilions.


    However, I hadn¡¯t stopped moving, gathering chi for another strike that the prince weathered thanks to his earth-breathing.


    ¡°Wind huh? Let''s see you move the earth with your breeze!¡±


    He switched to Leopard style and attacked with a ferocity and precision that had me on the defensive for a few strikes. While I moved, however, I continued gathering chi and capitalized on it when I switched styles mid-step. Landing a punch to the solar plexus with the surety and strength of the earth element. He gasped and cradled his stomach with a hand in time to receive a short punch to the shoulder. It had been aimed for his chest, but the prince was able to mostly twist out of the way despite the pain.


    This time I gave him time to catch his breath.


    ¡°Air¡­ and Earth.¡± He gasped ¡°to master opposite elements¡­ you truly are a worthy opponent for this Prince.¡±


    I nodded my thanks, but I wasn¡¯t finished. During the previous days, I had been working hard to master my two opposing elements to the point where I didn¡¯t need to switch from one to use the other as most did.


    Adopting the crane style, my soles grazed the stone platform under them finding purchase in the earth beneath.


    ¡°Earth and Air aren¡¯t opposites.¡± I educated him while shifting from one form to another that flowed continuously like tai-chi. ¡°They are unlikely brothers that will work only for those who recognize their likeness.¡± I hit the floor with a foot and a stone jumped from the earth, floating in the air thanks to the currents surrounding me. I hit the stone with my chi-charged fist, and it flew like a bullet toward the prince who had the sensibility to move out of the way.


    The stone ended up embedded in the wall that surrounded the stage.


    (From Heng Hui¡¯s POV)


    Hen Hui paled as he stared for an instant at the stone that had flown out of the earth at the boy¡¯s silent command.


    When he looked back, a dozen stones of different sizes were floating around his opponent.


    ¡°Ready yourself, brother. I¡¯m coming.¡± Shen Long Mu glared at him and he could swear that his eyes were shining.


    The following moments were excruciating for the Second Prince.


    Every move of Shen¡¯s Arms and legs corresponded in pain for him. He hadn¡¯t landed a single full blow since before he began using the Evolved Elemental Form, but the grazes and scratches he had received were beginning to throb, bothering him like crazy.


    Every time he had tried to attack, his fists and legs met with the stones floating around his opponent that appeared to be movable until he hit them.


    Hui could do nothing but respect the small child that wielded a power he had only heard of in legends. Even if he had traversed the first Heavenly Tribulation to earn his mastery, he had never thought to continue, because his experience with the Elemental force of Earth had been the scariest event he had ever witnessed¡­ until now.


    Yet this boy had surpassed a second Tribulation, and he had already mastered the evolved forms of both his elements.


    Indeed, the Fourth Prince was a genius among geniuses.


    Right then Heng Hui felt a relief he had never known, in the knowledge that there was now another stronger than himself tied to the imperial family.


    In the end, it took the Second Prince five minutes to tire himself out, while Shen Mu was barely breathing hard.


    ¡°I yield,¡± Heng Hui said, lifting both his hands.


    There was a lull in the mood of the crowd as they saw the Second prince yield to the younger yet obviously stronger opponent.


    There was no dishonor in recognizing the strength before him, none in the crowd save for a few exceptions would have done any better, and it was truly an achievement for him to have lasted so long.


    ¡°Winner, Shen Long Mu!¡±


    --------------


    I relaxed my breathing and slowly released the chi holding the stones in the air. One by one, they fell to the ground and the wind around me calmed until my chi was back to its normal state.


    Only then did I notice the crowd chanting my full name.


    I scratched the back of my head, while inside I was giddy with excitement.


    ¡®It feels so nice to be recognized.¡¯


    I approached the Second Prince, who sat on the ground while the imperial physicians looked after his wounds.


    Hearing my steps, he looked up. It was clear that he was spent but happy.


    To the absolute surprise of everyone watching the scene, I kowtowed to him.


    ¡°This servant thanks the Prince for this match.¡±


    ¡°Raise your head, you imbecile.¡± he was smiling despite his tone ¡°I should be the one thanking you. It is the first time in my life I have been so thoroughly defeated.¡± He bowed his head ¡°Thank you for giving your best in this fight.¡±


    ¡°The Prince honors this servant with his words and fighting spirit.¡±


    The older boy chuckled. ¡°Go and get congratulated by my father.¡±


    I bowed again and left him in the hands of the physicians.


    I crossed the arena and knelt in front of the emperor¡¯s pavilion.


    ¡°Shen Long Mu¡± the emperor began, and the crowd fell silent, wishing to hear his speech. ¡°You are indeed an honor to this great nation. I thank you for your participation today.¡±


    I was beyond words when the emperor himself offered me a small bow.


    After thanking the emperor for his words, bowing to him and the public, I left the arena in a daze with people still chanting my name.


    The day before, I had been swarmed by people before my friends and family could get there. But today, I had a whole tent to myself, where my family waited for me.


    ¡°Congratulations ge-ge!¡± Zhi grabbed my hands while she jumped in joy ¡°It was amazing!¡± beside her, my two younger brothers too were singing praises that made me laugh.


    I hugged Zhi and patted the heads of the young ones before walking to my parents and offering them a pronounced bow ¡°Father, Mother, thank you for giving life to this Shen Mu, and for granting me the opportunity to win honor for the family.¡±


    Mother was openly crying, and father gulped to bring his emotions in order before they too hugged me. Which soon became a group hug when my siblings joined in the effort of surrounding and smothering me with their feelings.


    We remained together inside the tent for a couple more minutes, until a loud clap came from outside.


    I blinked. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The Third Prince and princess request an audience with the Fourth Prince¡± answered the voice of the captain of Heng Li¡¯s guard.


    I blinked and looked at my sister, mouthing ¡®That sounds so strange!¡¯ making her giggle.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The tent flap opened and Heng Li and his sister came in, bowing politely at me. Me and my family bowed back.


    My parents took one look at the youngsters and excused themselves, stating that they could catch us at the Ying Yi for dinner.


    Heng Li passed one arm over my shoulders ¡°So you¡¯re a prince, now huh?¡±


    I nodded ¡°Which means I can now officially slap you over the head when you get cheeky with me.¡± We laughed together.


    ¡°What you did today¡± he shook his head ¡°can you teach me?¡±


    ¡°I can only show you the way, you will have to walk the path on your own.¡± I smiled cheekily ¡°Yet, Hui-ge is past the first Tribulation, I¡¯m sure you can too, in time.¡±


    ¡°Father has already tasked the servants to prepare a wing for you at the palace, so we won¡¯t have to hide anymore.¡±


    ¡°That should be fun¡­ although I will have to juggle my time between my blood family and the imperial family.¡±


    Suddenly, we were interrupted by Zhi coughing. We both blinked and turned to her, who was standing at Meiling¡¯s side.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Heng Li grinned and took a step away from me.


    I looked at him as if he were crazy but returned my attention to both girls when my sister coughed again.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°This princess would like to congratulate Mu-ge, can she?¡± I stared at her, not really understanding what she meant. But Zhi, who stood behind the princess, urged me to accept.


    ¡°Umm¡­ yes?¡±


    I found myself being hugged by a small trembling princess. My arms instinctively circled her shoulders, while I looked at my sister and adoptive brother in shock.


    ¡°We shall give the two of you some privacy.¡±


    ¡®Traitors!¡¯ I mouthed while glaring at them.


    And they had the nerve to laugh in my face.


    The four of us left the tent together a couple of minutes later to be greeted by a wall of sound caused by the many fans I had gained in the few days of the competition.


    The celebration broke earlier than usual when Meiling caught me snoozing off while seated. The final fight had taken its toll on me, and the delicious food afterwards made me drowsy.


    Still, I had enough presence of mind to accompany my adoptive brothers back to the palace.


    When I reached home, Ling had my bath ready and unceremoniously proceeded to bathe me, whether I wanted her to or not.


    Truth be told, if left to my own devices, I would have probably fallen asleep on the tub.


    Probably.


    I was out like a light as soon as my head touched the pillow.

 Chapter 19 - The End Of The Spring Competition

    The sixth day of the Spring Competition was rather anticlimactic for me.


    After winning the martial arts event, standing on a horse and shooting targets felt rather inane. Even if the horse was moving.


    Unfortunately for the rest of the competitors, the Air Element prevented even one of my arrows from missing the target.


    Still, for the sake of propriety, I led the horse in the race and shot expertly.


    After I was pronounced the winner of the event, I was led to the Emperor and knelt in front of him like before.


    ¡°After this, the title is a foregone conclusion, Shen Long Mu.¡±


    I nodded, not daring to speak, still in a daze from the day before where the emperor bowed to me.


    ¡°Yet, seeing as you are a Prince now and have unimpeded access to the Imperial library, granting one such prize to the Champion of the competitions seems like a waste, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°This servant agrees with his majesty.¡±


    The man nodded thoughtfully ¡°Very well, we shall seek a prize befitting of the new prince.¡±


    ¡°This servant does not deserve such consideration, but equally thanks his majesty.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    I was dismissed after that, and I wandered to watch the rest of the events, receiving praise from many bystanders.


    On the outside, I smiled and waved and answered questions, but inside I felt strangely numb.


    I wanted to speak to Master Fa about it, but first I had to fulfill a promise.


    I wandered to the place where the poetry competition was being held and, sure enough, I found Bai Fan. Her beauty and grace put her on another level against the rest of the competitors, which was further accentuated by the wide berth everyone gave her.


    Yet behind her mask of indifference, I saw a tinge of loneliness.


    This girl was like me, a gem surrounded by stones.


    I crossed the space separating us to the surprise of everyone in the public and the judges, and without ceremony, sat in front of her.


    At first, she didn¡¯t recognize me, concentrated as she was in her poem, but after a moment of noticing a new blur in her peripheral vision, she turned, and our eyes met.


    I smiled and she gaped.


    ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± she hissed, glaring at me.


    ¡°I promised to come to see you¡­ but that¡¯s too far¡± I pointed at the line of people we were not supposed to cross and the two stumped guards that were looking at me as if they didn¡¯t dare believe their own eyes.


    ¡°I- You-¡± she opened and closed her mouth several times before snapping it closed at my teasing smile. ¡°Thank you for visiting, Honorary Fourth Prince Shen Long Mu¡± she used my whole honorific to get a rise out of me. ¡°You can leave now.¡±


    I smiled insolently and took the parchment from her hands, which left her spluttering impotently again. I felt her glare on my face, which intensified until I handed her paper back.


    ¡°It¡¯s good. Again, you show promise, my lady.¡± I stood and winked at her. ¡°I shall impatiently await your results.¡±


    Rising to my feet, I turned around and waved at some of the other competitors.


    It might have been evil of me, but I liked it when my friends won.


    My appearance had rendered the desired effect. While I hadn¡¯t broken any rules, nor even bent them, I had successfully boycotted the event. Bai Fan won by a wide margin when her poem, titled ¡®small nuisances¡¯ made everyone in the public smile and laugh.


    Even me, despite knowing that the poem was a white-gloved insult to myself.


    While Bai Fan went to receive her prize at the hands of the emperor, I made it my penance to approach every other competitor and ask them about themselves and their motivations.


    Most of them were girls, which didn''t help my disposition much, but it was a penance, so I endured.


    I left that day with many more names to add to my growing list of ¡®people I must remember¡¯, and quite a few extra friends and fangirls.


    But most importantly, I had left behind my apathy. All thanks to a friend in need.


    ---------


    Soon enough, all events were finished, and every participant had been asked to gather in front of the Imperial pavilion.


    The imperial envoy thanked us for our participation and efforts and assured us that we had all gained honor for our families.


    ¡°Now, I will give the name of the Champion of the Spring Competition. When I name you, come forward to receive your prize.¡±


    I turned sideways and found Bai Fan trying to bite back a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± I whispered, but she shook her head and rolled her eyes without a word.


    ¡°Shen Long Mu!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I stepped forward amidst a reverent silence. As I reached the indicated spot, I knelt with my head down.


    ¡°Honorary Prince Shen Long Mu¡± I could hear the amusement in the Emperor¡¯s tone before he sighed. ¡°Not a day as a prince and you have already caused problems for my envoys.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s truly worthy of the title, then.¡± The Empress intervened and I could hear laughter coming from inside the pavilion.


    ¡°Raise your head.¡± She commanded me and I did as was told.


    ¡°You are a rare breed, Shen Long Mu.¡± The Emperor was smiling ¡°And too valuable gem to remain unpolished.


    ¡°I shall then grant your initial request: unimpeded access to the Imperial Library, so long as you are worthy of your name. Also, I grant you the title Duke of the Yan Province and, in this day, your Royal Family will send you off with 2000 gold teals, 2000 silver plates, 2000 water pearls, 2000 rolls of silk of your choosing, and the promise of a princess¡¯s hand in marriage once you reach 18 years of age.¡±


    Everyone was stunned. Never had an emperor shown such grace to a man outside his family. Not counting the dukedom, the amount of money and gems given were even higher than the current Empress¡¯s own bridal gift.


    Yet, in the faces of the imperial family (save for the first concubine and the empress who had not given birth to females), I could only see smiles.


    ¡®It¡¯s a two-sided blade¡¯ I reasoned. ¡®I am a prince now, but if I lose their favor, I will lose everything.¡¯


    I wanted to cry.


    Yes, it was a great honor to belong to the imperial family and to have titles and everything. But it also truncated my freedom. All I had wanted was time to dedicate to my cultivation and novels; but now, I was sure that I was going to get involved in the politics of the country.


    I should have spoken to Master Fa before the ceremony.


    ¡°Shen Long Mu, what¡¯s your answer to the Emperor?¡± The Imperial envoy demanded after I had remained in silence for over a minute.


    Without the benefit of time to think about it, I coughed ¡°To answer the Emperor, this subject is not sure he deserves to receive such honor from the imperial family.¡±


    The Empress giggled softly ¡°Remember the Fourth Prince is but thirteen, my love. Speaking of marriage at such an age¡­ surely you wish to laugh at his expense?¡±


    ¡°Um¡± the Emperor nodded. He had wanted to close the deal before the boy had a chance to think about it. If Sheng Long Mu became engaged to one of his daughters, he would be forever indebted to the imperial family and fight to protect the country at any cost. But what his wife said was sadly true. It was too much for one so young. ¡°Very well, you shall keep the title and riches. We shall speak of marriage until you have grown older.¡±


    Still, one ¡®grace¡¯ removed from his shoulders was good.


    At the very least, I would be able to choose who to marry¡­ if ever.


    I looked up at the face of the emperor, gauging how much I could haggle without becoming a nuisance. The man¡¯s face was unreadable, but he appeared bothered, so I sighed and gave in.


    ¡°This subject humbly accepts his majesty¡¯s gifts.¡±


    Everyone applauded and many began to chant his name again, but inside, Mu wanted to cry at the loss of his freedom.

 Chapter 20 - Plum Blossoms

    That same day, after returning home, he walked away from everyone and wandered the grounds until he reached the spot where he had once met a girl who had confused him with a servant.


    He looked up at the sky and silently stared at the moon.


    A light set of steps interrupted his musings.


    The person didn¡¯t say a thing, she just stood beside him and stared at the moon as well. After a moment, her hand found his and they stared together.


    For some reason, her sole presence made him feel better.


    ¡°There¡¯s still some hope, right?¡± he asked


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Master Fa said that cultivators will always find themselves involved in politics and that I should treat it as another Heavenly Tribulation.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Or I can just weather the remaining 31 tribulations and become an Empyrean, at which point the matters of the earthly realm are unlikely to concern me.¡±


    The smell of plum blossoms assaulted his senses, making him turn, only to find that he was alone in the courtyard.

 Chapter 21 - 2nd Arc: Rebirth Of Shen Long Mu

    Five years have passed since I won my first Imperial Spring Competition and was awarded the title of Duke of the Yan province, and Honorary Fourth Prince.


    Life was a little more complicated than when I was a kid. At 17 I must oversee my father¡¯s work since I now out-rank him; I also have my own rooms within the Imperial Palace (which I avoid using as much as I can because a meddlesome Princess always finds a way to intrude in my study time). I must also dedicate time to my own cultivation, but moving to the next level is getting harder and harder with every new Tribulation. However, I silently persevered, now that Master Fa is officially retired. This also made me the de-facto leader of the Fa school of martial arts, despite him having a descendant.


    In other news, ever since I underwent my fifth Heavenly Tribulation, I have been able to peer into the souls of people.


    Creepy, believe me.


    At first, I would get glimpses of events related to people close to me.


    Master Fa was most surprised when I began talking about a ¡®dream¡¯ I saw during one of my meditations. In it, I witnessed the marriage of a girl whose name was Fa Su Lan.


    I regretted asking if he knew her.


    Of course, he knew her! It had been his only daughter who died in a tragic accident 5 years prior alongside her husband, leaving Min¡¯s mei-mei an orphan until the old man took her home with him.


    That was the beginning of my harrowing experience of ¡®remembering¡¯. I tried meditating the next day and, instead of Fa Su Lan, I witnessed Master Fa¡¯s harsh infancy.


    I avoided meditating in his presence after that.


    He, of course, understood my reticence once I came clean about the cause.


    This then led us to another complication: Meditating in solitude isn¡¯t hard when you¡¯re Buddha, but for me who is constantly surrounded by people in whatever household I reside at, is nearly impossible.


    But like with everything, with practice I was able to ¡®mostly¡¯ (can you hear the quotation marks?) block the visions. It wasn¡¯t until I survived my sixth Heavenly Tribulation that I gained the ability to forgo these visions of past occurrences to, instead watch my consciousness leave my body.


    I had thought myself free of the problematic visions until I noticed something curious about the people surrounding me. I would sometimes catch a glimpse of some form of light or color coming from them, but it would be gone after I blinked. The more I meditated, the more often it happened, and the longer it lasted.


    Master Fa had, of course, explained the different manifestations of Chi. The force and energy of the universe. For those individuals who are sensible enough, Chi can be perceived either as a bright-colored halo (or aura) or as sound.


    Therefore, it came to me that I was watching the manifestation of their Chi. If there was a disease, I saw it reflected on their aura with a darker color; if they were angry, it would be red; blue if they were sad, depressed or melancholic.


    I was understandably impressed by this development and thus dedicated myself to learn about channeling and Chi medicine.


    It took me two years to figure out that the more I knew, the more I could focus and understand what I was seeing.


    It was also at this time that Fa Min and I crossed paths again.


    His grandfather had retired -the excuse he had used to not live with me at the Palace, not that I blamed him, with the amount of drama I witness every day!- a few months prior, and had tasked his grandson to invite me for his 107th birthday.


    Being the honorable student that I was (and not because I wanted to escape the Imperial Palace, mind you), I immediately rode to the Yan province with Min to inform my parents of the event.


    They were pleased that I was going and asked that I congratulate him in their stead, for my mother had just recently given birth to my newest sister Shen Dongmei. Ever since Zhi Rou had become engaged with Heng Li, Mother had expressed the desire to have another daughter that would help her when she was older and, apparently, the heavens had listened to her pleas.


    Zhi, like me, spent at least one season a year in the Imperial Palace, usually living in the same wing that the emperor had designated for me and my ¡°eventual family¡± (I knew he wanted me to marry Meiling, but I was loath to chain myself to any more of his whims¡­ or hers, for that matter).


    My father¡¯s estate wasn¡¯t directly on our way to Liang Province, but I wanted to take the chance to see the family, and Min humored me after witnessing how stressed I was from living in the Palace.


    The day after we arrived at my parent¡¯s home, my father commissioned a ship to take us through the Ji River to make up for lost time¡­ and so that we could stay a bit longer.


    Two days later, we parted. Ling accompanied us because, over the years, Master Fa had grown quite fond of her. And to be perfectly truthful¡­ so had I.


    ¡°We¡¯re on schedule¡± Min said smiling once we were on board the ship. ¡°At this speed, we will make it to Jin port by night.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Fa Min said after a moment of silence, watching Ling and me. ¡°You really didn¡¯t like being in¡­ that place, did you?¡±


    I had asked to not name the imperial palace when outside if possible. To prevent bad mouthing the hand that fed us.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m staying for the books, but I can¡¯t stand the people.¡±


    He laughed, ¡°Since when did you become a hermit?¡±


    ¡°The moment I got dragged into their drama. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I see Li-di as my brother, and Hui-ge and I have a tense yet cordial relationship, but Mei-¡± I grimaced ¡°I sincerely don¡¯t know why she keeps pursuing me.¡±


    ¡°I think Master is a great man, worth pursuing.¡± Ling added her two cents with a tender smile.


    I sighed and patted her head. ¡°Even if you only say that to make me feel better, I appreciate it, Ling.¡±


    I heard Min snort and turned to him with a raised eyebrow, but all he did was laugh harder.

 Chapter 22 - Bed And Breakfast

    The further we got from the palace, the merrier my humor became. When we finally reached Jin Port that night, I was practically skipping. We led the horses to an inn and asked for three rooms and food for the night and morning.


    Or we would have if a messenger hadn¡¯t arrived when we were talking to the innkeeper. He fell to one knee and saluted us with great reverence.


    ¡°Esteemed Honorary Prince Shen Long Mu! This soldier was sent by his lord to invite you to dine with his family.¡±


    I blinked and stared. Having practically lived in the imperial library for the past four months, I had completely forgotten I was a public figure. Around me, everyone but my party kowtowed to me.


    I gazed at Fa min who shrugged.


    ¡°Very well, lead us to your lord¡¯s place.¡± I turned to the innkeeper with an apologetic smile, only to remember that they were all on their knees. ¡°Please rise. I too am a mere servant of the Empire.¡± It was unlikely that they¡¯d treat me normally now, but I had to try at the very least.


    They did rise but didn¡¯t dare look directly at me. In the end, I shrugged and left with the messenger. Outside was a party of eight soldiers. I pointed at our horses and immediately two of them ran to retrieve them.


    We were led through the main street and I could see people whispering on the streets. It was unlikely that they had recognized me, but I knew that in small towns like these, news spread fast.


    The Lord¡¯s house wasn¡¯t as grand as the Shen residence, but it still was in much better shape than most of the constructions we had seen on our way there.


    ¡°Good evening, Honorary Prince Shen Long Mu!¡± The master of the house knelt and bowed low, while the rest of the household touched the floor with their foreheads. ¡°This servant¡¯s name is Wen Shi, and I am the Lord of the house. We are honored you have decided to spend the night with us. Me, my family, and my men are at your disposal.¡±


    Most of the people I could see were women, so I could pretty much see where this was going. It was no secret that I held the favor of the emperor¡­ and that I was still single.


    ¡°In the name of the Yan Province, this Duke thanks the Wen family for their hospitality.¡± The man blinked in confusion. Of course, he did, most people overlooked my other title, centering on the ¡®Prince¡¯ part. What they didn¡¯t know was that my title as the prince came with strings attached. If I wanted to keep it, I had to marry a princess and the only one in this country was Meiling, who I didn¡¯t fancy whatsoever. Not that she wasn¡¯t easy on the eyes, but she was clingy and conceited, something I didn¡¯t want in my life if I could help it.


    I was secretly hoping that the empress would get pregnant with a girl¡­ and now that I think about it, I think she is too.


    On top of that, if I ever became a full prince, I would then be a part of the competition for the throne. Just watching Heng Li and Heng Shuo glare at each other during meals was enough to make me decide against participating. I would prefer if Heng Li became Emperor. Friends in high places and all that, but I wasn¡¯t really interested in the whole matter.


    A long session of introductions followed our admittance to the household. I introduced Fa Min as my master¡¯s grandson and Xiao Ling as my personal maid.


    Many of the girls in the room had been not-so-secretly glaring at her during the introductions. After all, they were mostly wearing wool or cotton hanfus, where every piece of clothing Ling wore was made of the best silk. If she were to use a bit more makeup, she would make a fine princess¡­ but then, she would probably end up looking like a half-melted clown after a day of following me everywhere.


    The dinner was simple but delicious and when we retired to sleep, Wen even offered the master bedroom to me. I accepted with reticence, and only after Min and Ling had been given the rooms around mine.


    I felt restless after dinner, so I sat in meditation with the lights off.


    That was the reason I was able to hear the interaction between three of the five Wen siblings.


    ¡°Can you believe it? A Prince!¡±


    ¡°We know, Ping!¡± the girl sighed ¡°do you think that he... has done that with his maid?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they have. For what other purpose can a man want a female servant?¡±


    ¡®Ah, dearest Ling, how little do they know. While sex with a beautiful girl like you wouldn¡¯t be displeasing, these girls know very little of the pleasures you can provide with your hands, and the sound mind you have over your shoulders.¡¯


    ¡°What I wouldn¡¯t give for a piece of that. I mean, have you seen his arms?¡±


    ¡°How couldn¡¯t I? I sat at his side for the whole evening! Even after traveling in a fishing boat, he still smelled delicious.¡±


    They giggled before another voice joined, making them lower their voices.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard he can read a person¡¯s thoughts just by being close to them. So, you better not be thinking something naughty, lest the Prince finds out.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind him finding out about my thoughts, I bet he¡¯d even ask me to act on them!¡±


    ¡°Ping!!!¡±


    ¡°Eww! Do you have to be so graphic?¡±


    I shook my head and was about to retire when they said something that caught my attention ¡°Do you think any of them suspect¡­¡±


    ¡°Impossible! I was told the cook was very careful. And it¡¯s supposed to act slowly. Tomorrow morning, all they¡¯ll know is that they feel weak, but after a couple of days¡­¡±


    ¡®Wha-?!¡¯


    I almost panicked and returned to my meditation, searching for any change in my Chi or body chemistry, and surely there it was...


    ¡®I¡¯ve been poisoned¡¯ I had confirmed it, but my mind refused to believe it. ¡®WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD POISON A PRINCE IN THEIR OWN HOUSE?!? ARE THEY STUPID?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t identify the poison, but seeing where it accumulated, I deduced it had to do with the lungs.


    I was angry.


    No.


    I was pissed.


    With a burst of chi, I cleansed my body and was about to rise and massacre the family, when a thought occurred to me.


    ¡®Who in their right mind would poison someone in their own house?¡¯ There were only two kinds of people: a fool and a scapegoat.


    And while I had begun hating them with a passion, I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that it was likely that another player with higher stakes was trying to get rid of me.


    The problem was that I didn¡¯t know who.

 Chapter 23 - Nightly Adventures

    (The following chapter contains scenes not for children. If content of this kind offends you, please skip the chapter after the Prince carries Ling to his bedroom.)


    I waited until the house went completely quiet before standing up and walking to the door.


    I couldn¡¯t feel anyone¡¯s presence, but that didn¡¯t mean there could be anyone keeping watch beyond the limit of my perception. I remained unmoving for a full minute, concentrating on my senses until I could pinpoint every single guard and servant on the grounds. I took my time to learn their patterns, and when I was sure that I wouldn¡¯t be caught, I cautiously stepped outside the room. Opening and closing the door in complete silence.


    I went first to see Fa Min, who was snoring loudly. I knelt beside his bed while I entered the meditative state I had used to perceive the poison. Once I felt ready, I transferred my awareness to Min¡¯s body, and sure enough, found the same substance polluting his Chi.


    I frowned and, with a burst of chi, erased the substance from his system.


    While I had done everything in complete silence, I hadn¡¯t taken in account the fact that Min was an accomplished Martial artist of his own, and he of course felt a strange and powerful presence meddling with his energy.


    The moment I opened my eyes, a kick was already on its way to my face.


    I reacted with inhuman speed and stopped his kick with a hand while I placed a single finger over his lips.


    ¡°Peace, Fa Min. Sorry to wake you.¡±


    ¡°Shen Mu?¡± He sounded slightly groggy, but I knew better than to believe it. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see if you were all right. I will tell you more tomorrow.¡±


    He accepted my reasoning and went back to sleep.


    Meanwhile, I repeated the process of memorizing the guard¡¯s movements before leaving my friend¡¯s room to go to Ling¡¯s bedchamber.


    Her room was smaller, but it was also closer to mine so that all I had to do was return to my room and use the inner door to get to hers.


    She was turning on her sleep, and there was sweat on her brow.


    Had they placed more poison in her food?


    I concentrated on my meditation and then entered her body with my perception. I was both relieved and horrified. She had been given another substance on top of the poison, but since she was smaller and her constitution wasn¡¯t forged by years of hard training, the poison was doing more damage.


    Blood boiled on my veins, but I forced myself to remain calm and tend to her needs before seeking revenge.


    Gently but meticulously, I cleansed her body of the poison, but the other substance had already been assimilated and would have to be purged in a physical way.


    Hearing her moaning brought me to my senses and gave me the clue I needed to figure out what had been the other substance.


    ¡®They wouldn¡¯t have given her an aphrodisiac if they weren¡¯t planning on taking advantage of its effects¡­¡¯ I reasoned. Meaning that at some point during the night, someone would come into her room to ¡®take care¡¯ of the issue. The thought that anyone would take advantage of my Ling nearly broke my will to wait and learn more about the culprits.


    Ling was panting, tossing and turning on the bed, and letting out sensuous moans that tore at my heart and made a certain part of my anatomy incredibly hard.


    ¡°Ling¡± I whispered, wiping the sweat on her forehead with my hand. She moaned louder at the contact.


    I wasn¡¯t going to leave her at the mercy of whomever. Carefully, I lifted her from the bed and carried her princess style to my own bed and, in the drug-induced fever, her arm circled my neck, and her lips began sucking on it, making it very hard for me to not want her too. But before I did anything, I had to make sure we were secure.


    I called on the six elements to create an alarm and spiritual barrier around my room. Now I would be aware of everything and everyone that got closer than three feet from the door. Besides, I had locked the door after coming back in, so they would have to come through Ling¡¯s chambers.


    Her hands moved feverishly over my clothes, looking for purchase so that she could remove them, while her lips kissed the full length of my neck.


    ¡°Ling¡± I bit my lip, trying to concentrate on the finishing touches of our protection, but she was making it very hard for me.


    One of her hands found her way under my shirt and she pulled me toward her with a strength born of desperation


    ¡°Mmm!¡± she moaned into my neck ¡°Master, you taste delicious.¡±


    Was this another effect of the drug or was she truly seeing me?


    Ignoring her wasn¡¯t helping, so I tried distracting her instead.


    Placing a hand behind her neck, I pulled her lips to mine and drowned her moans in my mouth.


    She kissed me hungrily but inexpertly. Not that my current body had any experience, but the soul inside had had his fun in a society where sex was easier than love.


    I lost myself in her sensuous lips, while our hands roamed freely. My free one uncovered the crown of her perky breasts and played with them, making her moan harder while her expert hands made quick work of the clothes she had helped to put on me that morning and, by the time we stopped to breathe, she had complete access to my front.


    Her calloused yet soft hands took hold of my lower self, and its heat cleared the cloud thrown over her mind by the drug for a moment.


    ¡°M-Master? Am-am I dreaming again?¡±


    Her mermaid voice was full of longing and pain. And I cursed the enemies that had caused her this suffering.


    I knelt beside her to undress her and took a sweet moment to gaze longingly at the body that had given me many wet dreams over the years. I would have liked to love her properly at our own pace, but I feared the after-effects of the drug. And I knew only one way of removing it.


    Cursing my lack of knowledge, I laid beside her. Pulling her into my arms, to where she came willingly. I kissed and sucked at her neck, shoulders, and breasts while my hand caressed her flat abdomen, her soft pubes and finally came to rest over her mound which was overflowing with fluid and hotter than what I ever thought possible.


    She moaned louder, and her hips moved on their own accord against my hand.


    ¡°M-Master, please¡­!¡±


    ¡°Ling,¡± I whispered into her lips. Her heat was affecting me, and things were no longer absolutely clear. ¡°You have no idea how much I¡¯ve wanted you.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± she moaned, biting her lip when my hand uncovered the little bud of nerves hidden within her folds. ¡°Want me more, master. Want me as I want you.¡±


    Her hands were feverishly pumping me, and her breath came out as elaborated gasps while I caressed and explored her folds and clitoris. Her nerves were made so sensitive by the drug that I feared hurting her if I was too forceful or repetitive, but her own hips were humping my hand like an animal until her whole body spasmed and I had to drown her delicious moan with my mouth before she woke the whole household.


    When she came down from her orgasm, I thought she would be more herself, but my estimation on the effect of the drug was inaccurate. As soon as she came down from her orgasm, she assaulted me with her lips, hands and body.


    With a strength that defied her lithe frame, she pulled me on top of her, anchoring her legs around my waist. ¡°Master!¡± she moaned, sucking at my neck and lightly biting my chin ¡°I want you.¡±


    Even if I had the presence of mind to refuse her, the way her body fit underneath me and the way her eyes shone proved too much. I doubted anyone but Buddha himself would have been able to resist her in our current situation.


    I kissed her while I tossed away my remaining clothes and began teasing her folds with my member. I didn¡¯t know if she was a virgin or not, but I refused to take her like an animal.


    She bit her lip watching me mount her. ¡°Yes, make me yours Master.¡±


    I pushed inside her little by little, loving how incredibly wet and tight her canal was until I reached a certain obstacle, which made me stop altogether.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t¡¯ stop.¡± She begged, moving her hips and trying to impale herself on me ¡°Claim me.¡±


    I offered a silent prayer to the heavens, asking forgiveness for having to take her purity in such a manner. Ling deserved to be loved, not taken in the heat of the moment.


    Yet I was weak against her.


    I couldn¡¯t refuse my own desires any longer.


    I took a deep breath and, in one swift motion, pushed myself all the way inside her.


    I smothered her cry full of pain and longing with my mouth and remained still until her body adjusted to the intrusion.


    I was hoping that the pain would jump-start her brain but, again, I was wrong. And her hips began moving on me before her mind could process the information.


    I began to slowly move in and out of her, relishing the sweet friction of our bodies. But, while the soul might have been experienced, this body was not. I was just shy of 17 and I had been dreaming of doing this for years. Therefore, when her hands clawed at my back and her mouth pronounced my name for the first time at the peak of her own ecstasy, I was overwhelmed and poured my essence into the deepest recess of her womb.


    Her second orgasm calmed her some more, but she still seemed to want more, and I could only thank the heavens that my body was that of a young man, able to keep up with her pace.


    It was very late in the night when Ling¡¯s breathing finally calmed, and she fell asleep inside my embrace. I felt sore, tired and sated in my own way, but I refused to let sleep claim me. Instead, I meditated and used some of my Chi to finalize the barrier around us and to revitalize me.


    I would need energy in the morning.

 Chapter 24 - Amusing Awakening

    Ling¡¯s reaction to her position in my bed the following morning was both amusing and worrying.


    When her breathing pattern changed, she felt my warmth and snuggled closer. And I pushed one of her rebellious bangs behind her ear, relishing in the sense of closeness.


    But my gesture also alerted her waking mind.


    Her eyes blinked open groggily and stared at my smiling face for a moment.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I saw recognition in her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t comprehend why I was in bed with her.


    ¡°Wha-wha-?¡± I placed my hand over her lips and closed in to whisper in her ear.


    ¡°Easy there. You are fine, everything is fine.¡±


    As we laid there, I was able to witness the moment her brain engaged and became aware of our current situation: her arm and leg draped over me, and our naked bodies under the covers.


    ¡°Oh ancestors, forgive this Xiao Ling for breaking protocol!¡± she began to tear up and looked at me as if she had offended me. ¡°Master Shen! Ling has done something unforgivable- I-I-¡±


    I hugged her and made soothing noises. ¡°You have done nothing to offend, Xiao Ling. If anyone should ask for forgiveness, it is this idiot Master of yours.¡±


    Calling myself an idiot was both innocent and on purpose. I had always loved the way she stood up to those that offended me, especially the servants. ¡°No! No! Master is blameless! Xiao Ling is wicked and seduced you-¡±


    ¡°Xiao Ling¡± I growled in her ear and she stopped her mumblings. ¡°You are not wicked.¡± I caressed her cheek with my hand ¡°You are precious to me, and I will not allow anyone to badmouth you, even yourself.¡±


    She lowered her eyes and bit her lip.


    I sighed. ¡°Let me explain what happened.¡±


    After my explanation, the petite woman was fuming for all the wrong reasons.


    ¡°How dare they poison great Master Shen!¡± her eyes flashed with barely suppressed anger. I was sure she would go out and lash out at them with all the fury of her tiny frame could muster, but she was still naked, and I was greedy enough to not want anyone else to see her like that.


    To ease the tiger, I brought her to my arms and kissed her on the lips before she could protest.


    Moments later, she was pliable and purring like a kitten.


    She looked up at me through impossible long lashes, her lips red and swollen from my kiss.


    ¡°I will make them draw you a bath¡± I said and I saw in her face that she wanted to protest, but I lifted a finger, and she went silent. ¡°Take your time this morning, I must speak with Fa Min before we address the issue.¡±


    Ling pouted at my command but acquiesced.


    I dressed up quickly and left my room, asking the first person I saw to warm water for a bath and take the tub to my room. They bowed profoundly and got going.


    I then walked to Min¡¯s room and knocked on the frame.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    As I entered, I found him sitting by the window, looking at the grounds outside.


    He took one look at me and smiled teasingly ¡°So who clawed onto your bed last night?¡±


    I frowned and critically watched him until he began shifting under my gaze.


    ¡°Someone crawled into your bed last night.¡± I wasn¡¯t asking, and he didn¡¯t bother denying it. I nodded. ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    I told him what I had overheard the previous night and he went pale before the anger made itself present in his usually affable face.


    ¡°Who would-?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I intend to figure it out.¡± Our eyes met and he nodded at my silent question.


    ¡°I will help.¡±


    ¡°Good, because I find myself at a crossroad where every option seems bad.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°With my rank as a prince, I can claim that they poisoned us in an attempt to kill us, and have their heads placed on pikes by the end of the day. The state won¡¯t even bat an eye, but the town might find some trouble in the coming years for harboring traitors. I won¡¯t even need to find the evidence.¡± I shrugged at the idiocy of it: as part of the Imperial family, my word was held as law and no amount of evidence would contradict it unless they invoked the emperor himself. ¡°People would see me as strong but ruthless, and whatever backing I have among the people will crumble.


    ¡°If, however, I find the poison and only punish the members of the family responsible ¨Cwhich will most likely be scapegoats¨C, my mercy will be seen as a weakness, and whoever is in charge will continue to use commoners to come at me.¡±


    I sighed.


    No matter what I did, I would lose. Either I sacrificed the faith of the people or put their lives in peril.


    Fa Min was silent for a moment ¡°do you have any idea who might be behind this?¡±


    I shook my head ¡°I¡¯m thinking of someone in the palace, but how could they have known what way we would take¡­? The only ones we told our plans were my family and the sailors¡­ and I don¡¯t want to think there might be a traitor among them.¡±


    ¡°Or there might have been an informant in the Xiang port where we boarded. It was no secret that we were going to the Fa Estate in Liang. They only needed to have people in each port on the Ji River.¡±


    I frowned but nodded. ¡°If we want a chance at finding the culprit, we¡¯ll need to find the poison.¡±


    He nodded and smiled ¡°We will be more careful in the future, but for now I give thanks that the ones attempting to murder us are idiots.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him, not finding humor in the situation.


    ¡°I mean, they¡¯re up against the strongest Kung-fu master in recent history and they pick slow-acting poison? They have clearly underestimated you.¡±


    I snorted. It was true. But the thing was that a fast-acting poison would only make people look guilty. And murdering a prince, honorary or not, would bring down great misfortune to the entire town where it happened.


    I left my friend to his own thoughts while I made my way to my room. Inside, Ling had finished her bath and was in the process of getting dressed. I watched her with a smile, enjoying the knowledge that the woman was mine¡­. But at the same time, I dreaded it. Being with me would mean a life of scorn from the powers that be, and it might be even worse if she were to fall pregnant.


    In these times, the only known contraceptive remedies were herbs and teas, and I didn¡¯t have any notion of how effective they were.


