Two more graves were added behind Ting Zhu Xuan; the bodies of Feng Huang and Wu Ya were arranged to bury next to one another. I wasn’t sure when would spring arrive and whether the soil above them would have green gra.s.s growing from that patch of soil. But I knew that there was a cherry blossom tree next to their graves and it would be a beautiful in the coming flower season.
In actual fact cherry blossom tree was the cruelest tree of all because the more bodies were buried underneath the tree, the more beautiful it would grow. Just like the beautiful setting sun.
Yue Shen and Huang Tuo were standing in the wind; their expressions looked tired yet tough and their robes were fluttering loudly in the wind.
It’s only Chao Ya’s expression that looked exceptionally sad. On the day of Wu Ya’s death, Chao Ya came to tell me this. “My king, I may leave this troubled world after this mission.”
“Why?” I asked.
“There are way too many killings and bloodshed happening in this world; there are too many souls resting up in the cloud, singing non-stop every day and night; their black song always. .h.i.t me right at my heart, making me unable to fight against it. I may go to the mortal world like Die Che, find a man that loves me. He doesn’t have to know any illusion skill or be proficient in music. I just need him to have a bright smile and strong chest and I am willing to give up my immortality to grow old together with him. My king, you know about my mother right? She is your father’s royal musician. In actual fact she had pa.s.sed away long time ago because she had gone to the mortal world and she pa.s.sed away with a smile on her face. Her husband, who was already an old man, was at her deathbed, crying and accompanying her till the last moment. This was the last dream that my mother left for me and I would always get upset by this dream. In actual fact, I have been feeling upset because why must I be a G.o.d in imprisonment?”
“Several hundreds years ago, I was also upset by this issue as well. Because of my freedom, I lost my beloved brother.” I told Chao Ya.
Chao Ya turned around and a cloud floated past our heads. It floated so silently past us.
—
New Year was finally over.
Days just flowed by like a river. Sometimes I would lie on the branch of the cherry blossom tree, admiring the sun.
Just like what granny had said before, I’ve finally become a lonely king, only waiting for time to pa.s.s.
But the West Guardian has yet to appear, the four of us were still trapped in the illusion world.
I had once written the situations here on a lambskin parchment and sent it to Xing Jiu, asking him for advice.
But when I received his reply, he only told me to wait. It was the same answer that Shang Lie had given us when we first met him.
Shang Lie had already left; the day when he left, the snow had stopped. He stood before us, looking as imposing and dignified like before. He’s still the greatest man in this mortal world.
“My king, this is the best that I can help you to accomplish. To be very honest, I didn’t really help you much; now that Feng Huang and Wu Ya are dead, the West Guardian is someone that I cannot fight against. Please be careful, my king.” Shang Lie told me.
After that he knelt before me, looking up at me with a warm smile. “My king, you are the youngest yet n.o.blest ruler of the Ice Kingdom that I had ever seen; if you need my help in the future, you just need to send me a message. Even if I’m dead, my descendants will definitely come help you without any hesitation.”
I nodded and watched him left. His back view started to shrink from my view and then finally disappearing into the end of the long street, disappearing into the place where the snow melted.
I could imagine Shang Lie walking down the burst ling and hustling street in his imposing and dignified self. Even if one person lost everything in his life, he or she wouldn’t lose the spirit within him and this spirit was able to make that person an invincible G.o.d. Shang Lie was such a person.
I turned around to see Yue Shen and Huang Tuo; the two of them were standing together, their hair were soft and long to the ground like a piece of peaceful image. After going through so many fights, their spiritual powers had gotten even stronger; the length of their hair were longer than any illusionist in Ren Xue Cheng, even surpa.s.sing Xing Jiu and Xing Gui.
Chao Ya was standing behind them with her head hanging, I could see the tear in her eyes.
And then I heard a piece of beautiful music, soaring up the sky. The air around us has transformed into b.u.t.terflies flying above us; the pa.s.serbys were stunned and their attentions were on Chao Ya, looking at the beautiful white-haired lady, totally speechless.
