Chapter 31 (2/2)

Zhuan Xu finally turned around and pressed her down underneath him. In the darkness she couldn’t see his face but her body could feel him. In that moment he was like another person, his actions were filled with pent up longing and overflowing tenderness. Xing Yue felt that she was drowning in his pa.s.sion and in the moment when he entered her, Xing Yue’s tears fell in happiness. Then she heard something, soft and barely perceptible, she heard Zhuan Xu seemingly call out “Xiao Yao”. Xing Yue was like a cat straining to hear but she heard nothing else and soon she was swept up in the moment and forgot everything. By the time she woke the next morning, she couldn’t be certain what she heard last night was real or just a figment of her imagination.

Those three nights became Xing Yue’s deepest secret.

Gradually Xing Yue forgot those three nights because she wanted to forget. Zhuan Xu treated her nice but not pa.s.sionate though never cold. He treated her better than his other consorts and that was enough to make Xing Yue content.

But just when she was about to forget it completely, Xiao Yao came back. Xing Yue didn’t even know how Xiao Yao came back, but by the time she found out, Xiao Yao was already ensconced in Xiao Yue Summit.

The name Zhuan Xu called that night, whether it was real or not, it caused Xing Yue to develop a hidden fear that she couldn’t tell anyone about. She could only secretly observe and in the last two years since Xiao Yao’s return, Zhuan Xu went to Xiao Yue Summit every day rain or s.h.i.+ne. Of course, before Xiao Yao came back he also went every day to greet the Yellow Emperor so no one saw any change in his behavior. But Xing Yue felt it was different but it wasn’t something that could be explained why it was different. When Zhuan Xu went he always had a slight smile on his face and when he returned this was a sliver of tenderness in his eyes. It was the way he occasionally glanced towards Xiao Yue Summit with a fleeting look of longing.

The more Xing Yue observed the more terrified she became. But her terror was something she couldn’t even find evidence for. With Zhuan Xu’s personality, if it was true then why didn’t he just take Xiao Yao for himself? He was already the ruler of a kingdom, there was no need for him to hold himself back! So Xing Yue could only rea.s.sure herself that she was over-thinking it all because of a mistaken murmur she heard that night.

But Xing Yue still couldn’t feel relaxed so she went to see Feng Long and asked when her brother was going to marry Xiao Yao. Thank goodness her brother’s answer made her happy because he said he was just thinking the same thing.

Feng Long sighed “If I want to marry it ought to be now otherwise it’ll have to wait until the war is over and by then it’s not clear if Xiao Yao will marry me.”

Xing Yue asked “What do you mean?”

“You have to keep this secret.”

Xing Yue nodded “Gege you know you can trust me to keep silent.”

Feng Long said “Seeing Zhuan Xu’s moves recently, I think he’s planning to attack Gao Xing.”

Xing Yue’s eyes widened and Feng Long smiled “That’s why I told you to never underestimate Zhuan Xu. He is a very scary man!”

After her shock pa.s.sed Xing Yue felt ecstatic, like she was already able to sneer at Xiao Yao’s upcoming fate.

When Feng Long told Xing Yue that Xiao Yao agreed to get married she asked “What did His majesty say?”

Feng Long replied “Both majesties gave their consent.”

Xing Yue finally felt relieved, she really did conjure up too much in her own night. That night it was just Zhuan Xu’s pa.s.sionate sigh that she heard wrong.

Xing Yue went to Xiao Yue Summit to visit Xiao Yao with a feeling like she was above Xiao Yao’s fate in life, feeling happy and pitying her at the same time. Xiao Yao didn’t know why Xing Yue’s att.i.tude was so odd this time but she felt Xing Yue was suddenly nicer to her because she was marrying Feng Long soon.

Xiao Yao treated Xing Yue the same as always, respectful but not deferential. Xing Yue and Xiao Yao chatted about this and that and she lingered until the Yellow Emperor returned to the hut carrying a hoe on his shoulder.

The Yellow Emperor was wearing a farmer’s hat with his pant legs rolled up and his feet covered in mud. He smiled at Xing Yue with no stern aura in his expression but Xing Yue felt like her inner most thoughts were laid bare before the Yellow Emperor’s eyes. It was like sharp daggers digging into her back and Xing Yue couldn’t sit another second and quickly greeted the Yellow Emperor and took her leave.

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The Grand Emperor wrote back to Xiao Yao that he and Feng Long’s grandfather had conferred and set the wedding for two months hence.