    I was truly out of my depth here. I needed counsel, but the only two people I trusted to give it to me, would also be incredibly angered at my blunder.


    ¡°Master Shen?¡± Ling caught me staring and her cheeks reddened. I chuckled and approached her


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± I asked, looking her over. Other than her radiant smile, there was no outer indication of our previous thirst. I had been careful not to leave visible marks on her exposed skin.


    Ling bit her lip and looked down ¡°Ling is fine, Master. A bit sore, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± I raised an eyebrow and lifted her face by the chin so she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid my eyes.


    ¡°Xiao Ling is embarrassed to say.¡±


    I chuckled ¡°Tell me¡±


    She sighed and her eyes heated up. ¡°Master Shen is a good lover, Xiao Ling is¡­ wanton.¡±


    I blinked in surprise. It had never occurred to me that she would say that, and I couldn¡¯t help the chuckle that escaped my lips.


    ¡°Master makes fun of this Xiao Ling.¡± She pouted, but her eyes were bright and loving.


    ¡°Forgive me, it had not occurred to me that I would make you like this.¡± I drowned her protests by kissing her again, while my hands caressed her behind. She gasped into my mouth and wiggled her body inside my arms.


    ¡°Master-¡± her voice was breathless and her whole body pressed flush to mine.


    I kissed her again before my hands fell on the sash that kept her clothes in place and tugged on it until it came off.


    ¡°One last time before facing the day..¡± I acquiesced and she went willingly with me to bed.

 Chapter 25 - In The Eyes Of Xiao Ling

    (From Xiao Ling¡¯s point of view)


    I felt more like myself when Master Fa and I joined the others for breakfast. I could still feel how full my insides were and wanted to sigh at the thought of what Master Shen and I had been doing earlier that morning¡­. But I had to observe proper etiquette and greet our backstabbing hosts with a smile on my face.


    ¡°Ara? the Prince does not break the fast with us?¡± The lord¡¯s wife asked when she saw us.


    I shook my head. ¡°My master is meditating; he will join us when he finishes.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡± She nodded wisely as she served us tea. ¡°We have heard many rumors about his Majesty. Tell me, is it true that he defeated a dozen armed bandits barehanded when he was still a boy?¡±


    I nodded, warily watching the cup in front of me. Beside me, young Master Fa frowned slightly at the woman serving him breakfast.


    ¡°And how old was he when this happened?¡±


    ¡°My master was 13. It was a month before he won the Imperial Spring Competition.¡±


    Young master Fa chuckled ¡°Even back then he was a monster in Martial Arts. I sincerely fear for those that seek to do him harm, now that he¡¯s stronger.¡±


    A plate broke on the other side of the hall and the lord¡¯s wife went to check what had happened. While she was away, I glared at Fa Min.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked, confusion painted all over his face.


    ¡°Honorable Master Shen is not a monster.¡±


    The man had the audacity to laugh!


    ¡°Oh, he is, only not in front of you.¡±


    ¡°And you would know this, how?¡±


    He smiled ¡°I fought him in the Spring Competition, remember? I asked for a rematch, but now I¡¯m not so sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Not sure you can defeat him?¡±


    The man shook his head ¡°No, I¡¯m not sure he won¡¯t kill me by accident.¡±


    It might have been wrong of me to scoff and glare at a man like Fa Min, but he took it in stride.


    I opened my mouth to retort when the door opened and Master walked in.


    My eyes flew to him of their own accord, and I had to fight the dreamy smile that threatened to appear on my lips. He looked so handsome, casually dressed in white and black. His eyes met mine and my heart fluttered. Despite the circumstances, I couldn¡¯t help but think myself lucky to have had my first time (and the second one too!) with him.


    I curtsied and was about to stand to serve him when he placed a hand on my shoulder and sat between Fa Min and me.


    He took one look at my untouched tea and then placed his hand casually above it. A few seconds later, he handed it to me. ¡°Drink, you need to replenish liquids.¡±


    I hid my blush behind the cup.

 Chapter 26 - Fool Me Once...

    After thinking it over for hours, I came to a conclusion: Whatever I did, I would get innocent people in the crossfire, but I couldn¡¯t sit and do anything either.


    That¡¯s when I was struck by genius.


    I needed time to find the wizard behind the curtain and I needed them to keep them thinking their plans were working so that they wouldn¡¯t think of changing them. Which meant that what I needed to do was to pretend I didn¡¯t know anything.


    But to catch the mastermind and bring it to justice, I needed to connect the dots, and for that I needed proof¡­ just in case they too had some influence within the walls of the palace.


    So, I needed to begin gathering my own intelligence.


    Before we were invited for breakfast, I asked Min and Ling to cover for me while I entered the kitchen to look for the poison and, if I could get away with it, interrogate the chef.


    Finding the poison was relatively easy, but the chef proved to be a hard nut to crack¡­ until I broke his mind. The poor guy had only been told that the poison was a special condiment for the guests by one of the daughters of the lord. I hadn¡¯t wanted to do it, but the man was too much of a liability to be left alive.


    I took the poison bag with me, changed clothes and joined my party at the breakfast table.


    Ling still looked somewhat pale when I sat beside her. I placed my hand over her beverage and scanned it for toxins. There hadn¡¯t been any, so I handed her the cup with a reassuring smile, advising to ingest more liquids. For some reason, her eyes lowered to her tea and her cheeks turned pink.


    After that, I went over Min¡¯s breakfast ¡°I¡¯d avoid the meat for a day or two, my friend. They don¡¯t seem very healthy.¡± He smiled thankfully and began eating everything but the meat.


    ¡°Good morning, your majesty!¡± the lord¡¯s wife entered the room and smiled brightly at me ¡°I must apologize, there will be a delay with your food. It seems that our cook has deserted us overnight.¡±


    ¡°How very strange¡± I lied through my teeth ¡°Has this happened before?¡±


    The old woman shook her head sadly ¡°not even once. The man loved his kitchen too much to stay separated from it for any period of time. He even had his own bed inside the pantry.¡±


    I knew this, of course, after having searched the place for the poison.


    I shook my head ¡°I hope you find him soon. And do not worry about breakfast, we are in a bit of a hurry, so I might just eat on the way.¡±


    She pouted, but I was cured against such tactics. Growing up with Zhi Shen, the master of cute faces, had proved useful in life.


    ¡°We¡¯d hate to see you off with an empty stomach.¡±


    I chuckled and shook my head ¡°you have already done much for us. I thank you deeply. May the heavens pay your care ten-fold.¡±


    Her fa?ade cracked a little, telling me that she had been aware of the poisoning. And so were three of her daughters, at least. But was the lord in it too or was he just a fool?


    I waited until Min and Ling finished their food except for the items that were poisoned and, in front of the woman, thanked them for saving some food for me. Then I proceeded to eat the offending items.


    Ling sent me worried glances the whole while, but I kept my hand over hers trying to comfort her.


    We then retired to our rooms to get our bags and left the house, between hypocrite wishes and crocodile tears. Once on the road and as soon as we were out of their sight, I took a moment to empty my stomach on the side road and took a moment to flush the toxins from my system.


    ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m going to need some real food and drink once we leave town. I don¡¯t particularly trust anyone here.¡±


    Min nodded. He had been quiet since we left the house, which was odd for him. He was the one who spoke most of us three.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked him after a fashion.


    ¡°What you did for us¡­. How you took care of¡­¡± he glanced around us, clearly not wanting anyone to eavesdrop on us, but despite the hour, there were few people on the streets. ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s one of the basic forms of Chi medicine.¡±


    ¡°Can you teach me?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow ¡°How far are you in the Elemental Path.¡±


    He shook his head, visibly bothered. ¡°I chose to challenge wind and fire, but haven¡¯t worked up the courage to test the next level, why?¡±


    I nodded ¡°Chi medicine is more effective the further you go from the fourth element, but you basically need wood and water to make the best of it.¡± I scratched my chin. ¡°Although I know of a few remedies that use air and fire elements.¡±


    He stared at me like I had grown another head. ¡°Where do you find the time to study so much?!¡±


    I shrugged, smiling. In truth, since I didn¡¯t have any official responsibilities, I spent all my time between the library and meditation. Every morning I would practice martial arts and spent every other night refining my control of Chi. ¡°I rise early and sleep late every day. You should try it.¡±


    He crossed his arms and mumbled under his breath.


    Shaking my head, I turned to Ling who handed me the reins of my horse.


    When our eyes crossed, she blushed and looked away.


    I chuckled and climbed on the animal¡¯s back.


    Riding to the river, I had the feeling that my story had turned into a new chapter, and that it wasn¡¯t going to be an easy one.


    ----------


    We rejoined the crew of the ship at the port, only to find that the transport was being inspected by the local authorities on the suspicion of smuggling.


    I shook my head and ordered the captain into an empty room inside the inn.


    ¡°Tell me, captain. Is there truth to the accusation?¡± Yesterday I would have defended him without thinking, but now my trust was not freely given.


    The man kowtowed to me. ¡°To answer the Prince, I swear that my crew and I have never done anything of the sort!¡±


    I glared at his prone form ¡°If I find you have lied to me¡­¡± I let the threat hang in the air for a moment.


    ¡°This servant is telling the truth, Master! I swear it on my ancestors!¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Stand up and follow me then.¡±


    I exited the building, barely noticing the captain jumping to his feet and scurrying to follow me.


    Fa Min saw me coming and he smiled, rubbing his hands and cracking his knuckles, eager for a fight. I didn¡¯t know if I was going to oblige him or not, but I couldn¡¯t deny him the chance for a little fun and fireworks.


    I walked confidently to the ship but was stopped by a guard whose wand went to his sword.


    ¡°Be careful what you do with that¡± I glared at him ¡°and bring me your captain.¡±


    Clearly, the boy didn¡¯t know who I was, because he sneered back with a haughty expression.


    ¡°It was reported that a boat was taking contraband to the north. You will wait here until we finish our inspection.¡±


    I scoffed and stepped forward.


    The boy tried pulling his sword, only to find himself flying backward. I watched as he moved in slow motion through the air and over the ship, only to land with a splash in the middle of the river.


    When the guards on the boat saw one of theirs fly past and land on the river, they turned toward me with wide eyes.


    ¡°What, aren¡¯t you going to stop me?¡± I teased, smiling.


    Just like Fa Min, it seemed that I too needed to kick some asses to make up for the previous night.

 Chapter 27 - Dont Touch Her!

    (From the Captain of the guard¡¯s perspective)


    ¡°Help!¡± One of my guards came running. His uniform was completely drenched and he had weeds over his head.


    ¡°What the hell happened to you man?¡± My lieutenant snapped. ¡°How dare you come to the captain looking like that!¡±


    The guard fell to his knees ¡°Forgive me captain, but it¡¯s an emergency!¡±


    I motioned for him to continue. Then he told me about them receiving the tip about a contraband ship from Yan and they seized the ship to inspect it, but then a man came and began kicking their asses, demanding to see me.


    ¡°Who is this man?¡±


    The guard shook his head ¡°We don¡¯t know, he came out of nowhere and knocked me into the river from the other side of the boat!¡±


    I scoffed at that. There was no way a man could throw another over a boat. Still, I had to set order in the town.


    ¡°Lieutenant, bring my sword. We¡¯ll see about this stranger.¡±


    We left the station on foot and were able to hear the commotion way before we saw it.


    At least a dozen of my guards were swimming back to shore, and half that number were unmoving on the ground. Still, there were another dozen surrounding two men. Both were slightly taller than average, unarmed and also, clearly unafraid; whereas the guards all watched them warily despite the swords in their hands.


    ¡°How could anyone do this?¡± the lieutenant inspected the bodies on the ground, ¡°they¡¯re simply unconscious.¡± I raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°To defeat so many¡­¡±


    I heard a woman scream and looked up from the ground. One of the older guards had grabbed a woman by the neck and was threatening her with his sword.


    There was a moment of silence before I watched dumbfounded as the man in white and black moved like a blur through the people and blew the guard¡¯s head cleanly off with a single punch. I stood rooted to my spot and the same man casually passed his arm around the clearly frightened girl.


    ¡°Shen Long Mu.¡± My lieutenant whispered, turning completely white.


    I gaped. How could I have not recognized him!? ¡°STOP!¡± I shouted at my people, who were, thankfully, too shocked to do anything more stupid.


    I ran to the site and fell to my knees in front of the man that had just seconds ago obliterated a guard¡¯s head.


    Without raising my head from the dirt, I shouted at the men to stand down ¡°Bow before his majesty, you imbeciles!¡±

 Chapter 28 - I Get Angry When...

    I glared at the groveling man in front of me.


    Ling sat beside me, still trembling from surprise at being held hostage.


    I wanted to kill every single one of them, but her hand held tightly on my sleeve.


    ¡°I am most sorry, your majesty. I will severely punish them myself-¡±


    ¡°Not enough.¡± I grumbled and stood, despite the insistent pulling of my sleeve. ¡°Your men not only attacked me but my Shen Ling! Threatened her!¡± I hissed a little louder than I intended, and the whole room shook.


    The man¡¯s head hit the earth again.


    I wanted to growl and kick him, but I knew that his only mistake had been in hiring idiots as guards. I was not going to bully an innocent man because I needed to vent. I was not that kind of person.


    I allowed Ling to pull me back to my seat, where she held onto my arm like a lifeline. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was to alleviate her fears or to prevent me from killing the captain of the guard.


    I let him grovel some more, while I tried to get my temper in check.


    ¡®Why am I so angry to begin with? Ling is safe and the idiot that threatened her is dead. I shouldn¡¯t be so angry still¡­¡¯


    Oh.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I wanted to hit myself.


    I had forgotten that I usually get angry over nothing when I am hungry¡­. And I had vomited today¡¯s breakfast apart from using Chi both to cleanse the poison and during the fight.


    I sighed.


    ¡°I expect no less than fifty lashes and demotion.¡± I admitted, patting Ling¡¯s hand on my arm. Seeing that my anger was in check, she calmed too.


    ¡°Yes, your highness! Thank you!¡±


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t set you off the hook, Captain. If word of this got to the capital, the emperor would demand the lives of all those involved¡­ yours included.¡±


    I heard him swallow and took my time with the follow-up.


    ¡°However¡­ seeing as you are a sensible person, and that my Shen Ling doesn¡¯t want me to shed any more blood. I will leave the matter at that. So long as you are true to your word.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Thank you, your majesty.¡± He kowtowed again, before moving to bow to Ling, who blinked in surprise. ¡°Thank you too, my lady.¡±


    I turned and winked at her.


    I had decided to give her my last name for this matter so that I had an excuse to defend her in front of the captain. As a servant, even to a prince, her position was lower to that of the captain, and thus she deserved no consideration in this manner. But with my last name, she became my family and thus related to the imperial family. That made her untouchable.


    ¡°Raise your head, Captain.¡±


    He did and offered me a kung-fu salute. ¡°Please allow this servant to make it up to you, your highness.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°And how will you do that captain?¡±


    ------------


    Two hours later, we had finally left Jin port and were on our way west again.


    Beyond my wildest expectations, the captain of the guard had offered to accompany us to the west, so that he could atone. His lieutenant would take over his duties during the couple of days it would take us to reach the northern border of the Liang Province.


    Easy for him to say.


    Now I was on edge because we had an unknown element with us.


    On the bright side, Ling had to act like my wife to keep up appearances. Which meant that I wouldn¡¯t be spending my nights alone.


    Could you hear my grin?


    Once the town was out of sight, the crew members organized a small gathering to thank us for helping them, and I was finally able to eat my fill and, since there was nothing for me to do during the rest of the day, I went to my cabin for a shut-eye.


    I had barely just closed the door when I heard a light knock. So light that I almost thought I had imagined it.


    ¡®Who the fuck is it now¡¯ I was getting grumpy again from lack of sleep.


    I opened the door wanting to tell whoever was knocking to scram when I noticed Ling¡¯s hand hanging in the air like she was about to knock.


    I blinked.


    ¡°Ma-Master looked tired. This Xiao Ling came to see if there was something she could do for him.¡± Her cheeks heated as if she had suddenly understood her own words.


    Smiling, I took her outstretched hand and pulled her inside.

 Chapter 29 - Chi Magic

    I didn¡¯t wake up until the next day, and I was ravenously hungry, which was why I began to nibble on Ling¡¯s uncovered shoulder. I smiled when she laughed and instead turned to kiss me.


    ¡°Good morning, Master. Did you sleep well?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow and returned the kiss. ¡°You know very well I did¡±.


    She had the sensibility to blush.


    After cuddling for a few more minutes, I said ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to stay here, we should get on with the day.¡± I bit her lips ¡°And as delicious as you are, this body still requires other sources of nourishment.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    We got up and got dressed between many caresses and kisses.


    I couldn¡¯t help being loving to her after being intimate, but deep down I knew there would be hell to pay if my family found out in the wrong order. First of all, I would have to speak with Master Fa. If he didn¡¯t kill me, he would surely find a way to break the news to my family.


    Outside, I found Min and Captain Feng talking amiably.


    Last night I came to a realization: I had completely forgotten that I could see auras, and thus confirm or refute my suspicions.


    I closed my eyes to get myself on the trance-like awareness where I needed to be. When I opened them, I turned to Ling, just to confirm.


    Like always, she had a beautiful pink glow. Almost as beautiful as her smile.


    When I looked at the others, I found that Fa Min¡¯s aura was mostly orange with a small tinge of green, and as for the captain¡­ red.


    Hmm, so he was ambitious, honest, and blunt. There were no black marks, but people with red auras only cared about themselves, so it wasn¡¯t really an assurance. Just to be sure, I watched the rest of the crew and found that most of them were brown¡­ wanderers.


    I canceled the trance and went on with my day.


    The ship navigated the river expertly and we were making good time to the next stop.


    I used the day to walk Min through the basics of Chi medicine, with the captain staring intently at us.


    ¡°Have you ever seen Chi magic, captain?¡± His face said it all, he was extremely interested in what we were doing. I had asked without looking away from Fa Min, who was currently feeling the energy of air flowing through his body.


    The captain¡¯s eyes widened, and he bowed ¡°forgive me for intruding, your highness.¡± I made a gesture for him to stop bowing and answer the question. ¡°To answer the Prince, no I have never seen it. Only heard about it from my master when I was younger.¡±


    I nodded.


    Usually, commoners would only get taught in the basic forms of kung-fu. Everything about cultivation and Chi magic was left for the nobles and those with ties to the throne.


    ¡°Would you like to see it?¡± His eyes widened comically.


    ¡°It would be an honor, your majesty!¡±


    I nodded and waited for Min to finish his exercises. I had felt him growing increasingly tense during our chat.


    ¡°Concentrate Fa Min. Your control is slipping¡±


    My friend sighed and shook his head. ¡°You expect me to be able to concentrate after talking about magic? I want to see it too!¡±


    I laughed at his eagerness. ¡°All right, all right. But I expect you to go back to this exercise afterward.¡±


    ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡± We shared a laugh.


    Min stopped and watched me expectantly.


    ¡°Watch and learn, then.¡±


    I let my chi flow free like water, my body moved with it, and water began floating out from the river and concentrating around me. I used slow, tai-chi movements to gather it within my hands, and charged it with even more Chi.


    When I opened my eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but smile at my creation.


    Silently slithering through the air, was a Chinese dragon made from water. It floated on air, moving gently around me as I sat against the railing and turned to address the two people I had done this demonstration for¡­ and instead found the whole population of the ship staring at me¡­ well at the dragon, really.


    ¡°In the beginning, Chi magic is about the elements, but as you continue further in the path to cultivation, you learn that it is more about the will of nature. Magic will go a long way for you if you attune yourself to that will. Water wishes to flow and travel the earth far and wide. But¡­¡± I pointed toward the captain, and my dragon coiled around him, hissing. ¡°It can also be used as a weapon.


    ¡°Water knows me. It is my shield and sword. If the captain showed any ill intent toward my person, the dragon would kill him.¡± I saw the man swallow as he watched the face of the dragon hissing at him.


    I recalled it with a gesture, and the watery beast came gliding to me so that I could pet it. ¡°Water is also great for protecting against poisons and other magic¡­ or it can be used like so:¡±


    I twirled the tail of the dragon around my wrist and I made a swift movement toward a downed tree that was half-submerged in the river.


    The water blade cut it cleanly in two.


    ¡°Now¡­ evolving water is less about freedom and more about will.¡± I concentrated and my liquid dragon grew and gained more defined features as the water turned to ice.


    Everyone but me felt the chill coming from it, there was even some snow falling from the now darkened sky.


    ¡°This form will still protect me, but by attacking my enemies instead of absorbing their attacks as water would.¡± I smiled and caressed the belly of the beast. ¡°Snow or ice dragons are fiercely protective and will stop at nothing for the sake of the one that commands them.¡±


    The elemental beast stood proudly and purred under my hand. I took a step back and bowed to it. The dragon returned a bow of its own, before dissipating in a puff of snowflakes.


    ¡°Elemental beasts¡± I continued, conjuring fire out of thin air. It too took the form of a fire-red serpent as big as my hand ¡°can be conjured from every element, but its form will largely depend on the wielder¡¯s mind. They take on the strongest form the conjurer can think of¡­¡± with my other hand I created a beast made of air, and it turned out to be an eagle. When I combined both animals, the resulting elemental beast had everyone cowering on the other side of the barge.


    A phoenix as big as the boat rose from my hands and flew gracefully around us for a few moments before it disappeared in a puff of smoke after I bowed to it.


    ¡°Wood¡­¡± a water tentacle rose from the river and handed me a piece of driftwood. I plucked it from the tentacle which disappeared immediately after. I placed the piece of wood on my palm, and in seconds there were small roots and flowers blooming from the inert wood. ¡°Wood is life. With a small piece like this and a burst of Chi magic, a master can create antidotes for the body and soul, or he can fashion weapons if the need arises¡­ and the same can be done with metal.¡± A big white lotus had grown from the wood in my hands, so I plucked it and walked toward Ling, who was also transfixed by all that I had done.


    ¡°A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady.¡± With a wink, I handed her the flower.


    Then I inclined my head to the rest of the people ¡°I shall finish today¡¯s show with that.¡±


    ¡®Draco Malfoy would be so proud of me, I¡¯m such an attention-seeking whore!¡¯

 Chapter 30 - Ambush!

    That night we camped on the riverbank, making a fire and hunting some game to cook.


    I had never had a trip like this in my past life. I had gone out with friends, sure. But we always visited hotels or rented apartments online. Even if most people here treated me like the second coming of Jesus Christ (or is it first coming? I get the feeling that I was reborn quite a ways before His coming) I was still part of the ¡®group¡¯.


    The only ¡®odd-man-out¡¯ was the captain, who mostly kept to himself.


    We were eating our part when I felt as if someone had walked over to my grave. I immediately stood up and watched our surroundings. ¡°Everyone back to the boat.¡±


    They all looked at me as if I were crazy, but one glare from me was enough for them to grudgingly begin moving.


    Suddenly another chill came over me and I launched myself toward Ling, dragging her with me to the ground. They heard her scream and turned only to see an arrow on the ground where she had been before.


    ¡°Run!¡± I shouted, pulling her up with me as I rose to my feet.


    I had only taken a step toward the boat when a ball of fire impacted on it, blowing it to pieces and tossing everyone on their backs.


    ¡°Assassins!¡± I heard someone shout but couldn¡¯t figure out who. All I could think of was getting Ling to safety.


    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot.¡± I cursed and conjured my water dragon in time for it to eat another of the fireballs. Which burned for a little while even inside the body of water.


    ¡°Stay close to me!¡± I hissed at Ling taking her hand in my left, while I controlled the dragon with my right. I sent it in front of us, knowing that it was likely to be targeted by whoever was using Chi magic if they couldn¡¯t see us.


    With Ling¡¯s hand in mine, I dove into the tall grass surrounding our encampment, moving as silently as we could.


    All around us I could hear sounds of carnage. I¡¯d say battle, but truth be told, it was rather unlikely that the sailors would survive against whoever had attacked us. They didn¡¯t even have weapons.


    My problem was Fa Min. I knew he was a good warrior, but I was unsure if he stood a chance against someone wielding fire-chi magic.


    ¡°Ma-Master where are we-?¡±


    I placed my hand over Ling¡¯s mouth, noticing how quiet things were.


    ¡°We need to find the person behind the fire magic¡± I whispered urgently and kept on moving.


    My dragon moved silently as a cat through the grass, a couple of steps in front of us until I made it stop when I began hearing voices.


    ¡°Has anyone found them?¡±


    ¡°No. Could they have jumped into the river?¡±


    ¡°Impossible, we have elements on both sides and they haven¡¯t reported anything.¡±


    In the silence, I could hear people walking around us. I concentrated and allowed myself to see their auras.


    With hand gestures, I indicated that Ling should stay put while I moved forward. I squatted lower and used the wood-breathing technique to mask my movements among the plants. If the people looking for us were normal, I could have probably danced in the tall grass and they wouldn¡¯t have spotted me, but I wasn¡¯t going to chance it¡­ plus, I was a horrible dancer.


    I followed the brightest red aura and soon found myself near a clearing. It is hidden behind a man-made mount covered in grass. It was so close to our encampment that it must have been all but invisible from the other side.


    There were five men behind a make-shift barricade. Among them was someone under a heavy cape, but from their fiery-red and pitch-black aura, I figured it must have been the caster from before.


    ¡°What shall we do Zhu Lin?¡± a man asked, looking warily at the person under the hood.


    ¡°They must have escaped your scouts. Send them again.¡±


    One of the men scoffed, ¡°Are you sure they didn¡¯t burn with the boat?¡±


    ¡°I told you!¡± the person under the cape hissed venomously ¡°I saw him conjure a water-¡±


    ¡°Serpent, right.¡± I heard him scoff unbelievingly.


    ¡°It was a Dragon!¡± one of the men hissed urgently, but the previous man cuffed him on the head.


    ¡°You see dragons everywhere in this cursed land.¡± The man spits on the ground ¡°That¡¯s why they don¡¯t hire ignorant farmers like you. To you everything is mythical. Well, I shite on your myths.¡±


    There was a scuffle among the men, while the magician tip-toed to look over the barricade. The hood caught on something and it came off for a moment before the figure pulled it angrily up again.


    But it had been enough.


    The Chi-magician was a woman with fire-red hair.

 Chapter 31 - Jake Sully To The Rescue

    I returned to Ling, who was relieved to see me. I let her hug me while I came over with a plan of action.


    I had the element of surprise but the window to use it wouldn¡¯t last long.


    I also had mastery over the elements, despite not knowing if I was stronger or better than the fire-casting woman. And I couldn¡¯t leave Ling alone.


    I looked around us for inspiration, until it hit me in the face.


    Literally.


    A bug crashed on my face and I suddenly remembered that there must have been dozens of life forms surrounding the river! Maybe even some predators! And I just happened to be a master in elemental magic!


    I grinned, whipping the mud from my forehead, bug and all. I kissed Ling on the cheek and placed my hand over the ground.


    I concentrated on the flow of energy coming from it and into every living being around us.


    Rats, boars, snakes, spiders, bees, and a million more insects answered to the beat of the earth. With great respect, I asked the earth itself for aid, and every animal within a mile answered.


    A brother was in danger, and Mother Nature could do something about it.


    I smiled ¡®don¡¯t worry Fa Min, Jake Sully is coming to the rescue!¡¯


    -------------


    (From FA Min¡¯s point of view)


    How was I caught so easily?


    I¡¯m supposed to win the mastership for the Fa family from Mu-di, and yet I was caught unaware by an ambush!


    I wanted to kick myself, but since I was tied, I instead saved my energy and sulked.


    Fortunately, it seemed like Mu-di and Ling-mei had escaped the ambush, which gave me some hope. I doubted my grandfather¡¯s star apprentice was going to forget about the little old me, even if I was an idiot.


    I had gone for the captain so that we could face the attackers together, only to receive a hard hit on the head and, later, a splash of cold water in the face.


    The freaking captain himself had been the one to soak me and ask me where the prince was.


    The fucking traitor.


    I told him to go fuck himself in the most painful way I could imagine, and I got beaten up for my lip service.


    A few moments later there were others around us. A dozen or more guys dressed all in black and carrying bows or other throwing weapons.


    ¡°And who¡¯s this?¡± one of the newcomers asked with a strange accent. He was taller than most, and more muscular than the captain.


    His eyes were also blue.


    ¡°A friend of the prince, I believe.¡± Captain Weng answered with a frown.


    The new guy frowned.


    ¡°You think the prince will come for him?¡±


    ¡°He most certainly will.¡±


    ¡°Hmp!¡± The unknown guy turned to me ¡°Let this be a lesson for you, monkey. Friends only serve to kill the powerful.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± I spat on his face and got kicked in the guts.


    Suddenly, I didn¡¯t want Mu-di to come for me. There were too many enemies, and who knew what else waited for him in this place. For all I knew, Weng¡¯s own men were hidden behind the trees, waiting to strike.


    I was fuming again when a man screamed in front of us. Everyone turned, and the guy with blue eyes dispatched another to see what had happened, but then that man too screamed in agony and fell to the ground.


    ¡°The shite is happening here?¡± he warily approached his two fallen comrades but quickly jumped back. ¡°A freaking snake?!¡± he laughed mockingly. ¡°Two shites died from being bitten by a snake!¡± he continued laughing, while at the same time unsheathing his sword. His strike was swift and deadly.


    As if in response, the ground began shaking.


    ¡°Wha- wha-?¡± one of the guys in black asked, confused, trying to look in every direction at the same time.


    Another pained scream from my right, and another further away.


    The ground was still shaking, so the guys in black were having a hard time staying on their toes.


    A moment later a whole herd of wild boars came crashing through the camp from the bushes. People scattered and tried to fight back, but there were so many it was impossible to move, and with the ground shaking, many fell to their knees a few paces after, only to be trampled to death by the beasts.


    I lost sight of the big brute and Weng long before two big hogs came at me.


    I wanted to turn and run, but I was tied. However, instead of getting trampled to death like the others, the animals stopped to hook their husks under the ropes and dragged me into the foliage.


    They kept running, zigzagging, and turning every other moment until I was unceremoniously tossed away. The animals huffed and were gone the next instant.


    ¡°Freaking crazy animals. What in heaven¡¯s na-¡± a hand fell on my lips just as the two people that worried me the most appeared in front of me.


    ¡°Peace, Fa Min. Do not curse the hand that saved you.¡±


    I was never so relieved to see any man than at that very moment.


    He and his woman untied my bonds while I whispered about what I had seen.


    Mu-di frowned and then smiled.


    It was a smile full of malice and promise, one that looked completely out of place in the face of a man like him. ¡°How about we show them how friendships are really like, Min-ge?¡±


    That moment, I thanked the gods that I wasn¡¯t on his bad side.

 Chapter 32 - A New Plan

    Fa Min was shaken and stirred, but not badly injured. Once I stopped my mini earthquake, he would be able to walk normally. For now, we moved through the bushes on our hands and knees.


    Mother nature¡¯s beasts had done most of the hard work. Between the many poisonous insects and animals, the forces that rose against us on both sides of the river had been decimated. The few survivors were none other than Captain Weng, the brute Min had talked about, and the witch.


    I thanked the animals and dismissed them before they lost more of their numbers.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cancel the earthquake now.¡± I looked at Min ¡°We will need to get rid of the brute and Weng before addressing the mage.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to go for the mage first?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. Of course, it was! But I didn¡¯t want to have to worry about the other two when fighting the Mage. I wasn¡¯t sure I was going to be able to easily defeat her.


    ¡°Will you and Ling be able to defeat the other two while I take care of the mage?¡± I raised an eyebrow ¡°we don¡¯t know how strong she is, or how many more elements she has under her control.¡± I shook my head ¡°No, I¡¯d rather we take on the minions first.¡±


    We kept moving under the cover of the tall grass until we reached the place where Min had last seen the two men. We were fortunate that they were together.


    Unfortunately, so was the witch.


    Fortunately, they were arguing with each other.


    Unfortunately, we weren¡¯t armed.


    ¡°¡­and the others?¡±


    Weng shook his head ¡°On the other bank, perhaps. Here there¡¯s only us.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± the brute asked. He sounded angry and tired


    ¡°That was most likely chi-magic. Wood, probably¡± the woman¡¯s tone was cultured, yet she had a foreign accent that I had heard before but couldn¡¯t place. ¡°How many elements can he use?¡± she asked Weng.


    The captain frowned ¡°all of them.¡±


    ¡°Shit¡± the other two chorused


    After a moment of silence, the brute asked: ¡°why haven¡¯t they attacked? Could they have left?¡±


    ¡°There are only two men against us three, and they are unarmed.¡± The woman answered, ¡°I doubt the prince will want to leave before interrogating us.¡±


    ¡°Shh! I think I heard something.¡±


    Of course, they had heard something. My water dragon was still moving through the bushes. I had ordered it to cause a distraction while I concentrated on my fire-breathing technique.


    I needed to time it right, and that meant time.


    I looked at my companions. Fa Min was determined while Ling simply looked worried for me.. I smiled at them both and whispered my new plan.

 Chapter 33 - War Magic

    There are images in my mind.


    Music from a forgotten time.


    Piano. Angry lyrics. A white rapper.


    Somehow, in this fucked-up situation, I can¡¯t help but remember the song.


    ¡®Till the roof comes off, ¡®till the lights go out, can¡¯t shut my mouth¡¯


    I bend to avoid a sword and bat the incoming ball of fire back to the mage. I rise and move forward, fast as a cat and my fingers grasp the hand with the sword, twisting until I hear the bones snap.


    The man shouts and lets go of the sword but catches it with his other hand and slashes at my midriff.


    I evade and counter with a kick to the knee. He evades.


    ¡®''till the smoke clears out, am I high? Perhaps. I''ma rip this shit ''til my bones collapse¡¯


    Behind me, Fa Min is dealing with the captain. Despite having surpassed two Heavenly Tribulations, Min is having a hard time against the more experienced warrior.


    The sword comes at me again, I squat and touch the muddy earth with my left hand, bringing it up to parry his next attack, and the sword bounces off the hard rock shield that has formed over my arm. Taking advantage of his surprise, my right hand launches an air bullet toward the witch, interrupting her mid-cast and her flame dissipates.


    My elemental beast is hovering around Ling, covering her from everyone¡¯s attacks, but that means that it cannot protect me too. I¡¯m alone against two opponents.


    ¡®But you gotta search within you. Try to find that inner strength, to pull that shit out of you.¡¯


    A fucking rapper had the answer man.


    How sick is that? Seriously.


    I jump over his next swing and put myself in between them. My master would curse me if he saw that. But I can¡¯t keep guessing the girl¡¯s moves when she¡¯s hidden behind the bigger man. My sixth sense can only save me so many times.


    ¡°Got you now, fucking monkey!¡± The brute shouts as I watch the woman make intricate movements with her hands. She¡¯s going for a big one now that I¡¯m getting closer.


    That¡¯s the thing the brute hasn¡¯t realized yet.


    He swings for my head, but his sword is again parried by my earth fist. It won¡¯t last long against his strength, but I only need a few more moves.


    He staggers and I turn. Fast as a snake, I hit him in the groin and neck in rapid succession, before I jumped out of the way of the woman¡¯s attack, which hit the other guy full in the face, melting it off.


    ¡®Focus!¡¯


    I shout at myself, closing my ears to the screams of a man burning to death.


    ¡°Nate!¡± the woman screams ¡°You bastard!¡± she turns to me again, brandishing a whip made of pure lava.


    Damn.


    Why didn¡¯t I think of that?


    ¡®Focus!¡¯


    I cursed myself. I was so lost in my own world that her whip almost got my arm.


    Thunder rumbled above us.


    Finally!


    Goddammit, I need to practice conjuring storms during battle. This one took far too long.


    ¡°Ling!¡± I shout.


    That¡¯s her cue.


    We¡¯re either going to win or die spectacularly.


    ¡®I fucking hope this works.¡¯


    ----------


    (From Xiao Ling¡¯s perspective)


    What is worse than fearing death?


    Fearing the death of those that mean the world to you.


    I know Master ordered his dragon to protect me¡­ but doesn¡¯t he know that I¡¯d rather he protects himself?


    ¡°Ling¡± he said to me before jumping into battle ¡°keep my dragon and you at a safe distance at all times.¡± He places a ring made of pure water around my index finger ¡°You must use this to command it, send it toward the clouds when I call your name, and then run as fast as you can to the river. Get in the water and don¡¯t come out until your lungs can take it no more, understand?¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand then.


    I still don¡¯t.


    But my Master is a great man, and I will not disrespect his wishes.


    ¡°Ling!¡± his voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I obey his command; sending the dragon to the now darkened heavens. Lightning bolts began hitting the water dragon just as the water ring around my finger dissolved.


    I want to know what will happen, but it is my duty to run. And so I run as fast as my legs can manage and jump into the river as soon as I see it.


    I begin to turn when the light illuminates the sky like a thousand suns. I close my eyes and try my best to tranquilize my beating heart.


    I need to last.


    I need to survive.


    I need to last so that I can see him again.


    The light is dimming, and I see the surface of the water being pulled by the wind. There is a rumbling coming from outside, but I don¡¯t dare go out.


    Everything goes back to the blackness of night.


    I hang out as long as I can, but I need to breathe.


    I swim back to the surface and once my head breaks the water, I fill my lungs with precious air.


    The silence is eerie. Not even the crickets can be heard.


    I swim to the shore to look for my Master and his friend.


    Walking in this silence is giving me the chills. Not even the wind blows, and my body is still burning from the inside to really feel the cold. I know now what just happened, but all I can see are ashes and charred rocks.


    The whole swamp has been erased.


    I pray to the gods that my Master has somehow survived this inferno.


    Suddenly I hear a splash and coughing and return to the river, only to find Fa Min spluttering and trying to stay afloat.


    I get in the water and help him to the shore.


    Most of his clothes were burned away by whatever happened up here, and his skin is red as if he had spent a whole week bare-chested under the summer sun.


    When he finally regains his breath, he coughs and asks for my master.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± my eyes are full of unshed tears, but I refuse to let them run until I find him.


    ¡°He pushed me to the water before¡­ the light.¡± Fa Min sighs, and I can hear the tears in his tone too.


    He doesn¡¯t think my master made it.


    I bite my lip and stand.


    ¡°I will find him.¡± I say back and leave before he can say any more.


    I try to regain my sense of direction, but the devastation is too much for my feeble mind, and I begin walking aimlessly. Moving every piece of rock that could possibly hide a man.


    I continue like that until I notice a slope that I don¡¯t remember existing before. It¡¯s like a giant turtle shell. Its surface is completely smooth and when I hit it with my fist, I hear a metal echo.


    I put my ear against the surface and concentrate on hearing¡­ There is a murmur coming from inside¡­ not of voices but maybe breathing.


    Hope sparks in my heart and I look everywhere, but there is no way to open the shell.


    I excavate a little on the side and find a small crack under it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Master, I¡¯ll get you out of there!¡±


    I look everywhere for something that will help me move the lid.


    Embedded into the now-dry mud, is a half-melted sword. It¡¯s still hot, but fortunately for me, my clothes are wet. I take them off and I squeeze the water out of them over the metal. I then use the same clothes to pick it up and use it as leverage to pry open the earth egg.


    My efforts are somewhat successful. They created a bigger hole, but only big enough for my hand to go inside¡­ and find that it was very hot inside.


    My desperation grew and I began using the sword to hit the shell until cracks began forming on the surface.


    My arms were numb and tired, but I could see it making headway.


    My next hit left a gaping hole near the top of the formation. There was a rush of hot air, and then the whole thing cracked like an egg.


    I dropped the sword and used my hands to pry the shell until there was a hole big enough for me to pass.


    What I saw inside brought tears to my eyes.

 Chapter 34 - Safe Haven

    (The following chapter contains scenes not for children. If you are offended by it, please skip the chapter after their kiss.)


    I first became aware of a warmth surrounding me. I tried moving, but half of my body was under a heavyweight, so I instead opted to open my eyes.


