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❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

The Palace
Tao Mei's quarters

Tao Mei sat in the dimly lit room, her trembling hands laid in her lap as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"You promised..." she muttered. "You promised no one would get hurt."

A veiled figure stood before her, arms crossed over his chest and a Jian*  hung from his hip. A red jade pendant resembling a phoenix was strung from his belt as well.
Beside him, stood a young man the same age as Mei. His wavering gaze was locked on the floor in front of him as the male spoke up.

"Oh, It's a mere cut. The boy will heal in no time. But I'll have to give Fang Lu a talking-to. I didn't hire him to kill the girl!  I agree that he went too far this time. But, I guess that's what you get when you have bandits doing your work." he chuckled as he shook his head.

"Sect leader....don't you think we've done enough? I've been here for 3 years now...not once have I picked up a clue from her. " She begged once more, earning a stern look from the veiled man.

"You haven't finished your mission yet. Don't you remember your pledge?" He spat, hand now resting on the hilt of his sword.
"To give in now would mean your strength has depleted significantly since you left Huo-Ling mountain. And that friendship of yours with the girl, do you value it more than your superiors, your fellow cultivators...and your own brother?"

Tao Mei swallowed hard, glancing toward the young man, her brother. As their gazes met briefly, her brow furrowed.

"O-of course not....all I'm saying is...have you ever considered that maybe she's not the one-" 

"Wu Yi-Nuo is the one!" He interrupted, brow furrowed. His sudden uproar caused the young male to flinch beside him.

"How dare you think differently...let alone speak to me that way. After all these years, You've been with her the most....and you have nothing to show for it, you should be ashamed."

The female dropped her head slowly, gaze locked on the floor.

"I'm sorry....I'll do better." She muttered, tears stinging in her eyes. "Just...please give us more time.."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. This caught the attention of the three of them.

"Excuse me...Miss Tao Mei? This is Physician Zheng...the elder. I have a letter from Wu Yi-Nuo that I have come to deliver."

Mei's expression dropped, as the veiled man before her crumpled his brow. He looked to the boy beside him, then made a symbol with his hand and he immediately became invisible. The young man quickly did the same. As cultivators, things like this were easy for them.
Even though the martial arts world was not well known by the general population - thought to be fairy tales and old legends from years past - that didn't mean that they had all been gone and forgotten.

Mei cleared her throat as she stood, wiping the remaining tear from her face that had formed from crying for a while.

"Um...I-i'll be right there..." she stammered, making her way to the door.

She opened it, revealing the old man's smiling face.

"Miss Tao Mei?" he quirked a brow, becoming wary of her mental state and dishevelment in the moment.  "Are you alright?"

Mei quickly nodded her head.

"Yes, I'm fine...thank you."

Her gaze landed on the letter in his hands, and she felt a knot form in her stomach upon seeing her name written so carefully in ink.

"From Wu Yi-Nuo...the kind girl who is being cared for at my clinic. She made it very clear that she wanted you to get this letter and know that she is doing well." He smiled, gently pushing the paper forward with both hands.

Mei took it hesitantly, before forcing a smile as she placed it in her sleeve..

"Thank you, Master Zheng..." she bowed her head, unknowingly allowing him to see inside the room for a short moment. A keen man like himself, who had seen countless misdeeds in his life, of course, caught sight of the strange, almost invisible aura floating in the shape of two figures.

He immediately recognized them to be members from the Fenghuang Sect of Huo-Ling mountain. As they were the only known sect of cultivators to have seemingly survived to this day.

His eyes widened, and he immediately took a step back.

"Young Lady....please don't be alarmed....but you need to come with me at once." he whispered, thinking that the two figures could not hear him.

She quirked a brow, taking a glance backward to see the aura for herself.

'Surely he can't see them...right? He would need a Qi amount higher than the average non-cultivator to see it.-...'

The old man grabbed her arm and pulled her out before she could think further, prompting the figures behind her to re-emerge as the veiled man and her brother.

The sect leader's dark expression turned to a chuckle, and he quickly made a sequence of signs with his hand. He then flicked two outstretched fingers, blazing with a dark red aura, toward master Zheng. Upon impact of the aura, he fell to the floor with a dull thud.