Ever since Xiao Yao got engaged the Grand Emperor had her trousseau prepared already so all Xiao Yao needed to do was don her wedding dress and walk down the aisle. But the Grand Emperor requested that Xiao Yao return to Five G.o.ds Mountain to prepare for the wedding before he would announce the wedding date to the entire world.

Xiao Yao knew why her dad did this, it wasn’t to adhere to wedding custom because her dad didn’t care about that. It was the request of a father who was worried and anxious over the future of his daughter and wanted to confirm her decision one last time. He wanted to be certain that Feng Long was the man his daughter wanted to entrust the rest of her life to.

Xiao Yao wrote back that she would return to Gao Xing after she did a final personal matter.

Xiao Yao went through Yu Jiang to contact Chi Sui Xian to ask her to dig up something that Xiao Yao asked her to bury a few years ago.

After Zhuan Xu a.s.sumed the throne, Xiao Yao used her position for the first time in her life to have precious treasures from around the vast wilderness collected and brought to her.

From the Northeast tops of the Snow Mountain, she collected a piece of Snow Mountain Ice Essence. It grew on the tops of the Snow Mountain and itself was not poisonous. But if something poisonous went inside when it was forming, then it would soak up the poison and after tens of thousands of years it would become one of the most poisonous things in the world. This particular Ice Essence that Xiao Yao found happened to have an injured ice worm demon crawl inside so after countless thousands of years underneath Snow Mountain, it had become a piece of extremely rare poisonous ice. It appeared like a beautiful piece of icy jade but actually exuded a poisonous aura that could pierce straight to the heart.

Xiao Yao used all her effort to carve this piece of poisonous Ice Essence into the shape of a sea clam sh.e.l.l, she carved two sides of an exquisite white clam sh.e.l.l with wave ripples along the edges. When it was opened it resembled a blooming flower.

Xiao Yao then used all sorts of exotic herbs and poisons to create two merpeople. She put the mermaid on the clam sh.e.l.l and she put the merman in the corner away from the clam sh.e.l.l. Xiao Yao also made red coral and colorful little fishes.

After it was all completed, Xiao Yao brought out the ice crystals collected from the North Pole and had a specialist split it open and hollow it out. She put the red coral in first and secured it on the bottom. Then she mixed up a batch of poisons with Jade Mountain bone essence to create a blue liquid suspension that she filled the ice crystal ball with so it appeared like blue water. She then put the clam sh.e.l.l with the mermaid and the merman carefully inside the poisonous liquid and surrounded it with the colorful fish. She then closed up the ice crystal ball and used her spiritual power to temporarily seal it.

To permanently seal back up an opened ice crystal required that it be returned to the North Pole and placed back inside the ice mountains. Then a powerful ice spirit G.o.d or G.o.ddess would then create a spiritual maze around it. After two or three more years, the opened up ice crystal would permanently seal back up without any signs it had ever been opened.

Back then when Xiao Yao finished to the final step, she racked her brains and remembered the most powerful ice power G.o.d in the vast wilderness was Chi Sui Xian. She asked Zhuan Xu if she could ask Xian to help and he said “You found the right person. I’ll have Yu Jiang ask her for help. That ice G.o.ddess is quite warm towards Yu Jiang.”

When Xian came to see Xiao Yao, she thought Xian would look down on her for asking such a powerful G.o.ddess to do such a little favor. But when Xian saw Xiao Yao’s creation she exclaimed “It’s so beautiful! You must have spent a lot of time?”

Xiao Yao nodded.

Xian said “I’ll help you seal it into the ice mountain in the North Pole. When you need to retrieved just have someone send me a message.”

Four years had pa.s.sed and now Xiao Yao needed to take it out. When Xian brought the ice crystal back, she placed it on a dish and it was covered with more ice so looked just like a regular chunk of ice crystal dug out from the North Pole.

Xiao Yao asked a master carver who spent three days and three nights to finally shape the ice crystal into a round ball.

The clear exquisite ice crystal, inside was the deep blue sea, and in the water was colorful little fishes swimming and beautiful red coral. There was an all-white giant clam sh.e.l.l like a blooming flower and inside a beautiful mermaid sat on the clam sh.e.l.l. Her hair flowed like seaweed and her beautiful tail was half on the clam sh.e.l.l and half in the water. She had one hand on her heart and the other hand reached out towards the distance like she wanted to grab onto something or like she was calling someone to her. In the direction where her hand stretched there was a merman floating in the water. He appeared close to the clam sh.e.l.l but he was coldly staring outside the ice crystal ball so that it felt like he was actually in another world and not in the world of the peaceful isolated ocean with the mermaid.

