Chapter 15 (1/2)

The three God kingdodoms when Lost You Forever rolls around We’ve spent tidom where Xiao Yao’s dad rules as the Grand Emperor, and where her cousin Zhuan Xu was pretty much educated and trained after he started to become a threat to his Xuan Yuan uncles While Xiao Yao has been running around the world trying to cut off ties with her past life, Zhuan Xu hasn’t been able to reclaim his past life as the Xuan Yuan Prince even if he wanted to He wasn’t prohibited fro back to Xuan Yuan, but the situation there reht ti back what belongs to hihter), but all his capable, courageous, and thoughtful offspring have died leaving a few sons that covet poithout having the corresponding ability to lead Zhuan Xu has shown us that he’s grown into a sic adult, one who is clearly well-suited for the game of politics and the burdens of leadershi+p

Xiao Yao”s return to being a Princess finally takes these two cousins back to Xuan Yuan Mountain and it’s a bittersweet return trip indeed She hasn’t been back since her mom took her away to stash in Jade Mountain, and whatever fond one She does still have a grandfather in the Yellow Edom by will power andhis wives and many of his children But if you asked him if it orth it, his ansould probably be the saave up everything I have in exchange for everything I want” That makes Xiao Yao’s personality and outlook so at odds with the people closest to her, because she will never give up anything she has because she wants for nothing She wants for so life with shi+ Qi – that it’s alet ould come naturally for ordinary people This is yet another fantastic chapter of the novel and despite it being so deep into the story, a new character makes his belated appearance not a os in this story and so far we’ve , and Xuan/Zhuan Xu Guess who is uy that’s finally arrived to shake up the story evenof the Past is Easily Sorrowful:

When the first Spring wind blew over the great Middle Plains, Gao Xing’s Eldest Princess wrote a letter to the Yellow E to visit Xuan Yuan Mountain on her rave as a filial daughter She also hoped to do her filial duty on behalf of her mother to the Yellow Emperor

The letter was handwritten by the Eldest Princess and had her seal on it, delivered to the Yellow Emperor by an envoy sent by the Grand Emperor

The Yellow Emperor read the letter and then let his court read it There was no logical reason for anyone to object to a daughter wanting to pray to her randfather So the entire court only discussed how to receive the Gao Xing Princess, asn’t just the Gao Xing Princess but also the Yellow Ehter Her mother died in battle for Xuan Yuan as well So after reed her reception would be as lavish as possible

When the peach blossohout the Middle Plains, Xiao Yao left Five Gods Mountain and Zhuan Xu accompanied her as her cousin and at her request She arrived at Xuan Yuan Castle and her two uncles Xuan Yuan Cang Lin and Xuan Yuan Yu Yang erLin said to Xiao Yao “Nor Palace, but father is very old now and doesn’tpeople andpleasantries, so your seventh uncle will hold a banquet for the entire convoy and your grandfather will see only you at Cao Yun Peak”

Xiao Yao smiled “Okay, will Uncle takeLin said “After you, Princess!”

The servants appeared to be keeping Zhuan Xu aside as if no one expected hio to Xuan Yuan Mountain Xiao Yao stood in front of the cloud carriage and asked “Is Zhuan Xu gege not co Lin smiled warmly “Father didn’t say he would see Zhuan Xu so we’ve ements for him so don’t worry”

Another cousin whose name Xiao Yao hadn’t yet re out with big brother”

Xiao Yao suards appeared to want to stop her but she stared at theuards had their hands on their weapons already and everybody paused Xiao Yao walked right up to Zhuan Xu and grabbed his hand and said with a pout to Cang Lin “When I used to live in Cao Yun Peak, it was always Zhuan Xu gege withLin laughed “It’s not that Uncle doesn’t want to, but if father doesn’t summon him, then we don’t dare decide on our own”

“If Grandfather gets mad, Uncle needn’t worry as I’ll accept the consequences!” Xiao Yao tried to pull Zhuan Xu into the cloud carriage but two Xuan Yuan guards blocked her so she looked at Cang Lin “Zhuan Xu gege really can’t go?”

Cang Lin said “Princess, please forgive!”

Xiao Yao’s face fell and she said loudly to her Gao Xing guards “Since Xuan Yuan doesn’t welco immediately!” Xiao Yao pulled Zhuan Xu and walked off

The Gao Xing guards i Cang Lin could tell Xiao Yao wasn’t faking it so hurriedly said “Princess, please behave!”