—
Three days after Shang Lie left; his body was discovered, he was lying by the side of the road outside the city gate. By the time we reached him, snow has started to fall once again, covering his body bit by bit. His body was already frozen and his expression looked twisted and in shock.
I stood beside his body and looked at the cloudy sky; I heard the cracking of my bones and I could even see the cracks like white lightning striking one after another.
Chao Ya didn’t say anything but I could see the tear in her eyes.
Huang Tuo was examining Shang Lie’s body and Yue Shen was standing by his side.
I walked over to ask Huang Tuo. “How did he die?”
He didn’t reply me, he just removed his clothes to reveal his chest and there were three b.l.o.o.d.y holes on it; the flesh was brutally torn away and those white blood was already frozen. The expression on Shang Lie’s face looked dazed and frightened, his eyes were looking at the sky and it seemed like he had lost the ability to speak. I couldn’t bear to look at his body anymore so I turned my back against him and then I saw Chao Ya had already backed away, vomiting.
“My king, look at his hand.” Yue Shen told me.
I thought of something strange when I saw his hand because his left hand formed a weird sign and it was actually the hand sign for a astrologer when using his illusion summoning power.
“My king, do you know if Shang Lie was an astrologer in the past?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me anything.”
“Then why did he still try to read the stars even when he’s going to die? Or was it because he had discovered something while reading the stars and that’s why he got himself killed?” Yue Shen asked, looking at me.
I looked at the sky, unable to answer Yue Shen’s question. I just thought that I saw the face of the West Guardian appearing vaguely in the sky but I could see that face very clearly. The only thing I knew would be that despising smile on the West Guardian’s face; those cold lights from his eyes were like sharp knives stabbing through my body.
—
The inn continued welcoming new customers and the mortal world was as lively as before. But no one knew that there were many painful memories behind this liveliness. No one knew about the pain and how much killings had been done during these periods.
It’s only I knew that I have been washing my face with my tears.
Everytime I would take a stroll at the courtyard at Ting Zhu Xuan and every step I took, it felt so pathetic and sad. This place was once so happy place that filled with laughter. But now that the people were gone, everything has become so different. No one would come and greet me anymore, I could no longer find those heartwarming smiles anymore - Xing Gui, Liao Jian, Pian Feng, Zhen, Ya Zhao, Tong Xie, Yu Po, Yi Zhao, Shang Lie and even Feng Huang and Wu Ya. All their faces had become so vague just like indispensable fog, blurring out everything.
The cherry blossom tree has started blooming once again, making one feel hopeful with the green leaves on the bare branches. Chao Ya would always sit under those big trees to play her zither without using any of her spiritual power at all; she was only playing an exquisite piece of music. Chao Ya’s beauty and talent dazzled the customers in the inn, but she would just close her eyes just like what she would always do at Ren Xue Cheng, totally ignoring the din around her. After the fights with Die Che, Feng Huang and Wu Ya, Chao Ya had already become the best musician; her hair was as long as Yue Shen and Huang Tuo. But her sorrowful eyes always made me feel upset.
Everyday she would stay under the shades to play her zither, she would cry as she played her zither and then she would keep playing until the sky turned dark before retreating back to her room.
I was standing at a place, watching her from afar. Watching her lonesome back made my heart hurt with all the invisible cracks appearing one after another. I looked up at the setting sun, finally realized we have been staying in the mortal world for months.
I walked towards Chao Ya but stopped after two steps because I saw Yue Shen appearing behind her back. She was wearing a pure black long robe with blue starlight prints on it. That was Yue Shen’s best illusion robe and those starlights were actually the scattered spiritual powers, they could help to enhance the owner’s power while using their powers.
Yue Shen was standing behind Chao Ya and shouted. “Stop right there!”
Chao Ya turned around, looking calm like usual. She just looked at Yue Shen without saying anything.
“Chao Ya, is the dream that killed Ya Zhao a very powerful dark a.s.sa.s.sination skill?”
“Yes, the spiritual power of that creator of that dream is much higher than mine.” Chao Ya said with her head hanging low.
“Then do you think you dream interpretation skill is higher than mine?”
