Chapter 21 (2/2)

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 flas.h.i.+ng 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 gus.h.i.+ng 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 rus.h.i.+ng 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 suns.h.i.+ne; 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 s.h.i.+? Who could be happy for several hundreds of years because of my smile?

“s.h.i.+, 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.

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