Xiao Yao was furious and yelled “Me behave? Would anyone co Eldest Princess, what can’t I get in Gao Xing My mother died for the people of Xuan Yuan I traveled far to pray at her grave and to see my Grandfather All I want is uards have kept e I want the people of the entire world to decide if I’, or is Xuan Yuan unreasonable?”

Cang Lin couldn’t iine Xiao Yao’s personality was so fierce and bitchy and she was fairly shrieking like a fishwife on the street If she left today then things could get ugly and he could be cursed by millions and his father would be furious He endured and said “Princess you areon”

All the Xuan Yuan guards oal had been accoe with Zhuan Xu

As the cloud carriage traveled up to the Peak, Xiao Yao looked at Zhuan Xu as tightly gripping her hand, his lips pressed together It had been over two hundred years when a very young him was forced by his four uncles to leave Xuan Yuan Mountain alone Back then, he stood at the boat bow and looked back at the disappearing Cao Yun Peak and vowed: I will be back!

The cloud carriage stopped and the maids caot off the carriage

Zhuan Xu looked up and saw the plaque hanging over the Palace door, on top was handwritten in their grande characters He said in his heart: Grand for two hundred years, I’!

Xiao Yao looked up at the sao this Palace used to be filled with the laughter and happiness of her relatives Today as she came back, it was just her and Zhuan Xu

Zhuan Xu and Xiao Yao looked at each other and then they both step forward at the same time and crossed the threshold into the Court

Xiao Yao had no expression on her face and walked slohile Zhuan Xu walked behind her also very slowly

Xiao Yao arrived at the front of the Court where a white haired old man with a face full of wrinkles, thin and frail, laid on the pallet with his eyes closed as if tired and was napping He heard Xiao Yao’s footsteps and opened his eyes and looked at her with a still sharp and incisive gaze

Xiao Yao and Zhuan Xu both thought of their beloved passed grandmother at that moment and both knelt down sirandson is back”

The Yellow Emperor waved his hand “Come here”

Xiao Yao and Zhuan Xu bowed three times and then stood up and walked over to hiht own on the pallet while Zhuan Xu re respectfully

The Yellow Emperor stared at Xiao Yao “You don’t look like your randmother, exactly like when I first randmother was old and shriveled and a face full of wrinkles so she didn’t know if she looked like her so could only s and said “Your grand like you Her beauty and talent orld renowned throughout the vast wilderness Soperson”

Xiao Yao was stunned and didn’t knohat to say to that She couldn’t agree that her grand Because she sensed that her grandparents had a falling out towards the later part of her grandrandfather never carabbed a sword and tried to kill her randfather in Cao Yun Court until her grandrandfather was injured and then he moved to Cao Yun Court

Xiao Yas was silent as if processing what he said but the Yellow Emperor didn’t mind and just smiled and stared at her

The Yellow Emperor looked at Zhuan Xu and his smile disappeared, with none of the joy and warmth of when he looked at Xiao Yao, and was instead filled with judgment and careful deliberation Zhuan Xu didn’t lower his head and just let the Yellow Emperor measure him up from top to bottom

After a few ht you would be enjoying the high life of Gao Xing and forgot how to corandson ”

“What have you come back for?”

Zhuan Xu wanted to answer but the Yellow E, I want to hear what is hidden inside your heart”

Zhuan Xu was silent and then looked the Yellow Eht in the eye and said “I want Xuan Yuan Mountain But there is another reason and you randfather”

The Yellow Emperor had no reaction and coldly said “You have two royal uncles and five younger cousins who all want Xuan Yuan Mountain If you want it, you figure out how to get it I won’t help you Just like this trip back to Cao Yun Peak, only when you walk to see me by yourself will I see you”

“I understand”

The Yellow Emperor closed his eyes “Don’t think I’et soive it to you, you won’t be able to keep it”

“Your grandson understands”

The Yellow Erandmother’s old residence and the rest are all empty You can live wherever you want I don’t like noise so there are very few maids here If you aren’t use to it…”

Xiao Yao interjected “We’re used to it, when grandmother was still alive there were few maids around and I re as tall as e and I played hide and seek there even”

The Yellow Emperor closed his eyes and waved them off with a smile

Zhuan Xu and Xiao Yao stepped out of the Court and walked along the corridor to the front section arriving at their old residence in the side A tall phoenix tree was growing in the courtyard and the floere bloo under the tree was no longer there

Xiao Yao was in a daze like a dreaust of wind blew the flowers everywhere She reached out and grabbed a flower, re the petal in her mouth to suck out the flower honey She se, it’s as sweet as before” She handed a flower to him and he also sucked on it

They were followed by two retainers, one was Xiao Yao’snaned to Zhuan Xu fro

Shan Hu asked “Princess, shall we stay here?”