The underwater world inside the ice crystal was too beautiful that it appeared like a blue-colored dream.

When the ice crystal ball was placed on the table, it was so cold the icy air swirled around it and make it even more illusory like it could vanish in a gust of wind, except the ice crystal was so hard that even knives and swords couldn’t damage it.

The Yellow Emperor saw what Xiao Yao had made and he was so taken aback. He walked into the hut and carefully examined it for a long time. He said nothing other than to sigh “Only you will waste such precious things.”

Xiao Yao stared at the ice crystal ball and said “This is the last time.”

Xiao Yao wrapped the ice crystal ball in a demon bear pelt and sent it along with a letter inside a jade container. She went to the Tu Shan clan messenger shop and paid five times more than usual to deliver it as soon as possible to Qing Shui Town.

Inside the jade container was a letter with only one short message:

“In two months I am getting married. This is the last poison I will make for you. Please accept with a smile.”

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After Xiao Yao left the messenger shop, she wandered around the streets of Zhi Yi and could see it was even more bustling than before. This newly designated capital was bigger, more vibrant, more diverse than Xuan Yuan Castle. But for some reason Xiao Yao missed the Zhi Yi Castle she first encountered when she first arrived in the Middle Plains with Zhuan Xu.

A fragrant scent wafted out from the snack shop and Xiao Yao went to buy some duck neck and chicken feet which the shop owner wrapped carefully in lotus leaves. She then went to the next door wine shop to buy a jug of plum wine.

Back then she loved to snack because it was delicious and she couldn’t help but want to nibble on it. Now she realized it wasn’t the taste but the feeling. Back then she thought she was all wizened inside but she was still a very young girl who could happily enjoy the delights of the world.

Xiao Yao left Zhi Yi Castle and Miao Pu was waiting for her by the cloud carriage. She saw her carrying two bags and laughed “Princess hasn’t bought these things in a long time.”

Xiao Yao got on the cloud carriage and said suddenly “I’m not going back yet.”

Miao Pu asked “Where to then, Princess?”

Xiao Yao was silent for a moment and then said “Accompany me to Qing Qiu.”

Miao Pu was startled and asked “What does Princess want to do in Qing Qiu?”

Xiao Yao stared at Miao Pu and she immediately said “Yes! Departing right away!”

An hour later the cloud carriage landed in Qing Qiu and Xiao Yao got out and glanced over at Qing Qiu Mountain. The mountain was still the same, trees green and rivers flowing, but the person and situation was no longer there.

She slowly walked along the Qing Qiu streets. Qing Qiu was close to Zhi Yi but very different since the people of Qing Qiu were very well off thanks to the Tu Shan clan. The people walking on the streets ambled because they could afford to enjoy life. Xiao Yao unexpectedly came and she didn’t know why she came either. She just walked with no destination in sight with Miao Pu trailing behind her.

Xiao Yao walked until suddenly Miao Pu called out “Princess!” and pulled her sleeve.

Xiao Yao stopped and glanced quizzically back at Miao Pu who whispered “Over there!”

Xiao Yao looked in that direction and saw Jing standing not far from her. Neither expected to run into each other on the streets of Qing Qiu so as people pa.s.sed them by both stood rooted in place like a spell was cast on them.

Finally Jing got a hold of himself and rushed over to Xiao Yao “Xiao Yao……….” He had a million things to say to her but couldn’t say any of it.

Xiao Yao’s smile was beaming “I randomly came for a twirl, didn’t expect to run into you.”

Xiao Yao handed over the packages in her hand and Jing instinctively took it. Xiao Yao smiled “In two months Feng Long and I will be getting married. Please attend with your wife when the day arrives.”

Jing dropped the items in his hand and the jug of wine smashed on the ground and the scent of plum wine wafted in the air. Xiao Yao ignored it and bowed to Jing with a smile before turning and quickly walking away.

“Xiao Yao…….” Jing reached out his hand but couldn’t keep her there and could only watch as her sleeve slipped through his fingers and she floated off.

Moments later Jing kneeled down and picked up the other package and opened it to find the duck necks and chicken feet.

In that split second the past came rus.h.i.+ng back——-

The first time he went into the kitchen he was so clumsy and Xiao Yao laughed at him and then came to help.