    I was lying inside a small house. There was light coming from a window to my left¡­ I guess it was probably past noon, given the amount of light. To my right, I saw Ling dozing off, cuddling to my side as if I was a precious thing.


    I didn¡¯t know where we were, so I tried remembering what had last happened.


    It all came to me after a moment.


    I had been unfortunate (or stupid) enough to create a hydrogen explosion with chi magic and my limited knowledge of physics. Something I then bowed to not do again unless I was far, far away.


    The elements I had been using at the time responded to the danger and enclosed me in a cocoon of earth, wood, metal, and chi, which let me survive the explosion, but the heat inside the construction nearly killed me.


    Things weren¡¯t too clear after that. I remember Ling hugging me and being carried, then water and shade. The smell of herbs, darkness, and now this.


    With my free hand, I caressed the arm hugging me and followed its deliciously soft skin to a naked shoulder, and further to a naked and free breast.


    Ling mumbled in her dreams while I simply marveled at her supple and soft body. I kept playing with her peak until she began stirring.


    She stretched her body before looking up. When our eyes met, I smiled at her.


    ¡°Hello, beautiful.¡±


    For some reason, her eyes misted up and she carefully pushed up to kiss my lips.


    ¡°Good morning, Master.¡±


    Her kisses were full of longing and relief, which made me realize what I must have put her through with my earlier stunt¡­ and renewed my bow to not do something so stupid again.


    I let my hands savor her body, while I kept kissing and biting her lips until her hips began moving on their own.


    ¡°Aah! Forgive mm-Master, you¡¯re supposed to get bed rest.¡± She tried pulling away, but I encircled her waist with my arms and pulled her closer


    I rolled her under me and began nibbling on her neck ¡°I¡¯ll only get bed rest if you¡¯re in it.¡±


    Her sensual moaning began when I kissed the top of her breasts and continued with my tongue to their peaks.


    ¡°Mmmm! Master, wait I-¡±


    ¡°Shhh. How did I tell you to call me when we¡¯re alone?¡±


    ¡°Aaaaah, I-I can¡¯t-!¡± She gasped when my member caressed the nub of nerves above her entrance and she promptly opened her legs to receive me, hooking them behind my back. ¡°Li-ling is bad for calling Master¡¯s name in pleas-!¡± her breath hitched when my member caressed her clitoris again, and her legs pulled me against her.


    ¡°Say my name or no game.¡± I teased her, still rubbing myself in needy travel between her entrance and her clit. I bit her neck again and further teased her perked nipples with a hand.


    ¡°Aaah! Master is evil. He tortures this poor Xiao Ling who loves him so much!¡± I smiled against her skin and knew she was close to giving in. Those were her steps in lovemaking. Denial, then saying how much she loved me and finally giving in to my demands.


    I knew she would eventually say my name in bliss, but I loved playing this game with her.


    Her sweet torture continued until I was sure she was close to her climax.


    ¡°Ling.¡± I mock-growled against the skin of her neck, which now bore marks of my love bites. ¡°This master is losing his patience.¡± I forcefully grabbed her legs and placed myself at her entrance, teasing her with the tip while her hips moved on their own. ¡°Say my name or I¡¯ll make you scream it.¡±


    My nymph opened her beautiful dark-brown eyes to meet my heated gaze ¡°Quin¨¤i de Mu¡± she licked her lips ¡°please come inside me. This Xiao Ling wants you deep inside her.¡±


    This woman¡­ she surely knew how to blow my mind¡­


    This time, it was me who bent to her wishes.


    I pushed inside and she welcomed me into her deepest spot. The feeling I got from touching her uterus repeatedly was nothing short of heavenly.


    It was unfortunate that we were master and servant. If we weren¡¯t, I would have asked her to be my first ¨Cand only¨C wife. But it couldn¡¯t be¡­ I was a noble and she a servant¡­ if we could find a way to be together without bringing misfortune and dishonor to our esteemed families, we would certainly try.


    I took her slowly at first, but then she began demanding more with her hips, legs, and lips. I savored our coupling a few moments more before moving to a higher gear and pounding her with abandon until her body began convulsing, and her insides moved to milk me of their own accord.


    I simply kissed her lips and kept on pounding her, feeding my own lust and heightening her pleasure.


    Ling hid her head in my neck as she drank my scent.


    ¡°M- Mu! Yes!¡± she clung to me as if was going to save her from drowning ¡°Fill me! Fill this Xiao Ling with her beloved Mu¡¯s essence!¡±


    What man can resist a call like that?


    I gave one last valiant effort to resist, but her legs were keeping me inside her. I growled into her neck as I came, painting her insides white.


    ¡°Yes!¡± she was biting her thumb to prevent herself from screaming in pleasure as her body gleefully received my seed.

 Chapter 35 - Unexpected Visit

    I fell asleep in her embrace and when I woke up it was already late afternoon. Ling wasn¡¯t with me, so I grudgingly got up and found a set of new clothes by the foot of the bed. They weren¡¯t as fancy as my usual ones, but since the others would have been lost when the boat exploded, I wasn¡¯t going to get picky.


    I was sore all over and my joints felt squeaky, which was a testament to the time I had spent in bed.


    I would have to begin training again in the morning. But for now, a very late breakfast was in order.


    ¡°His highness awakens, finally!¡±


    I looked at the strange company sitting around the bonfire, blinking in surprise, all but ignoring the comment of the unknown man as I searched for Ling. She was on another bonfire with a group of elder women.


    They seemed to be chatting amiably and Ling looked happy, so I let her be and instead turned to the man who had addressed me before. He was grumbling about ¡®lack of respect¡¯ and ¡®younger generations¡¯.


    ¡°If you want to be respected, show some respect yourself.¡± I glared at the older man who clearly was unused to being talked back by anyone.


    His face purpled and he glared at me ¡°You ungrateful little twit. I¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll what, old man? Talk me to death?¡± I glared back. I wasn¡¯t at my 100%, but I could still kick his butt if I put my mind on it.


    He stood up, intending of telling me off when he was suddenly hit in the head with a frying pan, and he cried in surprise and pain, sitting right back in his place.


    ¡°Shut your trap, you dickless old fart!¡± an even older woman glared at the guy and his anger wilted under her unflinching stare. ¡°You don¡¯t get to treat my guests however you like.¡± She then rounded on me ¡°And you, young man. I expected better manners from a nobleman.¡±


    I nodded her way ¡°Apologies Zumu, I got carried away.¡±


    She hummed but smiled at my apology. And then ordered a few girls to serve me, at this I turned to Ling and saw her watching me earnestly. It was clear that she wanted to come to me, but something¡­ or, more likely, someone was keeping her away.


    ¡°Ogle at your woman in your free time, you will see each other again soon enough.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at the woman¡¯s tone but said nothing and I sat where the girls took me. They then placed a plate of soup in front of me. One of them made a motion to feed me, but I stopped her with a glare.


    She instantly went to her knees in apology.


    ¡°Do not think ill of these creatures¡± the old woman said. ¡°They¡¯re used to feeding my patients, and most can¡¯t even move on their own, much less eat.¡±


    I held the old woman¡¯s gaze while I searched for poison or other toxins in the broth. There were none.


    She smiled at me.


    ¡°Cautious, aren¡¯t we?¡± Her tone was pleasant.


    ¡°Trust but verify¡± I answered her with a Russian proverb to see her reaction. She nodded sagely before smiling.


    ¡°Truer words have never been uttered by a boy so young.¡±


    I shrugged. I picked up the plate of food that the girls were now too wary to feed me and began wolfing down the food.


    ¡°How long was I out?¡± I asked the old lady once I had finished the plate, and was promptly served another, this one too I scanned for poisons, and ate right after confirming its properties.


    ¡°Three days and three nights.¡±


    I nodded, not really surprised. It was usual for me to sleep for one or two days after challenging a Heavenly Tribulation because it used up my Chi¡­ exactly as it had happened during our previous fight.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised¡± she mused out loud ¡°and your wounds healed up faster than I thought possible¡­¡± She eyed me pensively.


    I raised an eyebrow at her unasked question. If she thought I was going to give her free information, she was sorely mistaken.


    The old woman chuckled and finally sat directly in front of me, on the other side of the bonfire. ¡°Your group is very interesting. You all arrived here wounded and weary, but in that time, none of your companions have said more than five words about it. I¡¯m wondering¡­ was it something illegal?¡±


    I blinked at her over the flames. Then I rolled my eyes. ¡°No. Let¡¯s just call it being in the wrong place at the wrong time.¡±


    She nodded sagely, ¡°Very well.¡±


    So, these people didn¡¯t know who we were¡­ that could work in our favor until we knew the identities of our enemies.


    The strangest thing about our previous fight was that, other than Weng, the two leading figures had been foreigners. From northern Europe now that I was able to place their accent.


    I had no idea that Vikings or their ilk had traveled as far as China.


    As I ate, I analyzed the people around me. Most looked like weary travelers, some were bandaged, but they all seemed to hold the old woman in high regard. If I was reading things correctly, this woman was a healer and just about everyone here was or had been a patient of hers.


    What worried me was the vibe I got from the old woman¡­ as if she weren¡¯t completely there. Like a mirage or vision.


    She had helped us, true, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel wary of her.


    And I hadn¡¯t spotted Fa Min anywhere.


    When I finished my food, I stood up and stretched. ¡°Thank you for the meal¡± I gave the old woman a slight bow and turned to leave.


    ¡°Where are you going, young man?¡± She asked me.


    At that moment I felt everyone¡¯s eyes on me¡­ making me even warier of our host.


    ¡°To stretch my legs.¡± I wasn¡¯t lying.


    Her eyes closed for a moment before she nodded and added ¡°Do not cross the tree-line unless you¡¯re ready to leave.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    I went on my way, feeling her eyes on my back.


    The cold really came down when I walked away from the bonfire, but I shrugged it off with a bit of fire-breathing.


    I walked silently to the very edge of the tree line, taking note of how quiet everything was. There were no birds nor crickets singing. No sound whatsoever. Even the sound from my feet on the ground seemed muffled.


    I picked a tree from the line the old woman had spoken about and stared at it. Finding nothing wrong, I closed my eyes and instead tried to reach out with my elemental senses. True enough, the tree was there, the mass. But the light of its spirit was stronger¡­ almost as if it had a mind of its own¡­ like no other tree or plant I had been in contact with before.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± A young and clear voice called me from behind.


    I ceased my investigation.


    One of the women that had tried to feed me before was staring at me from a few paces back.


    Even in my meditative state, I had failed to notice her approach.


    ¡®Maybe they are all ninjas?¡¯


    I looked back to where the huts were, and sure enough, there was some light, but also a shadowy figure at the border between light and darkness.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± she asked again, making me face her. She was closer now and wearing a heavy winter coat on her shoulders.


    ¡°No.¡± I frowned ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    She smiled at me. It was truly a beautiful smile with dimples and all¡­ if I hadn¡¯t been wary already, I might have fallen for her almost ethereal beauty.


    ¡°That was my question.¡± She pouted, taking a step closer. Up close, her beauty almost hurt, and I frowned, for looking her in the eye was giving me a headache.


    I turned away to stare at the tree from before, and gently caressed its surface ¡°These trees are old and wise.¡±


    I heard her hum, even closer than before. ¡°Do you not fear them?¡± her tone was genuinely curious.


    I laughed.


    In my previous life, I had always loved the outdoors, and now that I lived in a world where everything was green, that love only grew. That was one of the reasons why I couldn¡¯t stand being cooped up in the palace for too long.


    ¡°Fear them?¡± I asked and turned to her with a pleasant smile. ¡°No, not at all. I love them.¡±


    She was but a step away from me. Her presence, her smell, her smile. Everything was overwhelming, making my head hurt.


    I felt something click in my head and my vision changed. On the left, there was this beautiful girl looking at me innocently, but on the right side of my vision, there was a giant being made of light looming over me and reaching for me.


    I immediately took a step back and sighed when my sight became normal once again. That¡¯s when I saw her hand outstretched toward where my face had been.


    Her face was that of surprise, but also wariness.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± we asked at the same time. She scoffed at my question and frowned looking at the trees.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± I asked this time, watching as her gaze came back to me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I have a feeling that that question is more important than my last.¡±


    She laughed. It was a truly pleasant sound, like the ringing of a bell.


    ¡°You are interesting¡± she said, coming closer to me again. This time, my head wasn¡¯t hurting as before, but I could see her aura grow brighter as she closed the distance. ¡°You seem older than you are.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. If she wasn¡¯t going to answer my questions directly, then I had to find a way to discover her identity without asking outright.


    Thinking back about the spiritual beings I had been taught about, I tried the first name that came to mind ¡°where is Shancai?¡±


    She shrugged ¡°That boy is doing his rounds-¡± she suddenly caught up with what she had just said and glared at me ¡°You tricked me!¡±


    I smiled pleasantly, ¡°You weren¡¯t answering my questions.¡±


    She scoffed and crossed her arms looking mortified. After a moment she sighed ¡°Who am I then? Let me hear you say my name.¡±


    I cupped my fist and gave her a polite bow, like the ones I reserved for Bai Fan ¡°You are Guanyin, goddess of mercy and compassion.¡±


    She sighed and turned to the trees before addressing me. Seeing that I wasn¡¯t making a move or kowtowing to her, she stopped herself from talking and instead fully turned to me, surprise was written all over her face.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, but she kept staring at me. After a moment she shook her head, her cheeks growing a little red.


    ¡°You are nothing like the other men I¡¯ve met.¡±


    I conceded with a nod. ¡°What brought you here, my lady?¡± She glared at me, and I blinked in confusion. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to use my name?¡±


    ¡°Should I? It would sound rather intimate, don¡¯t you think?¡± the pink glow in her cheeks grew. ¡°We¡¯ve only just met; it would be rather impolite for me to call a lady such as you by name.¡±


    She bit her lip but nodded.


    ¡°Will you tell me your name now?¡± the goddess said without looking at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it? I rather think that this meeting is nor fortuitous, my lady.¡±


    ¡°Just say it.¡± She glared at me and I shrugged.


    ¡°Shen Long Mu.¡±


    Gone was her glare and frown, replaced by her beautiful, bright smile. ¡°A pleasure meeting you.¡± She offered a tiny bow, to which I answered with one of my own.


    ¡°Likewise, my lady.¡± We shared a moment in silence, where we stared at each other ¡°so¡­ to what do I owe the honor of a visit from the gods?¡±


    ¡°Well, the others wanted to know how you created that big light in the swamp. I simply wanted to meet you.¡± Her smile was contagious, and I soon found myself trying hard not to laugh and her bubbly disposition. ¡°How can someone so destructive feel so much compassion?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow but sighed. I¡¯m sure she had been referring to me feeling dejected at the destruction brought by my magic. I didn¡¯t much care for the lives of the assassins, but I mourned for the animals and plants that had been erased too. ¡°It is¡­. complicated.¡±


    The goddess rolled her eyes ¡°of course it is. You wouldn¡¯t be interesting otherwise.¡±


    I shrugged and turned to place my hand on one of the trees around us. I closed my eyes to try and connect with it again, and this time I said out loud what I had wanted to communicate to the tree before. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I killed your brethren, and the animals living there.¡± I felt its spirit ¡®turn¡¯ to me with curiosity. I shared some of my memories with the spirit and later felt it accept my apology in silence.


    I smiled and had to wipe my eyes when I came back to my senses.


    ¡°You know, I believe this to be the first time that a mortal disregards me to speak to someone else.¡± Guanyin was staring intently at me, and for a moment I thought that she might be jealous, but I denied such a thought the next instant.


    ¡°It was what I came here to do before I received your pleasant interruption, my lady.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°Oh, dearest Mu, the kindness of your words is lost if you lace them with sarcasm, didn¡¯t you know?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°It is a pleasant interruption, but an interruption nonetheless.¡±


    She nodded sagely before staring at my face once again. ¡°So¡­?¡±


    I stared at her ¡°So¡­?¡±


    She crossed her arms over her chest again ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    I blinked at her ¡°I was unaware the great goddess Guanyin was also a messenger to the gods.¡±


    The woman frowned ¡°I am not. But I have been asked to ask you since I was already planning to come to see you.¡±


    I nodded ¡°You can tell the other gods to not worry. I won¡¯t be using that magic again. And neither do I plan to teach it to-¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the question¡± she interrupted me, her soft smile turning to a glare. ¡°We want to know how you did it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s ¡®we¡¯ now?¡± her glare intensified, and I decided that playing coy with a deity was probably the stupidest thing I could ever do. ¡°Fine, fine.¡±


    I scratched my chin, looking at the dark sky for a way to explain physics to a spiritual being.


    ¡°Ok, first of all, you must understand that water is formed of tiny particles.¡±


    ¡°You mean droplets?¡±


    I shook my head. I felt like I was trying to explain quantum physics to a child ¡°No, smaller. So small that they aren¡¯t visible to the naked eye.¡±


    ¡°But then, how do you know they exist?¡± her face held bewilderment. Clearly, gods were as knowledgeable as the people of the time¡­ or maybe it was just this goddess.


    I smiled at her ¡°We don¡¯t normally see gods, yet how do we know they exist?¡±


    Her face became pensive ¡°but¡­ ok, never mind that. Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    I nodded ¡°It is almost impossible to separate these tiny particles¡­ unless you have an ample source of energy.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ the storm?¡±


    I nodded and she smiled. It truly felt like giving classes to a child ¡°Yes, when the lightning from the sky hit my water dragon, these particles grew excited and some separated. Now, if they aren¡¯t together, these particles are highly volatile. When the fire whip hit the water dragon, the energy from these particles was released in an instant. The light was one of the results of the explosion. It¡¯s followed by immense heat and a wind force equivalent to that of a tornado.¡±


    She was nodding sagely, even if I knew she understood little of what I had said.


    ¡°How did you find out about these¡­ particles?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s not a place where someone can go.¡±


    She stared at me, probably gauging if I was telling the truth or not. ¡°And¡­ you promised to never use this magic again, right?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t keen on burning to death or killing and destroying the land like before. ¡°Yes, never again. Next time I find myself surrounded; I¡¯ll think of another way to get out of that situation.¡±


    The goddess nodded ¡°very well.¡± Then, far too fast for me to reach, her hand grabbed mine and she pulled me to her with a strength that betrayed her divine nature.


    Before I was able to comprehend what had happened, she kissed me on the lips.


    I stiffened. So surprised that even my mind was completely blank.


    She released me after a moment that felt like an eternity.


    Guanyin smiled tenderly at me, patting my left cheek. ¡°I hope she¡¯s able to heal you. It would be a pity for such a handsome face to be marred by a scar.¡± Her hands went down to mine as I stared at her in bewilderment. ¡°What? Didn¡¯t think we goddesses liked kissing?¡±


    I shook my head no and cleared my throat before giving voice to my thoughts ¡°It¡¯s the first time I ever meet a deity. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect.¡±


    She nodded sagely. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to be your first. Be on the lookout for Huxian and Jiutian Xuannu, I heard they were interested in you too.¡± I paled, making her giggle.


    Guanyin turned back to the bonfire and began walking away ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about me, will you?¡± she sent a glance my way. One that was full of promises¡­


    Or maybe it was threats.


    I wasn¡¯t completely sure which.

 Chapter 36 - Compassion

    That night, when I came to the hut I had been staying at, I found Ling already waiting for me. She was silent and standoffish, making me think about the shadow I had seen from the bonfire earlier on.


    Apparently, I had been ¡®caught¡¯ with another woman¡­ even if she came on to me and wasn¡¯t even human.


    I sighed and stared at Ling, who refused to look me in the eye ¡°You saw us.¡± I declared. I wasn¡¯t asking.


    Ling tensed but didn¡¯t dare look me in the eye.


    I nodded. ¡°To say that I wasn¡¯t attracted to her would be a lie. But nothing will come off it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure my Master will find a way to make it work.¡±


    Ok¡­ maybe declaring that I had been attracted to her wasn¡¯t a good idea. Let¡¯s try another tactic.


    ¡°She¡¯s not human.¡± This made Ling stop and look at me like I was crazy.


    ¡°Is that even an excuse?¡± for a servant to glare at her master like she was doing now, would mean instant death in the palace... and probably the same in my parent¡¯s house. But I swallowed that fact and continued addressing the issue.


    ¡°It is not an excuse. It is the reality. Her, and maybe the healer too, are beings from the spiritual realm.¡± I shrugged ¡°Even the trees surrounding us have powerful spirits within. Old spirits.¡±


    Ling scoffed and her glare intensified ¡°And somehow you think that kissing a spirit will make everything all right?¡±


    ¡°I did not kiss her. Quite frankly, I was so surprised she came onto me that I barely reacted at all.¡±


    ¡°Not that you didn¡¯t want to!¡±


    Why did it feel like I was digging my own grave?


    ¡°For heaven¡¯s sake, Ling!¡± I stared at her intently. ¡°What do you want me to say? That I¡¯m sorry an unknown woman surprised me with a kiss? It¡¯s not like I can control others¡¯ actions, can I?¡± I took a deep breath to calm myself. I didn¡¯t want to fight, not with her. ¡°You know what? Believe me or don¡¯t. It¡¯s your decision. I will be here for whatever you decide.¡±


    I laid on the bed and closed my eyes, even as I heard her leave the room in a huff.


    I stayed in silence for a moment, until another voice interrupted my thoughts.


    ¡°Troubles in paradise?¡±


    ¡°All thanks to you.¡± I glared at the woman in the doorway


    ¡°Me? What did I do?¡± I knew the woman was Guanyin, even if her face looked somewhat different. It seemed she had taken another guise to visit me.


    ¡°You kissed me, and Ling saw us.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear.¡±


    ¡°You know, you would be more convincing if I couldn¡¯t hear the laughter in your voice.¡±


    She laughed out loud this time.


    I shook my head and sat on the bed ¡°You are the goddess of compassion; shouldn¡¯t you be helping me instead of giving me more trouble?¡±


    ¡°I have compassion for you¡± She closed in and sat beside me. I watched her warily ¡°that is why I am doing this:¡± she leaned to me and I leaned back. Her smile was intoxicating, but it also felt wrong for a spirit to show affection toward me.


    Especially when I didn¡¯t believe in spirits until I was reborn here!


    ¡°What?¡± she blinked innocently ¡°you disliked our previous kiss?¡±


    I refused to answer, knowing that no matter what I said, I would only dig my grave deeper. Worse, if Ling came back and found us doing anything more than talking, there would be no bridge to mend.


    Guanyin bit her lip and my eyes were immediately drawn to them. All rosy and warm¡­. And inviting.


    I shook my head and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    She tilted her head to the side and stared at me seriously. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this be a more compassionate way of helping? Making Ling herself end your nightly interactions instead of the ideas running through your head? Or have you found a way to not hurt her and still honor your family¡¯s hopes for your match?¡±


    She got me there.


    I didn¡¯t have an answer.


    If I took Ling as my wife, I would dishonor my family and the emperor¡¯s favor. If I took her as a consort and married a princess, as were my family¡¯s and the emperor¡¯s wishes, my wife would certainly make Ling¡¯s life hell when I wasn¡¯t looking¡­ and I would be unable to be there all the time.


    Mine wasn¡¯t a romance novel. A prince and a servant was a match that would never work.


    Or I could accept the Goddess¡¯ help and make Ling break up our relationship.


    Ling would hate me, for sure. But she would be safe from the scorn and intrigue of the inner palace I would most certainly find myself involved in. Much like our current adventure.


    I was so lost in my own musings, that I didn¡¯t notice just how close the woman was until her hand fell on my thigh.


    I looked up in surprise only to get kissed on the lips all over again.


    Apparently, Gods, like Kings, were used to getting things their way no matter what others thought.


    ¡®Only 27 more tribulations and I might be strong enough to be left alone¡¯ I sighed.


    Instead of fighting her off like I wanted, I let the kiss go on for a moment more, before deciding that the Goddess didn¡¯t really know how to kiss.


    I moved away from her and watched her as she slowly opened her beautiful black eyes. ¡°What?¡± she asked when she saw my expression.


    ¡°Have you kissed before?¡±


    My tone made her blush and look down ¡°I kissed you before, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    I shook my head. Both times she had only pressed her lips on mine.


    If not for the WOW effect, I wouldn¡¯t have felt much.


    ¡°I see¡± clearly, she was inexperienced. Fortunately, that was something I knew how to do. ¡°Let me show you how it¡¯s done.¡±


    Feeling a bit like a heretic, I took hold of her chin with two fingers and closed the distance, moving as if I was going to kiss her, and instead approached her ear to whisper ¡°Kisses should be an experience, they should fuel the desire, not just¡­ be.¡± I made my voice husky and grave, the way I knew my girlfriend from 2020 liked it. My lips caressed her heating cheeks ¡°they must convey your feelings¡­¡± I stopped over her lips and saw, to my delight, that her eyes were only half-lidded ¡°your desire.¡±


    I gave her a slow, sensual kiss, which I ended early by gently biting on her lower lip. ¡°Do you want me to show you more?¡± I went back to whispering in her ear and was delighted to see the skin on her neck get goosebumps.


    The goddess swallowed heavily and nodded.


    I went back to her lips and kissed her gently, slowly, turning up the heat at each passing moment until I found myself being pushed under her body while our lips fought a fiery battle.


    ¡®Damn! The strength of this woman is surreal!¡¯


    To free myself, I placed a hand on top of her chest, and I felt her moan into my mouth, while her legs gripped my sides painfully. Fortunately, this too made her stop kissing me¡­ the way she was looking at me was affecting the little guy inside my pants.


    ¡°It seems someone likes my lessons¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smirk at her on top of me.


    ¡°You¡­¡± she panted ¡°what did you do to me?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow, perplexed because her tone held surprise and reproach.


    ¡°Me? Who¡¯s the one on top, I wonder?¡±


    Finally aware of her position, she practically jumped off my lap as if burned.


    I took the opportunity to rise from the bed and approach her as she retreated until her back hit the wall.


    ¡°You were so aggressive a moment ago, yet now¡­¡±


    Her chest was heaving and her face was as red as a tomato while she stared wide-eyed at me.


    She looked, for all intent and purposes, like a scared doe in front of a car. The panic in her eyes was so real that it made me stop in my tracks.


    ¡°¡­ Are you ok?¡± she looked on the verge of a panic attack.


    ¡°Wh-what are you?!¡± She stared at me as if I were the devil himself.


    ¡°What do you mean Guanyin?¡±


    The goddess seemed bewildered by my own surprise. Suddenly, she turned serious and began talking to herself ¡°I must tell the emperor. This- whatever this is, it isn¡¯t normal.¡±


    ¡°Guanyin?¡± I called her name, but she was in her own little world talking about a court and something about champions that I didn¡¯t quite get. I grew exasperated after a while of being ignored and approached, putting my hand on her shoulder.


    The woman flinched as if I had struck her.


    ¡°I- I¡¯m sorry!¡± The voice coming out of the girl¡¯s mouth was different from before, and when her eyes met mine, I could see that her irises were light brown. ¡°Please don¡¯t hit me!¡±


    She begged with fervor.


    ¡®What the hell?¡¯ It seemed to me that the Goddess Guanyin had borrowed this girl¡¯s body to visit me, and at some point between the last minute, she had abandoned it. Leaving her host in a confused state as to why she was in my room at all.


    After asking some pointed questions, I discovered the girl couldn¡¯t remember anything from the moment I had scolded her for trying to feed me¡­ almost half an hour ago.


    ¡°Fret not. You simply came to apologize, and I already told you it is fine. I overreacted.¡± I gave her a smile and she bowed bashfully.


    ¡°G-good night, sir. I hope you rest well.¡±


    ¡°Good night, my lady.¡±


    She blushed and left.


    Leaving me with far more questions than answers.

 Chapter 37 - Chi Medicine

    As expected, Ling didn¡¯t come to spend the night with me. It was both disappointing and relieving. Maybe I should heed the Goddess¡¯ advice and let things be.


    I woke up early the next morning, feeling almost as good as new. Still, the girls from last night came in to hand me a cup with medicine and another with tea to swallow the first.


    I gulped the first and nearly threw it up. But one of the women placed her hands on my mouth and the other pinched my nose, forcing me to swallow. Once I did, I drank the tea as fast as I could.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked grimacing at the terrible aftertaste. It tasted so bitter that I was afraid my tongue would fall off.


    ¡°Medicine¡± one of them answers, trying to hide her smile.


    ¡°Give a drop of that medicine to anyone and I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll swear off getting sick ever again.¡± I took a deep breath, but even that gave me an awful aftertaste.


    Both girls laughed and then offered me another cup of tea. I used it to wash out the aftertaste rather than drink it. Once I had finished the new cup, they bid me farewell and I smiled at them, making them blush.


    Just as they were leaving, the old woman from the bonfire came in to see how I was doing. I said that I was feeling fine but, instead of paying heed to my words, she took my head in her hands and began moving it in this and that direction, like a chiropractor.


    ¡°Take off your shirt.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow, but only got a glare back. Shrugging, I took it off.


    Again, she began prodding and moving my body every other way. I could feel some soreness, probably from spending so much time in bed, but nothing seemed particularly painful.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t seen it before, I would say it was impossible.¡± She grumbled, taking a seat before me.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Your body healed faster after you regained consciousness.¡± She stared hard at me.


    I have been using wood-breathing since I woke up, so it was to be expected.


    ¡°You said you have seen it before?¡±


    She nodded solemnly ¡°I met another cultivator in my youth.¡± I detected a fair share of nostalgia from her. The old woman sighed ¡°I will give you an ointment for the burns, but I can¡¯t promise they will heal. At best, the skin will look paler than the rest¡±


    I nodded and shrugged ¡°A price I¡¯m willing to pay for a well-learned lesson.¡±


    She gave me a small smile and nodded. ¡°Your other friend is awake; do you wish to see him?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I followed her into another small cottage, where I found no other than Fa Min being tended by the same two girls from before. His chest and right arm were bandaged. He managed a tired smile when he saw me.


    ¡°H-hey.¡±


    I blinked in confusion, kneeling on the ground beside him ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°That bad, huh?¡± his chuckling became a coughing fit. One of the girls offered him a cup of herbal tea.


    The old woman butted in then ¡°He received some burns too, but he isn¡¯t healing as fast as you.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I see. Then let me do something about it¡± It was my fault that Fa Min was in this state, therefore, I reasoned it was also my responsibility to help.


    I sat cross-legged at Min¡¯s side and meditated for a moment while maintaining my wood-breathing. I extended my senses toward him and immediately saw how his body was working hard to heal itself.


    Using a technique I had read once before in a book, I ¡°breathed¡± healing chi into him.


    The change was immediate.


    Min¡¯s face relaxed and he became drowsy, falling asleep not long after.


    Still, in my trance, I heard the old woman giving orders to the girls to bring clean, cold water and a balm for the burns.


    I ignored the rest and kept sending him waves of healing magic until I began feeling faint.


    Carefully, I withdrew my conscience from my friend¡¯s body and, when it entered mine, I felt immediately dizzy.


    A hand holding a cup of tea entered my vision. I took it and drank the contents greedily.


    ¡°I wish I knew more people who could do what you did just now.¡±


    I looked up to find the old woman smiling down at me.


    I smiled and thanked her. ¡°He will heal faster now. But he will still need your help to recover. I¡¯ve saved us a week of treatment, or so.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now go back to your room, you will need the rest and food waiting for you there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Zumu.¡±


    One of the girls accompanied me back to my quarters and kept me company while I ate. She left soon after, and I decided to regain some energy by sleeping.


    We made this a routine for the following five days until Fa Min and I were good to go. I saw Ling every day, but she kept herself away from me most of the time. Unless I called her specifically for something.


    But I avoided doing that as much as I could. Giving her ample time to calm down.


    On the ninth morning after arriving at the camp, Fa Min, Ling, and I thanked our host and her helpers before making our way to the other side of the circle of trees.


    Once outside, I turned back but could no longer find the trees from before.


    I sighed and ran to catch up with my companions.

 Chapter 38 - On The Road Again

    Having lost most of our belongings and the horses in the last fight meant we had to forage and hunt for food as we moved south through the Yu province. We had decided against going back to the Ji river, in case our pursuers had posted sentries to look for us, so we used the sun and stars to guide our way forward.


    It took us a whole week to get to a town where we haggled with the locals to exchange our meager belongings for two horses and pointers for the city closest to the Western border.


    We also found another way to make money: betting on fights. We could get one or two gold teals by fighting in a clandestine ring against some crooks. Min was all for it and I too participated, although I avoided using any form of chi magic, to keep my identity a secret.


    Winning the fights wasn¡¯t all that difficult. What was difficult was getting our money from the mobsters who ran the rings. Apparently, they weren¡¯t used to (or happy) strangers winning the normally rigged fights.


    Fortunately, we had a bigger dog than the mobsters¡­ meaning me. Min fought in the rings and if anyone wanted to refuse him his winnings, they got the dubious privilege of meeting me.


    ¡°How does it feel, sitting on top of yesterday¡¯s earnings?¡± I asked Min from atop my mount. He was riding a giant horse with a sour disposition. One of the farmers participating in the last ring had bet his horse when he ran out of money. He had been rather put out when he found out he would have to walk home to his wife.


    Min laughed good-naturedly ¡°It¡¯s pretty comfy if I do say so myself. It seems the horse is rather happy to be away from his previous owner.¡±


    I laughed along and heard Ling giggle behind me.


    Things between us were still tense, and we had barely spoken to each other since we left the spiritual encampment (which is the name I gave to the place where we healed and where I met Guanyin).


    I told Min about it, and all he said was that I was lucky the gods had been so understanding.


    We stopped for the day a handful of miles south of our previous position and hunted a couple of rabbits for dinner.


    ¡°Have you been to Yu before?¡± I asked Min in between bites. As always, Ling¡¯s food was delicious. I smiled and thanked her, but all she did was nod my way.


    Sigh.


    ¡°Once or twice.¡± Fa Min shrugged ¡°My uncle is a merchant; he does business all over Liang and even has some stores in Yu. I remember accompanying him to a town called Chengdu. It¡¯s a day¡¯s away from my uncle¡¯s main house and nearly four days from the western border where the Fa estate is.¡±


    ¡°Are we on the way to Chengdu, then?¡±


    Min nodded, looking at the starry sky ¡°We should be there the day after tomorrow if all goes well.¡±


    Finally, some good news. My sense of direction was¡­ weird. I could tell when we were moving north, south, or in any other direction, but I wasn¡¯t really sure about the distances. I supposed that crossing China during this dynasty was easier than crossing it in the future because the conquered lands were smaller, but it was still very big.


    Two days later, we arrived at the town Min had mentioned before, and we made contact with one of his uncle¡¯s couriers. Min and Ling helped the courier sell his goods at the town¡¯s market while I watched from afar. I wasn¡¯t well versed in selling. So, it was a revelation to see this new aspect of Fa Min. When I grew bored, I helped the guys in the back of the tent to classify and haul the goods.


    When my identity was revealed to the courier later at Min¡¯s uncle¡¯s house, he nearly fainted. Clearly, it wasn¡¯t common for the royal family to do something as mundane as carrying a pack of pelts from one room to the next.


    Fa Min¡¯s uncle, Fa Hou Rong was ecstatic at having us for dinner. However, I wasn¡¯t as eager to place him or his family in danger by staying for too long. I still didn¡¯t know who was after my life, nor what were his resources or ultimate goals¡­ I didn¡¯t want to risk placing innocents in danger for the sake of a comfortable bed.


    We bathed, changed clothes, restocked our provisions, and finally left the next morning.


    I did ask Hou Rong permission to send a message north to my family¡¯s estate and one for the palace. In the letter, I spoke of our ¡®change of plans¡¯, leaving the Ji River to the south. I included a few pointers about visiting this or that place. It was a rather innocuous letter, with little true information in case it was intercepted. If it did arrive at my home, at least my parents would think I went on vacation. As a footnote, I added a small coded poem. I was hoping Zhi had taught my father or mother our code so that they would get some truth from it. If not¡­. Well, it would sound nice, although the rhyme was a little forced.


    My letter to the palace was three lines long. Coded too, for Zhi¡¯s eyes only. I knew that as soon as she got that message, she would take it to her soon-to-be husband, and together they could find out if my enemies were from the palace. I only hoped that they would be discreet about it, I didn¡¯t want to bring them unnecessary trouble.


    The following two days were uneventful, which made me curious. Had we really lost our pursuers or were they bidding their time? There had been plenty of opportunities to attack us on the way, and yet nothing happened. I could see that Min and Ling were beginning to think that things would be alright now, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before our enemies came for us.


    I doubted that anyone with enough man-force and resources to plan an assassination would quit after a couple of setbacks.. And if this enemy was from the palace, like I feared, then they would have enough resources to keep their manhunt for a while.

 Chapter 39 - The House Of Fa

    Against even my worst predictions, we arrived at the western border without further trouble. Yet, I still felt tense and I probably wouldn¡¯t rest until I saw Master Fa.


    We made a beeline to the Fa family estate and were received by the man himself who, while looking older as the last time I saw him, did not really appear his age.


    Min, of course, greeted the old man with familiarity while I stood back. When the man¡¯s eyes turned to me, I went to one knee and cupped my fist in salute ¡°This Shen Mu greets Master Fa and wishes him a happy birthday.¡±


    I heard the man chuckle, and he returned his salute, after which he pulled me to my feet to look me over. ¡°This master is glad to see his student has not been slacking off.¡±


    ¡°Never, master. Never.¡± I smiled. It was a ritualistic joke between us. Unlike most of his other students, I was the first one in the dojo and the last to leave. Sometimes he had to drag me away from practice to study or do something else.


    After me, Master Fa greeted Ling warmly, even patting her head when she smiled for him.


    We moved inside the state and were directed to a room where we sat and waited for Min¡¯s mei-mei to appear, while Ling and I were introduced to Master Fa¡¯s older son and Min¡¯s father, Fa Ning.


    ¡°We are very pleased to receive his majesty in our house,¡± Min¡¯s father said with a bow. I know it was proper etiquette, but it felt strange to be greeted with such formality by someone with the last name Fa. ¡°I hope your trip went well?¡±


    The following silence was so deafening that one could probably hear the sun hitting the walls outside.


    I looked at my companions and discovered that they were both looking at me.


    Damn.


    Oh well, here goes nothing.


    I sighed and gave them an abridged version of our troubles.


    -------


    Master Fa was pensive while his son fumed.


    Min had excused himself from the room, wanting to look for his wayward mei-mei, who apparently wasn¡¯t at the manor at the time of our arrival.


    And, since we had been assigned rooms, I had sent Ling to oversee them and to rest for the remainder of the day.


    So now it was only the three of us inside the room.


    My master had asked for the complete version of our adventure and I complied, which led to their current moods.


    After a few more minutes, Fa Ning sighed ¡°I am glad that you have not been bothered while in our province. Still, I shall approach General Bai tomorrow about that.¡±


    On hearing that name, my eyes widened. I had almost forgotten that I had yet another friend in this province! One that I was rather keen to see again.


    ¡°How is General Bai¡¯s daughter?¡±


    Both men noticed my eagerness and smiled ¡°does the Prince know her?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Although I have not seen her in years, we exchanged correspondence for a while.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± in my eagerness, I failed to read Ning¡¯s curious smile.


    ¡°We met during my first Spring Competition.¡±


    Master Fa nodded sagely ¡°People call her ¡®the beauty of the west¡¯. And she is indeed a sight. We scarcely cross paths, but¡­ Ning, why don¡¯t you take my apprentice with you tomorrow? I am sure both youngsters will be glad to see each other.¡±


    Min¡¯s father frowned for a moment, but after a pointed glare from his father, he acquiesced.


    We made plans for the following morning and I was sent to take a bath and rest while Master Fa sent a servant to town, to fetch the best tailor. If I was meeting general Bai and his daughter the next day, I had to dress the part.


    After a bath and dressing in higher quality clothes that I had to borrow from Min, I was introduced to the pearl of the state: Fa Mei Lan.