“Right here” Xiao Yao pointed “I’ll live in that rooe will use that room”

Shan Hu looked around “It’s si is all new The courtyard is a bit dirty so let me sweep the flowers away”

Xiao Yao yelled “No! When I was small, it ept every 4-5 days Grandmother let it accumulate under the tree even if its mushed into a pile”

Xiao Yao and Zhuan Xu sat down in the corridor and silently looked at the phoenix flowers Shan Hu knew her personality so went to do chores herself, getting friendly with the equally easy to get along with Sang Seng, and the two prepared a bath for Zhuan Xu and Xiao Yao Both were used to taking care of themselves so they washed up alone and then sat down outside for dinner

After dinner, Xiao Yao sent the retainers off to sleep as she and Zhuan Xu walked along the path to the back reen just like when grandmother was still alive She looked up at it “In a little while ill have pickled mulberry to eat”

“Auntie loved iced ones Back then you guys lived in Five Gods Mountain and I hadn’t yet met you but Grandmother would natter about how Auntie loved it and there weren’t any good mulberry trees in Five Gods Mountain so she would make it here and send it to her I even helped Grandmother pick mulberry to make iced pickled mulberry”

Xiao Yao smiled sweetly “Every year someone will deliver it to my mom and she didn’t want to eat it all at once so she would only have a s is alarht with h The maids went to pluck mulberry to make it but it never tasted the same as the ones Grandmother sent”

Zhuan Xu suarantee it’ll taste just like Grandmother’s”

Xiao Yao nodded even when the two of them kneouldn’t taste exactly the same But they had lost so much already and neither wanted toin the past

It wasn’t until late into the night when they came back and went to their own residences to sleep Xiao Yao thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep but once she laid down she quickly fell asleep and slept soundly

Until the second day when the sun was high in the sky did she wake up She heard Zhuan Xu left already to see to Yellow E, before leaving her roo under the phoenix tree and heard fro all night and staying up to ”

Xiao Yao leaned on the wall and s her eyes tear up

Shan Hu asked “Princess, want to swing?”

Xiao Yao shook her head and sloalked off, not intending to go see Zhuan Xu or the Yellow Erand outside No one stopped her nor announced her

Xiao Yao walked into the roo chess, the Yellow E sidehile Zhuan Xu sat up But their expressions were identical, no expression whatsoever so no one could tell what they were thinking

Xiao Yao didn’t pay them any heed and wandered around the room She was shocked the roorandmother still lived here Even her hairbrush and her accessories were still at her dressing table

Xiao Yao sat at the dressing table and opened an accessory box Inside was a ruby red headdress that glittered with life as if its oas coht to wear it But really in Xiao Yao’s memory, its owner never wore it before She put it on her head and it was ine her grand as flashy as this

“If you like it, take it” The Yellow Emperor’s voice reached her

Xiao Yao put down the accessory and closed the box She shook her head “A woman wears this for someone to see, or more accurately to entrance a man If I wear this and aat the hair piece jewels or s and fall for hi for trouble?”

The Yellow Emperor was stunned while Xiao Yao stared at him and casually said “Grandmother really liked you at one tier in his eyes “How can you speak to an elder this way?”

Xiao Yao looked like she could care less “I like to talk, if Grandfather doesn’t like to hear it, then pretend you didn’t hear it You all are great at pretending to be deaf and mute whenever you want”

The Yellow Eet this personality? You are totally different than your hed and ets all the good stuff but the woman suffers!”

The Yellow Emperor was exasperated and said to Zhuan Xu “Let’s stop Want to eat?”

Zhuan Xu stood up and helped the Yellow Emperor up “Grandfather, lets walk first since you’ve been sitting for some time”

The talked slowly in the courtyard while Xiao Yao watched frorandrandmother on slow strolls in the courtyard

They all sat down to dine simply and the Yellow Ee in front of Zhuan Xu “Cao Yun Peak belonged to your grandrass here was built by her The first guards of Cao Yun Peak were trained by her I live here but I have uards are always at standby and now that you are back, they will listen to you froe

The Yellow Emperor saw that Zhuan Xu was still expressionless and calh the Yellow Emperor’s eyes He waved the kids off and headed in to rest

The talked off before Xiao Yao asked “Gege, you really want to come back and take care of Grandfather?”