The first thing he learned to make was marinated duck neck. When Xiao Liu ate it his eyes lit up and whispered “Yours taste better than Lao Mu. But what will happen if I get used to your flavor?” He smiled and said nothing but in his heart he thought “I want you to get used to it because I’ll make it for you for the rest of your life.”

Inside the Evergreen Residence, he taught her to play the zither but she hadn’t the patience to learn. She liked to munch on a duck neck and make him play for her. She would solemnly declare “Since you know how to play, in the future if I want to listen to music you can just play for me.”

On Sheng Nong Mountain, munching on duck necks and drinking plum wine they talked all night…….

Everything was as vivid as if it was yesterday. But she…..she was about to become another man’s wife! Her life would no longer have anything to do with him!

Jing felt such pain in his heart he couldn’t speak. Such pain that a sweet acrid taste rose up in his throat and he started coughing violently.

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Zhuan Xu came to Xiao Yue Summit that evening and found Xiao Yao had personally cooked dinner for him. Xiao Yao’s cooking wasn’t bad but she was lazy so rarely cooked. The fact that she cooked for him made Zhuan Xu so happy he ate a lot and the two of them kept the Yellow Emperor company with lots of laughter and chatter.

After dinner Xiao Yao bid farewell to Zhuan Xu since she planned to leave first thing in the morning for Five G.o.ds Mountain.

Zhuan Xu simply smiled and said nothing.

The Yellow Emperor gently said “You go back first, later Zhuan Xu and I will have the trousseau our side prepared for you sent over.”

Zhuan Xu had Miao Pu bring out the wine and Xiao Yao also wanted to drink so order Miao Pu to bring out big bowls.

Xiao Yao and Zhuan Xu started gulping bowl after bowl of wine. Their tolerance level was equal and back in Qing Shui Town they never could determine who could drink more because both held back.

Tonight they drank and held nothing back, gulping down wine like water until both were roaring drunk. Zhuan Xu grabbed Xiao Yao’s hand and kept saying “Don’t leave me!” Xiao Yao kept hollering “It’s you guys who don’t want me!”

Zhuan Xu said “I want you. You be my Empress. I don’t want anyone else, I’ll kick them all out……”

The Yellow Emperor asked “Who is the personal guard tonight?”

Xiao Xiao walked out and the Yellow Emperor said “Take Zhuan Xu back now.”

Xiao Xiao picked up Zhuan Xu who held onto Xiao Yao’s hand and refused to let go “I don’t want any other woman, I just want you……..”

The Yellow Emperor raised his palm and struck Zhuan Xu unconscious with one blow to the neck.

The Yellow Emperor stared at Xiao Xiao “You guard him personally tonight. If anyone else hears a word he says tonight, kill that person immediately.”

“Yes!” Xiao Xiao picked up Zhuan Xu and vaulted on a winged ride and was gone in the clouds.

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Xiao Yao woke up at dawn with a raging headache. Her things were packed so after breakfast she bowed three times to the Yellow Emperor and climbed on the cloud carriage.

Once she arrived on Five G.o.ds Mountain, as expected her dad asked again if she was certain she wanted to marry Chi Sui Feng Long.

Xiao Yao giggled “If I didn’t want to marry him then why get engaged to him?”

The Grand Emperor said “Back then Zhuan Xu was surrounded by danger from all sides so knowing your personality you would do anything to help you. If you didn’t get engaged to Feng Long, the Middle Plains clans and families would never have banded together to back him.”

Xiao Yao said “But Grandfather planned to pa.s.s the throne to Zhuan Xu already.”

The Grand Emperor said “Silly girl, it’s not the same. If the Middle Plains didn’t band together then the Yellow Emperor may have waited to keep watching Zhuan Xu and delay the pa.s.sing of the throne. With one delay anything can happen. If it wasn’t for the Four Great Clans banding together to lead the other Middle Plains families, do you think they would support Zhuan Xu this completely? In their eyes Zhuan Xu is the bloodline of Xuan Yuan and the Middle Plains are natural rivals. But because of their battle with the Yellow Emperor they think Zhuan Xu is the Emperor they chose and not the successor the Yellow Emperor chose thus all their rivalry vanished.”

Xiao Yao said nothing. When she agreed to marry Feng Long it was because of Zhuan Xu, she kept insisting otherwise because she didn’t want him to feel bad. But now she didn’t want to call off the wedding because Feng Long was the best choice for her. He knew about her past with Jing and accept it. They also agreed that he would help Zhuan Xu and he did do that. Feng Long help up his end of the bargain, it was Xiao Yao’s turn to fulfill her end of the promise.