    She was the fianc¨¦e of a general I had seen once or twice at the palace but never interacted with. I congratulated her on her engagement but was far more curious about her tea because Min had prattled all about how it was all he looked forward to when he visited the estate.


    I got a nice lesson about tea and an even nicer cup of beverage. It was indeed everything Min had said and more.


    After that first cup, I bowed to learn to do it myself, and she was more than a little flustered by my interest.


    When my Master heard about it, he fell to the floor laughing.


    He knew.


    He knew the trouble his granddaughter was in, now that I was obsessed over something.

 Chapter 40 - The Beauty Of The West

    The following morning, I woke earlier than usual to practice and train at the estate¡¯s kwoon and because I was nervous to meet Bai Fan after almost four years. She should be 20 if I¡¯m not mistaken.


    The last I knew from her letters was that she was happily writing a series of romance novels. I had suggested we work together, and we were in the process of working out the details. To her, my ideas were incredibly unique, while in 2020 it had been the most common. Well, at least the plot was interesting.


    However, it had been a few months since our last letter, and I was really looking forward to working with her in person.


    By the time the household was awake, I had already finished my bath and was eagerly awaiting Fa Ning so that we could get going.


    --------


    (From Bai Fan¡¯s Point of View)


    I had been feeling restless for the past week, probably because the son of Lord Shang kept visiting the manor trying to curry my favor. I had hoped to make it absolutely clear that I wasn¡¯t interested in him or his title, but it seems I still hadn¡¯t gotten the idea through his thick skull.


    Ah! How I¡¯ve cursed my beauty these past few years.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I love being beautiful, but then there are people whom my beauty has enthralled and just will not leave me be.


    I haven¡¯t been able to finish the latest chapter in my romance series! I imagine Mu is going to be quite cross with me when he finds out that I haven¡¯t done anything about the tale we¡¯re supposed to be doing together!


    Ah, the anxiety!


    I sighed and looked at my reflection on the polished bronze surface used as a mirror.


    I had really no desire to get on with my day, recently I was just going through the motions.


    ¡°Miss!¡± my faithful maid Xiao Yu entered the room with a bright smile ¡°you have visitors!¡±


    I wanted to cry.


    ¡°Who is it now?¡± I didn¡¯t really want to know, but I felt like I had to ask. ¡°Is it Lord Shang again?¡±


    ¡°Lord Shang sent word again he will be visiting today, but Master Fa Ning and another I haven¡¯t met before are currently speaking with your father.¡±


    I frowned and flicked her forehead in annoyance. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stay to find out who the other person was?¡± The Fa¡¯s were a very respected family in our province, especially Fa He Long, who was considered a national treasure. She knew her father kept a courteous relationship with them, but their coming to the house was a first in many years.


    Yu rubbed her forehead pouting ¡°Master Bai sent me to fetch you. I couldn¡¯t have stayed even if I wanted to.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s go see my father and his visitors¡­ Hopefully it won¡¯t be another suitor.¡±


    I went in front of Xiao Yu even if I didn¡¯t want to see anyone.


    Once we were outside my father¡¯s study, I took a moment to hear the voices to try to identify them, but to no avail. I had never met the Fa¡¯s and at the moment only my father was speaking.


    I sighed and motioned Yu to open the door.


    Walking carefully inside, I looked and smiled only at my father, hoping against all hope that he wasn¡¯t about to introduce me to another suitor.


    ¡°You called, father?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Fan¡¯er. Come here, there¡¯s someone I would like you to greet.¡± His smile was wide¡­ not a good omen for me.


    With a fake smile plastered on my face, I turned to his guests and my breath hitched.


    There were two men, as Xian Yu had said.


    The first one was an old man around my father¡¯s age. He was stoic but I could see the interest in his eyes.


    The other man¡­


    Oh gods.


    He is handsome but in a unique way.


    His eyes were of a very light brown and bright, his features were delicate but not womanly. Even meters away, I knew he was more fit than anybody else I had ever met before. And I lived surrounded by soldiers.


    But what made my breath hitch was his smile.


    It was a teasing smile full of happiness that gave me goosebumps.


    Who was this man and why had father not introduced us already?


    The gorgeous man inclined his head toward me, not losing his smile. ¡°Greetings, Miss Bai.¡±


    Gods! His voice should be declared as sin and cast out of the land¡­ or given to me for safekeeping. It was exactly the way I had imagined the lover of my main character¡¯s voice to be, better even.


    I bowed back and couldn¡¯t help the colors that rose to my cheeks when I answered ¡°Greetings¡­ um.¡±


    I dared to look at my father, who was grinning from ear to ear.


    I felt lost.


    Why hasn''t my father introduced this god to me yet?


    Had we met before?


    Impossible, I would have never forgotten a face or voice like that¡­ or had I?


    The man that had me in such a state chuckled, and my eyes went immediately back to him.


    ¡°Oh dear, it seems that the Lady has already forgotten about me.¡± I couldn¡¯t detect any malice in his tone, on the contrary, he seemed rather amused.


    ¡°Certainly not, your majesty!¡± my father interjected, almost in a panic.


    He was a Prince? I had met the royal family during one of my father¡¯s visits to the palace, but this man¡­ This man wasn¡¯t one of the princes I had seen.


    The man¡¯s gaze turned to my father and I wished there was something I could do to make it look back at me. I mean, I am the most beautiful creature in the room and still, he doesn¡¯t seem even a bit affected!


    I was at a loss.


    ¡°General Bai, would it be too much of me to ask to visit the gardens with you lovely daughter? Perhaps speaking with this Prince will freshen her memory.¡±


    Forward, isn¡¯t he?


    I wanted to frown but managed to hold back the urge. Instead, I turned to see my father nod of all things! He even asked his main servant to set a table for us to take tea in the garden!


    I almost felt cheated.


    Almost.


    Because, truth be told, I really wanted to know how I had managed to forget a man like him!


    The said Prince stood up and offered me his arm to take¡­ it sparked something in my memory, but I still couldn¡¯t place it.


    We walked in silence for a few moments before his voice interrupted my train of thought.


    ¡°I am hurt, miss Bai. You truly don¡¯t remember me.¡± He didn¡¯t sound hurt at all, and his smile was still in full bloom.


    ¡°I- err.¡± I took a deep breath to calm the nerves I had never felt before ¡°I am most sorry, your highness. There is no excuse for this servant to forget the name of a Prince.¡±


    I expected anything but for him to laugh.


    ¡°No matter, I shall enjoy giving you hints until you remember.¡±


    I bit my lip. Happy that I wasn¡¯t in trouble and that I would be spending time with him, but I couldn¡¯t help but fear what would happen if I were unable to remember.


    Royalty was, by rule, the vainest member of society. And when you added to that the fact that they could order the death of any subject in any circumstance just by looking at them wrong¡­ I feared for my life.


    We arrived at the pavilion in the garden, and I was almost dreading him asking me about life on the border or such trivialities, but instead, he began asking about the inspiration behind a poem I had written ages ago during one of the Imperial Spring Competitions.


    ¡°The topic of the competition had been ¡®life¡¯, and I remember struggling with it at first, but then a friend of mine came over and disrupted the event by seating beside me and taking the paper out of my hands.¡± I shook my head remembering, while a smile crept to my face.


    Those were simpler times.


    ¡°This friend of yours sounds like a true troublemaker.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°Mu a troublemaker? Oh, his majesty can bet he is.¡± I shook my head.


    His eyes sparkled and I lost my train of thought.


    ¡°On a first name basis is it? This person must really be special to you.¡±


    Oh dear.


    I had grown accustomed to saying his name in my mind that I completely forgot how improper it was to call others not related by blood or marriage by their given names.


    I blushed up to my ears wishing the earth would swallow me whole, but no such luck.


    Suddenly, his hand fell on top of my shoulder and I looked up at him. His semblance was apologetic.


    Why would he feel sorry when the one that made a social faux-pas was me?


    However, whatever he was going to say next was interrupted by a loud shout coming from the garden:


    ¡°Take your filthy hands off my fiancee!¡±


    We both turned to find the bane of my days (last name Shang) staring furiously at us as if we had been kissing or worse.


    The Prince turned to me, raising an eyebrow and I shook my head ¡®no¡¯.


    Shang, the brute, went so far as to slap away the hand that was touching my shoulder.


    Or well¡­ tried to.


    Tried and failed.


    I imagine that hitting the prince had been like hitting a rock, by the face his aggressor made.


    The Prince glared at the man and, instead of simply putting his hand on my shoulder, he went as far as passing his arm over my shoulders.


    ¡°You will apologize now¡± the man glared at Shang, who visibly recoiled from the authoritative tone. The prince then put forward a small lion-head pin I had completely overlooked until now. It was the emblem of the royal family. ¡°Do you not see this?¡±


    Shang went so pale that I thought he might just faint on the spot.


    True to form, the man kowtowed to the prince. ¡°F-fo-forgive me your majesty!¡± he sobbed.


    The prince nodded and then smiled at me.


    ¡°Now apologize to Fan¡¯er for telling such a ridiculous lie. To think that she would lower herself to accept a proposition of someone like yourself is nothing short of blasphemy!¡± His eyes turned to me again and I saw them light in mischief, completely betraying his tone.


    He spoke my name with such familiarity¡­ and in that smile, I discovered what he had been hinting at all this time: This was the only man in the empire that knew what I wanted out of life¡­ and he may also be the only one who could give it to me.


    I pouted and hugged myself closer to his frame.


    ¡°Mu¡¯er, this man has been pestering me for months! Can you do something about it?¡±


    As always, he took my change in stride, while he turned to the now trembling man.


    ¡°Should I have him flogged, then?¡±


    Shang whimpered.


    ¡°Only? He also lied about the engagement¡­¡±


    ¡°So, we cut out his tongue. He won¡¯t be able to lie anymore¡­¡±


    And just like that, the man who had been making my life difficult pissed his pants, bowing to leave and never return to bother us again if we let him keep his tongue.


    Clearly as unamused as I was to be in the presence of such a pitiful creature, Mu ordered one of my father¡¯s guards to take him away to receive his punishment: a flogging and public humiliation.


    I found it immensely curious that the soldier didn¡¯t even blink at being ordered by Mu and went on to fulfill the duty he had been given.


    Once we were alone again, he began to let go of me, but I grabbed his hand before he could take it off my shoulders.


    I put my head on his chest and inhaled his scent.


    The boy that I had met when he was thirteen had transformed into what I needed the most and, like he had done many years ago during that poetry competition, he had saved me.


    ¡°Thank you¡± I wanted to convey all the gratitude I felt with my words, but even I found them lacking.


    ¡°What are friends for?¡±


    Oh, dearest Mu, if you only knew that I no longer wanted to be just friends¡­

 Chapter 41 - A Proposition

    Her eyes were wet when she finally looked up at me, after spending over five minutes leaning on my chest.


    It broke my heart to see such a talented, strong woman on the brink of crying. I caressed her cheek with my free hand, as she hadn¡¯t released the other yet ¡°I should have come earlier. I knew you weren¡¯t telling me everything, but I-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± her hand touched my lips ¡°No. I didn¡¯t want to sound whiny. He was my problem, and I reasoned my father would kick him away after a few weeks like he had done with everyone else, but¡­¡± she shrugged her pretty shoulders and bit her lower lip.


    I sighed and hugged her against me, feeling that I had let down a friend.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. You don¡¯t have to worry about him anymore.¡±


    She nodded against my chest and I hugged her a little bit tighter.


    We stayed like that until she pushed with her hands against my chest.


    Reluctantly, I let her go.


    She looked up at me with an enigmatic smile that reached her eyes.


    ¡°Shen Mu ca-¡±


    ¡°Going back to formality so soon?¡± I interrupted her, smiling, ¡°I rather enjoyed you calling me Mu¡¯er.¡±


    The look she gave me was both entertained and exasperated.


    Ah, how I loved teasing this woman.


    ¡°Shen Mu¡± she repeated, louder ¡°can I ask you a serious question without you teasing me? I want to know something, but I need you to give me a serious answer.¡±


    I stared at her for a moment. It was the first time since we met that she asked me such a thing. I loved seeing her pout and glare at me, but something told me that what she wanted to ask was of utmost importance. So, despite me wanting to tease her, I acquiesced.


    Bai Fan took a step back and breathed deeply, before opening her gorgeous eyes and taking my hand in hers.


    ¡°Shen Mu¡­ will you please marry me?¡±


    -------


    ¡®What?!¡¯


    I blinked in confusion.


    ¡®I don¡¯t get it¡­. Is she joking right now?¡¯


    ¡°Are you teasing me?¡± I asked, completely serious. I noticed she tensed, but she didn¡¯t back down.


    ¡°No.¡±


    My eyebrows rose to my hairline.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to marry.¡±


    She sighed and sat in front of me, pulling me by the hand to sit with her.


    ¡°My father wants me to marry. He will not rest until I am, at the very least, promised to someone who can attend to my needs when he¡¯s gone.¡± She shook her head and her shoulders fell. ¡°I wish I could remain single and dedicate myself to my writing but that is no longer a possibility¡­ unless I marry you.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°You and I share a passion, I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t forbid me from writing.¡± I shook my head vehemently and her smile returned ¡°see? If we were to be married, I would no longer have to worry about suitors and dedicate more time to writing.¡±


    I frowned. Marriage for me was a commitment to the other person, not only to their happiness but to help them to become better¡­ in that sense, I had always thought of marrying another cultivator, someone who would understand and support my passion¡­ but this¡­


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. Sure, it would be like helping a friend in need¡­ but what about what I wanted?


    I took a moment to think about it, but I couldn¡¯t imagine us together as more than friends¡­


    ¡°I understand where you¡¯re coming from. But, to me, marriage is more than just a way to help one party.¡± I shook my head and looked her in the eye ¡°What would I be gaining from this marriage?¡±


    Now it was her time to frown. I noticed the hurt in her eyes, but it had to be said.


    ¡°Well, for starters, it would be a way for you to be free from that princess which pursues you¡­¡± I nodded and conceded the point. ¡°You would also get me.¡± She opened her arms and pushed forward her chest, at which I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°And you would give your body to me as a favor, or would you really want it?¡± I sighed ¡°I will not take you, or any woman against her wishes. And while I can certainly understand why you would want me as a front, I do not want a loveless marriage.¡±


    Bai Fan scoffed at that. ¡°Marrying for love is not something possible for us nobles.¡±


    That was unfortunately true. Despite what romantic novels said, in this age nobles like us got married either for political reasons or for convenience¡­ not unlike our present situation.


    The question I had to ask myself was: Am I willing to marry my best friend for convenience¡¯s sake, or did I want to wait for ¡®love¡¯ to come out of the woodwork? My situation at the palace ¨C regarding Meiling ¨C was precarious at best. If I didn¡¯t find a wife for myself, I might be forced to marry her to appease the Emperor. I had been hoping that the Empress would have a daughter¡­ but no such luck. And I had overheard the royal physician saying that it would be hard for her to get pregnant again. I could also look to other empires, but that would mean I would also have very little control over whom I would marry¡­


    All in all, Bai Fan¡¯s proposition was probably the best I would get given my options.


    I sighed ¡°And what about when your father begins asking for grandsons and granddaughters?¡±


    Bai Fan smiled, sensing that she was winning me over. ¡°I am not against having a family, it¡¯s just not my priority right now. We can always say that we¡¯re ¡®working on it¡¯¡­¡± she blushed but continued ¡°I¡¯m not against really trying, either.¡±


    It was either a loveless marriage to someone I cherished and held in high esteem or a loveless marriage to someone I hated.


    At the very least, with Bai Fan I would have the possibility of us falling in love with each other.


    I took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. She was biting her lower lip, looking back at me through long eyelashes. In truth, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever met, and yet¡­ I felt very little attraction for her, a fact that surprised me.


    ¡°Very well, Fan¡¯er. I will marry you.¡±


    Her smile was like a thousand suns, and she jumped into my arms, hugging me for all she was worth.


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!¡± The way she was looking at me, made my decision even more worth it¡­ and I couldn¡¯t help but return the smile. ¡°I swear you won¡¯t regret your decision!¡±


    I grinned back at her ¡°You better. I¡¯m sure I will be fighting your other suitors left and right¡­ fortunately, you will only have one contestant.¡±


    She snorted ¡°I should be the one to worry! I will be contending against princesses, while all you must do is look tough and every other noble will leave you alone. There are very few people in the empire that haven¡¯t heard about the great Prince Shen Long.¡±


    I put my tongue out to her, and her body shook in mirth.


    I passed my arm over her shoulders again and she leaned on me.


    Despite my reluctance, I liked how affectionate she was right now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see your father then.¡±


    We walked back to her father¡¯s study, where we found him speaking to the soldier that had taken lord Shang earlier.


    The man took one look at us and frowned. ¡°I hope there is a good explanation for your highness to treat my daughter with such familiarity.¡± He was, of course, referring to me holding her by the hand.


    I nodded. For some reason, I suddenly felt apprehensive about the whole situation.


    ¡°General Bai, I would like to ask for your daughter¡¯s hand in marriage.¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem even a bit surprised by my question, instead, he frowned at us ¡°And what about you, Fan¡¯er? Do you wish to marry this man?¡±


    ¡°Yes father!¡± Bai Fan looked at me, smiling in a way that made my heart beat a little faster ¡°There¡¯s no one else I¡¯d rather marry than Mu¡¯er.¡±


    Her saying my name with such familiarity¡­ surprised him. Something I found very entertaining. Apparently, she had never called me anything other than ¡®prince¡¯ in front of her father.


    The older man seemed at a loss.


    ¡°Is there a problem, General Bai?¡± I asked, frowning.


    He didn¡¯t answer immediately, and when he did, he changed subjects. ¡°I was told that you will be having a match with Fa Min for the title of Master of the Fa school of kung-fu.¡±


    I took the change in stride, while I felt Fan¡¯s curiosity at her father¡¯s response.


    ¡°That is true. As the last student of Master Fa He Long, I inherited the mastery over the school. Fa Min asked for a duel so that he can bring the title back to his family.¡±


    General Bai nodded ¡°I would like to be present that day.¡±


    I returned the gesture ¡°I will send word once the date is set.¡±


    Since the man didn¡¯t say anything again, I shrugged and looked at Bai fan instead, who was staring daggers at her father.


    ¡°Fan¡¯er?¡± she turned to me, losing the frown as a smile appeared on her face.


    ¡°Yes, Mu¡¯er?¡±


    I smiled at her ¡°Will it be fine if I come back tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± she sent a half-hearted glare at her father before looking back at me. ¡°I shall await your visit impatiently.¡±


    I chuckled and bent to kiss her knuckles, loving the way she blushed at such a simple gesture. ¡°It is a date then.¡±


    I bowed in the direction of her father. ¡°Have a good afternoon, General Bai.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, your majesty.¡±


    I winked at Bai Fan and left the premises. Despite his initial willingness, it appeared that General Bai was having second thoughts about marrying his daughter away.


    Oh well¡­ he dug his own grave pressuring her into marriage.


    In the end, I was royalty, and he couldn¡¯t refuse.


    He could put it off, sure.. But once I had shown interest, it was a foregone conclusion unless Bai Fan was unagreeable¡­ which couldn¡¯t be furthest from the truth.

 Chapter 42 - The Eight Tribulation

    I kept on visiting Bai Fan every day, to the amusement of Master Fa and the grievance of General Bai.


    He had indeed bitten more than he could chew.


    Fan¡¯er had explained that his father had been all for her to marry until it dawned on him that she would leave her family home to live with me. I had two residences, one in the Yan province and the other in the palace (but truth be told I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be very happy in the palace), and both were more than two week¡¯s travel from the western border.


    We could always build a home in the West, but being a prince meant I had to visit the palace often¡­ And there was the imperial library to consider too.


    I spoke often with my Master and was finally able to take off my chest the incident that had been heaviest on my conscience: my relationship with Xiao Ling.


    He had been quite upset with me for having taken her purity, but he was furious when I said that I had never cleared the air with her about me kissing another woman. As punishment for my transgression, I had to meditate under a waterfall for three full days¡­ which I suppose was his way of saying ¡®reflect on your mistakes¡¯.


    Too bad that I used that time and the chance to instead challenge the next heavenly tribulation.


    I sat under the waterfall for one afternoon before I felt my Chi spike in a way it had never done before as if it were preparing for a fight without my consent.


    I heard thunder in the heaven above me and saw the flashing through my closed eyelids. The rock under me shook and I suddenly forgot the water hitting my shoulders when a bolt of lightning impacted against my chest. I felt the energy and heat, but my Chi flared again, repelling the attack.


    Thunder sounded again, and again my Chi clashed against the lighting when it was about to hit me. It pushed against it, and I felt a righteous fury behind the storm. Something or someone wanted to prevent me from reaching the next level.


    Well, too bad for them.


    I wasn¡¯t about to back down.


    I breathed and reinforced my Chi through my will and the next strike of lightning was even easier to repel and, after two more tries, the storm abated and I knew I had won the battle¡­ but also that my enemies were not only within the earthly realm anymore.


    There had been something strange about the Tribulation, and I was intent on finding what was going on.


    It took the rest of the next day for me to get used to the growth in my Chi, and once I went back to the Fa estate, I slept for two days straight.


    When I woke, I found myself being cared for by two women who were glaring at each other in turns, and my master who was silently staring at the garden while sipping tea.


    ¡°I am perfectly capable of caring for my future husband.¡± Bai Fan stressed the last two words with a petulant air.


    ¡°Ah, but my Master is well accustomed to me caring for him. He has often said how much he enjoys my hands on him.¡± Despite the difference in classes, Ling didn¡¯t seem keen to let anyone lord over her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you open your eyes already and stop them from fighting?¡±


    As always, Master Fa was in complete control of the situation.


    I answered without opening my eyes ¡°I was interested in hearing Bai Fan¡¯s comeback.¡±


    Master Fa laughed.


    When I opened my eyes, I found both women blushing furiously. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°Two days.¡±


    I nodded.


    Fan¡¯er pouted ¡°You could have said something! After seeing you every day, I grew worried when you didn¡¯t come for four days. And when I come to see you, they tell me you have been asleep.¡±


    Her worry was endearing.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± I sat on the bed and caressed her cheek with my thumb ¡°I got my punishment from Master Fa, and while I was at it, I went through a Heavenly Tribulation.¡±


    Master Fa sighed, while Ling looked quite put out that I had reached for Fan¡¯s hand instead of hers.


    ¡°Which was it?¡±


    ¡°The eight.¡±


    He sighed again, even when I saw the pride in his eyes.


    ¡°Min¡¯s chance to win back the Mastery is quickly looking like a vain hope.¡±


    I shook my head ¡°We should be even in straight martial arts. Especially since he¡¯s been training with me during our travels.¡±


    Master Fa smiled and nodded gratefully. ¡°I will tell him.¡± With that, he left me with the two women.


    ¡°Ling, please ask the Fa¡¯s servants to set a table for Fan¡¯er and me at the garden.¡± She gave me a low bow and left to do my bidding. Only when she had left did I turn to Bai Fan, whose eyes were shining with tears.


    Without words, I opened my arms and she hugged me willingly.


    ¡°I was so worried.¡± She whispered against my chest.


    ¡°Sorry, I-¡±


    She shook her head, and her fingers touched my lips to silence me¡­ a gesture keenly reminiscent of a certain goddess. ¡°I understand that this is what you do. You are a cultivator, after all. Next time please just tell me that you¡¯re going to be away, all right?¡±


    I truly had lucked out with her as my friend¡­ and future wife.


    I smiled ¡°Very well.¡±


    We held each other until we heard Ling coming back.

 Chapter 43 - Shen Vs. Fa

    My duel with Fa min was arranged for three days after I woke up.


    As promised, I had invited General Bai who was slowly warming up to the idea of me being his son-in-law. Bai Fan was present, as were most of the Fa¡¯s, even Min¡¯s uncle had come to the estate to watch the duel.


    We could probably have made a small fortune by selling tickets to the event, but I didn¡¯t want to get Min in trouble, because he was about to break the taboo for harming a prince.


    What a pain in the ass, that taboo.


    I wore a yellow changshan with the Shen hanzi on the back, while Fa Min wore white with the Fa hanzi in black.


    Master Fa began the ceremony by explaining ¡°This duel is between Shen Mu and Fa Min for the Mastery of the Fa School of martial arts. It is a Martial Arts encounter, and only the baser form of elemental breathing will be permitted.¡±


    That was news to me. I had thought we would forego the elemental breathing, but apparently, Min didn¡¯t want that many handicaps.


    ¡°General Bai, will you please officiate?¡± Master Fa asked him because he was the highest official after me in the place, and as the third party, he should be impartial.


    The man nodded stoically.


    I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment. I used that time to center myself. Fa Min was not an easy opponent and I wouldn¡¯t be using Chi magic to stay on top, I needed to be at my best.


    I could either outlast him by using a mix of wood and wind elemental breathing, or I could go out with fire. Mixing elemental breathing techniques wasn¡¯t easy and I was only beginning to understand how to do it¡­ so it would probably be best to keep it simple until I mastered it.


    He knew that I liked to get a sense of my enemies before a fight, but in this case, we knew each other well.


    Deciding to break the mold, I began the fire-breathing technique.


    I would attack first and see how he would react.


    I opened my eyes to see Fa min doing the same.


    We cupped our fists in unison and bowed.


    ¡°Do not hold back¡± Fa Min advised ¡°I will give this fight my everything.¡±


    I smiled at him ¡°You are a rare breed, Fa Min. It is an honor to fight with you.¡±


    Remembering our first duel, I adopted the crane style.


    He smiled and adopted the snake style.


    ¡°This brings back memories,¡± we said in unison, smiling.


    ---------


    (From General Bai¡¯s perspective)


    I had thought the duel to be a mere formality, having heard the rumors about the star pupil of Fa He Long. And especially after seeing his duel with prince Hui a little over five years ago.


    But that was then, and this was now.


    The two men before me were very impressive.


    They traded blows as if their fists were the wind itself. The prince flowed from one style to the next as if there was no difference between them, which was surprising in itself; but the most surprising thing was that Fa Min was the same. Yes, he wasn¡¯t as fluid as the prince, but he was still very good.


    Min evaded a kick by switching from snake to puma in an impossible short instant and retaliated with a string of punches that had the prince on the defensive until he too changed styles.


    However, in an instant, something in the prince¡¯s demeanor changed and I could feel the hair on the back of my head rise.


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on until I heard my daughter gasp.


    I looked away from the fight for an instant, and when my eyes returned to it, I understood what she had seen.


    I had been so focused on the exchange that I missed the appearance of the prince.


    His clothes were billowing to a nonexistent wind, while his aura shone brightly for all to see¡­ After a moment, the light took form and I couldn¡¯t help but gulp as a dragon made of pure golden light surrounded him.


    ¡°Oh dear.¡± I turned to my left where Fa He Long sat overseeing the duel. The man¡¯s tone was a mixture of pride and worry.


    ¡°Wh-what is happening to the prince?¡± I asked him


    His wise eyes were sparkling as he looked at me ¡°it seems the fight has awakened Shen Mu¡¯s spirit animal.¡±


    ¡°His what?¡± I asked, my eyes going back to the prince, who was on the offensive now. Poor Fa Min was finding it very hard to evade now. It was as if his speed had multiplied.


    Fa He Long continued explaining while I stared in awe as both martial artists fought with renewed vigor.


    ¡°There are Dao manuals where it is said that everyone has a spiritual form that can only be achieved through strenuous training and meditation. It is common for martial artists to feel a connection to a certain style or form, which is theorized to be a link to our spirit animal. When a person who is a Master uses that preferred style, he feels stronger¡­. But when a cultivator does it, he can feel the animal coming forth to help.


    ¡°Shen Mu is a cultivator like no other I have ever had the honor of teaching. It is as if his spirit already knows the way through the tribulations¡­ as if it is waiting for him to reach the end of the road.¡± Fa He Long watched his star pupil with an unreadable smile ¡°I am certain that he will achieve divinity one day¡­ or come very close to it. And it seems that his spirit has already decided on its final form.¡±


    The words of the man who was regarded as a National Treasure touched something in me and I too believed that we were witnessing the start of a great legend.


    Knowing that he was the man Fan¡¯er had decided to marry, made me incredibly happy.

 Chapter 44 - Awakening

    I felt something had changed in me.


    A moment ago, when Min began using the puma style and gained the initiative, I felt my Chi react despite my otherwise solid control.


    It was as if a part of my mind awakened and suddenly I could feel everything around me. The sun shining down on us, the wind as it moved the grass, the movements of the earth under our feet¡­ then it felt like a storm was coming.


    But the storm was inside me.


    My whole body felt electrified, even the hairs on my arms were standing on end.


    My heart beats like a drum and my mind is completely at ease.


    Then I felt like something had broken out from inside me, only to be filled by energy so absolute that I stood in complete awe for a moment that seemed like an eternity.


    My body switched on its own accord to dragon style, and the feeling of power increased.


    A dam had broken inside me, and now I could see every moment and reaction from Fa Min even before it happened.


    I threw a right hook and he evaded to my left while throwing a short kick¡­ and instead of my midriff, he bit back a grimace when my right elbow blocked his knee.


    It was a speed that defied explanation.


    My body moved even faster than my mind, and with a precision that amazed even me.


    I had never felt so in my element, so¡­ right.


    One of my arms parried his next kick and, a blink later I had already landed three punches to his midriff.


    Fa Min retreated a few steps and spit out blood.


    My body moved, preparing to strike again before he could recuperate when my mind finally engaged.


    ¡®Stop! He is not your enemy!¡¯


    My body began aching something fierce, while two voices argued in my head. One was mine, and the other was too¡­ but it sounded like a raging animal.


    ¡®They are all enemies!¡¯


    ¡®No! The Fa family are our friends!¡¯


    ¡®The Fa, the Shen¡­ the name doesn¡¯t matter. They all want to control us!¡¯


    ¡®That is not true. Our family loves us, the Fa respects us. We have no enemies here!¡¯


    ¡®Not here, not now, but soon. All who challenge the dragon must die!¡¯


    ¡®Who is the dragon?¡¯


    ¡®I am! We are!¡¯


    ¡®If WE are the dragon, then the Dragon has no enemies here. Look around us!¡¯


    I feel my head turn to look at the people surrounding us. Most look afraid of me, but only three of them look at me with worry in their eyes¡­ Master Fa, Xiao Ling and Bai Fan.


    ¡®Mate-not-mate and was-Mate are worried, why?¡¯


    It took my mind a moment to understand that it was referring to Bai Fan and Ling respectively ¡®They must be wondering if we lost ourselves.¡¯


    ¡®We are not lost! We are found!¡¯


    ¡®Yes, we are found, but do they know it?¡¯


    ¡®If they are mates, they should!¡¯


    The strange voice in my head growled in displeasure at having to settle for mates who didn¡¯t understand us, but my other self was ever so positive.


    ¡®Then we must look for someone who understands. Surely, if we live long enough, we will meet her.¡¯


    ¡®Yes! A mate who understands!¡¯


    ¡®We might not know her yet, but we will, someday.¡¯


    ¡®Yes! Dragons are immortal, we shall wait for her!¡¯


    Then, as one, both voices spoke in my head. It felt as if they were speaking a prophecy¡­


    ¡®We are immortal, we will wait for her! For the mate that will understand!¡¯

 Chapter 45 - Intermission I

    Intermission


    I¡¯m currently finishing the third Arc of this story which is around 28 chapters long (little over 60,000 words and more than 100 pages long), making it the longest arc of the whole story. Other than being longer, the third arc has a lot of reflections about the reason why Shen Mu was reborn into the past with all of his memories, and the real bad guy will finally be revealed, if not dealt with.


    This story was planned to be 5 arcs long, with a little over 400 pages in total between them, and I¡¯m already working on the 4th Arc, so you won¡¯t have to wait too long for it to be released.


    Also, for those preferring the hard-copy, I¡¯m working to release the first three arcs for kindle and paperback through amazon international.


    For now, however, and to thank you for accompanying me and Shen Mu on this journey. I leave you now with a sneak peak of the third Arc.


    Safe travels.


    Kumitzin.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________________


    [SNEAK PEAK]


    ¡°INNKEEPER!¡± I shout and the whole room turns to me. Some stare at me, others at the boy that I¡¯m dragging kicking and screaming, and some others look toward the innkeeper¡¯s wife, who is pale as a ghost. The older of the thieves, finally on his feet again, tries to run only for my wind to trap his feet and drag him to me, while everybody stares with bulging eyes.


    To this poor people, that must have been like seeing a god.


    The overweight man to whom I paid for my food and room comes in and colors rise to his face as he witnesses me manhandling a boy. However, instead of saying anything to me, he glares at his wife. ¡°YOU SAID THEY WERE TAKEN CARE OF!¡±


    If possible, the woman pales further, before looking down apologetically.


    ¡°I found these two trying to sneak into my rooms¡± I say to the man, and he balks ¡°It seems you know of them.¡±


    ¡°Aye¡± the man grumbles ¡°They¡¯re my sons. The imbeciles.¡±


    ¡°Well then¡± I throw the boy at his father and the kid crashes against the man¡¯s torso, glaring apoplectically at me ¡°Deal with them or I will.¡± I glare at the portly man who grabs the boy by his clothes and pulling him back.


    ¡°As for you¡± I turn and glare at the older boy who looks at me as if I¡¯m the bad guy. My magic is keeping him from moving, so I kneel down and slap his face so hard that a tooth comes out and he whimpers ¡°how dare you drag your brother into such a sport! You are the older brother, you¡¯re supposed to protect him, not corrupt him!¡± I glare at him some more, before I dismiss my magic and he slumps to the floor, touching his reddening cheek.


    I survey the rest of the room, but nobody will look me in the eye. I grunt and as I¡¯m about to leave...


    ¡°YOU ASSHOLE!¡± a small weight impacts against my torso and I turn to see the small boy trying to harm me with his fists. ¡°DON¡¯T HIT MY BROTHER!¡±


    He keeps hitting me, but I barely feel it, instead I look up at his father who is too shocked to do anything.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a lesson you won¡¯t soon forget¡± I hiss and that wakes up the older man.


    He immediately runs to us, grabs the boy by his midriff and makes him bow to me as he does.


    ¡°Forgive them lord, they¡¯re just children!¡±


    ¡°Children who attempted to steal from a traveler. Do you know the Empire¡¯s penalty to stealing, even for young, stupid boys?¡±


    ¡°No! Please don¡¯t tattoo him! He¡¯ll be marked for life!¡±


    ¡°How else will he learn his place? If not a tattoo, then perhaps we should just cut their noses.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± now even the mother is bowing before me, pleading instead of her children, who are now bowing too.


    ¡°WHAT IS ALL THIS RUCKUS!?¡± A new voice bellows and a man enters the establishment wearing the uniform of the prefecture. He took one look at the scene and shook his head mumbling ¡°Those kids will never learn.¡± he then looked at me a moment, squinting before his eyes popped open like plates ¡°YOUR MAJESTY!?¡±


    With his shout as a detonator, the room turned to me in slow motion, and they all kowtowed while I shook my head. So much for keeping a low profile.


    Up until then, the kid had been struggling to get up to assault me again. Now he¡¯s trembling like a leaf on the wind.


    I had wanted to scare him before, now is it seems the police has done my work for me. I put a hand on his shoulder and the trembling intensifies.


    ¡°You have a good family¡± I point out, pulling his face up so that we see eye to eye. In them I see them a great fear ¡°Do not squander them away. What will you ever do if you lose them? Right your ways young man, before you can no longer count on them for help.¡± Then I turn to the parents and place my hands over their shoulders ¡°raise your boys right. They deserve the chance to become good men who will bring honor to your name.¡±


    Their heads fall back to the earth, and I sigh, looking at all the people prostrated before me.


    ¡°Not again¡± I mumble and walk back to my room. I will not let another guard betray me and put innocent people¡¯s life at risk. I slam shut the door and pack my things, counting the seconds on my head.


    Before I reach thirty, there comes a knock on my door.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask, wary.


    ¡°May I come in, your highness?¡± The voice is that of the police that recognized me downstairs.


    I pondered the possibilities as I sat on the bed.


    After reaching a consensus, I spoke up ¡°Come in¡±


    The guard came in and prostrated before me again. ¡°Your majesty!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked in a bored tone, eyeing him warily.


    ¡°To answer his majesty, we were informed by the prefects that if we were to encounter your Majesty, we should inform him that his presence is requested at the palace.¡± He said all this without raising his head from the ground.


    ¡°Why, and more importantly, how did you recognize me? I¡¯m not wearing my golden pin.¡±


    ¡°To answer his majesty¡¯s first question, I do not know. I was told to lead you to the prefect, should I come in contact with your majesty. As for his majesty¡¯s second question: Every prefecture received a portrait with his majesty¡¯s face on it, it came with the orders to aid you in any way possible. The orders came directly from the palace!¡±


    If my enemies were from the palace, someone had made them a great service. Now every single official and police officer knew his face... which meant that his enemies did too.


    However, it also tied my hands. I was no longer a free agent. I had to answer the summons... I only hoped that that it hadn¡¯t been his enemies who requested me there.


    ¡°Lead the way then.¡± I said standing up, bag in hand.


    The man rose quickly and walked out of the building with me closing the march. As I exited, I found that the room was now empty save for the family of the innkeeper, who fell to their knees as soon as they laid eyes on me.


    ¡°Your majesty!¡± The innkeeper saluted kowtowing with the rest of his family. ¡°This servant thanks his majesty for his words and for forgiving our boys for their foolishness-¡±


    ¡°I did not forgive them¡± I spoke quietly, and silence reigned for a moment. The guard looked torn between acting against the family and not. ¡°Your children were intent on committing a crime. Forgiving them without punishment would mean they will not learn from this experience.¡± I glared at the boy who wouldn¡¯t stop trembling ¡°When I come back to this place, I want to see both of them turned into honorable men, otherwise I will be sure to tell the authorities that your boys have broken the taboo by touching this Imperial Prince.¡±


    I think they¡¯re sufficiently cowed for them to right their ways.


    I walk past them, motioning the guard to keep moving.


    Once outside, the policeman looks over his shoulder at me, in his eyes I see him itching to ask a question. Instead of letting him speak, I give my answer.


    ¡°Yes, I did that on purpose. Children should be corrected, and I doubt the current punishments will truly deter crime. I will remind myself to come in a couple of years to learn of their fate... but I might also forget... they will have to live their whole lives with that threat pending over their heads.¡±


    The man chuckled and nodded, saying nothing else until we dismounted at the guards¡¯ station. I stayed beside my horse, preparing myself mentally to be ambushed by the guards, like I was at Ji port.


    An elder officer marched out of the building and fell to one knee before me ¡°Your Majesty, this prefect is honored to make your acquaintance¡±.


    I grunted ¡°Your guard mentioned that I was summoned to the palace, can you tell me more?¡±


    ¡°Yes! To answer his highness, I was told that all prefectures of Yu received a missive just as mine¡± he answered and showed me two letters, one addressed to the prefect and another to me.


    The missive to the prefect was very straightforward and plain: if they were to encounter the man in the portrait, they would have to aid him in reaching the palace as soon as possible.


    The one addressed to me began with a little poem in the same code my sister and I invented. The two lines put my mind at ease, apparently the ones responsible for the current orders of the police were no others than my sister and my sworn-brother Heng Li. However, as I read the following lines, my next breath got stuck on my throat:


    The Empire was under attack.

 Chapter 46 - 3rd Arc: Rebirth Of The Dragon

    (Author''s note: Thank you all for your patience. The following chapters are somewhat longer to make up for my long absense.)


    My fight with Fa Min ended with me yielding. I had injured him while in my altered state, something totally unlike me. It wasn¡¯t until I spoke to Master Fa that I understood a bit more.?


    What I felt inside me, the ¡®two consciousness¡¯ that were warring for the control of my body during the fight, were my mind and spirit being separated.