Zhuan Xu nodded

Xiao Yao asked incredulously “You don’t hate hi with him back there”

Zhuan Xu said “I understand a lot of what he did probably because I’ His choice hurt a lot of people, including grandmother, dad, mom, auntie, you and me, but he also made a lot of people happy He built Xuan Yuan, he destroyed Sheng Nong, he was the Emperor who united the Middle Plains under one rule No one sees what he sacrificed and his pain to get there Do you knohen I was playing chess with him, I knew he had a back injury from a previous battle but he never showed a hint of pain and was always alert and ready to strike This kind of randfather, I would still respect hirandfather, I not only respect hi his citizens, but unlucky being his fanores you for two hundred years and let the uncles try to get rid of you, and you still respect and love him”

Zhuan Xu sossiping about you? Because of them you wandered for hundreds of years”

“No, if it wasn’t for those two hundred years, I’rown up peacefully withbecause I’ve lost everything No matter what I encounter, I will take a knife in my own hand to destroy my obstacle like I killed that Nine-tailed fox”

“If the royal uncles didn’t force , and I wouldn’t have seen another world Without their assassination attempts and plots, I wouldn’t have becoer We vanquished obstacles and crushed it under our feet and put it inside of us to give us strength We don’t see obstacles as bad, and Grandfather is like us as well, which is why he chose to let go”

Xiao Yao laughed “Fine, fine, I can’t argue with you I’ll be careful and not try to bait him in the future”

They arrived at the phoenix tree and both stopped Zhuan Xu stroked Xiao Yao’s head and said “No need, you can say whatever you feel You are his granddaughter and he likes your candid nature Even if you have resentment towards hier”

Xiao Yao“Did you play yet?”

Xiao Yao s for the person who pushesto play”

Zhuan Xu pushed her back and sent her flying forward, tiher Xiao Yao looked up and watched the sky full of red falling

The person pushi+ng the swing, the person on the swing, the red phoenix floere still as red But Xiao Yao couldn’t laugh with abandon like she did back then, only sh her hair

Xiao Yao thought Xuan Yuan had a big memorial ceremony planned for her mom but the Yellow Emperor asked what she wanted “My mom didn’t like pomp and circumstance or a lot of people If you want to have a cereh” She was surprised the Yellow Emperor ordered all the ceremonies cancelled

On her rave site was Zhuan Xu and Xiao Yao

In the flower covered hilltop, there were six graves containing her grandmother, eldest uncle, eldest aunt, second uncle, fourth uncle and fourth aunt (Zhuan Xu’s parents), and her raves were e inside

She wasn’t sure as in her eldest uncle’s grave and only saood flowers growing all over his grave site Her eldest aunt wasKingdodom fell, she incinerated herself and left no corpse behind so as buried in her grave was her wedding dress when she married into Xuan Yuan

She didn’t kno her second uncle died, only that he left a blackened charred bone fragrave

Her fourth uncle as Zhuan Xu’s dad, died at the sa (Little Zhu Rong’s dad) They were both burned alive and nothing was left His grave was only his clothing There was also the grave for her fourth aunt who committed suicide

And then her do any corpse behind Zhuan Xu said her rave contained her battle arrave, she never wanted to co’s palace still had entire closets full of herthere with Zhuan Xu, she still felt sorrow even if her mind told her it was just a battle arht here! Zhuan Xu knelt down and bowed to all the graves one by one and Xiao Yao followed suit When he got to their eldest uncle’s grave, Zhuan Xu bowed an extra three ti all over “This should be the ood spirit who gained human form after thousands of years She chose to kill herself to destroy the de by then and didn’t understand why but Master told ot what she wanted and passed in peace to be with our Eldest Uncle”

Xiao Yao silently bowed three , Zhuan Xu still didn’t stand up Xiao Yao sat doith her back to the graves and looked at the mountain side full of vibrant flowers She suddenly remembered when her mom took her to Jade Mountain, they carandmother and her uncles She went to pick wildfloith Zhuan Xu, and when they got back, she saw her rave site Did herback?

