Chapter 20 (1/2)
Ice Fantasy Chapter 20 – Happiness of the Mortal World
The snow has not stopped for a day before and in a blink of eyes, it was already the new year day in the mortal world. I remembered those few decades when I was still living in the mortal world; I had never truly enjoyed this festival at all. The inn was filled with red lanterns and snow kept falling non-stop from the sky, covering the ground. The swaying lanterns looked like warm light in the wind.
Kids were running around the snow-filled ground and they looked exceptionally clumsy in their thick clothing, but they looked extremely happy. This was the purity and happiness all kids would have. Sometimes Yue Shen and Huang Tuo would stand at the door, and out of curiosity, the kids would come over to look at them. It’s because their hair was pure silvery white and they flees down their robes like mercury. Yue Shen and Huang Tuo would always squat down to play with the kids. Looking at the warm smile on their face, it’s hard to imagine these two adults were the most powerful characters in Ren Xue Cheng, especially Yue Shen. But when I saw the smile on Yue Shen’s face, I felt warm all of a sudden. I have never seen her smile before and have never expected her smile to be so gentle and soothing.
Chao Ya loved playing with the owner’s son and everytime I looked at the boy, he would remind me of Ying Kong s.h.i.+ when he was still a kid. While we were on exile, I always felt like I was s.h.i.+’s father because when I reached adulthood that time, s.h.i.+ was still a little kid. His eyes were big and beautiful like girls. I would always carry s.h.i.+ in my arms and walked on the street one after another. I would smile unknowingly when I saw his excited look. Many years later, when we were back in Ren Xue Cheng and when s.h.i.+ has become a handsome prince that time, he came to tell me, “Ge, actually the thing I missed most would be your smile when we were still in the mortal world. Your eyes were narrowed when you smiled and your eyelashes would be filled with snowflake; your teeth were sparkling white and the arc of your smile was so gentle yet tough.” And then he would lean forward to kiss my eyebrow with his hair covering my face.
—
The customers in the inn started to get lesser and lesser because many of them had already set off for home, or even if they didn’t have a home, they would find somewhere that was homely enough for them to settle down. If not, it would be very lonely and empty to stay in the inn especially when you woke up to a snowy night.
For me, I was already used to such lifestyle for several hundreds years; I would be pacing around the grave-liked city; sitting at the roof to watch the stars; sitting by the Ice Sea to listen to the young singing mermaids and reminisce the past.
The inn has a new waiter joining and he was an ordinary and honest man who grew up in the mortal world. He was in a shock when he saw people with such long silvery white hair.
Since new year was jus round the corner, the smile on everyone’s face has become calmer and warmer. I was able to feel the kind of calm happiness. When we were in good mood, the few of us would stand at the empty land in front of Ting Zhu Xuan to display our illusion skills: Chao Ya would use her zither to summon countless of b.u.t.terflies to hover above the inn; Yue Shen would break her moonlight into pieces and hung them around the bald tree branches, making them look like stars hiding within the tree. And I would also sweep the snowflakes up from the ground and turned them into pink cherry blossom petals. The waiter was stunned by our skills but he enjoyed watching us. He even brought his wife and kid over to see us. In their eyes, these few person/ in white robe were the greatest G.o.ds.
This was the first time I felt such simple and bright happiness; I’ve realized that illusion skill not only would it bring killing, death, blood but also hope, righteousness and dignified soul.
But the night when new year arrived, the shadow of death continued to loom over us. Those painful memories got triggered back again and they were like a never-ending nightmare to us.
That night, we were sitting at the table in the main hall and we heard Ya Zhao’s scream coming from outside of the house. Both Yue Shen and Huang Tuo’s faces darkened at the same time. “Wu Ya.” Huang Tuo said.
But when all of us rushed out that time, Ya Zhao was standing in the middle of the courtyard; his hair was messy, his eyes were eerily blue and he was topless; his hand was holding his unique purple ice sword and the smile on his face was like an eerie shadow.
Shang Lie took a step forward to ask him. “Ya Zhao, what are you doing?”
Ya Zhao didn’t reply; his eyes were filled with infinite snowflakes but they still couldn’t hide the blue shadow in them.
Just when Shang Lie was about to walk over, Chao Ya’s voice came from behind, so airy and empty. She told him to step backwards because Ya Zhao has been controlled by a dream and she was the only one who could manipulate dream.
Chao Ya’s music was rapid and intense. In a split second, countless of silvery white lines started flying all over the place and then numerous b.u.t.terflies started materializing from those lines. I knew Chao Ya was trying to manipulate the dream; she has to lead Ya Zhao out of the scary dream to the one she created.