    At a moment of intense concentration ¨C meaning my duel with Min ¨C my spirit rebelled against the conscious decision I had made about marrying Bai Fan. Its discontent had accumulated since I slept with Ling and figured out that I couldn¡¯t stay with her despite our feelings. The Heavenly Tribulation I went through days before, had only given it strength.


    This means that every time that I do something I don¡¯t like, I have to listen to a part of me protest about the need for such a decision.


    But, as Master Fa revealed to me, my spirit already knew the way through the heavenly tribulations. I had been following in his wake¡­ that was one of the reasons why the tribulations were nothing to me. Up to now, my spirit has guided and protected me¡­ for its/my own benefit.


    Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little cheated.


    Anyway, let¡¯s get back on track, shall we?


    Fa Min was understandably upset when I yielded. But, in truth, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could still continue fighting with him when a stronger opponent was vying for my attention. His grandfather took him away to speak to him, while I tried to rein in the new tenant in my head.


    ¡°Mu, are you all right?¡± I felt Bai Fan drawing near before I heard her.


    I took a deep breath, trying to calm down my other self before I turned to her with a smile ¡°of course, why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±


    Her father was with her, frowning.


    Bai Fan came really close, placing her hand on my forehead. Immediately my other self huffed, asking why I let her touch me, but I had to admit that her hand was incredibly soft.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± there was worry in her eyes, which I found amusing. I never imagined she would be a worrywart.


    I chuckled and took her hand off my forehead, keeping it between mine ¡°Yes. Besides, I''m all sweaty.¡±


    Instead of getting all flustered like Ling usually did, Fan frowned and took her hand back. Then, fishing a handkerchief from inside her robes, she began dabbing my face with it.


    Strong women for the win.


    I hadn¡¯t lost my smile as I watched her, truly amused at her antics. Better yet, I felt my other self silently nodding in approval.


    ¡®She might not be as bad as I initially thought¡­ even if she¡¯s still a weakling.¡¯


    ¡®Bai Fan is an interesting and intelligent woman. She has her merits, even if she isn¡¯t a cultivator.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s a pity. If she were, you wouldn¡¯t have to see her die.¡¯


    Its words scared me, and I asked for an answer, but it ignored me.


    ¡°¡­.u?¡±


    I blinked, coming back to my senses. Bai Fan was looking at me questioningly. The hand with the handkerchief was suspended in front of me while she studied my face. ¡°Are you sure you are all right?¡±


    I snorted ¡°Yes, just lost in thought for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡± she nodded and brought her hand down.


    I turned to her father and said, ¡°Comments, General Bai?¡±


    The man scratched his chin ¡°I must congratulate you, prince. The two of you were evenly matched until you¡­¡± he made a curious gesture with his hand ¡°changed.¡±


    So, they had noticed too.


    I nodded and looked down at my hands. ¡°I hope Fa Min will one day forgive me. I sincerely did not wish to hurt him and if we continued, I most certainly would have.¡±


    The older man nodded ¡°Master Fa He Long said something about discovering your spiritual animal.¡±


    I shook my head. Apparently, my master still had some things to teach me. ¡°I wish he had told me before!¡± I chuckled for a bit longer before sighing and addressing the older man who appeared amused. ¡°I felt something awakened inside me¡­¡± I shook my head, at a loss of how to properly explain the situation. In the end, I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can properly explain it.¡±


    General Bai made a dismissive gesture with his hand ¡°It matters not.¡±


    I shrugged at him and turned my eyes to Bai Fan who was watching us interact with interest. I realized that the woman in front of me probably had the same habit I did in the past, when looking for inspiration I would always watch people interact and wonder if my characters would ever behave like that. Bai Fan was an artist, a writer like I had been, it stood to reason that she would do things like that. After all, it was something I had often heard from other authors.


    ¡°General Bai, I would like to ask for your permission to take your daughter to town¡± My words brought both of their gazes to me, one interested and the other curious ¡°I know very little of the place, but I am sure that we will surely enjoy a stroll through the streets of your wonderful province.¡±


    General Bai laughed amiably ¡°What do you say, my daughter? The Prince is asking you out!¡±


    For some reason, Bai Fan blushed and pouted, but eventually turned to me with a bow ¡°I will enjoy showing you my hometown, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± I smiled and took her hand, brushing my lips against her knuckles. ¡°I shall see you later¡± I offered a small bow to both who looked a bit perplexed, but I ignored it. What I wanted the most was to get away and take a bath. Everything else was inconsequential.


    ---


    Sometimes, I forget that the manners I learned in my previous life are from the west and that they are awfully strange or rude in a culture with so little physical contact between people as it is here in Asia. I had kissed Bai Fan''s hand like I was taught in my past life, something that was mostly unknown in the time I''m living now.


    That is the reason why my fianc¨¦e is currently acting so bashful.


    Oh well.


    ¡°Fan¡¯er¡± I chuckled, loving the way her cheeks flush every time I say her name. We are currently strolling through the streets and I''m holding her hand on my arm. There are plenty of onlookers and bystanders watching us and whispering... nothing that I care for since they are completely inconsequential to the status of our families. But apparently, Bai Fan doesn''t think the way I do. ¡°Why do you blush so much?¡±


    She looked up at my face and pouted.


    God, I love teasing this woman.


    ¡°Barely one day engaged and you behave as if we knew each other for years, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but we have known each other for years!¡± I smiled, patting her hand on my arm ¡°In fact, I dare say there is no other man in this city that knows you as well as I do!¡±


    Bai Fan turned even redder and covered my mouth with her hands. ¡°D-don¡¯t say such things in public!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help it and laughed behind her hands. I took them both in mine and pressed my lips against her digits, making her blush further. ¡°Very well, very well. I¡¯ll stop teasing you.¡± We kept walking, she was showing me everything that she loved about her hometown, while I was secretly underwhelmed by everything.


    I know that sounded strange, but the truth is that very little of what I¡¯ve seen in this age has that ¡®wow¡¯ effect that was so common to the XXI century (cultivation and magic notwithstanding). Therefore, there are very few things that will impress me, but I can certainly appreciate the effort and, more so, the emotion she¡¯s showing.


    After walking for an hour or so, I began getting an odd feeling, as if I was being watched with ill intentions. Being watched was given as soon as we took a step out of the Fa estate, especially when the most beautiful woman of the Empire was gently holding your arm, but the way I¡¯m being stared at this very moment is making my skin crawl.


    Something is afoot.


    Sadly, it seems that I¡¯m the only one who has noticed. Bai Fan¡¯s guards looked somewhat bored, perhaps it is time to give them something to do apart from watching us.


    When Bai Fan got into the restaurant to ask for a table for us, I discreetly motioned the man in charge of her security to me.


    ¡°We¡¯re being followed,¡± I said and he blinked. Mr. Guard has had good training, apparently, he knows not to cause a scene when he¡¯s given a tip in front of people ¡°Do you personally know each of the men you¡¯ve brought today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness¡± I see the doubt in his eyes¡­ unsure as to why I¡¯m asking such a thing, but it should be clear soon.


    ¡°Make them do a sweep of the surroundings. I will protect Lady Bai Fan.¡± If the people watching us are good, they may suppress a guard and try to sneak in their stead. If, however, they aren¡¯t, then they¡¯ll more than likely flee.


    The man nodded and discretely ordered his men to do what I commanded. While this was happening, Bai Fan came back to me with a genuine and wide smile, ¡°We have a table waiting for us.¡±


    I placed her hand on my arm and stepped inside, following the servant that guided us to a curiously unoccupied table in the corner of the packed room. ¡°Is this a common occurrence for you?¡± I asked and she looked up to me in askance. ¡°Getting a free place in a business despite the demand?¡±


    She smiled and shook her head ¡°I come here often when I wish to get some air, I¡¯ve got my own table.¡±


    I chuckled and patted her hand on my arm gently. ¡°I worried that we were booting somebody from their table, good thing I was wrong.¡±


    She was about to sit with her back to the window, but I took her hand and shook my head instead, leading her to sit with her back to the wall and the window at her left. Then, I took the seat in front of her.


    Fan¡¯er tilted her head sideways, a gesture I¡¯ve seen her do quite a few times when she doesn¡¯t want to voice a question. The cutest thing is that I can¡¯t help but think of a German Shepherd puppy doing the same.... and now I can¡¯t help but imagine her with the dog¡¯s ears.


    OMG. I need to think of something else before I get the urge to pet her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later¡± I answered, shaking my head.


    Bai Fan¡¯s lady kneeled behind her with her head low as she waited for the servant to come to take our orders. She¡¯s fairly good-looking and has a nice body, but her greatest feature is that she knows how to blend into the surroundings, something that Ling has either forgotten or never learned.


    The odd stare I felt before vanished as soon as we entered the establishment, and I was hoping that would be the end of it, but it just came back with a vengeance.


    It seems like Bai¡¯s guards have been unable to find the person responsible.


    While we were having some small talk, I had the chance to look around but I couldn''t find anything that¡¯s out of place... Sure, people still turn and look at us (at Bai Fan, really) every so often, but that is the norm. Had the clothes I was gifted by the emperor survived the trip, people would be staring at me more often... I can only thank God for small mercies.


    As the serving girl approaches our table, the feeling of danger I¡¯ve been getting becomes stronger. She stopped before our table and bowed to me and then to Bai Fan.


    I¡¯ve got her.


    Before Bai Fan could say anything, I grabbed the girl by the coat and pushed her against the wall.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I glared at her while Fan¡¯er looks on in shock.


    To my surprise, the girl squirmed out of my grasp and I¡¯m forced to evade a blade that could have sliced my throat wide open.


    ¡°What gave me away?¡± The girl smiled at me, behaving as if we were talking about the weather.


    I bit my tongue, not wanting to give her any more information than I should. Her disguise was perfect, but she made the mistake of bowing to me first. Nobody in this place should know who I am, everyone, the whole way from the Bai residence to here, has been bowing to Fan¡¯er first, as she is the daughter of the Lord of the Land. Plus, my clothes are pedestrian at best... There is simply no way for anyone to have known that I outrank Bai Fan, from the get-go.


    ¡°Who sent you?¡± I avoided the question and asked her, standing up so that I could move more easily.


    ¡°Your highness, surely you jest?¡± Her demeanor is coquettish, but she reeks of danger... an assassin to be sure.


    There is a commotion outside, and I can hear the voices of Bai Fan¡¯s guards. Apparently, she isn¡¯t the only one.


    I realized that she¡¯s making time not a second too soon, and kicked our table up in order to stop a handful of projectiles from harming Bai Fan, while I began using air-breathing to accelerate my reaction time, only to have to evade another swipe from her again. I grabbed her wrist as it passed and used it to twist her arm painfully.


    I heard her gasp, but the blade quickly changes hands and I¡¯m too busy trying to stop her from eviscerating me, to focus on what is happening outside.


    ¡°Xiao Yu, take your mistress and leave!¡± I ordered Bai Fan¡¯s maid, and immediately the girl that had been attacking me growled something fierce, her face twisted in anger. She then attacks the hand that is holding her by the wrist, but I strike her hand with my fist with a force that can shatter bones, and she hisses, letting go of the weapon which clatters noisily on the ground.


    Of all the attacks I could have envisioned, never for a moment did I think she would head-butt me, blinding me for an instant before I felt her sharp teeth on my hand.


    I cried out and let go of her, landing another punch to her face that sent her flying a good two meters before crashing into another table.


    I looked around quickly and got a glimpse of Bai Fan¡¯s dress as she rounded the entrance of the building.


    The bad feeling in my gut intensified, and I pursued her full throttle.


    As soon as I¡¯m outside, I¡¯m forced to duck from a hit coming right at my face and strike with all my might at the attacker, not really caring where I hit. I heard a gasp and a big man fell at my feet, one of his hands holding a rather crudely-made wooden mace. I sidestep him to find around six dead bodies on the street, three of which are from my fianc¨¦e¡¯s guards. The lead guard and another two are trying to keep Bai Fan and her maid safe from a company of bandits.


    ¡®Were they here for me, or for us?¡¯ My mind wonders as my other self awakens inside of me, rearing its head and eager to fight.


    ¡®Does it matter? They¡¯ve come to take what is ours, they must be wiped from this world!¡¯


    Its need for bloodshed scared me out of my wits and I¡¯m forced to watch in utter despair as my body launches a wave of fire chi-magic to the backs of the unsuspecting bandits, who immediately begin wailing and screaming in pain.


    ¡°Monster!¡± Somebody shouted behind me before a heavyweight landed on my back, taking me to the ground.


    Sensing danger, I twisted out of my prone position under the weight of my attacker, barely missing the knife that would have cut my neck. It disappeared from my sight as I turned again and lifted my arm to cover my face only to have the weapon get embedded on the appendage.


    I cried out in pain and again the beast acted before I¡¯m able to stop it, hitting my assailant with more fire magic right on the face. The person doesn¡¯t even have the time to scream before the ability is taken from him and falls to the side like a half-man, half-charcoal statue. I quickly got out from under the burning body to survey the damage around me.


    Fortunately, Bai¡¯s guards were able to finish off the rest of the bandits and Fan¡¯er seems to be fine, scared to be sure, but physically fine. She is, however, staring wide-eyed at the body of my attacker.


    Wincing from the pain in my right arm, I continued to look around and found myself staring at the entrance of the restaurant which is slightly singed, everyone is staring at me as if I was the culprit. I shook my head at their reaction and switched to wood-breathing, while mentally preparing myself. I grabbed the handle of the weapon embedded on my body and before I chicken out, pulled out the offending item.


    Pain like I¡¯ve never felt before assaults my senses despite my mental state and makes me curse out loud.


    That had always looked so cool and easy in the movies. But in real life, it hurts so bad that even my other-self retreats from my mind, and I¡¯m suddenly again in control of my whole body. I then placed my free hand over the wound and concentrated my remaining chi on sealing it.


    ¡°Mu¡¯er!¡± Bai Fan calls to me, but the guards are still surrounding her, not letting her out of their protective formation.


    I shook my head and using the same knife that was used to stab me, I cut a piece of my sleeve and awkwardly tied it around the wound, using my teeth to keep it tight. Once the pain subsided and I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t faint, I made my way to the guards who were staring at me with reverent fear. One of them even took a step back as I approached.


    I glared at the boy, and growled: ¡°I bet you were very thankful to me for killing the bandits earlier when your life was at stake, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    The kid looked down abashedly and I transferred my glare to the guard in chief, who flinched away from my stare.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the estate, on the way you will explain exactly how you got surrounded when I told you we were being followed.¡±


    The man grimaced and nodded, and I felt a gentle pull on the sleeve that wasn''t cut.


    As I looked down, I found Bai Fan staring worriedly at me. She¡¯s paler than usual and is on the brink of crying.


    Not caring if it is too forward for the time, I grabbed her delicate hand in mine and kissed it. ¡°Let¡¯s go Fan¡¯er.. I¡¯ll take you back to your father.¡±

 Chapter 47 - A Dangerous Stroll

    Sadly, it seems that I¡¯m the only one who has noticed. Bai Fan¡¯s guards looked somewhat bored, perhaps it is time to give them something to do apart from watching us.


    When Bai Fan got into the restaurant to ask for a table for us, I discreetly motioned the man in charge of her security to me.


    ¡°We¡¯re being followed,¡± I said and he blinked. Mr. Guard has had good training, apparently, he knows not to cause a scene when he¡¯s given a tip in front of people ¡°Do you personally know each of the men you¡¯ve brought today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness¡± I see the doubt in his eyes¡­ unsure as to why I¡¯m asking such a thing, but it should be clear soon.


    ¡°Make them do a sweep of the surroundings. I will protect Lady Bai Fan.¡± If the people watching us are good, they may suppress a guard and try to sneak in their stead. If, however, they aren¡¯t, then they¡¯ll more than likely flee.


    The man nodded and discretely ordered his men to do what I commanded. While this was happening, Bai Fan came back to me with a genuine and wide smile, ¡°We have a table waiting for us.¡±


    I placed her hand on my arm and stepped inside, following the servant that guided us to a curiously unoccupied table in the corner of the packed room. ¡°Is this a common occurrence for you?¡± I asked and she looked up to me in askance. ¡°Getting a free place in a business despite the demand?¡±


    She smiled and shook her head ¡°I come here often when I wish to get some air, I¡¯ve got my own table.¡±


    I chuckled and patted her hand on my arm gently. ¡°I worried that we were booting somebody from their table, good thing I was wrong.¡±


    She was about to sit with her back to the window, but I took her hand and shook my head instead, leading her to sit with her back to the wall and the window at her left. Then, I took the seat in front of her.


    Fan¡¯er tilted her head sideways, a gesture I¡¯ve seen her do quite a few times when she doesn¡¯t want to voice a question. The cutest thing is that I can¡¯t help but think of a German Shepherd puppy doing the same.... and now I can¡¯t help but imagine her with the dog¡¯s ears.


    OMG. I need to think of something else before I get the urge to pet her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later¡± I answered, shaking my head.


    Bai Fan¡¯s lady kneeled behind her with her head low as she waited for the servant to come to take our orders. She¡¯s fairly good-looking and has a nice body, but her greatest feature is that she knows how to blend into the surroundings, something that Ling has either forgotten or never learned.


    The odd stare I felt before vanished as soon as we entered the establishment, and I was hoping that would be the end of it, but it just came back with a vengeance.


    It seems like Bai¡¯s guards have been unable to find the person responsible.


    While we were having some small talk, I had the chance to look around but I couldn''t find anything that¡¯s out of place... Sure, people still turn and look at us (at Bai Fan, really) every so often, but that is the norm. Had the clothes I was gifted by the emperor survived the trip, people would be staring at me more often... I can only thank God for small mercies.


    As the serving girl approaches our table, the feeling of danger I¡¯ve been getting becomes stronger. She stopped before our table and bowed to me and then to Bai Fan.


    I¡¯ve got her.


    Before Bai Fan could say anything, I grabbed the girl by the coat and pushed her against the wall.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I glared at her while Fan¡¯er looks on in shock.


    To my surprise, the girl squirmed out of my grasp and I¡¯m forced to evade a blade that could have sliced my throat wide open.


    ¡°What gave me away?¡± The girl smiled at me, behaving as if we were talking about the weather.


    I bit my tongue, not wanting to give her any more information than I should. Her disguise was perfect, but she made the mistake of bowing to me first. Nobody in this place should know who I am, everyone, the whole way from the Bai residence to here, has been bowing to Fan¡¯er first, as she is the daughter of the Lord of the Land. Plus, my clothes are pedestrian at best... There is simply no way for anyone to have known that I outrank Bai Fan, from the get-go.


    ¡°Who sent you?¡± I avoided the question and asked her, standing up so that I could move more easily.


    ¡°Your highness, surely you jest?¡± Her demeanor is coquettish, but she reeks of danger... an assassin to be sure.


    There is a commotion outside, and I can hear the voices of Bai Fan¡¯s guards. Apparently, she isn¡¯t the only one.


    I realized that she¡¯s making time not a second too soon, and kicked our table up in order to stop a handful of projectiles from harming Bai Fan, while I began using air-breathing to accelerate my reaction time, only to have to evade another swipe from her again. I grabbed her wrist as it passed and used it to twist her arm painfully.


    I heard her gasp, but the blade quickly changes hands and I¡¯m too busy trying to stop her from eviscerating me, to focus on what is happening outside.


    ¡°Xiao Yu, take your mistress and leave!¡± I ordered Bai Fan¡¯s maid, and immediately the girl that had been attacking me growled something fierce, her face twisted in anger. She then attacks the hand that is holding her by the wrist, but I strike her hand with my fist with a force that can shatter bones, and she hisses, letting go of the weapon which clatters noisily on the ground.


    Of all the attacks I could have envisioned, never for a moment did I think she would head-butt me, blinding me for an instant before I felt her sharp teeth on my hand.


    I cried out and let go of her, landing another punch to her face that sent her flying a good two meters before crashing into another table.


    I looked around quickly and got a glimpse of Bai Fan¡¯s dress as she rounded the entrance of the building.


    The bad feeling in my gut intensified, and I pursued her full throttle.


    As soon as I¡¯m outside, I¡¯m forced to duck from a hit coming right at my face and strike with all my might at the attacker, not really caring where I hit. I heard a gasp and a big man fell at my feet, one of his hands holding a rather crudely-made wooden mace. I sidestep him to find around six dead bodies on the street, three of which are from my fianc¨¦e¡¯s guards. The lead guard and another two are trying to keep Bai Fan and her maid safe from a company of bandits.


    ¡®Were they here for me, or for us?¡¯ My mind wonders as my other self awakens inside of me, rearing its head and eager to fight.


    ¡®Does it matter? They¡¯ve come to take what is ours, they must be wiped from this world!¡¯


    Its need for bloodshed scared me out of my wits and I¡¯m forced to watch in utter despair as my body launches a wave of fire chi-magic to the backs of the unsuspecting bandits, who immediately begin wailing and screaming in pain.


    ¡°Monster!¡± Somebody shouted behind me before a heavyweight landed on my back, taking me to the ground.


    Sensing danger, I twisted out of my prone position under the weight of my attacker, barely missing the knife that would have cut my neck. It disappeared from my sight as I turned again and lifted my arm to cover my face only to have the weapon get embedded on the appendage.


    I cried out in pain and again the beast acted before I¡¯m able to stop it, hitting my assailant with more fire magic right on the face. The person doesn¡¯t even have the time to scream before the ability is taken from him and falls to the side like a half-man, half-charcoal statue. I quickly got out from under the burning body to survey the damage around me.


    Fortunately, Bai¡¯s guards were able to finish off the rest of the bandits and Fan¡¯er seems to be fine, scared to be sure, but physically fine. She is, however, staring wide-eyed at the body of my attacker.


    Wincing from the pain in my right arm, I continued to look around and found myself staring at the entrance of the restaurant which is slightly singed, everyone is staring at me as if I was the culprit. I shook my head at their reaction and switched to wood-breathing, while mentally preparing myself. I grabbed the handle of the weapon embedded on my body and before I chicken out, pulled out the offending item.


    Pain like I¡¯ve never felt before assaults my senses despite my mental state and makes me curse out loud.


    That had always looked so cool and easy in the movies. But in real life, it hurts so bad that even my other-self retreats from my mind, and I¡¯m suddenly again in control of my whole body. I then placed my free hand over the wound and concentrated my remaining chi on sealing it.


    ¡°Mu¡¯er!¡± Bai Fan calls to me, but the guards are still surrounding her, not letting her out of their protective formation.


    I shook my head and using the same knife that was used to stab me, I cut a piece of my sleeve and awkwardly tied it around the wound, using my teeth to keep it tight. Once the pain subsided and I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t faint, I made my way to the guards who were staring at me with reverent fear. One of them even took a step back as I approached.


    I glared at the boy, and growled: ¡°I bet you were very thankful to me for killing the bandits earlier when your life was at stake, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    The kid looked down abashedly and I transferred my glare to the guard in chief, who flinched away from my stare.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the estate, on the way you will explain exactly how you got surrounded when I told you we were being followed.¡±


    The man grimaced and nodded, and I felt a gentle pull on the sleeve that wasn''t cut.


    As I looked down, I found Bai Fan staring worriedly at me. She¡¯s paler than usual and is on the brink of crying.


    Not caring if it is too forward for the time, I grabbed her delicate hand in mine and kissed it. ¡°Let¡¯s go Fan¡¯er.. I¡¯ll take you back to your father.¡±

 Chapter 48 - Repercussions

    General Bai was understandably upset as the guards and his daughter retell the story while a medic tended to my wound. Meanwhile, I¡¯m at war on the inside.


    ¡®We can¡¯t just kill anybody who looks at us wrong!¡¯


    ¡®And why can¡¯t we? They are certainly willing to run us through!¡¯


    ¡®If we kill everyone then we can¡¯t get to the bottom of things! That attack was not only aimed at us, but I¡¯m also betting that the bandits were there to kidnap Bai Fan-¡¯


    ¡®BAH! There you go again. Who cares about her, anyway? She is a mortal, she will die eventually. The important thing is that there are fewer people now that will challenge us!¡¯


    ¡®Of course, I worry about her, she¡¯s my friend! And we can¡¯t do everything alone! We need friends and people who watch our backs when we can¡¯t!¡¯


    ¡®We are perfectly capable of caring for ourselves, you just haven¡¯t accepted it yet! If you would follow my lead, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone brave enough to try and stop us!¡¯


    ¡®I refuse to be that callous. Respect out of fear doesn¡¯t hold a candle against having respect out of love!¡¯


    ¡®Out of love? What use do we have for it? We need only a mate strong enough to not hinder our growth! We are far better off without weak people who drag us down.¡¯


    ¡®For a being who is supposedly so evolved, you¡¯re incredibly naive. I know from experience what a lonely life will lead to and I will not have it again. I will rather be a fool that believes in love and companionship than seeing people as mere tools.¡¯


    We kept arguing in my head for a while until I was pulled from my musings by General Bai¡¯s cough. Turning around I found myself alone with the man and his daughter, who was kept safely at his side. Since we arrived at her home, Bai Fan has scarcely looked my way and now she sits beside her father with her head bent down.


    ¡°Prince Shen Mu?¡± The man was looking intently at me, and I turned to him while still on my knees.


    ¡°Forgive me, General Bai. I was lost in my own mind.¡±


    ¡°I see¡± He nodded, before kowtowing to me ¡°This official thanks his majesty for coming to his daughter¡¯s rescue despite his own wounds.¡±


    I waved his gesture away impatiently ¡°Worry not, General. Her wellbeing is my responsibility. I will always be there when she needs me.¡±


    ¡°This official cannot thank the Prince enough for his words, it makes this General¡¯s heart at ease to know that his daughter will be well cared for after she is wed.¡±


    ¡®So much for her thankfulness! She can¡¯t even look us in the eye!¡¯ My other self interrupts, and I grudgingly agree.


    ¡®She is a sheltered girl from a noble family. I don¡¯t doubt this to be the first time she sees someone killed.¡¯


    My other-self scoffs and I tuned it out in favor of the general who has kept talking.


    ¡°...esty, have you heard back from your family?¡±


    I shook my head. Despite having been here for over a month, no correspondence from either my parents or sister has reached me, which is somewhat worrisome. I¡¯m not sure if my enemies will target my family too, or if their animosity is just reserved for me.


    ¡°Not yet. I will have to leave soon to the Yan Province so that I can talk to my parents and retrieve our family¡¯s Jade for your daughter. From there I must go to the Capital and inform the Emperor of the attempts on my life.¡±


    The general nodded and I saw Bai Fan blinking rapidly before her head snapped up to stare at me, her mouth slightly ajar.


    I wonder, did she think I¡¯d cancel the engagement because we had a bit of a scuffle in her town?


    I tilted my head to one side in her direction and she became bashful, looking down.


    Both my other self and my own mind scoffed at that.


    The general has, by now, become aware of our exchange, and he looked back at his daughter in askance.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯m sure that his highness is tired after being wounded in battle. Perhaps we should reconvene tomorrow? Once he recovers?¡± She sent a pained look my way before lowering her eyes to the ground.


    I growled silently. For some reason, this new attitude of hers is pissing me off.


    I nodded and stood up ¡°I shall leave you then¡±. As I turned around, I found her and her father kowtowing to me again. ¡°Have a pleasant evening,¡± I said despite wanting to stay and rip the truth out of her lips.


    I sent one last searching look towards Bai Fan, who¡¯s not lifting her gaze from the ground before I stormed out of the place.


    ---


    Back at the Fa estate, I found out that Min is still pissed at me for how our duel ended and I decided that I don¡¯t want to deal with anybody just yet, so I headed to the woods where my Master sent me to meditate before.


    I sat on top of a tree trunk and stared at the night sky, wondering how and when things went tits up.


    Having a second mind inside my own hasn¡¯t helped me a bit, despite its assurances that it has everything under control.


    ¡®I can hear you.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t care.¡¯ I stopped arguing, immediately tired of the whole routine, and began meditating. In the morning I will talk to Master Fa and see if he can take care of Ling¡¯s movement to my parents¡¯ house, while I make my own way through another route. I will not put her in peril again... even if things haven¡¯t been the same between us since the spiritual camp, she is still a servant to my family and I will see her to safety.


    Or maybe she¡¯d prefer to stay with Master Fa and help him instead. No danger of running into assassins that way, and I¡¯m sure that Master Fa will appreciate the company of a beautiful girl with magical hands.


    I sighed and eased all thoughts from my mind, falling into a meditative state. Once in trance, I traced the usual markings of the way that I¡¯ve put up in my mind to keep things organized. There was a certain detective TV series about a guy with perfect memory and the trick was to create a landscape in your mind that you knew intimately. The MC in the series called it the ¡®mind palace¡¯, whereas mine is more like a forest where all seasons convene.


    I opened my eyes and found myself in autumn, the place where all the memories with details I don¡¯t understand reside. I stood up from the trunk and moved about, finding an unused tree and letting my latest memories from the Bai Estate escape from me. As they do, they become crystallized into paintings with movements, much like those from the Harry Potter universe. I watched Fan¡¯s face as she smiled at me in the morning before moving onto the next canvas, of her not daring to meet my eyes.


    ¡°What happened, Fan¡¯er? Are you scared of me?¡± I asked her reflection for the words I¡¯m too much of a coward to ask to her face. The memory doesn¡¯t answer... they never do, and I decided to move on.


    Walking through the woods at the speed of thought, I reached winter... the memories of my past life. Almost every tree here has canvasses hanging from it. Memories of going to a certain coffee shop in my hometown made me smile, and I watched as my past self went around the place doing several things and meeting new people every now and then until... her.


    She walked into my life like a much-needed ray of light in the winter. We met at the coffee shop by pure accident. She tripped with the handle of my portfolio and fell right on top of me.


    It was awkward but inspired as well and, from that moment on, I could barely wait to see her again. We were so in love that we got engaged that very year. Seeing her face again, prattling animatedly about a TV series she had just finished would never fail to make me smile. My hand lifted on its own and I caressed her smiling face on the canvas, as a tear escaped my eyes.


    ¡°I miss you.¡± I sighed and shook my head. We were the happiest couple until the pandemic hit and I got infected.


    From that moment on, it all went downhill fast.


    My last memory from my past life was of her crying at my bedside at the hospital, begging me not to give up. To fight the disease, for her... for us.


    ¡°I tried¡± I whispered, the feeling of loss and regret overwhelming me until I can¡¯t stop the tears from falling.


    I placed a tender kiss on her tear-struck face and moved away from Winter and into Spring. Here are the memories of my childhood in this life. Memorable moments and so many teachings and information that I even amaze myself at the ability of Master Fa to retain so much. Perhaps he too knows of a way to trick the memory into remembering everything... or perhaps he is just that good.


    I shook my head and allowed my consciousness to return to the now and then, where I found myself under a downpour. I blinked rapidly and looked up at the sky to see lightning crossing the darkened clouds.


    ¡°Strange weather, isn¡¯t it?¡± I turned to the sound and found myself staring into the form of an old man. His back is rod-straight despite appearing quite old. He too seems unbothered by the pouring rain.


    I nodded at him, standing up from the tree trunk and adjusting my clothes. ¡°It is not easy to sneak on me. Who are you?¡± I sensed the interest of my other self in this exchange.


    ¡°I simply followed the storm.¡± he raised a hand in my direction and smiled ¡°Your spirit companion is quite strong to have summoned this rain from so far away.¡±


    I tilt my head to the side ¡°beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°Your companion¡± he waves in my general direction ¡°the one that is glaring at me from the shadows of the spirit world.¡±


    My eyes go wide. ¡°You can see him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± he nodded, then looked up at the sky again ¡°The crops I¡¯m supposed to watch over are going to wilt from all this water... could you please send it away?¡±


    He speaks as if it was my fault the rain was here in the first place. ¡°Clouds come and go as they please, why would I have anything to do with that?¡±


    The man frowned and glared in my direction, but he must have read something in my face because he then began laughing.


    ¡°By the Emperor, you don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Know what?¡± I asked more than a little exasperated. I sensed the dragon just under my skin, wanting to do nothing more than tear this man limb for limb.


    He coughed and sobered up immediately. ¡°Forgive me, I have never found such a strong deity that was unable to rein in his power.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Come again?


    I blinked owlishly at him. A deity? Is he talking about me?


    I shook my head ¡°I am no deity. I¡¯m just a man on his way to becoming one.¡±


    ¡°A cultivator?¡± he stared wide-eyed at me. At my nod, he slapped his head. ¡°Forgive me young man, I mistook you for one of my own.¡± He shrugged and offered me a bow in apology ¡°It has been a long time since I saw one of your kind, and never one with such power¡± he motioned to the stormy sky ¡°to make rain without noticing... tell me young one, how far are you on the way of Dao?¡±


    I shrug, ¡°I conquered my eight tribulation not long ago.¡±


    His eyes almost jump out of their sockets.


    ¡°EIGHT!¡± He gasped and turned pale ¡°Gods! Only eight and he can do that? Am I in the presence of one of the Great Ones?¡±


    Unable to make heads or tails of his mumblings, I asked my other self about the storm.


    ¡®You conjured it. The sky became like that after your own feelings¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m calm now, so why hasn¡¯t it stopped raining?¡¯


    ¡®It''s¡¯ a matter of intention. When you meditate, our power isn¡¯t limited by our intentions but by our feelings. In order to stop the rain, you would need to enter the trance and conjure a positive emotion of the same intensity as the sorrowful one that summoned the storm.¡¯


    I nodded appreciatively and thank it before turning to the man who is still lost in his own little world.


    I looked up at the heavens and closed my eyes, feeling the rain wash over my face and body and I began to relax. I remembered my time down memory lane and opted to avoid the memories from my past life. They were good, but they were also mixed with much nostalgia, especially those about her.


    Happy memories. Hmmm. Playing with Zhi while she was still a child at the Shen estate made me smile but it didn''t do anything to improve the weather.


    ¡®Soak in the feeling, you must let it overwhelm the turmoil in your mind¡¯


    I frowned at the interruption and shook my head.


    After a moment of introspection, I sighed and shrugged.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, sorry. I don¡¯t know how.¡± I feel defeated and frustrated. How am I supposed to control the weather with my feelings? I just don¡¯t get it.


    ¡°If I may?¡± The old man looked at me timidly ¡°I too had to learn to use the powers bestowed upon me, perhaps I can be of assistance?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Let¡¯s give it a go. It can¡¯t be worse than not trying.¡±


    ¡°Wise words.¡±


    The man bowed and then his tone changed to that of a man in control.


    ¡°Close your eyes, young master, and think back to the earliest memory you have.¡± I decided not to point out that I have memories from another life, and simply followed what I suppose he meant. In my mind¡¯s landscape, I saw myself as a tiny bundle in the arms of my mother. She has just given birth to me. She tiredly whispered sweet nothings, thanking the gods that I was in such good health and praying for fortune in my life.


    Ahhh. Those were simpler times.


    ¡°Embrace the memory, put yourself in that place again and enjoy the exuberance of youth.¡±


    His instructions are easy to follow, and soon I¡¯m back in my young body, staring at my mother and father as they stare at me, both beaming, glad beyond belief and so obviously in love with each other that it is hard to miss it in their eyes.


    My lips turned up with a wide smile and a tear escaped my eyes. It¡¯s a tear of joy at being loved and wanted in a way only parents can do for their children in these times of trials, where every birth is a miracle.


    ¡°Now open your eyes¡± I follow the instruction and find myself staring at the brightening sky... there¡¯s even a rainbow in the distance. ¡°Congratulations, young Master,¡± said the old man with a proud smile. ¡°Always remember that you must embrace the feelings caused by our memories of better times. After a while, it will become second nature and you will no longer need to struggle for control of your powers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, old man.¡± I saluted him respectfully.


    He waved a hand in front of his face ¡°Never mind that. I¡¯m but a lowly Cheng Huang. I simply pray that you do not forget about this little town after your ascension.¡± Nodding my way, the man walked away and disappeared in the light, making me sigh and frown.


    It seems that there were already some expectations of me for when I finish the Heavenly Tribulation on Earth.


    As soon as I get back to the Estate, I¡¯m summoned to my master¡¯s side, to where I went quickly. The servant led me to the dojo, where I found Master Fa silently meditating.


    ¡°Master¡± I greeted, saluting him formally. For some reason, the atmosphere in this place feels tense, contrary to the playful environment from my duel with Fa Min.


    ¡°Young master Shen, we have received a word from the Yan Province.¡± his tone made me shudder nervously.


    ¡°What has happened?¡± I asked, dreading the answer.


    ¡°Barbarians attacked the northern border, and your father was wounded in the skirmishes. I know not the fate of the rest of your highness¡¯ family.¡±


    My heart skipped a beat at the news.


    I bowed to him ¡°Thank you for letting me know, Master Fa, and for your hospitality. But I believe it is due time for me to return to my duties.¡± I straightened my posture and looked him in the eye ¡°I have but two requests to make of you, before my departure.¡±


    ¡°Consider them granted, young master.¡±

 Chapter 49 - Imperial Summons

    Early the next morning, I¡¯m ready for departure, having spoken at length with Master Fa and all but ordered Ling to remain with him. She was rather alarmed when I told her about the developments in the Yan province, but there is little she can do, and I¡¯ll travel faster if I¡¯m alone, therefore she will go to the Capital with Fa Min when he visits on the new year¡¯s eve.


    Master Fa has provided me with a horse and enough rations for a couple of weeks on the road, even if I doubt it¡¯ll take me that long. Despite there being people looking to end my life, I will ride back to the Ji river and rent a boat that will take me to Yan. If worse comes to worst, I¡¯ll simply abuse my elemental control to surf the river downstream.


    I doubt anyone could catch me like that, and time is of the essence this time.


    Also, it sounded fun.


    I finished tying up a parcel and said goodbye to everyone in the Fa family before mounting the horse they gave me and riding all the way to the Bai Estate. I had bittersweet emotions tied to Bai Fan, but it would be a social faux pas if I¡¯m not going to say goodbye to her and her father.


    The soldiers at the gate let me in and announced me to the household.


    Not a minute later, I¡¯m led to the General¡¯s study, where I announced the reasons for my prompt departure, and that it is my wish to see his daughter.


    Instead of Lady Bai, however, her maid kneels before me.


    ¡°Forgive this servant, General. Lady Bai Fan is indisposed.¡±


    I scoffed and shook my head.


    ¡°Very well, give her this.¡± I handed the parcel to the maid, who bowed even deeper. As soon as she left, I turned to the General. ¡°General Bai, I will come back as soon as my business is complete to offer your daughter the Jade of my family. If she does not see me by then, I will not ask again.¡± I am a Prince goddammit! I will not be disrespected like this by anybody.


    The general nods, his look stern. ¡°I will speak to her.¡±


    Sighing, I offered him a slight bow ¡°This Prince thanks you. Goodbye.¡± I turned, got on my horse, and took the road without even looking back.


    Whatever happened between Bai Fan and I will have to wait. My family is more important than a girl who will not even look me in the eye.


    It feels strangely good to be leaving the Yiang province behind. When I arrived, I had friends and family to visit, and even a love interest. Now, I leave tentative friendships and a deep sense of foreboding that I can¡¯t shake off, but that grows as I cross to the Yu province.


    The horse senses my distress and speeds up as much as it can, but it is only a beast.


    When we finally stop to rest, we¡¯ve reached a small town at the shores of the Yangtze River. The inn is poor, but nobody recognized me, which is a good thing.


    I¡¯m sitting in the middle of my room meditating when I heard a curious sound from the other side of the door.


    ¡®Seriously?¡¯ I shook my head at the resources the people after me have. If whoever is trying to open my door in the employ of the people after my life, then it would seem that I must have been under surveillance even in the Yiang province.


    Silently, I stood up and moved to the door, pulling it open in one solid movement to find two people at the door. A kid of no more than ten years old with his tongue poking out of his mouth as he was trying to pick the lock, and another around my age who I caught looking at the hallway.


    They both stared at me dumbfounded as I glared at them.