[I’ve translated that section from Once Promised below at the end of this chapter]

Zhuan Xu stood up and started tending to the graves His poas rooted in wood and earth so he quickly cleaned everywhere Xiao Yao picked up the flowers he pulled off andfor him to finish Once he was done, she had rave

They were leaving when Zhuan Xu said to Xiao Yao “Come with me to Xuan Yuan Castle”

They entered the castle and went to a dancing hall and was led to a roo Zhuan Xu said “I want to see Jin Xuan”

He gave the maid extra money to summon her while Xiao Yao laid on the pallet covered in a veiled hat and looked on curiously

Zhuan Xu sat down at the zither and played it, the h alike water over a waterfall The door opened and a beautiful girl in yellow ca When he was done she said a poem and then “You finally come”

Zhuan Xu said “I finally cao out to look around”

Zhuan Xu nodded and Xiao Yao headed out where she saw a dancer perforreat hall Xiao Yao stood at the railing and looked doith a suests, though stilla veiled hat so garnered a lot of attention She didn’t care, they could look at her while she looked at the beauties

The dancer was perfor and her undulations make her tiny waist oh so touchable and many men tried to reach but were not able to to Two rabbed the dancer and felt up her waist before tossing her into the arht with you”

The dancers at the dance halls were performers and not prostitutes so the dancer was pissed, but the second she saw the man’s face her face turned red and she docilely followed the hed and put his arms around her to lead her up the stairs and Xiao Yao felt the le and the curtains, she didn’t get a good look at his face until he was on the second floor and Xiao Yao saw his face fully Her heart thundered and herLiu! But he earing fine clothes and his hair was pitch black, and there waslike the nor Liu

Xiao Yao stared at hilance over her and didn’t even pause The other ht you spend with rabbed hi master please don’t put us in a bind”

The irl while Jin Xuan opened the door and told Xiao Yao to come in

Zhuan Xu and Xiao Yao left the dance hall the back way and wandered around the city a bit, having dinner at a fae back to Xuan Yuan Mountain

On Cao Yun Peak, Xiao Yao sat on the shile Zhuan Xu leaned against a tree She kept wondering, was that Xiang Liu or not Xiang Liu?

“Gege, have you ever seen Xiang Liu’s real face?”

“No, every ti a mask”

Xiao Yao was curious “Xuan Yuan has him on the most wanted list for hundreds of years but there isn’t a portrait to go along with it All these years and no one has seen what he really looks like?”

“People have seen it, but Xiang Liu is a Nine-headed dehty-one different forms All the people who have seen him have contradictory statements, one time someone described hi Liu she saw just one of his faces? Xiao Yao was curious, but also disappointed

Zhuan Xu stared at her “But it is weird! His transforical object can’t detect it, why does he need to wear a e his face!”

Xiao Yao said “Maybe he’s like ical transfor about Xiang Liu?”

“I…I just thought of him”

Xiao Yao didn’t want to lie to Zhuan Xu so told him half the truth, and the despondent tone in her voice made Zhuan Xu’s heart hurt a little He softly said “You are no longer Qing Shui Town’s Wen Xiao Liu”

Xiao Yao suy anted to pick you up at the dance hall is your younger cousin shi+ Ju, the only son of uncle Cang Lin”

“The person next to hi transfor did last tih transformations”

Xiao Yao asked “That Jin Xuan is your person?”

“I hope so When Eldest Uncle was alive, he built a vast information network that Auntie Zhu Yu ran When he died, the network only listened to Auntie When your nated About a hundred years ago she did bring Jin Xuan to Gao Xing to find me She handed the network to me per Auntie’s orders before she left for battle Jin Xuan is also a wood demon If I am to sit in Eldest Uncle’s spot, then Jin Xuan would sit where Auntie Zhu Yu sat But whether she is absolutely loyal to me, only time will tell!”

“No matter what, this is your oer” Xiao Yao looked at him and smiled “Plus with your omen, I have faith in you”

Zhuan Xu covered his lared at Xiao Yao so she stopped teasing him “I orried you came back all alone but now I feel better”

“Our elders left us early but they have always been looking out for me Eldest Uncle is a very powerful capable person, he left anization and there are a handful of people left in court loyal to him My dad left early but I know if one day I controlled the army, they would be deathly loyal to me My dad could have survived his final battle if he ran away, but he chose to stand in front of all the soldiers and face his own death for their sake My mom, she left me her entire Ruo Sui tribe of loyal members And Auntie…”

Xiao Yao asked quizzically “What did my mom leave you?”

Zhuan Xu smiled and flicked a phoenix flower on Xiao Yao’s face “You She left me you”

Xiao Yao kicked the fallen phoenix flowers at hihed and Xiao Yao said “But what you have isn’t enough yet”

Zhuan Xu concurred “Nowhere close to being enough, though I also havewhich can keep me alive But this entire court believes uncle will assurandfather to win the Middle Plains and has lots of battle victories The arht with hi for hundreds of years and from the Middle Plains to the North and West are his people There are lots of fa family who are loyal to him All I can do now is not die The rest will take tih “What do you need me to do for you?”

Zhuan Xu said “You can’t have not known that I’ve been using you all this time?”