Ya Zhao’s hair flew upwards all of a sudden like there was a strong wind swirling around him but when I looked back at Chao Ya, she has already started to have blood gus.h.i.+ng out from her mouth and when the white blood hit the black ground, they turned into countless of broken b.u.t.terflies. Huang Tuo quickly rushed over to put her within his protection enchantment.
Chao Ya started to zone out. “My king, it seems like I cannot control the dream because the creator is too strong.” This was what Chao Ya told me before she went unconscious.
Ya Zhao’s death was a tragic; he held his purple ice sword up and stabbed it through his chest. The moment when the cold ice sword went through his chest, I could hear the sound of tearing of flesh and then his eyes turned from shadowy blue back to white, I knew he had already come out of the dream. But when he was out, he has to face his death.
He started to fall backwards and right before he fell to the ground, he looked towards Shang Lie and I. “My king, Taizi, please be careful of icy blue…”
But he didn’t manage to finish his sentence and his eyes were already looking at the pale blue sky, losing all expressions from his face.
New Year has arrived in a mournful way.
I have never felt so cold before.
Snow has started to fall, one after another, filling this entire world.
A lamp was on the table; the light from the oil lamp traveled gently throughout the house, and it has greatly reduced the depression of this winter.
Chao Ya was still in bed and Huang Tuo’s protection enchantment was still covering over her.
Yue Shen was standing by the window. The wind came by and blew her hair up.
“My king, what do you think about Ya Zhao’s death?” Huang Tuo asked.
“I could only say that it’s done by Wu Ya.”
Yue Shen turned around. “Not necessary. Maybe the West Guardian has already appeared.”
“Then who could he be?” I asked Yue Shen.
“Anyone can be possible.” She said. She looked towards Chao Ya and back at me. “My king, can you step out for a moment?”
The winter in mortal world was much colder than that in Ren Xue Cheng. Even though it was New Year, those naughty kids had already gone home after a day of playing. The street has become exceptionally quiet and cold with all remaining of fireworks and used lanterns.
Yue Shen stood in the wind and said. “My king, I have to tell you this seriously. Firstly, I suspect Chao Ya; secondly I suspect Huang Tuo. One of them is the West Guardian.”
My body felt weak all of a sudden. “Why?” I asked weakly.
“Let me ask you. Right after the fight with Die Che, what do you think about Chao Ya’s skill of dream manipulation?”
“She has already surpa.s.sed the spiritual power of the top astrologer.”
“How about when it’s being compared to me?”
“To be honest, her skill should be above yours.”
“Correct. Chao Ya’s ability to create dream is already higher than me and in other words, she has already become an outstanding astrologer. Dream manipulation is one of the dark a.s.sa.s.sination skills that I had learnt and Ya Zhao did die under such skill. But my king, do you know that I could easily break the dream that Ya Zhao was in? It’s just that Chao Ya has already started to take action; I thought it would be a piece of cake for her so I didn’t do anything. But little did I expect her to be injured by the dream and when I wanted to take action, Ya Zhao was already dead.”
“You are saying…”
“I am saying…” Yue Shen looked up at me. “that Chao Ya totally has the ability to break the dream but she didn’t save Ya Zhao and she pretended to be hurt.”
“Then what about Huang Tuo?”
“Since Chao Ya is faking her own injuries, Huang Tuo would have discovered it but he didn’t say anything. It’s obvious that he is acting with her. Moreover there are a lot of unexplainable things on Huang Tuo, I cannot tell you specifically because it’s just my intuition.”
The wind blew from Yue Shen’s back and it was like sharp ice sword, cutting my face one after another. I looked at Yue Shen, feeling the kind of despair that I had never experienced before.
I have to admit that this West Guardian had been the most formidable opponent that I had ever met. He didn’t even need to appear physically and he was able to kill the people around me with ease. And I could only stand in the middle of the snow ground, watching them die one after another.
That night when I went back to the inn, the lights in both Chao Ya and Huang Tuo’s rooms were out.
I lied on my bed, unable to sleep because nightmare came pressing on me one after another. Those, who had died, were talking at my ears, smiling and feeling upset. The memories of the past came gus.h.i.+ng at me, taking over the peace that I could have in the dream. Everything got shattered and came collapsing down. And I was standing among the ruins, standing on those withered cherry blossoms, crying.
At the end of the dream, fire red lotuses started sprouting out from the ground just like the time when s.h.i.+ died several hundreds years ago. The sky started raining red lotuses like lava. In the end, it drowned everything and anything.
Fire soared up to the sky…
—
The second one who died from dream manipulation was Yu Po. Just like Ya Zhao, he used his three-spines sword and stabbed through his chest. It was still the same eerie blue eyes and shadowy smile.
When we reached Yu Po’s side, he had already pierced the sword through his chest. No one came in time to break the dream, not even Yue Shen or Chao Ya came in time to help him.