    ¡°H-hi!¡± says the older one ¡°The- the innkeeper sent us to-¡± that is as far as I let him go, sending him flying over the railing and down on the floor below with a punch as I grab the kid by his clothes and lift him up. The door slams closed behind me as I walk back to the first floor where some people are cursing and others are trying to help up the boy that fell on top of their tables.


    ¡°Innkeeper!¡± I shouted and the whole room turned to me. Some stared at me, others at the boy that I¡¯m dragging kicking and screaming, and some others looked toward the innkeeper¡¯s wife, who is pale as a ghost. The older of the thieves, finally on his feet again, tries to run only for my wind to trap his feet and drag him to me, while everybody stares with bulging eyes.


    To these poor people, that must have been like seeing a god.


    The overweight man to whom I paid for my food and room comes in and colors rise to his face as he witnesses me manhandling a boy. However, instead of saying anything to me, he glared at his wife. ¡°YOU SAID THEY WERE TAKEN CARE OF!¡±


    If possible, the woman pales further, before looking down apologetically.


    ¡°I found these two trying to sneak into my room,¡± I say to the man, and he balks ¡°It seems you know them.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± the man grumbles ¡°They¡¯re my sons. The imbeciles.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± I throw the boy at his father and the kid crashes against the man¡¯s torso, glaring apoplectically at me ¡°Deal with them or I will.¡± I glared at the portly man who grabbed the boy by his clothes and pulled him back.


    ¡°As for you¡± I turned and glared at the older boy who looked at me as if I¡¯m the bad guy. My magic is keeping him from moving, so I kneeled down and slapped his face so hard that a tooth came out and he whimpered ¡°how dare you to drag your brother into such a sport! You are the older brother, you¡¯re supposed to protect him, not corrupt him!¡± I glared at him some more before I dismissed my magic and he slumped to the floor, touching his reddening cheek.


    I surveyed the rest of the room, but nobody would look me in the eye. I grunted and as I¡¯m about to leave...


    ¡°YOU ASSHOLE!¡± a small weight impacts against my torso and I turned to see the small boy trying to harm me with his fists. ¡°DON¡¯T HIT MY BROTHER!¡±


    He keeps hitting me, but I barely feel it, instead, I looked up at his father who was too shocked to do anything.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a lesson you won¡¯t soon forget¡± I hissed and that woke up the older man.


    He immediately ran to us, grabbed the boy by his midriff, and made him bow to me as he did.


    ¡°Forgive them Lord, they¡¯re just children!¡±


    ¡°Children who attempted to steal from a traveler. Do you know the Empire¡¯s penalty to stealing, even for young, stupid boys?¡±


    ¡°No! Please don¡¯t tattoo him! He¡¯ll be marked for life!¡±


    ¡°How else will he learn his place? If not a tattoo, then perhaps we should just cut their noses.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Now even the mother is bowing before me, pleading instead of her children, who are now bowing too.


    ¡°WHAT IS ALL THIS RUCKUS!?¡± A new voice bellowed and a man entered the establishment wearing the uniform of the prefecture. He took one look at the scene and shook his head mumbling ¡°Those kids will never learn.¡± He then looked at me for a moment, squinting before his eyes popped open like plates ¡°YOUR MAJESTY!?¡±


    With his shout as a detonator, the room turned to me in slow motion, and they all kowtowed while I shook my head. So much for keeping a low profile.


    Up until then, the kid had been struggling to get up to assault me again. Now he¡¯s trembling like a leaf in the wind.


    I had wanted to scare him before, but now, it seems the police have done my work for me. I put a hand on his shoulder and the trembling intensified.


    ¡°You have a good family¡± I pointed out, pulling his face up so that we would see eye to eye. In them, I see great fear ¡°Do not squander them away. What will you ever do if you lose them? Right your ways young man, before you can no longer count on them for help.¡± Then I turned to the parents and placed my hands over their shoulders ¡°raise your boys right. They deserve the chance to become good men who will bring honor to your name.¡±


    Their heads fall back to the earth, and I sigh, looking at all the people prostrated before me.


    ¡°Not again¡± I mumbled and walked back to my room. I will not let another guard betray me and put innocent people¡¯s life at risk. I slammed shut the door and packed my things, counting the seconds on my head.


    Before I reach thirty, there comes a knock on my door.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I asked, wary.


    ¡°May I come in, your highness?¡± The voice is that of the police that recognized me downstairs.


    I pondered the possibilities as I sat on the bed. After reaching a consensus, I said, ¡°Come in.¡±


    The guard came in and prostrated before me again. ¡°Your majesty!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked in a bored tone, eyeing him warily.


    ¡°To answer his majesty, we were informed by the prefects that if we were to encounter your Majesty, we should inform him that his presence is requested at the palace.¡± He said all this without raising his head from the ground.


    ¡°Why, and more importantly, how did you recognize me? I¡¯m not wearing my golden pin.¡±


    ¡°To answer his majesty¡¯s first question, I do not know. I was told to lead you to the prefect, should I come in contact with your majesty. As for his majesty¡¯s second question: Every prefecture received a portrait with his majesty¡¯s face on it, it came with the orders to aid you in any way possible. The orders came directly from the palace!¡±


    If my enemies were from the palace, someone had done them a great service. Now every single official and police officer knew my face... which meant that my enemies did too.


    However, it also tied my hands. I was no longer a free agent. I had to answer the summons... I only hoped that it hadn¡¯t been his enemies who requested me there.


    ¡°Lead the way then,¡± I said standing up, bag in hand.


    The man rose quickly and walked out of the building with me closing the march. As I exited, I found that the room was now empty save for the family of the innkeeper, who fell to their knees as soon as they laid eyes on me.


    ¡°Your majesty!¡± The innkeeper saluted kowtowing with the rest of his family. ¡°This servant thanks his majesty for his words and for forgiving our boys for their foolishness-¡±


    ¡°I did not forgive them¡± I spoke quietly, and silence reigned for a moment. The guard looked torn between acting against the family and not. ¡°Your children were intent on committing a crime. Forgiving them without punishment would mean they will not learn from this experience.¡± I glared at the boy who wouldn¡¯t stop trembling. ¡°When I come back to this place, I want to see both of them turned into honorable men, otherwise I will be sure to tell the authorities that your boys have broken the taboo by touching this Imperial Prince.¡±


    I think they¡¯re sufficiently cowed for them to right their ways.


    I walk past them, motioning the guard to keep moving.


    Once outside, the policeman looks over his shoulder at me, in his eyes I see him itching to ask a question. Instead of letting him speak, I gave my answer.


    ¡°Yes, I did that on purpose. Children should be corrected and I doubt the current punishments will truly deter crime. I will remind myself to come in a couple of years to learn of their fate... but I might also forget... they will have to live their whole lives with that threat hanging over their heads.¡±


    The man chuckled and nodded, saying nothing else until we dismounted at the guards¡¯ station. I stayed beside my horse, preparing myself mentally to be ambushed by the guards like I was at Ji port.


    An elder officer marched out of the building and fell to one knee before me ¡°Your Majesty, this prefect is honored to make your acquaintance¡±.


    I grunted ¡°Your guard mentioned that I was summoned to the palace, can you tell me more?¡±


    ¡°Yes! To answer his highness, I was told that all prefectures of Yu received a missive just as mine¡± he answered and showed me two letters, one addressed to the prefect and another to me.


    The missive to the prefect was very straightforward and plain: if they were to encounter the man in the portrait, they would have to aid him in reaching the palace as soon as possible.


    The one addressed to me began with a little poem in the same code my sister and I invented. The two lines put my mind at ease, apparently, the ones responsible for the current orders of the police were no other than my sister and my sworn-brother Heng Li. However, as I read the following lines, my next breath got stuck on my throat:


    The Empire was under attack.

 Chapter 50 - War Council

    My whole way to the palace was a blur, I was escorted from prefecture to prefecture through Yu with the utmost haste possible, arriving at record time only a week after I encountered that first guard.


    I crossed the Meridian gates of the forbidden city atop my horse and galloped all the way to the Gate of heavenly purity where I dismounted and continued on foot to the Palace.


    ¡°His majesty, the Fourth Prince Shen Long Mu!¡± a guard announced me to the inhabitants of the palace when he spied me on the distance, and I fell to one knee as soon as I cleared the entrance.


    ¡°This servant has responded to your summons, oh Emperor!¡± I made a wushu salute and rose when the man himself called my name.


    In the couple of months that my absence lasted, the Emperor had seemingly aged a couple of years, his long beard with quite a few gray hairs, but the smile he had for me was just as resplendent as the one he gave me when I left.


    ¡°Join us, Shen Long, we are in need of your brilliance.¡±


    I nodded and approached the throne, Heng Li sat at his left, and at his right was the first Prince Heng Shuo. His aristocratic features were marred by the sneer he sent my way.


    In all of the two times we had seen each other, we had built a disgust for one another. The man was five years older than me and thought that everyone was beneath him, especially me because of my adoption into the Imperial family.


    As for me... it was hard liking somebody who despised your very existence.


    I bowed again as I neared the throne. ¡°This Prince greets older brother Shuo and younger brother Li.¡±


    The first prince nodded and looked away, while Li returned the gesture and greeting with a smile.


    ¡°Approach, Shen Long¡± the emperor ordered, a hand motioning to the low table and the map above it. There were many officials and generals sitting around the square table. I took my place among them, studying the map of the nine provinces and the wooden figures placed on top of it.


    If I was reading the display correctly, the provinces of Ji and Yong were busy fighting the invaders, while a scouting party clashed with my father¡¯s forces in Yan. This corresponded to the letter I received from my family, saying that my father had been hurt during a skirmish.


    ¡°The northern borders reported minor skirmishes during the past months,¡± General Fei Hong explained. He was a man eight to ten years my senior from a long line of warriors. I met him for the first time during one of the numerous meetings with the Emperor, and he struck to me as an honorable man with much fighting experience ¡°then they appeared en-masse overnight.¡± He shook his head in frustration ¡°either our scouts have been slacking, or these barbarians have learned tactics¡±.


    I nodded ¡°I encountered a group of assassins led by a couple of foreigners during my travel over Ji. They made it as far as the Ji river, so it would seem that your first assessment is right.¡±


    The group of older men stared at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°Assassins from the north? Why did you not report this?¡± one of the counselors demanded and I shrugged.


    ¡°I eliminated them but was wounded in the fight. I was taken to a healer by my companions and spent the next weeks recuperating.¡± The room fell silent. I did not say anything about the troops targeting me, since I knew they would think they came for the Emperor. I did not disabuse them of that notion in case the person that sent them after me was stupid enough to make themselves known. Trying to play it down.


    ¡°That would explain the curious report we received about an event in the southern border¡± mused Captain Cao, he was the youngest son of the General from the Yong province. Apparently, he had been sent to the capital while his father defended the border. One of the generals asked for clarification and the young man (he seemed to be two or three years older than me) continued ¡°A portion of the marsh surrounding the Ji river disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Come again?¡± another man interrupted, ¡°What do you mean ¡®disappeared¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Precisely that. It is barren now.¡± He sent a guarded look my way ¡°May I inquire as to how that happened, your highness?¡±


    I shrugged ¡°Yes. I erased it.¡±


    A tense silence filled the room. I finally looked up from the map to find every eye on me.


    ¡°Could you please elaborate, Shen Long?¡± the Emperor asked and I nodded.


    ¡°To answer his excellency: I am a cultivator. I used chi magic to kill every single person in that place, I did not want to risk them escaping and making their way to the palace.¡±


    The room fell silent again and the comment I had been waiting for finally arrived but from an unexpected source.


    ¡°S-surely you jest¡± the First Prince stuttered, his countenance pale.


    I sent him an amused smile to hide my own surprise. ¡°Ask the captain to describe what was left of the place.¡±


    At a gesture from the emperor, the captain described what his men had seen. His description was spot on: a barren wasteland where nothing could have survived.


    Everyone turned to watch me again, most of them with fear in their eyes.


    It was time for one last test to see who was involved.


    ¡°That is how serious I am about defending the Empire. None who endanger the Emperor or the country shall live.¡±


    One could have heard a pin drop in the room. My eyes analyzed everyone¡¯s reactions and only two appeared truly appalled: The representative from Ji and the First Prince.


    It seemed that I had finally figured out who was behind the attempted assassination.

 Chapter 51 - War Council II

    ¡°As impressive as that is, we digress,¡± General Fei Hong interrupted after a moment. ¡°I only ask that if we ever fight alongside the Prince, that he remembers we are not his enemies.¡±


    A nervous chuckle filled the hall.


    I smiled, ¡°General Fei Hong did not send assassins after the throne, so he should feel safe.¡±


    The man returned the gesture before he turned to the emperor with a low bow ¡°Your Majesty, I ask permission to accompany his highness the Fourth Prince to the front lines.¡±


    I blinked in confusion; was I being sent away again so soon after arriving? One look at the Emperor revealed the truth: I was.


    ¡°You have declared yourself a staunch defender of the Empire, Shen Long. What would you do in my place?¡±


    I shook my head at the Emperor¡¯s words. ¡°I would send myself there as soon as possible.¡± I kowtowed to him ¡°This Prince hears and obeys, oh Emperor!¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the old man smiled. ¡°You will depart as the sun rises tomorrow. For now, we must decide the best way to apply our forces.¡±


    I nodded and returned to my analysis of the map. ¡°We should push them back and away from the Imperial Capital.¡± I mused out loud. ¡°I would recommend beginning in Yan and advancing northward. That way we won¡¯t have to worry about forces behind our backs.¡±


    ¡°It could be possible, but the more we delay, the harder it will be for the forces from Yong and Ji, where the fighting has been going for longer. Shouldn¡¯t we think of reinforcing them first?¡±


    I nodded. I was scared for my people, but I was only a man. If we wanted to root out the scouts within our borders, we would need more men... men that were needed too, at the northern border.


    ¡°How do they fight?¡± I asked, biting my lip ¡°are their attacks coordinated?¡± most looked at me as if I was crazy. Despite being the most experienced warriors from the Empire, the people around me were far from infallible. Their egos got the best of them most of the time.


    To find the answers I needed for my plan, I needed to evaluate my enemies... and none here had done that. Apparently, this was a time way before the ¡®Art of War¡¯ was written.


    After nearly an hour of asking questions about the enemy and receiving nothing but evasive and incomplete answers, I shook my head. ¡°With all due respect to the Generals present here. We know nothing of our enemies. If we aim to defeat their forces, we need more information.¡±


    The First Prince snorted ¡°what could we possibly gain from studying these barbarians?¡±


    I sent a glare his way and answered with a tidbit of knowledge from my past life: ¡°If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.¡±


    Those were the words of none other than Sun Tzu, author of the Art of War. I sincerely regretted being born in a time where he wasn¡¯t known yet. His wisdom would have helped us greatly.


    I watched as the Emperor nodded slowly, pulling on his beard. ¡°Wiser words were never spoken from one so young.¡± He sent a warm smile my way before raising a hand for silence.


    ¡°I have decided that the Fourth Prince is right: we need more information, but we cannot risk the lives of more of our fellow countrymen. Shen Long, I hereby order you to march to the Yong Province and push the enemy back. Meanwhile, Captain Cao will, in turn, head to Yan and do for the Fourth Prince what he himself will do for you: protect his people.¡±


    I turned my gaze to the Captain, who appeared to be surprised to be asked such a thing.


    I bit my tongue. I wanted to run back to my family and help them, but I couldn¡¯t go against the Emperor¡¯s direct order.


    Not for the first time, I cursed my naming as a Prince.


    ¡®Once we ascend, all matters from the mortal realm will become unimportant¡¯ My other self interrupted my musings while I was trying to get rid of the frustration I felt.


    ¡®I¡¯d like that,¡¯ I admitted to my own detriment.


    ¡®Then we must focus on our cultivation. The pearly gates won¡¯t get any closer if we divert our attention to other things... like this war, for example.¡¯


    I felt something brush at the edge of my conscience and I came out of my own mind as a hand fell on my shoulder. It was the Emperor.


    ¡°Are you well, Shen Long?¡± The man had always been warm to me, almost like my father. His worry was refreshing.


    ¡°Yes, your majesty, simply lost in my own mind.¡± He nodded and smiled, motioning for me to follow him.


    ¡°Come, we¡¯ll dine together.¡±


    I followed him to the inner palace where we were joined by Li, my sister and Meiling. She had grown more beautiful as time went by, but I found her just as annoying as ever.


    Unfortunately for me, the Emperor made her sit at my side, just like how Zhi was sitting beside Li.


    Alarm bells began ringing inside my head.


    We ate mostly in silence, enjoying the serene atmosphere of the inner palace, and I couldn¡¯t hide my smile when I watched Zhi and Li together. Like a true high-born lady, my sister served the prince with a charming smile, adoration shining in her eyes, while the prince responded kindly, lavishing her in praise.


    Meiling and I, however, were an entirely different matter. Despite her beauty, I never could quite get over her clinginess, and this time wasn¡¯t any different.


    ¡°More tea?¡± Meiling asked, holding a teapot over my cup with a radiant smile. I sighed mentally and nodded, watching as she joyfully and expertly poured the beverage. Not a movement was wasted, every muscle was in place... truly her education was exemplary. She would make a man really happy... sadly for her, that wasn¡¯t me.


    I thanked her with a nod, before turning to the Emperor who was eating at a slower pace than usual. His movements were mechanic and he barely raised his eyes from his food... a complete contrast to what had been before I left.


    He must have felt my gaze because his eyes rose from his food to meet mine.


    Once he finished chewing I asked what was in my mind: ¡°Are you feeling unwell, your highness?¡± It had become increasingly obvious that the Emperor¡¯s health wasn¡¯t as good as before, but how that could happen, I had no idea. The Imperial cooks were consummated professionals, they would rather die than harm the Emperor¡¯s health in any way.


    He dabbed his lips with white silk, sending a thoughtful nod my way. ¡°I have always admired your perceptiveness, Shen Long. Even if it is to my own detriment.¡± he sighed ¡°Yes, I haven¡¯t felt like myself for a few days, however, my physicians were unable to find anything wrong. It seems that age is simply catching up to me.¡±


    I frowned, the man was barely over fifty and followed an exercise regimen that should have seen him still strong during his seventies.


    Sudden inspiration hit me when I remembered how I had helped Fa Min recover at an accelerated pace when I infused him with some of my chi.


    ¡°If I may, your majesty. I know of a way to channel some of my chi to your person. It isn¡¯t anything invasive and will strengthen your body.¡± I could read the surprise in everyone¡¯s faces ¡°I helped one of my companions this way when we were hurt after our encounter with the assassins.¡±


    ¡°What do you need?¡± The Emperor asked and I explained that nothing more than a moment to meditate in his presence. The man nodded in acceptance, intrigued, and excited to witness the technique I spoke of (during my time in the Palace I found out that the Emperor held more than a passing interest in cultivation and the techniques developed by my predecessors, but like Li when he was younger, he had been forbidden from attempting to challenge a Heavenly Tribulation because he had been the only heir to the throne.


    It was one of the reasons he was so taken with me, he would often inquire about my progress and whatever new things I had found in the Imperial library. One time we spent a good eight hours simply talking about the cause for the existence of the Heavenly tribulations.


    ¡®Why would gods want to grant a way for humans to become Deities?¡¯ It had been his question, and my answer was somewhere in the lines of ¡®There seems to be a void in the heavens that must be filled¡¯. I was thinking of it like a post inside a big company, but the Emperor understood it differently... as if it was our purpose to fill in the roles of the diseased Gods.


    A truly interesting point of view, if I¡¯m being honest. The mere thought of a deity dying was completely mind-blowing to me.


    After eating, Zhi and Meiling were asked to return to their quarters while Heng Li, the Emperor, and myself moved to his Majesty¡¯s rooms. He sat on a low cushion, while Li and I sat on our knees.


    ¡°Should we call for your physicians, father?¡± Li asked out of the blue ¡°if Shen Mu manages to help you, perhaps they should be here to listen to his instructions?¡±


    ¡°It is a thoughtful suggestion, what do you think, Shen Long?¡±


    I already had two possible culprits (or were they in the league?) for the assassination attempt, and both were from the palace... I wasn¡¯t entirely sure who to trust at this time, but I figured they wouldn¡¯t attempt to kill me again in front of the emperor.


    ¡°Sure, I simply ask not to be disturbed with questions or comments while I work.¡±


    ¡°A sensible answer too.¡± the Emperor nodded, he then clapped his hands and a eunuch appeared from a darkened corner with his head plastered to the floor. ¡°Bring me the royal physician.¡±


    The eunuch began walking backward until he left the room. We chatted amiably as we waited for the medic to appear. It was an old man, probably a few years older than the Emperor himself, dressed completely in white and gold and who carried himself with the importance of his title... meaning that I didn¡¯t like him very much. I had learned early on that people who thought too much of their job tended to be very close-minded when one tried to introduce new methods or ideas.


    Finally, the royal physician bowed down before the emperor and I was prompted to explain what I was about to do.


    ¡°The technique sprouts from the wood-chi magical healing manuals. It is a form of meditation where one can project one¡¯s own chi in order to heal another. I did this before with a friend when he was wounded, and his body healed ten times faster. All I aim to do now is to take a look at the Emperor¡¯s body and chi, to verify there is nothing wrong. And even if there is none, my chi should revitalize his majesty.¡±


    Contrary to my first impression, the royal physician appeared very interested in the technique, so I bowed to the emperor and closed my eyes, using wood-breathing to enter the meditative state needed to see the flow of Chi.


    Upon opening my eyes moments later, I noticed an obstruction near the Emperor¡¯s lungs. The surprise must have been obvious in my face because I immediately heard the Emperor¡¯s voice.


    ¡°What do you see, Shen Long?¡±


    Still, within my trance, I answered, yet my voice wasn¡¯t completely my own ¡°there¡¯s an obstruction on your lungs. One that I have seen before.¡± My vision turned to the prince sitting beside us, and there it was too, the same substance had been given to both royals. The same one I had been given a month prior when visiting the Ji province. Shaking my head, I focused a gentle stream of my healing chi on the emperor, erasing the substance that had been eroding his health before it worsened. In a burst of inspiration, I lent him some more of my energy, so that his body would recuperate faster.


    Making sure that there was nothing else out of place I opened my eyes to look directly at the Emperor, ¡°Your majesty, I don¡¯t know how to say this.... but it appears that you were poisoned.¡±

 Chapter 52 - Poison

    ¡°WHAT!?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s voices exploded.


    ¡°That¡¯s Impossible!¡±


    ¡°How do you know-?¡±


    ¡°Who could-?¡±


    I put up my hands in an attempt for them to let me explain. ¡°During my travel west, I stopped at the Ji province, and one of the nobles there invited me to eat and sleep with his family. That same night I discovered our food had been laced with a poison that accumulates in the lungs.¡± I shook my head, ¡°I immediately cleansed it and searched for the poison the next day, finding it in the kitchen. I took it with me, but it was lost when the assassins attacked us a few days later.¡±


    Everyone was stunned, especially the physician who, despite his best efforts, had been unable to find a cure for the Emperor.


    I sighed, feeling like a failure for a moment. My lack of foresight had lost me the only evidence I had to support my claims... that meant that there was nothing I could do to stop the person responsible for the poisoning.


    ¡°I have healed the damage and cleansed your body of the poison, but we will have to find the source in order to discover the culprits.¡±


    The Emperor must have caught something in my words because he asked, ¡°do you suspect anyone.¡±


    I grimaced ¡°Yes, but it is only that: suspicion. I don¡¯t have proof to convict anyone.¡±


    ¡°Who-?¡± Li asked for the first time, I saw his hands trembling, whether that was from fear or anger, I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°During today¡¯s gathering, I noticed that two people kept trying to minimize the fact that I was attacked during my travels: The governor of the Ji province and-¡± I bit my tongue, unable to pronounce the next part, knowing the pain it would cause to the man in front of me.


    ¡°And...?¡± The emperor watched my struggle but still ordered me to continue.


    ¡°Forgive me, your highness,¡± I bowed to him, biting my cheek ¡°but the other person who caught my eye was the First Prince Heng Shuo.¡±


    The Emperor reacted as I had predicted: as if I had slapped him. He immediately rose to his feet and glared at me ¡°You lie!¡±


    ¡°I wish it was so, my Emperor,¡± I said as sadness crept into my voice. I might not like Shuo, but I felt as if the emperor was family. I knew that the mere thought that one of his children could be acting against him, was both staggering and hurtful. ¡°That is what I saw, but again, I have no evidence. I would suggest that we look for the poison inside the castle so that we can find the true culprits.¡±


    The Emperor sucked in a breath before glaring down at me ¡°Everyone, leave me.¡±


    The three of us kowtowed and left as fast as we could.


    Once outside of his pavilion, Heng Li stopped me by grabbing my arm.


    ¡°Mu-ge... are you sure?¡±


    I sighed and shook my head. ¡°I know nothing, but I intend to find out. I will not let my adoptive family be killed by their enemies, whoever they are.¡±


    Li smiled, ¡°I will help you.¡±


    I grabbed his arm and returned the gesture ¡°Thank you Li-de¡± I frowned ¡°We should go to the kitchens and search there. We don¡¯t want to give the culprit any time to cover up his crime.¡±


    With a nod, we set out to the kitchen. Li immediately ordered a couple of guards to follow us and once at our destination, he commanded them to make sure that nobody left the premises while he and I surveyed the place inside-out.


    ¡°Stop there!¡± We heard one of the guards¡¯ shout before there was a crash and a grunt. I motioned for Li to check what had happened while I kept looking. And as soon as he left, I closed my eyes and meditated, entering the same trance as before, and poured my chi out, as if it was a sonar, except that I was looking for something that reacted to it the way the poison did.


    However, nothing ¡®pinged¡¯ back and I canceled the trance.


    Unfortunately, the place was just too big. If I wanted to find something it would take days... time I didn¡¯t have.


    ¡°Mu-ge!¡± Li called me, and I walked to him despondently.


    Unlike me, Li was smiling.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Instead of answering, he pointed to an unconscious man on the floor.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Looking closer, I found that the man was clutching something in his hand... a brown pouch. I looked up at Li and blinked ¡°is this for real?¡±


    He chuckled and nodded with a wide smile, ¡°the guard saw him trying to leave and knocked him out.¡± I looked at the guard in question, who was bowing to us.


    ¡°Good job!¡± I praised, and he gave us a wushu salute.


    ¡°This Zhao Ping is glad to be of service to his majesties!¡±


    I smiled at the eagerness of the man and bent down to pry the brown bag from the cook¡¯s hands. In it, I found the same green powder that had been used to poison me. I nodded in Li¡¯s direction and he ordered the guards to take the man into their custody. ¡°Be discreet about it. Nobody must be informed of this yet¡± I said to the guards before they left.


    Li looked at me strangely, but nodded, reinforcing that as an order. We then left together to my pavilion, where my sister received us with a giant smile.


    ¡°Ge-ge!¡± she practically jumped at me, hugging my arm as I patted her head.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you too old to be jumping at me mei-mei?¡± Li and I chuckled while she pouted at me.


    ¡°I am still your little sister, it¡¯s your job to pamper me.¡±


    I laughed out loud ¡°No, no. You got engaged to Li-de for that.¡± That caused her to pout in his direction and I saw him struggle to keep his composure. Truly, Zhi was a master of looking cute and vulnerable. ¡°Speaking of which, has the Empress decided on a date for your wedding?¡±


    They both blushed and for a moment I felt like a true older brother, teasing my younger siblings like that. When I left the palace with Fa Min, the Empress hadn¡¯t decided on an auspicious date for their marriage, for which I was thankful, because she had implied that mine would be next.


    At the time, the only female that was anywhere close to being a candidate for me to marry was Meiling, but now I had Bai Fan to consider too... if she ever overcome her fear of me.


    ¡°Ge-ge¡± Zhi pouted at me again until I began to pat her head again. Then, from out of nowhere, she let go of me saying ¡°I¡¯ll bring some tea¡±.


    The three of us sat together and chatted amiably for a few minutes before I sighed. There were a couple of things I had to say to the two of them, and another one for Zhi alone.


    ¡°We need to talk...¡± I said as I placed my hand over Zhi¡¯s ¡°Rather, I need to speak with both of you.¡±


    I had already sent a letter to Zhi explaining what had happened during my travels, but I had omitted many things, simply because I didn¡¯t know if the written message would be intercepted. But here in my own pavilion, I could simply order everyone to leave us and be done with it. Better yet, I could take my time to meditate and survey our surroundings with my enhanced senses. After asking for a moment, I did just that and found nobody in the vicinity that could overhear us.


    As I had done in Ji, I created a sort of barrier rather than stopping people from entering, it would instead tell me whenever someone crossed the boundary so that I was aware someone could overhear us.


    Then I told them all about the poisoning and assassination attempt, and about my suspicions towards the First Prince and the governor from Ji. The second part, Li already knew, but Zhi was horrified by the end.


    ¡°I will leave for the front lines tomorrow, meaning I won¡¯t be able to deal with any of this until the invasion has been dealt with, but¡± I placed my hands on their shoulders, ¡°I was hoping you would be able to help me out with that.¡± I frowned and turned to my adoptive brother ¡°Li, I know I am already asking much, but it is my hope that you can bring our findings to your father. I doubt he¡¯ll like to see me before we leave.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mu-ge. I will approach him once he¡¯s calmed down.¡±


    ¡°Good. Also-¡± I entered the meditative state I used to detect the poison and quickly cleansed Li¡¯s body. Just to be sure, I checked Zhi but found nothing in her organism. When I came out of my trance a moment later, I continued ¡°You were poisoned too, but not Zhi.¡±


    Both went pale at that.


    ¡°I said nothing in front of the Emperor because of how things ended... but I think this might be connected to the succession.¡± I sighed. Oh, how I hated politics. ¡°You and Shuo are the Emperor¡¯s favorites. If this is connected to the succession then it would stand to reason that you would be poisoned too.¡±


    ¡°Could Shou-ge be poisoned too?¡± Li asked with a frown ¡°wouldn¡¯t that prove his innocence?¡±


    I shrugged ¡°Maybe, but he could have ingested the poison in smaller doses until he was resistant or immune to it; then he could ingest the poison along with everybody and declare that he didn¡¯t know a thing. In all truth, I trust no one but you two and the Emperor. You should be very careful about who you speak with and with whom you dine with.¡± I scratched the back of my head. ¡°I should probably go see the Empress too, just to make sure she isn¡¯t poisoned too... who knows how many people have been affected by that crooked cook.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an ear to the ground,¡± Li said with a smile.


    After a few more minutes, Li stood to leave, but before he did, I handed him the bag with the poison, ¡°This is our only proof. Keep it safe and secret from everybody else.¡±


    ¡°I will, Mu-ge. You take care of yourself in the front lines.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I patted him on the shoulder and moved away so that my sister could say good night to him in a revoltingly sweet way. Before she retired to sleep, however, I asked for a few minutes of her time, and I inquired about her time in the palace while I was gone. She obliged, but I could see in her eyes that she knew there was something else on my mind.


    As always, my dearest sister was just too perceptive for my own good.


    ¡°I¡¯m engaged,¡± I said bluntly, and it caught her like a freight train.


    ¡°W-what?¡± she then glared at me ¡°Ge-ge stop playing!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. I asked for Bai Fan¡¯s hand in marriage and both she and her father accepted.¡±


    She stared at me wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Then she simply shook her head. ¡°My brother is an idiot,¡± she whispered before slapping my arm hard. ¡°You don¡¯t just go around and say stupid things like that! Be glad I¡¯m not our mother or she¡¯d slap you harder!¡±


    ¡°Good thing my mei-mei will tell her then, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    She growled and mumbled before sighing ¡°yes, I¡¯ll tell her. She¡¯s likely going to take it better from me than from my idiot brother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a life-saver mei-mei.¡± I kissed the top of her head while she glared balefully at me.


    ¡°Is there any other stupid detail I must know before going to mother?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± I said, remembering my rather heated encounters with Ling. ¡°I think there are a couple of things I¡¯ve omitted...¡±


    She was not impressed. However, this time I was able to talk to Master Fa about it before I opened my big mouth in front of Zhi or my mother. The man had even given me a speech to say to my mother in case she caught me before anyone else.


    However, now that my sister knew and would inform our parents as soon as our province was liberated, there just might be a chance for me to attend my own wedding alive.


    After a few more minutes later I was finally alone in my room. As I lay on my bed, my mind was a maelstrom of emotions and random thoughts.


    That had been a normal occurrence in my previous life, especially after I turned 30. I would let my mind be wherever it wanted for a few minutes each day. It has always helped me manage my stress levels and to stimulate my creativity. Since arriving on the West Border, I hadn¡¯t had time to think about my stories or create anything worthwhile, and it was eating at me.


    In short order, my mind began creating a romance story around the circumstances that were currently ailing me. ¡®A romantic story about a maid and a prince... The Prince and the Peasant...? That brings back memories.¡¯ Memories of the last story I had ever created in my past life. I had everything in my mind already, characters, names and stories, their backgrounds and desires, and the circumstances that would either bring them together or separate them.


    ¡®I need a good villain...shall I choose the same as before? A princess, a courtesan? Who could be a threat to our heroine?¡¯ With a maid as a heroine... if it was going to be done right, the story should critique the social status, which meant that the villain should be someone from a high class. Another prince? Nah, they could simply order her death and be done with it... an evil lady? I nodded as a small smirk formed on my lips. An evil lady of noble birth that had an unhealthy interest in the prince, or an engagement.


    The thought made me smile, reminding me of another story I had started in the future. The very one that had gotten me that contract and began the downward spiral until I died. If I remembered correctly, I had written one book and the complete outline of the saga. I was planning the sequel by the time I got infected.


    Suddenly the face of Bai Fan swam before my eyes, and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud.


    I could almost picture her pout upon learning that I had decided that she would be the villain in the story. But it was simply perfect: an evil, beautiful woman with an engagement that would be broken when the Prince fell in love with the maid.


    Unable to sit still for much longer, I jumped to my feet, went to my nightstand and prepared some ink and paper to begin writing my ideas. The story would be a good reprieve in the following weeks or months... depending on how long I had to remain at the front lines.


    Thinking about that particular topic brought some more stress. Never in both my lives had I ever been in a war. Sure, I had ¡®experienced¡¯ plenty of them in video games, but I had never been fond of conflicts.


    Being born in a country that had been at peace for decades, the harshest events in my life had been the attacks of 9/11, and that time I had been mugged on the streets of Mexico City.


    Both are quite forgettable after almost two decades.


    War was always something outside my little world. Even during the worst of my depression and my martial arts lessons, I never truly faced conflict. We would have mock battles every now and then and bruises were normal, but in the end, we would all go back home to our families.


    In this age, however, people had a different relationship with war. It was a latent danger just around the corner and there wasn¡¯t even one generation that hadn¡¯t suffered through it.


    ¡®We humans are savages, aren¡¯t we?¡¯ I asked nobody in particular.


    ¡®Humans have always had a love-hate relationship with war and conflict, it¡¯s true¡¯ My other self answered ¡®You might not see it like that since you come from an age of peace, but war is a chance for your kind to discover its heavenly gifts.¡¯


    ¡®Heavenly gifts?¡¯


    ¡®Did you think that your creativity was your own?¡¯


    To be perfectly blunt, yes. I had never thought where my gifts and failures came from. I had no aptitude for sports or physical effort, but my mind had always been sharp and creative to the point where I felt I could create anything out of nothing. I considered it my ¡®saving grace¡¯, and since I was good at creating stories, I became what I was: a writer. I never was truly famous, but my writings would often be noticed by people. By the time I died, I had been quite popular in certain circles, enough that I was able to make a living from creating original works, either for myself or as a ghostwriter.


    I sighed.


    However, what I considered the greatest achievement of my life was my relationship with her. 13 months together, that was all it was, yet I had never felt happier or prouder of myself and her.


    I shook my head and slapped my face hard.


    ¡°Stop it¡± I grumbled. If I continued torturing myself like that, not only would I cause another storm, but I would never be able to move on. After all, what was the point? I was stuck in the past, while she was still living in the future.


    Two worlds apart, never to reunite.


    I sighed and rolled to the side, closing my eyes to sleep.


    ¡®If a dream is all I have, maybe I¡¯ll dream of you..¡¯ I smiled, thinking of her black hair and rosy lips, and fell asleep a short while after.

 Chapter 53 - The Farewell Of A Princess

    Early the next morning I found myself talking with Captain Wong An, a man five years my senior who wore a blood-red armor and mask over black clothes. He was the right-hand man of General Fei Hong, who had yet to appear.


    Captain An had a jolly character that could find or make everything funny, even his own self. Quite a contrast to his appearance and getup.


    ¡°Excuse this servant, your highness, but how far along the way of Dao are you?¡±


    ¡°Stop that,¡± I said, rolling my shoulders. At some point during the night, I must have moved because my back was killing me. ¡°We will be spending quite a lot of time together, call me Shen Mu.¡±


    He laughed out loud ¡°I shall... but only once we leave the palace, your highness. Decorum demands that we address royalty properly. What would my ancestors say should I fail at something as simple as that?¡±


    ¡°They would tell you to never contradict a Prince.¡±


    His laughter was like an explosion of sound in the silent courtyard.


    ¡°I know that laugh¡± General Fei grumbled, tying up his long hair with a string as he approached, dressed up in the same blood-red armor as the captain. Once he was close, he put his left fist inside his right palm and bowed to me ¡°Good morning, your majesty.¡±


    I sighed, making An giggle, before returning the salute ¡°General Fei Hong. Did you rest well?¡±


    He smiled and nodded. ¡°I trust my captain hasn¡¯t thoroughly embarrassed this General just yet?¡±


    It was my turn to chuckle as An feigned being hurt in the heart.


    ¡°General, you wounded me! I would never speak badly of my commanding officer.¡±


    ¡°Not where I can hear you, you don¡¯t.¡±


    They began bickering amongst themselves, making me laugh even harder. They reminded me a lot of the Weasley twins. Clearly, the two of them had been friends for a long time.


    They were, however, cut short by a light cough that made all of us turn and stare at a group of women.


    None other than Meiling and her maids had come to see us off.


    The princess bowed slightly in our direction, to which my two companions responded with a deep bow, while I nodded her way.


    ¡°This princess would like to give fourth brother Shen Long a parting gift before he leaves the capital again.¡± And just like that, the other two men practically disappeared into thin dust. I grimaced inwardly at their retreating backs, before turning to Meiling, who was silently studying my face.


    Feeling slightly mischievous, I played the same trick on her as I used to do with Zhi when she was younger. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± I frowned and rubbed my fingers on my forehead. ¡°I took a bath this morning, did I miss a spot?¡±


    And just like my sister, the tiny princess giggled, her eyes sparkling like stars.


    Huh. Why was I suddenly noticing her good qualities?


    I mentally shrugged and smiled down at her, watching as she worried her lower lip.


    ¡°C-Can this princess ask the fourth brother for a favor?¡± to my own detriment and surprise, her bashfulness stirred something in me.


    ¡°Ask, and we shall see what we can do about it.¡±


    Suddenly her face was rubbing against my chest, as her small hands grabbed my outer robe. ¡°Please be careful¡± she begged, and I could hear the unshed tears. Surprised, I looked up from her form to her maids and found them all looking away.


    Unconsciously, I patted her head, just like I did when Zhi was younger. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, but she didn¡¯t look up at me like my sister did. Instead, I tilted her head up by hooking a finger under her chin.


    Her cheeks were pink and her eyes sparkled harder as she gazed up at me with worry and an adoration that suddenly made my throat feel quite dry.


    Meiling was, after all, a beautiful woman. She may not have been in the same league as Bai Fan, whose beauty could make a man lose his breath, but I couldn¡¯t deny that she was truly an attractive girl. And looking up at me as she was, with that same worry and care... how could I not feel moved? I wasn¡¯t made of stone, despite my best efforts.


    Worse yet, my dreams had been full of romantic moments I had once experienced in a coffee shop.