The Grand Emperor said “I’ll give you seven days to reconsider.”

During the ensuing seven days, Xiao Yao really did reconsider and think carefully. Every day she sat on the jagged rocks outside of the Dragon Bone Prison and looked out over the deep blue ocean.

When Ah Nian went to get her, she could see the blue horizon, the red rocks on the cliffs, and Xiao Yao dressed all in white sitting bare foot on the black jagged rocks as the waves crested at her feet.

This image was impossible to describe other than Ah Nian felt a sense of utter desolation for her sister. Xiao Yao’s image made her think of the legends of old, of a fisherman’s wife sitting on the rocks waiting for her lover to come back, sitting and waiting for so long she turned into a rock.

Ah Nian had to break the desolation so she flew over and yelled “Jiejie!”

Xiao Yao smiled at Ah Nian and then continued looking out over the horizon. Ah Nian said down beside her “Jiejie, what are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

Ah Nian also looked out on the horizon and sighed “I remember it was near here that I pushed you into the ocean. Back then I was so unhappy but know I realize it was nothing.”

Xiao Yao smiled “You’ve grown up.”

Ah Nian asked “Jiejie, what were you doing that night here?”

Xiao Yao said “I came to see a friend.”

“Then later, did that Nine-headed demon Xiang Liu continue to hara.s.s you?”

Xiao Yao shook her head.

Ah Nian said “I thought that demon was pretty fascinating.”

Xiao Yao looked back out over the blue ocean and said nothing.

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Seven days later the Grand Emperor asked Xiao Yao “Have you decided?”

Xiao Yao said “I decided, announce the wedding date!”

The Grand Emperor said nothing and announced the wedding date to the world. In the Autumn month on the 22nd day, Eldest Princess Gao Xing Jiu Yao was going to get married.

The Chi Sui clan sent out wedding invitations to the world since the Chi Sui clan leader wasn’t just the leader of the clan that was the head of the Four Great Clans, he was also the son of the Sheng Nong tribe head Little Zhu Rong as well as the older brother of the Xuan Yuan Empress. The entire vast wilderness mobilize to attend for Chi Sui Feng Long, and also for the Grand Emperor, the Black Emperor, and the Yellow Emperor. Not to mention the Royal Mother from Jade Mountain.

The Chi Sui clan wedding presents were sent to Gao Xing on a fleet of s.h.i.+ps so vast it was impossible to see the first and last s.h.i.+p in once glance. A few years ago when the Xuan Yuan Black Emperor married his Empress, the entire Xuan Yuan Kingdom celebrated. But this time for the marriage of the Chi Sui clan leader and the Gao Xing Eldest Princess, the entire vast wilderness was celebrating. When the news reached Qing Shui Town, all the restaurants were abuzz and even the brothel ladies couldn’t stop gossiping about it.

Xiang Liu was drinking and discussing matters when conversation reached him.

Some said the Chi Sui clan leader was marrying the Gao Xing Princess for connections, other said he really loved her and promised that she would be his one and only woman in this lifetime, still others said the Princess was so beautiful she was unreal…..

So many rumors and suggestions but it all reached the same conclusion “This Princess sure has got a lucky life!”

Everyone sighed “This wedding is the biggest event in the last hundreds of years in the vast wilderness.”

Xiang Liu stood up with a smile and bid farewell to the people he was drinking with.

He walked out of the brothel to find a misty rain falling.

He walked through a long street towards the western riverbanks, strolling slowly.

He stood by the edge of the river and stared out at the water and misty air and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

After a long time he looked down and opened his hand and in his palm was an ice crystal ball.

Misty raindrops fell on his palm and created an icy mist around the ice crystal ball. It made the blue water inside even more vibrant like the ocean under a full moon,

The blue ocean depths, the isolated peacefulness, the mermaid sitting on her beautiful clam sh.e.l.l home reaching out her hand to beckon, to plead, to summon. But the merman just coldly looked out at the world outside the ice crystal ball.

Xiang Liu stared at the ice crystal scene for a long long time.

Slowly he reached out a finger and pressed it on the ice crystal so it looked like he was taking the mermaid’s outstretched hand.

At at glance it appeared that they were holding hands but in truth the ice crystal separated them. They were from two completely different worlds, they could never truly be together.

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