Chao Ya turned around to look at Yue Shen. “I don’t know. Maybe we are of the same level.”
“Then can you tell me why am I able to break that dream easily?”
When I heard what Yue Shen just said, I knew what she was trying to do.
Chao Ya turned her head back and the sunlight flowed down her hair like sparkling stream water. It’s just that the wind around her started moving rapidly like invisible ripples in the air.
Yue Shen stood opposite of Chao Ya, looking cold, but I saw the flashing light in her hand. It was sharp and cold like icicle.
And then Chao Ya took a seat down, started playing her zither quietly. The song was smooth and melodious even the birds started hovering above her head like they were dancing. I could feel the turbulence in the air. Chao Ya’s voice sounded blurry and distant. “Yue Shen, you have been suspecting me all along.”
“Because you are suspicious.” Yue Shen said.
Chao Ya smiled and those white b.u.t.terflies started gushing down like snow, and Yue Shen has also made her moves; her lights struck across the sky like lightning and the shattered b.u.t.terflies rained down like snow, falling heavily down to the black soil, melting into the snow. When the last lightning struck across, everything stopped momentarily and then I heard the snapping of the chords on Chao Ya’s soundless zither; countless of moonlights stabbing through Chao Ya’s body and she fell straight down before Yue Shen. The focus in her eyes began to fade away.
My tears came rushing down my face. It seemed like something was strangling me and I couldn’t make a single sound.
Yue Shen turned around and saw him, she looked a little shaken but recomposed herself back very quickly. “You are here, my king.”
“Yes, I’m here.” Those were the only worlds that I could say.
“My king, if I didn’t guess wrongly, Chao Ya is the West Guardian.”
“What if your guess is wrong?” My voice was so weak and soft.
“There’s always right and wrong in this world and sometimes some mistakes are inevitable. If you want to accomplish something, you have to sacrifice something. Isn’t it the way, my king?”
I turned around, not saying a word. Just when I was about to enter my room, I told Yue Shen something. “Yue Shen, if Chao Ya were the West Guardian, do you think you are able to kill her so easily?”
—
I was standing by the window and I heard the hoa.r.s.e crying sound of the crows falling onto my head. It sounded so depressing, making one feel fearful.
I stretched my hand towards the moonlight, I moved my left finger and then my brother’s face appeared in the sky. He called me. “Ge.” His expression kept changing; sometimes his smile was like sunshine; sometimes he looked cold like ice; sometimes he was looking at me with despair during the time of his death. But everything was an hallucination, I have been using this illusion skill - memory image to brace myself through the lonely time. For now who else could be so trustworthy as Shi? Who could be happy for several hundreds of years because of my smile?
“Shi, do you know that if you call me ‘ge’ for one more time, my year will come streaming down non-stop?”
—
People continued coming to the inn but only two persons were there to eat with me, Huang Tuo and Yue Shen.
When I was about to start eating the rice, Yue Shen held her hand out to stop me. “Don’t touch the food.”
“Why?”
“Because the food has poison.” Yue Shen said and then she looked towards Huang Tuo. “Aren’t you the one who is in-charge of the food? Why can there be poison?”
Huang Tuo didn’t look up and said calmly. “You are suspecting me, Yue Shen?”
“Yes!” And then her moonlight exploded into a light blade and aimed right for Huang Tuo’s throat. I used my ice sword to cut off Yue Shen’s moonlight. “Yue Shen, enough! Stop suspecting one another.”
“Impossible!” Yue Shen moved to Huang Tuo’s back in a flash of light.
Huang Tuo was trapped under Yie Shen’s aggressive attacks; I ran over to use the snow to freeze Yue Shen’s light and at that instant, Yue Shen stared at me with surprise as if she couldn’t believe that I would attack her and that expression was the last expression I saw on her face. Huang Just when I froze Yue Shen’s light that moment, Huang Tuo attacked her on her throat and I turned around to a creepy and eerie smile on Huang Tuo’s face.
And then Yue Shen fell to the floor, I saw sadness in her eyes, and I saw a tear sliding down the corner of her eyes.