    For the first time in my new life, I truly saw Meiling for what she was: a girl in love. Not a princess or a clingy fan-girl, but a woman who was pinning after the man she would gladly give her heart to.


    Without really planning to, my hand cupped her cheek while my thumb caressed the skin under her right eye. ¡°I will be fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    She bit her lip leaning into my touch. ¡°I will always worry¡± she answered breathlessly ¡°always and always. Please, promise me that you will be careful and that you¡¯ll return safely. I cannot bear the thought-¡± a tear escaped her eye and I quickly erased it with my thumb.


    ¡°Meiling¡± I whispered, smiling down at her ¡°I will be fine, I promise. And I will be careful, all right?¡±


    For the first time in this life, I found myself wanting to keep my promise to this girl who had been trying to get my attention for years. Meiling smiled up at me, and it was such a lovely smile that I had to fight the urge to kiss her.


    We were already close to a social faux-pas, kissing her now would only bring trouble for us both.


    As if trying to make things more difficult for me, her tiny pink tongue came out to wet her lips, and I found my eyes glued to it, as it sensuously moved across the very lips I had been thinking of kissing.


    A light cough came from the maid¡¯s direction and, regretfully, Meiling forced herself to take a step back. Watching me with her glorious brown eyes while I too fought the urge to drag her back into my arms.


    ¡°Forgive this princess, fourth brother.¡± she whispered as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest ¡°I wanted to wish you luck in your endeavors, but-¡±


    ¡°Worry not, princess. I apologize too.¡± I offered her a polite bow, taking advantage of our distance to calm my raging hormones. ¡°...and again, I will come back soon.¡±


    She smiled brightly, watching as I bowed again and turned away in order to catch up with my companions.


    Despite the turmoil in my heart and head, I could still feel her eyes on me the whole way.

 Chapter 54 - Northward

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    We set out to the north border that morning, with Zhi, Heng Li, and the Empress to see us off since the Emperor was apparently indisposed.


    She approached me and thanked me for helping Li, who had asked her to come and see me for a ¡®treatment¡¯. I rolled my eyes at the term, but quickly scanned her, not finding anything wrong. Clearly, the poisoner had very specific targets within the palace. I asked her to take good care of my sister and the Emperor in my absence, to which she simply smiled.


    On the saddle again, we rode all the way to the Ji river where we took a boat that would lead us to Ji and eventually the Huang-He. Seeing the place where I once embarked with Fa Min and Ling was a bit of a wake-up call for me. So many things had changed in the previous months that not only my friends weren¡¯t with me, but I was marching into war and in a completely different atmosphere.


    Fei and An had been accommodating, but as soon as we left the Imperial Capital, both had changed dramatically. Only now showing how much a burden this period away from their troops had been.


    Days passed slowly as our boat sailed upstream, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice the significant changes in both the landscape and the people, as we traveled further north than what I had ever been before.


    People were scared, not only of the barbarians coming at them from the north but from the few of us that went upstream to face them. A strange occurrence in my mind, since I had thought that we would be seen as saviors... but in their minds, we must have been simply ¡®more violent men¡¯. People this far from the capital knew very little of the state of the empire... or of the Empire itself.


    Sure, the landlords were servants of the empire and thus had to show some patriotism, but the common folk did not. For them, the Empire was simply an abstract idea created by people too far removed from their simple lives, that there was just no middle ground, no point of reference.


    How different it was from the Chinese people I met in the future, where everyone was very proud of their roots. Sacrificing time, blood, and tears for the betterment of their country.


    Five days into our journey, we began seeing the first signs of battle: burnt buildings, some battlefields, and throngs slowly and pitifully moving south. Women and children mostly, which meant that the men had either been killed or were participating in the struggle to save their homes.


    I shook my head at the number of people affected by the war.


    ¡°What will happen to them?¡± I asked An while General Fei perused the maps and messages received from the north. Plenty of messenger birds had reached us in the past days, giving us more information about the true state of the border.


    ¡°Most will turn to crime or prostitution to survive, until the Empire tires of them and hunts them down. But for the few that resist the temptation, the Empire has saved resources to rebuild their lands and fields. It will take time, but the country will recover.¡±


    The bitter truth was that, despite all the knowledge I possessed from the future, there was very little I could do for these people. I had very little experience in how to tend fields or run a country, I didn¡¯t have godly powers to give them the food and resources they would need to survive the coming weeks and months (and even if I did, I would simply be making them depend on me for the time being, instead of creating a solution).


    I wanted to curse at my own lack of knowledge, but truth be told, that too would serve no purpose other than to belittle myself.


    No, if I wanted to help these people, I needed to do something real now, not something hypothetical.


    The only real way I could help these people was to end the war as soon as possible.


    On the last leg of the travel, and to save the oarsmen some grief, I used chi-magic to propel the boat at a greater speed while the captain steered.


    Even the General was impressed.


    ¡°Tell me Prince, why not do this from the start?¡± An asked, despite the glare he received from his commanding officer.


    ¡°Moving a whole boat is no simple task, I could probably keep this pace for a couple of hours a day, but I would have arrived totally spent.¡± That was just partially true. Ever since I had conquered the eight Heavenly Tribulation, the amount of chi I had at my disposal was simply staggering, so I could have kept the boat going for much longer. The truth of the matter really was that I hadn¡¯t thought of it, immersed as I was in taking in the sights and thinking of ways to help the empire recover from the war once it was over.


    Losing myself in my mind was one of my better/worse traits, even in this new life.


    We finally reached our destination close to midday, a lone rider waiting for us at the shore, wearing the same blood-red armor my two companions were. He had three other horses patiently waiting for us.


    ¡°General!¡± The man greeted Fei first with a genial smile ¡°We were told to expect you later today.¡± The man then offered An and me a baoquan, that is until he spotted the golden lion pin on my chest.


    ¡°Your majesty!¡± He fell to his knees, and I sighed.


    ¡°At ease, soldier.¡± I sighed and got off the ship before An and Fei, who were more used to the way I was. The poor soldier appeared to be rather afraid. I saw him turn to Fei in askance, when the General nodded at him, he finally rose from his knees. He took us to the horses which we rode for about half an hour until we got to an open field with many tents.


    I blinked and looked around... but there was no sight of the Great Wall. There were plains as far as the eye could see and then¡­ dunes? Intellectually I knew that China had a desert, but I never thought I¡¯d see it¡­ or such a contrast between the great yellow pastures and the red sand.


    No wonder the enemies had had such an easy time raiding the villages this far north. The country was just too big and there was no definite defense. The most they had were sentry towers and patrols. It wouldn¡¯t take but a bit of planning and watching to route such paltry defenses.


    ¡°No matter how many more monkeys you bring, they won¡¯t make a difference! The gods of the hunt have spoken, and this land will soon be ours!¡± a demented laugh followed that bold statement and I turned in time to see one of the soldiers backslapping a man whose head was inside a mobile stock, despite being tied to a pole by his thumbs.


    ¡°Who is that man?¡± I heard myself asking without taking my eyes from him and the beating he was receiving.


    ¡°A prisoner. One of the few, most would rather die than be captured.¡± An commented with a self-satisfied grunt.


    ¡°What of the other prisoners?¡± I asked and An pointed to a side, where their bodies had been left to hang from a horizontal pole in a very crude spectacle that made my insides turn.


    ¡°The man spoke about the gods of the hunt, do any of you know-?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The general cut my question off, not looking at me ¡°They¡¯re savages from the north, that is all we need to know.¡±


    I glared at the general¡¯s back before shaking my head ¡°from this moment on, all prisoners must be brought to me first. Only in understating will we defeat them.¡±


    I saw him frown but nodded. It seemed that our dear general was not keen on taking orders on the battlefield, especially since it was his men risking their lives to do as I commanded.


    ¡°General!¡±


    ¡°The General is back!¡±


    ¡°Welcome General Fei!¡±


    Suddenly I found myself surrounded by at least a hundred or so soldiers, all wearing the same red armor An and Fei, even if theirs was dirty from fighting.


    Using the men¡¯s distraction to my advantage, I hid my golden lion pin under the wraps of my clothes and pulled my hood up over my head, hiding everything but my eyes. Despite the well-wishers and how many people were surrounding him, wanting to hear good news, Captain An turned to me just as I finished my disguise and ordered him to shut up with a gesture.


    ¡°General, is the Empire sending the army?¡± The dreaded question was finally answered.


    After speaking to the generals, it had been decided that the Imperial Army would only arrive at the border once I had time to study the forces attacking us. That meant that, from this moment on, all the lives lost or gained at the border would be on my shoulders. That, of course, didn¡¯t fill me with confidence, and probably neither would help the soldiers¡¯ morale.


    That is why I would be forever thankful for the General¡¯s answer ¡°They are coming¡± he lied easily ¡°But there are so many soldiers that it will take them a long while getting here.¡± The man sent a covert look my way, discovering my disguise. ¡°In the meantime, the Emperor has sent us a very special warrior¡±.


    Clearly enjoying himself putting me on the spot, the General pointed at me ¡°Is that not so, Long Mu?¡±


    I glared at him from under my guise but didn¡¯t contradict him. Thankfully, he hadn¡¯t used my full name, otherwise, the ruse would be for naught. ¡°It is so, General,¡± I answered, making my voice a little lower than normal through earth-breathing so that I wouldn¡¯t sound so young.


    ¡°One soldier?¡± one of the men asked, looking at me with disdain. ¡°One soldier won¡¯t make any difference! They are killing us by the dozens and the empire sent one man, what a joke!¡±


    The man in question was an old one, with a dirty black beard and the squinty black eyes that kept glaring at me.


    ¡°Shu!¡± An shouted and glared at the man, sending a quick glance my way. ¡°You don¡¯t speak like that to a royal envoy!¡±


    ¡°But what good is he really?¡± the man named Shu continued ¡°he doesn¡¯t even carry a weapon!¡±


    It was true. Both the General and Captain had offered me a sword and armor like theirs, but I had refused both. I wasn¡¯t comfortable using weapons other than my fists, and there was no armor in this primitive world that was any better than my own magical defenses.


    ¡°I need no weapon,¡± I said, calmly staring at the man who was working himself into a frenzy. ¡°You could try to harm me from anywhere in this camp and you won¡¯t be able to do a thing¡­ but that is something your little mind cannot understand yet.¡± I smiled inside my disguise, for some reason, I felt as if I were a bad guy bragging¡­ but the truth was that the strength and powers born from traversing the heavenly tribulations were incomprehensible until you put them to the test. I could bend most metal weapons with little effort between my hands, I could lift and break stones that were twice my size, I healed faster, and my body could move and jump faster and higher than even the fastest horses.


    If I were to pit myself against others, I believe that it would take more than a hundred armed men to bring me down.


    And still¡­ I was only one person.


    ¡°That¡¯s a load of bull!¡± the man glared at me, and I chuckled.


    I jumped down from my horse and walked calmly until I was a couple of steps from him. ¡°Then let¡¯s test it. Attack me.¡±


    The camp fell silent and many of the soldiers were looking between Shu, myself, and the General, who appeared to be torn between glaring at us and sighing.


    ¡°Would that be fine, General?¡± I looked back at him and winked, ¡°A little competition might make your men a bit more confident in the reinforcements sent by the palace.¡±


    His glaring intensified for a moment before he sighed ¡°very well. Men, form a circle!¡±


    An went to my side immediately, whispering furiously ¡°are you sure, your ma-¡± my glare made him shut up ¡°Shu might be a burly old goat, but he¡¯s an experienced warrior-!¡±


    My hand fell on his shoulder, and he quieted down. ¡°Peace, An. I know what I¡¯m doing. Trust me¡­ or more importantly, trust in the Emperor.¡± He frowned and shook his head before sighing.


    ¡°Very well¡­ I shall trust.¡± He offered me a baoquan before moving back to the edge of the circle that had formed around us.


    I looked around to watch the faces of all the soldiers. They were having fun, a good thing for morale. Then I turned to Shu, who was glaring at me with his hand on the hilt of his sword.


    I switched to earth breathing and immediately my body hardened.


    ¡®No interruptions this time, oh spirit of mine¡¯ I asked my other self.


    ¡®If I thought you needed help, I¡¯d intervene, no matter what you said.¡¯


    I chuckled internally ¡®at least, I count on you to always remain true to our mission.¡¯


    ¡®That you do.¡¯


    I stood up straight and looked at the man ¡°are we waiting for something?¡±


    He glared and pulled out his sword, intending to hit me on the arm. Unfortunately for him, with my heightened senses, he was moving rather slowly, so I stepped forward in-between moments and lightly hit him on the chest plate.


    A crack tore the air, and he was propelled backward ten feet and crashed into some of the other soldiers. In my head, I heard the sound of a bowling ball hitting the pins and couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    The whole circle kept looking at me with wide eyes while Shu fought to get up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this¡± I switched to fire-breathing and the world slowed even more around me, I ran to Shu and simply grabbed the sword by the blade. Fire-chi accumulated between my fingers, heating, bending, and eventually breaking the metal.


    To normal people, it looked as if the blade suddenly came off the hilt.


    I relaxed my breathing and time flowed normally again. Shu was pale as a ghost, watching as my fingers snapped his weapon in two after I practically materialized at his side.


    ¡°D-demon!¡± he hissed and moved as far away from me as he could.


    ¡°I¡¯m no demon,¡± I said calmly, taking the blade with me. ¡°I am the Empire¡¯s protector¡­ and I don¡¯t take insults lightly.¡± I sent a glare back to the man who hissed in fear and simply ran away.


    Calmly, I made my way to An and put the blade in his hands. ¡°I will see our prisoner now, then I will need a tour of the battlefield or a description from your best scouts. I expect to have a place to rest by nightfall.¡±


    ¡°C-certainly, your m-¡± One glare from me made his next words catch in his throat. I didn¡¯t go to the extent of hiding my identity for him to blurt it out as an afterthought. Instead, An lowered his eyes to the piece of metal in his hands. ¡°Certainly, Long Mu.¡±


    I nodded and parted ways with them. I wanted to check on our only captive¡­ something he had said had caught my attention.


    The circle of soldiers parted to let me pass, giving me a very wide berth.


    You can read the novel online free at novelhall.com

 Chapter 55 - The Captive

    Smiling under my hood I looked up at the sky ¡®Was that too much?¡¯


    ¡®Your penchant for theatrics is quite entertaining.¡¯


    ¡®At least we had some fun, I doubt what is coming next will be as entertaining.¡¯


    ¡®Interrogation never is if what I see in your memories is real.¡¯


    He was referring to the memories from my past life and the many movies about war and captives. I remembered watching a movie named ¡®Inglourious Basterds¡¯ that impressed me by its humor and brutality. It later served me for a Spy series that was moderately successful. Apparently, my other self enjoyed watching movies in my head, despite the missing parts and somewhat altered scenes (I never could help changing what I didn¡¯t like about the stories I saw or read).


    I walked directly to the man tied to a post and squatted in front of him. He was filthy, with long black hair matted with blood and dust and rests of spittle around his mouth, yet he didn¡¯t appear malnourished¡­ yet.


    My staring didn¡¯t go unnoticed and soon his eyes met mine, and he glared at me.


    ¡°Nothing you do to me will stop my brethren! They will kill all of you and offer your bodies to the gods of the hunt!¡±


    ¡°Tell me more about these gods of the hunt.¡±


    My question startled the man and he started before frowning. ¡°You speak our language? Who are you?¡±


    I blinked in surprise¡­ Was I speaking another language? I didn¡¯t think so.


    ¡®Our spirits have a connection to these people, that is why we can understand them.¡¯


    ¡®What do you mean by connection?¡¯


    ¡®They worship the Dragon, us, as the main figure of their pantheon.¡¯


    ¡®But we aren¡¯t gods!¡¯


    ¡®Yet. We aren¡¯t gods, yet. As soon as we ascend, all prayers to Dragon deities will fall to us, because we will be the first.¡¯


    ¡®Wait a goddamn second! Are you telling me that they are worshipping a god that doesn¡¯t exist yet, but that we will become that god and thus assume the form of their deity?¡¯


    ¡®Yes and no¡­ time in the Heavenly Realm flows differently than here. It¡¯s almost as if the Heavenly Realm existed in the past of the world, for everything that happens in their present becomes the past, present, and future of this world. In your time, there was no cult for the dragons for some reason¡­ it means that we will ascend, but at some point, disappear from the mind of the mortals.¡¯


    ¡®That-¡¯ I had no words to express the confusion inside my mind. I simply couldn¡¯t wrap it about the concept that time flowed differently and yet both realms were connected somehow.


    My mind went numb for a moment as I watched the prisoner glare and curse at me¡­ and while he did, I didn¡¯t understand what he was saying. Clarity, however, returned as soon as I felt the presence of my other self inside my mind.


    ¡®Peace, young-one. Don¡¯t concern yourself with the matters of the gods just yet. Wait until we¡¯re closer to the Pearly Gates. Right now, they are just images in the back of your mind. A problem for another day.¡¯


    I thanked it and peace did indeed return to my mind.


    ¡°¡­not going to get anything from me, Infidel!¡± The man was raving again, apparently, my abstraction had lasted quite a while.


    ¡°You believe in the Dragon God. It is through him that I can understand your speech.¡±


    He fell silent before his lips pronounced a name that echoed in my heart and spirit ¡°Tngri.¡± His eyes were wide as he stared at me with something akin to awe. ¡°How do you know of the god of the Sky?¡±


    A thought occurred to me then, a crazy idea that might just help end the war. I smiled under the hood and called forth my other self.


    ¡®Can you show yourself to this man?¡¯


    ¡®Yes, why?¡¯


    ¡®You will see.¡¯


    I stood up and took a step back, while I felt as if my mind was divided in two and, suddenly, I was watching the man from two different perspectives. My own, and one a few feet taller, whose eyes saw the world in a different color. My other self didn¡¯t see men for the individuals they were, he simply saw them as concentrations of energy, like a cloud of sparkles taking the form of a person.


    For the first time in my life, I was seeing the spirit world as it really was.


    I smiled and looked down at the man with both my gazes, watching how his eyes grew as big as saucers.


    ¡°Because it lives in me.¡±


    ¡®Simba!¡¯


    ¡®What?!¡¯


    ¡®Never mind.¡¯

 Chapter 56 - Tngri

    The change in the man¡¯s demeanor was almost instantaneous. While still on his knees and restrained, he bent his head forward until his forehead almost touched the ground.


    ¡°Forgive me for not recognizing you, lord Tngri. I meant no disrespect. But what are you doing with these savages?¡± With his head, he motioned to the soldiers that were all around us -and apparently also in awe of the Dragon-spirit surrounding me.


    ¡°I was reborn in their lands.¡±


    ¡°Re-reborn?¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened as he looked up at my face when I squatted before him again, my other-self retreating back to wherever he existed while immaterial.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m working on regaining my full powers to aid our people again, but my time is otherwise spent when conflict strikes.¡± I pointed to the battlefield with a movement of the head. ¡°I have been outside the Heavenly Realm for quite a while, what has become of our people?¡±


    The man sighed and told me a story.


    Told me a story of warring tribes and a nomadic life. Of people living with horses and raising sheep, and slowly noticing the changes in the earth and weather. The rain became scarce, cattle died, famine and sickness struck, people despaired then turned on each other. Brother killed brother, sister plotted against sister, and the old ones, those in charge of leading them, lost faith.


    When they saw their neighbors living in peace and prosperity, they raged against the heavens that had abandoned them and turned their steel against those that had what they had lost.


    ¡°I am sorry, my lord, but our people are desperate for food and water.¡± I had unchained the man and ordered the soldiers to give him food and drink. They had, of course, protested, but one glare shut them up. We were currently sitting beside the fire while the prisoner, whose name I learned was Delger, practically inhaled a plate of warm soup.


    ¡°How many tribes have come to the south?¡±


    ¡°Twelve. Every Xiongnu came together to conquer the southern pastures.¡±


    I sighed. Twelve. Twelve bloody cultures I would have to convince to stop a war.


    ¡°How many of them will stop their attack if I bring back the rain?¡±


    Delger¡¯s eyes sparkled, and he smiled at me ¡°My lord!¡± I allowed him some time to rein in his feelings before repeating my question.


    ¡°It is hard to say¡± he finally answered, ¡°My own has probably already given up on me, and from the twelve I know only of four that still praise the Sky god¡± He looked down apologetic ¡°My lord, I-¡±


    I raised a hand and he shut up ¡°I know. You¡¯ve really had a hard time, and my powers have been somewhat diminished over time. But I can bring the rain, and I will stop this bloodshed.¡±


    ¡®We can, can¡¯t we?¡¯


    My other self didn¡¯t answer, but I felt its reluctance.


    I had controlled a storm before, I was sure I could do it again¡­ what I didn¡¯t know for sure was if I would be able to sufficiently control it to not kill the fields.


    ¡®If that is what you want, we will need more power. At the very least, we will need to reach the first milestone¡­¡äthat¡¯s the eleventh Tribulation.¡¯


    ¡®That is the first time I heard you speak of milestones, I thought that all Heavenly tribulation were milestones of sorts.¡¯


    ¡®They are, but the eleventh marks the first third of the journey. Passing it causes an immense spike in power¡­ one that you will need if you wish to go forward with his plan of yours.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s three more than where we¡¯re at. Can we challenge them that fast? The last one was harder than all the others.¡¯


    ¡®They will only get harder as we progress, but with our current amount of Chi, we should be able to trespass two. The milestone will be the hardest ever. We will need help.¡¯


    ¡®Help from who? I haven¡¯t met any other cultivators, and there is very little about the process in the imperial library.¡¯


    ¡®Not who, but what. Ask him if they still guard the secret of the pearls.¡¯


    ¡®The what?¡¯


    ¡®Ask him!¡¯


    I exited my own mind to look at Delger who was licking the bottom of the plate with gusto.


    ¡°Do our people still guard the secret of the pearls?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes flew to mine, and he shook his head despondently.


    ¡°Not all of us. My tribe doesn¡¯t. The old ones claimed to have forgotten the way¡­ But perhaps one of the four who still praise you.¡±


    ¡®We need to find these tribes. If you can convince them to reveal the secret back to you, we might just make it.¡¯


    ¡®Then that is what we¡¯ll do.¡¯ I gazed at the horizon as if it held the answers to the universe while asking my other self about these pearls, but received no information.


    ¡°Rest for now, I must think.¡±


    The man knelt in front of me, placing his forehead on the ground. ¡°Thank you, my lord!¡±


    I stood up and looked at the people surrounding me. General Fei and An were close by, as were many of the soldiers, all watching me with surprise and Delger with disgust. I made a beeline for the General and he invited me into his tent. Before entering I addressed one of the soldiers outside, ¡°Make sure that nobody abuses the prisoner, he¡¯s still useful to us.¡±


    He nodded and I crossed the threshold into the General¡¯s tent. It was red and big, with a soft carpet covering the ground and a big desk with plenty of papers to the left. To the right stood a wooden cross for his armor and a small bed was a bit further away.


    ¡°Cozy,¡± I claimed and the General smiled bitterly.


    ¡°And too much for me, but appearances must be kept.¡±


    An snorted, making Fei glared at him while I chuckled at their interaction.


    ¡°So, have you learned anything useful, your ma-?¡± to my surprise, An slapped him on the back of the head ¡°forgive me, I forgot myself.¡±


    I snorted and shook my head. ¡°Be it as it may. I might have found a way to stop this war before the Imperial Army had a chance to step out of the capital.¡±


    Both officials stared at me with wide eyes and mouths agape.


    ¡°That is great news!¡± An declared.


    ¡°How do we kill these savages?¡± Fei asked, hopeful. But I shook my head.


    ¡°You won¡¯t. If my plan works, there will be very little fighting to be had.¡±


    They exchanged long looks before the General spoke again ¡°Your m-¡± he slapped a hand over his mouth and stepped back to prevent An from hitting him again. ¡°Forgive me. How will you accomplish this, Long Mu?¡±


    ¡°These people worship the Dragon¡± I declared. ¡°They are here because they have been abandoned by their gods and their lands have dried up.¡±


    Fei scratched his beard for a whole minute before admitting defeat ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°I will show you tomorrow, on the battlefield.¡±


    The general sighed.


    ¡°You really aren¡¯t going to tell us?¡± An asked, exasperated.


    ¡°Even if I told you, you wouldn¡¯t believe me. Seeing is believing, and tomorrow your men and the enemy will believe.¡± I offered both a baoquan before exiting the tent. The soldier outside informed me that the prisoner had been led to my tent, and I asked him for directions, finding it rather quickly.


    Chinese armies were nothing if not well organized.


    Inside, Delger was already curled up against the furthest wall and snoring lightly. I dropped on the small cot on the ground and closed my eyes.. I needed all the rest I could get.

 Chapter 57 - The Dragon

    Khutulun was the first to move, making use of his speed to close the distance between him and their enemy, his spear cut the air between their enemy in an instant, but was deflected by a fist. The blow felt almost like hitting a rock. He turned the spear, intent on hitting their enemy with the other side, but the man moved incredibly fast, closing in on him and projecting a punch against his chest. He managed to catch it with his spear but was still sent flying backward a good six feet.


    He landed with a roll and was on his feet again just as Urus¡¯ mace came down on the man that had called himself Tngri. Again, Tngri deflected the downward blow with a fist and one of his elbows hit Urus on the ribs, eliciting a grunt of pain that made Khutulun raise his eyebrows. It was the first time he had ever heard Urus ¡®the Giant¡¯ demonstrate any kind of pain during an encounter.


    But this was not a time to be reflecting on the past, Khutulun readied his lance and closed in on the two warriors in an instant, looking for an opening. He found one once the stranger kicked Urus away, mace and all, and the Giant fell on his back a few feet back. He stabbed his leg with the spear, but the blade ricocheted away from it, sparks flying from where the blow had landed. His surprise was short-lived however because the man grabbed the shaft and pulled him closer. Caught unaware, he came with the weapon but twisted his body away from the man¡¯s attack by letting go of the spear at the last moment and rolling forward.


    He rolled away from the kick that came crashing down on his position and was amazed by the small crater it created.


    Urus came back into the fray then, waving his mace in circles above his head and screaming like a madman. The stranger barely had time to block the strike with his arms before he was sent flying against the sand but rolled back to his feet an instant later with a grimace. Khutulun inspected his arms and saw the bruises on them, but they didn¡¯t appear to be broken, a common fate to all others that had received the same attack.


    The man took a deep breath and met his eyes. ¡°You two make a very dangerous combination.¡±


    ¡°And you are a very sturdy target¡± Urus gritted, making Khutulun look at him, one of his hands was supporting his left chest, and there was blood on his lips. ¡°Who hits harder than a mule.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re the one to talk?¡± the stranger smiled, ¡°I broke at least two ribs, and yet you¡¯re still standing.¡±


    ¡°I admit it hurts, but I wouldn¡¯t miss this fight for anything, not even my own death.¡±


    Khutulun shook his head, the two men were crazy.


    ¡°That would be enough, I think,¡± the stranger said and stood up straighter, Khutulun noticed that the bruises on his arms had reduced significantly. ¡°Time to get serious.¡±


    Both chieftains gritted their teeth and prepared, while their enemy¡¯s body adopted a different guard from before. Instead of his hands forming claws, they were open one pointing to them and the other with the palm open to the heavens. For some reason, Khutulun couldn¡¯t help but shiver. There was something strange going on, and the epicenter was the man in front of them.


    ¡°Khu¡± Urus whispered while his eyes were firmly on their enemy ¡°I can¡¯t move too much, so I¡¯ll take the brunt of his attack while you search for an opening.¡± He frowned under his mask but nodded. The stranger they were fighting was unlike any other man they had ever encountered. Not only was he hard to hit, but his strength was also almost impossible to match. Urus wasn¡¯t very mobile to begin with, but his attacks were strong and his body sturdy against most attacks; meanwhile Khutulun was nimble and fast, his attacks might not be very powerful, but they were always aimed at weak spots, causing critical damage.


    He gripped his spear harder and lowered his stance while the pressure over their shoulders grew.


    He looked intently at their enemy and was surprised when he noticed that some small rocks seemed to be floating around him, while the clouds began covering the sky above them.


    ¡°Do you remember the old legends?¡± Urus suddenly said, ¡°Tngri often spoke of the path of cultivation that men could follow if they had enough discipline.¡±


    The giant¡¯s words echoed in his mind, reminding him of the stories he had heard as a child, of men becoming gods through a path of discipline and wisdom. He nodded, it would seem that Urus and he were of the same mind.


    What they were facing was a man that had dedicated his life to reaching the fabled pearly gates¡­ They were facing a man on his way to godhood.


    ¡°I hope to survive this fight¡­ I¡¯d love to see what this man is capable of.¡± Urus said before spitting a mouthful of blood.


    The tension in the air seemed to reach a crescendo and Khutulun couldn¡¯t help but swallow, as his forehead filled with sweat.


    The man in front of them had achieved a transformation of sorts, his body was relaxed, but his eyes had turned from brown to gold, his long black braid floated in the air behind him, like the tail of a snake poised to strike.


    The open palm pointing at them moved, beckoning them as he smiled. When they didn¡¯t move from their stop, he spoke, and his voice echoed in the valley.


    ¡°Very well, here I come.¡±


    Khutulun barely had time to step sideways before the man materialized at his side. True to his word, Urus took the attack, letting go of his mace and protecting his chest with his arms; there was a clap of thunder, and he was launched backward with the strength and speed of a charging horse.


    Khutulun¡¯s eyes widened, and he poised his spear to strike the heart of their enemy¡­ until he disappeared from in front of him, and he felt something crash against his side.


    There was pain, the feeling of floating on air, and then even more pain when his back impacted against the ground hard. He rolled to absorb some of the impacts, but he was left dizzy, and his chest was on fire.


    He lifted his eyes to the man, who stood almost twenty feet away and saw him jump impossibly high, and he was forced to roll away from his spot. When he landed, the stranger hit the ground and it exploded outwards, creating a crater that was as big as five horses¡¯ side on side.


    ¡°You are good, but you are only human.¡± The man said, walking calmly toward Khutulun, who struggled to rise to his feet. He used his spear as support despite the pain that racked his body.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked through gritted teeth ¡°Are you really a cultivator?¡±


    The stranger stopped in his tracks and smiled at him. ¡°So your people really do remember my kind. Yes, I am a cultivator. My name, in this reincarnation, is Shen Long Mu.¡±


    ¡°Reincarnation?¡± Khutulun asked, frowning. His strength failed him, and he fell forward, only to be stopped by the man he had been trying to kill before. Without any effort, he set him on his feet.


    ¡°Will you yield? I do not wish to further harm you.¡±


    Khutulun bit his lip and took stock of his body: he could barely stand, much less present any kind of fight to this man. He shook his head ¡°Yes. I am beaten.¡± His eyes rose to the man that was keeping him on his feet and saw him close his eyes for a second before they became forest green. He moved his head forward and exhaled right on his face.


    He had expected to perceive something foul, but instead, his breath was like being inside a field of flowers in spring¡­ a pleasure he had almost forgotten. The man let him go and he found, to his complete amazement, that he could walk on his own. He still felt heavy and tired, but the pain was almost gone.


    His eyes met his and the man was smiling. He then fell to his knees, ¡°My lord!¡±


    ¡°Stay there, I will check Urus now.¡± And just like that, he disappeared from in front of him and reappeared on the other end of the battlefield.


    Urus opened one eye to look at his enemy.


    ¡°I think I fell asleep for a moment.¡± He smiled, showing a row of bloodied teeth. ¡°Did we win?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Pity. I really wanted to see the meadows from the south.¡±


    ¡°You will see meadows, but they¡¯ll be your own.¡± The stranger knelt at his side and Urus sighed.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to kill me¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would I kill you? I aimed to defeat you¡­ unless you plan to fight me again as you are¡­?¡±


    Urus laughed and spat a mouthful of blood ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass.¡± He couched again before sighing ¡°I can almost see the golden meadows where the dead are waiting for me.¡±


    ¡°Say goodbye to them, because you¡¯re staying in this place for a while still.¡± The man breathed in front of his face, and he felt his spirit be plucked like a feather from the land of the spirits and returned to his body, where we watched in awe as his wounds sealed themselves, leaving nothing but unblemished skin.


    He took a deep breath and was surprised when it didn¡¯t hurt even a little.


    ¡°You have saved my life; you kept my brother safe¡­ I am yours, my lord, as are my people.¡±


    The man smiled and moved to a side to reveal none other than Delger, who was running to see his older brother.


    ¡°Thank you, great Tngri!¡± Delger bowed with tears in his eyes ¡°I will never forget this great gift you have given us.¡±


    Urus looked at his brother, before turning to the man that had defeated him and brought him back to the world of the living.


    ¡°Tngri¡­¡± he mumbled and bowed his head ¡°I had almost forgotten that name¡­¡±


    The man with the forest-green eyes smiled ¡°go back to your camp and rest, I will see you and Khutulun tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± His brother helped him to stand, and he was surprised when he found that nothing ached. He was tired for sure, but nothing more.


    Delger supported his weight with his shoulder and together they walked back to his army, who received them with relieved faces.


    ¡°What will happen now?¡± one of the men asked Urus


    ¡°We are going back to camp for now. Tomorrow we will return to talk.¡±


    ¡°Talk?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is the wish of the man who defeated us. Tomorrow we shall speak with him and see where that takes us.¡±


    ¡°We could attack tonight¡­¡± another man proposed but he was immediately silenced by the glare he received from the chieftain.


    ¡°I will not go back on my word. We were defeated by one man, and he wasn¡¯t even angry. Do you want to anger him by going back on my promise?¡±


    The other man raised his hands in defeat ¡°No, chief. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Good, now stop having idiotic thoughts, and let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Delger helped his brother mount his horse and jumped on behind him. To his right, he saw the other chieftain mounting his own horse with the help of a woman archer, before parting at a gallop.


    ? ------


    When I came out of my heightened state, I immediately felt the difference in strength and my knees buckled.


    ¡®I told you our body couldn¡¯t take it for a long time.¡¯


    ¡®Good thing we finished things quickly.¡¯ I smiled at myself ¡®Now I know what Goku felt when he reached super Saiyan 3.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re such a nerd.¡¯


    ¡®Says the spirit watching anime in my head.¡¯


    My other self fell silent, and I chuckled. Just then An and Fei reached me.


    ¡°Your majesty, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just¡­ tired.¡± I looked up at the General and smiled ¡°Would you mind terribly helping me up?¡± He passed my arm over his shoulders and helped me to my feet. ¡°thanks.¡±


    ¡°That was amazing, your majesty!¡± An smiled and jumped like a little boy ¡°Suddenly you went, BOOM! POW! SWISH! POW! Ancestors! I wish I knew how you did all that!¡±


    ¡°I could tell you, but first let me get some sleep.¡±


    The General sustained my weight all the way to his tent, where he sat me down on his bed and bowed ¡°Thank you for protecting our people, your majesty.¡±


    ¡°They will come tomorrow to speak,¡± I said with my eyes closed, tired beyond belief. ¡°Make sure your men don¡¯t attack them.¡±


    ¡°I will speak to them.¡± He bowed again and left pulling An by the arm. Finally alone, I sighed and massaged my head, channeling the energy of the dragon had been beyond exhausting, but it was also the easiest way to prove my point. I wanted the nomads to believe I was their god¡­ it was the fastest way for me to stop the war.


    I rubbed my eyes and stared at the cloth above my head until I fell asleep.

 Chapter 58 - Behind The Mask

    I woke up the next morning with a hunger that wasn¡¯t sated until I ate enough for three people and drank a whole water boot.


    Despite having stopped the battle from happening, plenty of the soldiers were very skittish around me, bowing with fear and awe, and not even daring to speak to me. It didn¡¯t help that the General had revealed my true identity to them.


    When I finished eating, I went to the same watchtower as before, and the sentry fell to one knee before me.


    ¡°At ease, soldier.¡± I stood at the edge of the building again, until I spied the same dust as before. And sure enough, riders appeared over the dunes not a minute later. ¡°Call general Feng, and for the love of the ancestors, don¡¯t shoot at them, do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your majesty!¡±


    I landed on the other side of the protections, just as the previous days, and walked twenty paces before stopping.


    The number of riders had almost doubled from the previous day, which probably meant that everyone had come to bear witness of the talk between us and the chieftains.


    A lone rider raised his hand and all horses stopped, then, the same man approached my position and dismounted a few steps away. It was Khutulun.


    ¡°I wanted to speak to you before anyone else.¡± He claimed and walked closer, ¡°to fulfill the promise made.¡±


    He was standing a couple of feet away from me before his hands went to his face and he dislodged the mask covering his face. He took it off for a moment and I was awed by what I discovered.


    Khutulun was a woman.


    She sent an embarrassed smile my way and began playing with her hair, alternating between looking at my face and down at the ground.


    I smiled, ¡°you are very beautiful.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°Thank you, you are the first man beside my father to see my face.¡±


    That sentence made me swallow, already feeling a noose tightening around my neck.


    ¡®Do you think-?¡¯


    ¡®I do.¡¯


    ¡®Is there a way to-?¡¯


    ¡®I doubt it. After all, you asked to see her face¡­ now face the consequences.¡¯


    ¡®Bai Fan is going to-¡¯


    ¡®Kill you? Yes, probably. If she¡¯s still interested in marrying you.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re having fun, aren¡¯t you?¡¯


    ¡®Most certainly.¡¯


    I cursed my luck and looked up on time to see Urus approaching on horse. Khutulun placed her mask on her face again, but her eyes were smiling at me.


    The giant of a man dismounted ¡°did I miss it?¡± he cursed when he noticed Khutulun was wearing her mask. ¡°Damn you Khu, I told you to wait for me.¡±


    ¡°It was our Lord who won the battle, losers get no freebies.¡±


    Urus snorted and shook his head before looking at me ¡°Would you mind sharing the secret? I¡¯ve been dying to know¡­ is he as effeminate as he sounds?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help it¡­


    I laughed.


    Khutulun threw dirt at Urus, who covered his eyes, but received a kick on the family jewels for his trouble.


    Meanwhile, I kept laughing.


    That is how General Fei found us. Urus was kneeling on the ground and cursing Khutulun in a small voice, while the woman glared at him from above and I hugged my belly from so much laughing.


    ¡°This is auspicious¡± the general claimed with a smile, as I fought to regain my senses.


    ¡°Oh dear, it¡¯s been years since I last laughed so hard.¡± I chuckled and erased the tears of joy from my face. I placed my hand on top of Khutulun¡¯s shoulder ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She sent a small bow my way, and even with the mask, I could see her blushing. ¡°My lord.¡±


    Fortunately for me, Fei had been more thoughtful and made a few soldiers put up an open tent with chairs. In thanks, I sent a nod his way and he winked.


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s start, shall we?¡±


    Everyone nodded and I began asking questions.


    How many tribes were there? How many participated in the war? Were there any other fighters as strong as Khutulun and Urus? Where were their lands? Had they come with every one of their citizens or it was only the army?


    We then passed on to their culture and compared it to ours, trying to find some common ground. So far, the only one was that both cultures worshipped dragons, but in different ways. Of the 12 tribes, only 4 still prayed ¡®the old way¡¯, using offerings of food, wine, and carvings or products made by them and that they believed were their best creation. The rest of the tribes had abandoned the old gods to worship the gods of the hunt¡­ those that were bloodthirsty and were given offerings of blood and bone from their defeated opponents. I frowned at that and saw Urus swallow. His tribe had been one of the first to propose the change when ¡®the old gods¡¯ failed to bring them rain.


    When I asked about the secret of the pearls Khutulun immediately perked up.


    ¡°I have heard some elders speak of it with my father before he died. I think it would be possible to create them if we could ask the elders from the Kalmyk, Buryats, and Oirats tribes¡­ but they stayed behind to mind the cattle.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°If you want me to bring back the rain, I will need one of those pearls.¡± Fei was looking a little lost and I suddenly remembered that he was a normal man with no heavenly connection, and thus understanding very little of what was said. I made a summary for him.


    ¡°What are these pearls you speak of?¡± he asked, scratching his chin.


    ¡°An alchemical mixture that helps cultivators to refine their Chi in preparation to challenge a Heavenly tribulation. I am three tribulations away from being able to control the weather at will¡­ something they need urgently.¡±


    ¡°How hard is it to challenge one of these tribulations?¡±


    I sighed and shrugged ¡°Every new tribulation is harder than the last. If an unprepared warrior were to attempt even the first one, he could end up crippled or dead.¡±


    ¡°How many has his majesty surpassed?¡±


    ¡°Eight. The last one was not a month ago¡­ I could probably do one more without much trouble, perhaps even two, but the eleventh is a milestone that even I wouldn¡¯t dare challenge without proper preparation.¡±


    ¡°And these pearls would help?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They help refine and purify our chi, or they can sometimes increase an aspect of it.¡±


    The General frowned and mused the information. ¡°In the interest of the empire and your majesty, we should find out the secret to these pearls.¡±


    I nodded ¡°I had hoped that the Imperial library held some secrets about cultivation, like these pearls, but in the past five years I¡¯ve discovered very little. There are many treaties about the Dao and how it was born, but nothing more¡­ It feels to me that it was planned this way, so that the people of the north had one piece of the secret and our people the other¡­ so that they, together, could become the founders for a nation of cultivators.¡±


    He fell silent and contemplated what I had said, while I returned to our guests.


    When I expressed the same sentiment to them, Urus frowned ¡°That would be naught but impossible. Our lives are too different, in the past, we¡¯ve found ourselves at war more often than not.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t let our past define our future. We must always strive to become better, different. Had we not, we wouldn¡¯t be sitting here today.¡± I pointed out, and when Khutulun was about to open her mouth to protest I continued ¡°You are nomads, isn¡¯t change part of your everyday routine? Is that not the freedom of your people?¡± It shut her up and made her frown.


    With the whole table thinking, I began to reflect on myself. My ideas were sparked by the education I had in the XXI century, ideas of freedom and union that never really coalesced in the real world. Was I allowed to propose them now? Wouldn¡¯t that change the future? If Mongols and Chinese suddenly began collaborating, there wouldn¡¯t be any need in the future to build the Great Wall¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be a big change in the future?


    ¡®There is no such thing as the butterfly effect. Time is like a river, what will be, will be, no matter how many pebbles you throw in it.¡¯


    ¡®How do you know that?¡¯


    ¡®It is one of the matters that concerns the Heavenly realm, not you. Whatever changes you bring forward now will not affect the things that are meant to happen.¡¯


    ¡®Then, that means that I could do virtually anything and it wouldn¡¯t matter?¡¯


    ¡®Not in the great scheme of things. You could make people of this age better, but how long would it last? A lifetime? A few hundred years? A couple of millenniums? Only very few people have a destiny so grand that they change the way the world is perceived by others, and they all had a journey like yours. Evolution through many lifetimes, culminating in a time where their knowledge would cause the most ripples in the fabric of time. You come from an age where there had already been a few of them, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, Mahoma to name a few. They all learned through several lifetimes and eventually ended in the lives that mattered the most before moving forward to another realm of existence. I feel that is our destiny too.¡¯


    My mind was reeling from the implications. Would my life be remembered in the future as one of those characters my other self had mentioned? What would the future say about me? Where was my life headed?


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about things that have no importance in the present. Concentrate on solving the current problem, everything else will fall in place as it should.¡¯


    I swallowed and looked around. My other self was, indeed, correct. Once before I had been too lost in the future to solve the problems of the present, and I didn¡¯t want that to happen again.


    ¡°So, first things first: What do we do with what we know?¡± I addressed the others while my other self nodded sagely inside my head. ¡°We know that, with the help of the pearls I can solve the problem that caused the tribes to attack us in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to procure those pearls¡± said Fei ¡°And send word to the other tribes. Would it be possible to convince them to stop attacking?¡±


    I translated for the chieftains and Urus nodded ¡°We could send word but convincing them is another matter entirely. It would need us both, and even then, I doubt we can convince them all.¡±


    From them we had learned that all tribes followed a pattern, Five other tribes would be invading the Ji province, one would go to Yan to test the defenses, and there were four others in a ¡®central camp¡¯ of sorts. ¡°I will go to Ji from here to stop the invasion and try to convince the other tribes, if you could head to the central camp and talk to the rest I would be most thankful.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Fei asked.


    ¡°You, my friend, are going to have the dubious honor of staying here and sending a word to the Emperor and Ji about the situation.¡± He raised an eyebrow at my choice of words, but I smiled ¡°In other words, you get to be my secretary while I rush into a fight.¡±


    Just as I thought, he huffed and grumbled under his breath. Making me chuckle.


    ¡°Well then, anything else?¡±


    We ironed out some more details, but that was it. We had a plan¡­ All that was left was following it.


    And something told me it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy.

 Chapter 59 - Revelations

    ¡°Woohoo!!!¡± Khutulun shouted in surprise and excitement as we rode through the land at a speed that would have been impossible for any other means of transportation.


    Magic was, indeed, a miraculous thing.


    We were currently ¡°riding¡± my earth dragons as they floated five feet over the ground. The most beautiful thing was their speed. I didn¡¯t know exactly how fast we were going, except for the wind whistling in our ears, and pulling our lips backward.


    Twenty minutes into our journey I stopped to create helmets with windshields made of ice for the three of us so that we could enjoy the speed.


    Khutulun was the first to appreciate it, and, despite his lack of initial response, I knew the General was enjoying the ride too.


    We stopped mid-afternoon to stretch our legs and eat something. We were at least 200 miles away from our parting stop but had yet to find anyone. Khutulun spotted horse tracks along the way, but no sign of any of the tribes.


    ¡°We move often and fast to avoid the patrols. We took our time learning their routines, and now they¡¯re paying the price.¡± She explained after I conveyed Fei¡¯s question about them being unable to spot them until it was too late. ¡°It is easy when you¡¯re used to living in nature, predictability leads to death. Only the strongest or the most devious survive.¡±


    I nodded in agreement and translated for Fei who sighed ¡°We have created routines to make the work of patrolling the enormous borders of the Empire a bit easier¡­ it seems we were wrong.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with having a routine, the problem is when you let said routine dull your senses¡± I mused out loud, biting into a strip of dried meat that Khutulun had shared with me. It was almost like a salty chewing gum. I sent a smile her way and spotted the happiness in her eyes.


    ¡®I¡¯m promised to Bai Fan, why am I flirting with this girl? And why aren¡¯t you saying anything against her?¡¯


    ¡®She is a warrior who has the potential to become a cultivator. It is unlikely she will get far since this is one of her first reincarnations, but it will serve her for the rest of her existence. It will also serve as practice for us.¡¯


    ¡®Practice for what?¡¯


    ¡®For teaching others. One of the ways to reach enlightenment faster is to teach others what you know. From their experiences and yours with them, you will learn much more than you teach.¡¯


    ¡®It sounds as if you want to create a school.¡¯


    ¡®While I¡¯m not against it, I was simply thinking of our future family. There aren¡¯t enough proper cultivators. It is something we should rectify.¡¯


    ¡®What about Bai Fan?¡¯


    ¡®What about her? She is simply an alternative, especially since you wanted to avoid the princess at all costs.¡¯


    ¡®She will be quite mad if she finds out I¡¯ve managed to find myself another interested party.¡¯


    ¡®Why should we care what that mortal thinks of us? She is of no consequence and will die when her time is due. We, however, will live longer than she and many others, until we beat the thirty-three gates and ascend to our rightful place.¡¯


    ¡®I refuse to use her and then discard her.¡¯


    ¡®That is your prerogative. I am simply looking out for our best interest.¡¯


    I shook my head at that and continued chewing, noticing that Khutulun was eyeing me out in interest.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked after a few moments. Fei had wandered away to relieve himself, so we were alone for the moment.


    ¡°My lord, you seem¡­ torn.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at her perceptiveness. ¡°I was communing with my spirit about¡­. us¡± I gestured to her and me.


    ¡°Oh, and what does Tngri has to say about that?¡± she sat closer to me and gazed up at my eyes. Even with half her face covered, her eyes were bright with emotion.


    ¡°He likes you and wishes for me to teach you the way of the cultivators.¡±


    Her eyes sparkled ¡°It would be my honor, but we should wait until this conflict is resolved and our lands are prospering again.¡±


    ¡°You are, of course, right.¡± I smiled ruefully at her and her fingers lightly caressed mine, without looking away from my eyes.


    ¡°My lord Tngri¡± she leaned toward my face, and despite my reticence, I didn¡¯t fight the attraction between us, leaning forward too.


    She deftly dislodged her mask and leaned in to steal a kiss from my lips. I smiled and looked around briefly, before grabbing her by the back of her neck and kissing her thoroughly.


    With our lips locked and our tongues battling for supremacy, we were caught completely by surprise by a light cough. I lifted my face to find Fei blushing and looking down.


    ¡°Forgive me your, highness.¡± He scratched his head awkwardly ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that you enjoyed the company of men that way.¡±


    I blushed but couldn¡¯t help but laugh to which Fei sent an odd look my way, Khutulun asked me what was wrong, and I told her, which made her frown.


    Before I could stop her, she turned to glare at Fei with her mask off. She then shouted right in his face ¡°MY LORD IS NOT LIKE THAT, YOU MORON!¡± she stormed away, placing back her mask.


    I sighed and thanked my stars that they didn¡¯t speak the same language. Unfortunately, the sentiment behind her words was unmistakable, and Fei watched her go with an open mouth.


    ¡°He- he- he¡¯s¡­¡±


    I waited until he found his voice again.


    ¡°Forgive me, your majesty. But he has a very feminine face¡­. No wonder¡­¡± he pointed to me and her.


    I chuckled, ¡°That, General Fei, is where you¡¯re wrong.¡± I didn¡¯t see a point in hiding her identity anymore, since she had shown the man her face. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why, however. ¡°Khutulun is a woman.¡±


    I smiled at his surprised face. When he eventually processed the information, he frowned ¡°your majesty, women are not supposed to fight! No wonder we¡¯ve always deemed these people as savages-¡±


    He must have felt my glare, for he fell silent and bowed respectfully.


    ¡°You will keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself in this matter, general. You know nothing of her circumstances or the culture of their people. Be very careful who you call a savage¡­ especially around me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your majesty. Forgive this official for his crude words.¡±


    ¡°I will not forgive you, but I will let it pass this time. And remember General, peace hinges on our ability to understand others, you shouldn¡¯t let your prejudices stop us.¡± I left him kneeling on the ground before following Khutulun.


    He kowtowed ¡°It as his majesty says.¡±


    Well, at least there were some benefits to being a part of the royal family.


    Perhaps one day they¡¯d hear me out because I was wise, not because I was royalty.


    But that¡¯s another story for another time.

 Chapter 60 - Alternate Means Of Transportation

    Sleep came easy that night, the three of us slept while my elemental constructs watched over our dreams. My other self took charge of them while I slept. When I woke up, he relinquished the hold on the dragons to me and disappeared to the spirit realm to recharge.


    Despite my initial reservations, I was well-rested and felt good in the morning. We shared breakfast and soon were riding my constructs again. Taking advantage of my knowledge, I changed the structure of my dragon so that it was more like a motorcycle than a flying serpent. When I finished, It had a seat, windshield and a speedometer that only worked because I willed it so because the Dragon was floating over the ground, so there was simply no realistic way to measure speed but the force of the wind around it, and still, that was somewhat inaccurate.


    Instead of jumping on top of her dragon Khutulun approached my newest magic and stared at it wide-eyed, asking about everything. I chuckled and asked if she¡¯d like to ride it with me, to which she gleefully accepted. I dismissed her dragon and focused on making my seat longer, and even added the footpegs to make riding easier.


    We took off after the changes to both dragons had been completed, since I realized I was not being courteous to the General, and so gave the same amenities mine had saved for the larger seat.


    120 miles an hour.


    That was the cruise speed of our vehicles.


    I was on top of a racing car in the middle of ancient China.


    I LOVED IT!


    During my childhood, in my previous lifetime, my father had owned a motorcycle and I learned with him how to ride but had never had the opportunity to buy one of my own, so I had considered that to be knowledge not taken advantage of. How strange was it that I actually got to use it a lifetime later?


    Memories from my past childhood flooded my brain as Khutulun hugged me from behind, sharing in the emotion of riding something fast.


    We shouted, we laughed, we had fun until late in the afternoon, when we stopped to eat and walk for a while. I had a lot of fun watching the otherwise stoic Fei Hong move like an old man, trying to release the tension in his legs¡­ even if I was in the same predicament.


    Khutulun, however, was fit as a fiddle. Living most of her life atop a horse must have prepared her plenty for such an experience.


    We ate, shared some fun stories, and used the time to get to know each other better.


    We set up camp and slept early, rising before the sun to continue traveling the next day. It became a routine until we encountered the first signs of battle.


    A small contingent of soldiers inside a wooden fort was trying to prevent the northern riders from crossing the barrier formed by wood spikes into the lush lands of the south. They were vastly outnumbered, and the riders were simply toying with them, using their higher mobility to its full advantage. Apparently, the commanding officer was missing or killed, because one of the soldiers was trying to shout orders with little effect.


    I made the motor dragons lower their speed before jumping into the fray, sending a rider flying and landing on his horse.


    A man tried to attack me with a sword, but a wall of stone rose from the earth to block it. I heard the ¡®clank¡¯ of metal hitting stone before the wall turned to dust and I greeted the warrior with a punch to the face.


    I jumped to the ground in front of the soldiers, who were looking at me in awe until one of them spotted the golden pin in my chest.


    ¡°Your majesty!¡±


    I turned from them to the riders rushing to me and I made a double punch while earth-breathing. Again, the earth rose in my defense creating a giant stone wall that stopped them in their tracks. Behind me, I began hearing Fei shouting orders. I trusted him to know what to do, while I frustrated every single attempt from the invaders to bypass my wall.


    In a spark of inspiration, I opened a gap right in the middle of it, so that they could pass single-file, and I waited in front of it. I disposed of four riders and captured a fifth before the others grew wise and regrouped away from my defenses.


    One of my earth dragons was currently holding the man I had captured. Since the poor guy was staring at a gruesome death inside the teeth-covered insides of my construct, it took very little convincing for him to spill the beans.


    Theirs was a tribe that had refused to work with others when the rations they had for war had become scarce.


    He was astonished when Khutulun stopped beside me and introduced me as Tngri. Although I felt his warranted skepticism, the things he had seen me do made it almost credible.


    ¡°I will let you go with one condition,¡± I said after he answered all of my questions ¡°Go to your chieftain and tell him that Tngri wishes to speak with him. If he won¡¯t honor my request, then I will wipe him and his tribe from the land of the living.¡±


    My dragon released him, and he ran away promptly.


    I shook my head and finally looked back to Khutulun when I heard her sigh.


    ¡°As much as I want to help all of our people, perhaps you should wipe that tribe out¡± I raised an eyebrow at her, and she elaborated ¡°They are the Mahrac, monsters. Even amongst the tribes, they are feared for their ferocity and thirst for blood.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t put up much of a fight, and I only disposed of seven of them.¡±


    The glare she sent my way was more exasperated than anything ¡°My lord. Your godly powers make the horses uneasy, not the blood. They are trained for battle, and yet¡­¡± she shrugged but I got the message.


    If that were true¡­, would I be able to stop the horses through wood-magic like I did at the marsh?


    ¡°Y-your majesty!¡± a voice called from behind me, and I turned to find the surviving soldiers kneeling in front of me. Khutulun excused herself to check on the horses from my victims in the meantime.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°These subjects thank the Great Prince Shen Long Mu for coming to their aid!¡± they all kowtowed, and I looked around, spotting the General who shrugged, informing me that it wasn¡¯t on his orders.


    ¡°Raise your heads¡± I ordered, and they all did at once ¡°You did something very brave, standing your ground against a greater force. I simply arrived at the right time to make the enemy flee. The ones who should be praised are you and those that sacrificed their lives for the safety of the Empire.¡± I smiled at them and saw, to my surprise, that many kowtowed again to hide their tears. ¡°Now rise, my friends, and rest. I will deal with the invaders when they come again, but I must be gone afterward.¡±


    They rose to their knees but refused to do more, therefore I took myself out of the picture so that they could walk freely.


    Soon I found myself at Khutulun¡¯s side, staring at the mountains the Mahrac had run to.


    ¡°Who are you to these people, my lord?¡± she asked, sending me a side-glance. ¡°They all bow to you, and I feel their deference¡­ but they don¡¯t see you as I do.¡±


    I smiled and took her warm hand in mine ¡°To them, I am a prince. One of the descendants of the king that rules this vast empire.¡±


    She hummed and asked, ¡°will you reveal your divine nature to them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan to. If I did, they would ask me to rule them¡­ and my path lays elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°You can live free among us¡± she turned to me, and I saw her eyes sparkle ¡°It is true that the tribes will look up to you, but we love the freedom you gave us above anything else. We will respect your wishes and-¡±


    I raised a hand to stop her, already shaking my head ¡°If a god lives among your people, conflict will arise from me spending more time with one or another tribe. They will look for my council for every single problem and conflict that arises¡­ how will you learn if I solve every problem that comes your way? How will you grow as a culture if my presence becomes a walking stick? No. I will not curse my chosen ones to become too dependent. I will aid you with the drought, and even spend time with you until you¡¯re fit to care for yourselves again and peace has returned, but no more.¡± I sighed and looked at the horizon ¡°Besides, there are still plenty of people I care for in this country and without me, they¡¯ll be robbed of their future. I cannot, in good conscience, do that to them.¡± I was thinking of Bai Fan, my family, and Heng Li. I wanted to, at least, make sure they were well taken care of, especially Zhi Rou who was living at the palace in such troubling times.


    ¡°Is there¡­?¡± Khutulun began but bit her tongue, letting go of my hand to cross her arms under her chest.


    I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her face to my chest. ¡°Tell me.¡±


    She hesitated for a few minutes before sighing.


    ¡°Are you taken, my lord?¡±


    I tilted my head to the side ¡°beg your pardon?¡±


    She frowned before using a word she was clearly not used to ¡°Are you married?¡±


    I chuckled and shook my head ¡°no. but I made a promise to a friend to help her out by marrying her.¡±


    Khutulun took off her mask and her hands came to rest on my chest as she looked up at me ¡°By the sky and the ancestors, I give myself to you, of my own free will, to cherish and love, until the heavens do us part.¡±


    I stared into her eyes, and suddenly, from out of nowhere, the proper words came to me ¡°By the sky and the ancestors I take what you offer freely and give myself to you of my own free will, to cherish and love, until the heavens do us part.¡±


    Her smile was the most tender I had ever witnessed in this life. ¡°By the heavens, I take what you offer freely, My lord.¡± She tiptoed and kissed my lips with a sweetness that made me not want to ever let her go.


    ------


    We returned hand-in-hand, Khutulun foregoing her mask, something that amazed me because I was under the impression that it held a momentous significance. When the sentry saw us, he announced our presence to the rest, who left what they were doing to prostrate themselves before us.


    I glanced at Khutulun before rolling my eyes, making her giggle.


    My eyes returned to the men before me, and I recognized the man who had been trying to keep the fort from falling under the enemy¡¯s hooves. I approached him and placed my hand over his shoulder. ¡°What is your name, soldier?¡±


    ¡°To answer his majesty, the name of this servant is Hui-Liu.¡±


    ¡°And your rank?¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, your majesty, this servant has no rank.¡±


    I hummed the way I had observed the emperor when he was thinking. ¡°Where is your commanding officer?¡±


    ¡°To answer his majesty, our commander was killed earlier this week. We have been holding the fort as best as we can since then.¡±


    A man snorted behind us, and I turned in that direction ¡°Is there anyone that wishes to say differently?¡±


    An uncomfortable silence reigned for a moment before a man stood up. ¡°Long live Ji!¡± he and another five pushed those in front and came at me with knives.


    I smiled, beginning my air-breathing and, in an instant, all five were on the floor with broken ribs and arms. ¡°Will wonders ever cease?¡± I asked nobody in particular as I approached the man who had shouted in the first place.


    From the corner of my eye, I saw Khutulun stare at the other soldiers challengingly, with her spear in a low guard.


    I grabbed the man by the throat and lifted his head. ¡°What kind of idiot are you?¡±


    He glared at me before he spat on my face, and everyone present gasped.


    ¡°A true believer, I see.¡± The Dragon awoke in me and closed my fist, crunching the man¡¯s larynx in an instant. I wiped the spit from my face as his face turned purple from lack of oxygen.


    Inside I was fuming, not from the offense, but from the Dragon¡¯s proclivity to kill everyone that even looked at us wrong.


    As I raised my head, I finally noticed something curious¡­ General Fei was nowhere to be seen.


    I closed my eyes for a second and concentrated on finding his chi, when I did, I growled, grabbed Khutulun by the waist and jumped over the remainder of the soldiers. ¡°Four enemies inside,¡± I said before placing my hand on the wooden structure, through chi magic, the pegs and beams came alive and parted on their own, revealing four soldiers in the process of beating Fei.


    They were startled by our sudden appearance and the lack of their hiding spot, and Khutulun made good use of their surprise, knocking them all out promptly before releasing the man from where he had been tied.


    While she checked on him, I turned to the rest of the soldiers and invoked my fire-dragon.


    ¡°Give me one good reason why I shouldn¡¯t burn you all this instant!¡±


    One of the soldiers fell to his knees and kowtowed ¡°forgive us, your Majesty, we didn¡¯t know-¡± those were his last words when my dragon transformed it into a pile of ash.


    Everyone stood transfixed at the pile of gray that had once been a man.


    ¡°The next person who tries lying to me will follow the same fate.¡± I glared at the bunch of them, reading the fear in their eyes. All except for a few of them, who seemed angrier than anything. ¡°Your eyes betray your true intentions.¡±


    The men I had spotted earlier went for their weapons, but they too became charcoal.


    The rest of the soldiers¡­ Some fled, some pissed their pants or shit themselves, but only one remained stoic, on his knees and looking at the ground.


    ¡°Hui-Liu¡± I called, and he raised his head but didn¡¯t dare look past my knees. ¡°Enemies of the Empire have hidden themselves inside Ji, will you help me root out this conspiracy?¡±


    He kowtowed ¡°Yes, your majesty!¡±


    He didn¡¯t look away when I squatted in front of him.. ¡°Then tell me all you know.¡±

 Chapter 61 - There Are Monsters, And Then There Are Monsters

    Khutulun was tending to General Fei¡¯s wounds which left me and five soldiers to hold the fort. Having an idea of the kind of conflict that awaited us, I ordered them to remain over the wall while I waited for the enemies to come for us again. The rest of the soldiers were either sent back to their homes or killed.


    Apparently, for years, the governor of Ji had been cultivating a rebellion and had even vowed to kill any member of the Imperial family that they came across. It was a mere coincidence that I was the first one to enter their lands in both cases. Once with Fa Min and Ling, and the other today.


    But more importantly, they had a contact inside the palace beside the cook behind the poisoning of the emperor and his favorite. Yes, ¡®favorite¡¯, not ¡®favorites.


    And how did Hui-Lui come across such an information being nothing but a recruit, you ask?


    Pure coincidence. He had had the ¡®fortune¡¯ of being at the right time in the right place to overhear the overall plan for the ¡®new order¡¯. At least 80% of the armed forces of Ji were in the know and more were added each day¡­ which meant that wherever I went, I would be surrounded by enemies.


    To make matters worse, General Fei was in a bad way, the soldiers that captured him had done a real number on him, going as far as breaking his fingers for the fun of it¡­knowing he was a member of my party and loyal to the throne.


    I had offered to heal his wounds, but he refused ¡°you will probably need your energy for the upcoming battle, your majesty. My wounds can wait until the position is secured.¡±


    Khu offered to look after him in my absence and sent me away with a kiss that still lingered on my lips.


    Of all the paths I had envisioned, I never would have imagined I would be married to a nomad that a few days before had been an enemy.


    But right at that moment, I stood ten feet away from the fortifications, waiting for the riders that Khutulun assured me would come back before the day was over.


    I gazed at my left and saw the sun begin to sink behind the mountains.


    Like specters, the riders appeared on the plains in front of me. One of them advanced until we were fifty or so feet apart and then tossed something my way. I watched it fall and frowned, recognizing the features of the man I had sent back with the message.


    ¡°Only cowards talk! We¡¯re not cowards!¡± he shouted, before spurring the horse forward.


    I shook my head and knelt to touch the ground, synchronizing my breathing with the beat of the earth beneath us. I spoke to it, and I knew the moment it responded because the men on horses began to scream.


    When I rose to my feet I was greeted by the sight of a horse without his rider. I patted the animal on the side of the head, and it neighed and stood at my side. One by one, all the horses came to me, and I repeated the gesture for them while the fighters from both sides stared in confusion.


    ¡°No horse will accept you ever again, chief,¡± I said to the man glaring at me from ten feet away. His horse had throwed him off and he had landed on his side painfully. ¡°And since you didn¡¯t care for the olive branch, I will return the favor.¡± I snapped my fingers, and from under his feet rose one of my earth dragons, eating all of him but his head.


    I approached it, picked it up with disgust, and tossed it back to the men that were still fifty or so feet away; it hit the ground rolling and didn¡¯t stop until another man stepped on it.


    Raising my voice, I addressed the rest of them ¡°I have bested your chief. Will you talk now or not?¡±


    For an answer, the man kicked the head away, unsheathed his sword, and began charging on foot, closely followed by the whole tribe.


    I sighed ¡®Very well. People can¡¯t blame me for not trying¡­ all right, bring out the big guns, will you?¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯d thought you¡¯d never ask.¡¯


    Even though it was just a voice in my head, I could imagine it smirking gleefully.


    The ground began shaking under our enemies, and those that stumbled were promptly sucked into the earth as if it were sand. First, it was one by one, then in trios and finally in bigger groups, until only one remained¡­


    The man who had kicked the head stopped to look behind him when he didn¡¯t hear the voices of his kinsmen anymore. Instead of a charging army, there was absolute silence, and in that silence, a mound began to grow on the ground. Bigger and bigger it grew until the ground gave way and from it emerged a monstrosity that even I would be hard-pressed to defeat¡­: A gigantic sandworm.


    I saw the man rub his eyes and stare at the worm, before it opened its mandibles and, with an angry growl, dove into the man as he screamed in fear.


    The sandworm struck the earth with the force of a meteorite, making the ground ripple, as it returned to the depths of the earth where it had come from.


    I picked myself up, dusting my clothes, having fallen when the worm hit the ground, and stared at the now empty plains. Nothing moved, all was calm until a gentle wind began blowing. I knelt again and thanked the earth for its help, before returning to the fort.


    As I got closer, however, one of the horses approached me bumping its head against my shoulder before licking my ear and neighing.


    I laughed and patted it on the head while trying to clean the slobber with my sleeve ¡°Ewww. You¡¯re a naughty one, aren¡¯t you, boy?¡±


    It neighed again and hit the ground with its hooves, angry.


    I frowned and tried again ¡°girl?¡±


    It snorted and bumped me on the shoulder again, gently.


    ¡°Pardon me, milady.¡± I joked, patting its head affectionately. I looked at the other horses and most were staring back at me. ¡°What are you waiting for, you¡¯re free. Go.¡±


    One neighed and they all parted¡­ well, all but the mare in front of me, who was now nibbling at my clothes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going with the others, girl?¡± she neighed, and I shrugged ¡°let¡¯s get you fed, then.¡±


    I walked side by side with a playful horse back to the fort where the five soldiers that had remained were still staring fearfully at me and at the grounds in front of them.


    Only Khutulun came to me with a smile, she was pale, and her hands were trembling when they grabbed mine.


    ¡°I-¡± she began but I shook my head.


    ¡°It is as you said¡­ some people are just better off dead.¡±


    She smiled briefly and stood on her tiptoes to openly kiss me, a feeling I had missed tremendously in this new life where signs of affection were reserved to private meetings. When she released me, her eyes were sparkling like stars.


    My new companion, however, made her protest known when she neighed and pushed Khutulun away with her head.


    ¡°Easy girl¡± I protested but Khutulun just giggled.


    ¡°Not one day married and you have already brought my competition home, my lord?¡±


    I shook my head and sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring her. She came with me¡­ but you¡¯re good with horses, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Khutulun laughed, patting the horse on its head ¡°I very much doubt she¡¯ll let me ride her. Not when a virile handsome man can do it better.¡± She winked coquettishly at me, making me blush at her double entendre.


    She laughed some more at my expense and I mock-glared at her ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you and her will get on famously, you evil minx.¡± I grabbed her by the waist and kissed her briefly before pulling away and slapping her ass.


    Khutulun shrieked in outrage while the horse neighed in amusement, and I escaped to see General Fei before her retribution could reach me.


    ------


    I sighed when my consciousness returned to my body. The fight had taken quite a bit of me, and the healing hadn¡¯t been a walk in the park. The bloody bastards who had captured him broke some of his fingers, which I had to set before pouring healing-chi¡­ a painful process for both of us. After almost twenty minutes, the man was asleep and would be fit as a fiddle in a couple of days.


    But that was time I didn¡¯t have.


    Urus was supposed to arrive at the gathering of tribes the previous day, which meant that I only had 48 hours to get to the main battlefield in Ji.


    And still, there was the matter of me walking into a trap.


    I sighed again and rose a little unsteady on my feet, until an arm passed around my back and Khutulun appeared under my arm, supporting part of my weight.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I smiled and allowed her to lead me to a small cot on the other side of the room.


    ¡°Even gods can get tired, I see.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not there yet, not even halfway.¡±


    She tilted her head, making me smile.


    ¡°Cultivation is the path one takes to reach Godhood, but it is a long road. One must pass thirty-three milestones to become an Empyrean. I¡¯m on my eight. Although I could probably challenge the ninth soon.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you disappear in the mornings?¡± she asked, and I scratched the back of my head. I doubted anyone had noticed my ¡®disappearances¡¯. I had been careful not to wake them up, but, apparently, not careful enough.


    I nodded ¡°Every morning I work through a series of exercises meant to purify my chi before I spend an hour in meditation. I have been doing it for the past six or seven years, and it has helped my growth immensely.¡±


    She knelt in front of me and took my hands in hers, silently massaging them and looking into my eyes ¡°and you will teach me this?¡±


    ¡°If you are willing, yes. And any other from our people that are willing. It makes you a better warrior¡­ but it¡¯s not without its perils.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± her strong fingers moved to massage my forearms and I closed my eyes in bliss. Ever since Ling and I had our little breakout, I haven¡¯t had a massage. And Khutulun was very good.


    ¡°The tribulations¡± I sighed ¡°Each measures your will and chi. If the heavens find one lacking, the tribulation will strike him or her down until nothing but ash remains.¡±


    Her hands stopped for the briefest moment, and I opened my eyes to find her biting her lip, her eyes wide and scared ¡°and you want me to try this?¡±


    ¡°Because I know you are capable of surpassing the tribulations, with a bit of training, of course.¡±


    Her hands began moving again to my shoulders now, while she mulled that over. After a few moments, her eyes were ablaze with resolution ¡°I will try this.¡±


    ¡°Do or do not, there is no try.¡± I winked at her, and she smiled.


    ¡°We will do this, then.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡±


    Her hands moved to my chest, and she pushed me on my back. I smiled and leaned forward for a kiss, but she shoved my head back on the cot ¡°lay still, I¡¯m working.¡±


    I chuckled and did as was told as she began undoing my clothes until my torso was naked. She hummed appreciatively at the muscles that hadn¡¯t been there in my past life and licked her lips before her hands began working magic of their own. After a few moments, she straddled my legs and, with her hands on my chest, leaned forward for a deep kiss that left us both breathless.


    She then set her head above my chest and sighed contentedly, closing her eyes as I embraced her.


    I fell asleep soon after.

 Chapter 62 - The Truth Of The World

    The next morning, I could barely believe that I fell asleep before things could get hot, but Khutulun was a good sport about it, it had been her purpose to lull me to sleep, rather than have some steamy action.


    To my surprise, General Fei insisted on accompanying us further east, seeing as he was feeling much better, but as his healer, I had to protest.


    ¡°You only feel better because my chi is still coursing through you, the moment it runs out, you¡¯ll be in a world of pain.¡±


    ¡°It is a pain I know and that I can take. With all due respect, abandoning you to a battlefield where both sides want you dead is not something I¡¯m comfortable with, your majesty.¡±


    Truth be told, neither was I. I was confident I could fight off the invaders¡­. But the army at my back? I wasn¡¯t too sure I had it in me to fight my own countrymen, traitors or not.


    ¡°I know how you feel, but now there¡¯s also something important that must be done: inform the palace of the information we gained. Ji is big and its army strong, and very close to the Capital. Failing to send a word to the emperor could prove disastrous.¡±


    The man frowned and grumbled under his breath but eventually relented, figuring out that, out of the three of us, only him or me had any chance of telling the emperor directly, before anyone from Ji had time to interfere with the message, and I was still needed at the front lines. More to see if our plan had worked out than to fight, but I still had to be there.


    ¡°It will be as his majesty wishes.¡± He sighed and I smiled.


    ¡°Perhaps Hui-Liu should accompany you? You could use his testimony as proof.¡±


    The General, however, shook his head in the negative.


    ¡°He is a man without rank. He will not be allowed within the forbidden city.¡±


    Ah. I had forgotten about that. And also, who would believe a common man over the governor of a prosperous province? The legal system was a bit off in this time and age, not like the courts in the XXI century where an eyewitness could be the key to crack a case even against the biggest corporations. Here, if you had no last name or rank to support you, you were practically nothing.


    Something I should probably point out to the emperor¡­ or the next one.


    Just then I had an epiphany.


    Heng Li was in line for the throne. If I could somehow support him or make him better in the eyes of his father, changing the country for the better would be an easier task.


    Although seeing my sister as the empress would be strange to say the least, at least I could gain a bit of the freedom I had sacrificed to access the Imperial library as a child.


    I took a deep breath and crossed my fingers hoping that what I was doing was the right thing.


    ¡°If you have trouble seeing the emperor, talk to my brother Heng Li, he can help you.¡±


    The general¡¯s eyes searched my face for an answer that wasn¡¯t forthcoming because even though I liked the General, I sincerely didn¡¯t know who I could trust¡­ too many people in power had tried to kill me for me to trust anyone easily. Even now I felt like I was making a big gamble, introducing the two pieces on the board that had the strongest evidence.


    Heng Li still had the poison he had retrieved from the cook, and Fei Hong had heard the soldier¡¯s confession about the revolt, and the plot to kill any member of the imperial family that crossed Ji.


    I would be better if it was me who went back to the capital¡­ but we simply didn¡¯t have the time. I had to stop the war before it reached my family¡¯s province.


    Finally, the General nodded and offered me a stiff baoquan, saying something that I hadn¡¯t expected. ¡°I will not betray the trust you have deposited in me, your majesty.¡±


    Had I been too transparent about my suspicions?


    I returned the gesture to the General without a word, but I offered him half a smile before I exited the hut where we had been resting.


    Outside, the sun was already high in the sky, and the five soldiers left entertained themselves in their daily routine, which was practicing Kung-fu with wooden sticks, while two manned the watchtowers.


    I was tempted to help them with their practice, but I was beginning to feel the need to move, and so I walked past the barricade where none other than Khutulun was tending to the mare that had fallen for me.


    ¡°She is a strong one,¡± the woman said as soon as my hands fell on the side of the horse, and it calmed down significantly ¡°and also seems smitten with you.¡± As if to prove her point, the horse placed her head on top of my shoulder and rubbed her snout against my head, completely ignoring Khutulun who began giggling.


    ¡°What can I say? The ladies love me.¡± That made Khu laugh harder and the horse neigh, her head rubbing harder against mine. I petted the mare and ducked under her neck to stand beside Khutulun, whose smile was as bright as the sun above us. ¡°Perhaps we should ride her to the battlefield instead of my dragons? I don¡¯t want everyone to know what I can do until there¡¯s no other option.¡±


    ¡°A wise move, my lord.¡± Her hand found mine and she intertwined our fingers ¡°I am sure that between you, me, and Urus we can talk sense to the tribes¡­ I don¡¯t feel as confident about taking on the army on our own. We should try and talk to the tribes before that, if possible.¡±


    ¡°Will they listen to what an outsider has to say?¡±


    ¡°Not all of them, no. But plenty are just looking for a way to survive. Not all of us are like the mahram. Hunger drove us to war.¡± I could see that she was torn about the whole thing, despite having only been close for a few days, I already felt like I knew her all my life, as if we were connected in some significant way.


    It wasn¡¯t like that with her, but it was still a strong connection.


    That thought sparked another in my mind: was it possible that this woman here was the ancestor of the woman I had fallen in love with in the XXI century? Better yet, could this be her in a past lifetime?


    ¡®It could be possible, but it is impossible to prove.¡¯


    That was, of course, true. I had very little knowledge about how the world worked in that sense. Were we chosen to take different lifetimes, or did we do the choosing? Was there a plan behind this intricate system of death and reincarnation?


    ¡®All I am allowed to say is that there is a plan and that every person on the planet is important.¡¯


    ¡®Allowed to say? Who forbid to speak of it?¡¯


    ¡®I cannot say.¡¯


    Another dead end.


    ¡®What is the purpose of my reincarnation in the past?¡¯


    ¡®To change the future, of course.¡¯


    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯


    ¡®The world has already walked this path many times, humanity has always found the way to kill itself before achieving their heavenly mission. That is why people with strong, advanced spirits are sent to the past, to steer humanity in a new direction in hopes that it will make them better as a race. The man you know as Jesus was sent back to show the people that love is the answer. To love another as you love yourself, to love God, the universe, and the whole of creation as if it were your own family. Buddha had a similar mission, but his approach was different.¡¯


    I stayed in silence, trying to wrap my mind around that until I picked up a small detail.


    ¡®What did you mean that we¡¯ve already walked this path before?¡¯


    ¡®The universe moves in an infinite loop that cannot be broken unless the main actors do so themselves.¡¯


    ¡®Humans?¡¯


    ¡®Among others. You¡¯re not the center of the universe, you know?¡¯


    ¡®Right, sorry.¡¯


    My other self hummed before continuing ¡®Imagine the whole process like a computer program: the first version was full of bugs and it crashed prematurely, so the system made a patch in the form of an enlightened individual and restarted the program. The world went on a different path after the patch, but it still crashed prematurely; then comes another patch, and the program restarts¡­ Every enlightened person that has ever appeared in human history is a patch set up before a reboot. Each has a mission, some small, some great. It mostly depends on the strengths and weaknesses of their souls.¡¯


    ¡®How many times has the world ended so far?¡¯


    ¡®I am unsure. That information pertains to the heavenly realm, and we¡¯re cut off from it until we surpass the 33rd Tribulation.¡¯


    ¡®Does that mean that me being here is another of these patches?¡¯


    ¡®It would be safe to assume so.¡¯


    I felt as if suddenly the weight of the world fell on my shoulders. I couldn¡¯t move and my lungs and brain shut down for an instant.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it. It matters not what we do, even if we¡¯re unable to fix the world, there will simply be another patch and restart. It¡¯s not a matter of getting to the goal faster but getting there in the best possible way.¡¯


    Its words comforted and relaxed me, allowing me to breathe again, even if I still felt awed by the possibility of being a stepping stone for humanity to become better.


    ¡®Thanks.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re welcome¡­ and she¡¯s staring.¡¯


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    The odd comment made me return to my senses and I immediately felt the horse and Khutulun¡¯s worried stare.


    ¡°Are you all right, my lord?¡±


    I immediately smiled and brought her hand to my lips ¡°Yes. I was speaking to my other self?¡±


    The woman tilted her head in askance, but before answering, I lifted her on top of the horse ¡°I¡¯ll tell you on the way.¡±