Mei gasped, looking to the man who was now unconscious on the stone floor, then back to the sect-leader and her brother.

She grit her teeth, brow furrowed as she leaned down to check his pulse. Luckily, he was still alive.

"Tie him up at once. We'll figure out his connection to Wu Yi-Nuo and get as much information from him as possible. "

The young man stepped forward, breaths heavy as he clenched his fists at his sides. He wanted to speak out, but he didn't dare disrespect the sect leader like Mei had done moments before.

Instead, his nails dug deeply into his palms, shaking with anger as the veiled man approached Mei.

"Mei...why are you so worrisome? He isn't dead, and he is merely an old man...but he saw through our invisibility spell, so we need to deal with him accordingly. So do as I say and tie him up, alright?"

He looked back to the young man, a smile lifting his eyes from under the thin veil over his face.

"Lei...do me a favor and help your sister, hm?"

The young man grasped his jian that hung from his hip, before hesitantly nodding and rushing to Mei's side.

The two exchanged glances, brows furrowed as they used the fabric from Mei's hanfu to tie up his limbs.

"Good job, you two." The veiled man clapped, his own bright red hanfu robe billowing in the chilly night breeze. "How lucky am I to have taken such pitiful children under my wing and turned them into obedient servants?"

He chuckled deeply, before a sigh escaped his lips. He tilted his head back and looked up to the crescent moon that hung low in the clouded sky.

"It is only a matter of time before I get my hands on the Scriptures of Jing.... who will be pitiful then?"

—

There was a deep, pungent scent of animal excrement lingering in the air. This, and the feeling of straw and pebbles digging into the old man's skin was enough to wake him from a groggy slumber.

Dim streaks of lantern light flickered through the wooden walls that confined him. Though  As his eyes adjusted slightly, he realized that he was tied up. Thrown in this old shed...by them presumably.

He tried to recall what had happened the night prior. Everything seemed fuzzy, as a dull throbbing panned through the back of his head and down his neck. 
Despite this, he managed to remember the palace maid and the presence of someone from the Fenghuang sect.

He struggled to stand, and suddenly, the door creaked open. Lantern light bathed the shed and the old man squinted to see who it was.

It was the young boy from before. The one that had stood beside the veiled man.

"I brought food." He voiced, his tone quiet. He carried a tray with a bowl of soup and some mantou.

Master Zheng remained quiet, his gaze not leaving the boy as he leaned down and placed it on the floor.

Next, he extended his hand, and a bright red aura flickered at the tips of his pointer and forefinger.  With a circular motion, the fabric tying the old man's limbs turned to ash with a sharp sizzle.

He jerked forward, taken by surprise at the sudden shock. He looked to the boy as he rubbed the spots on his wrists where the fabric had been.

'This boy is young, no older than 18...,yet he can use his cultivation as if he has been studying for a lifetime...'

"Eat." The boy interrupted his thoughts, a strange type of gentleness in his tone.
He motioned with his eyes to the food. "Regain your strength...then, my master wants to speak with you concerning Wu Yi-Nuo.."

Master Zheng swallowed dryly, his eyes widening.

'Wu Yi-Nuo..? What does she have to do with this?...I wonder...are they responsible for framing her?"

He looked to the food. After a moment, he scooted forward and grabbed a mantou bun.

"Young man...can I ask you a question?"

The boy quirked a brow, before he nodded.

"Your master...what does he want with Wu Yi-Nuo?"

The boy flinched slightly. He hesitated to speak, before his expression became stern.

"She...has something he wants..." He voiced calmly.

Master Zheng waited for him to continue. When he didn't speak any further, a sigh left his lips.

"I see...you don't know what it is exactly?"

The boy shook his head.

"No. All I know, is it has something to do with the Scriptures of Jing locked away in a tomb deep in the mountains."

The old man dropped the mantuo from his hand.

"The Scriptures of...Jing?" He muttered out loud, the words bringing back many unwanted memories.

The said Scriptures had been a legend for a long time. Said to hold the secrets of mastering cultivation and gaining immortality, though that was just a legend. The actual contents and whether it ever existed or not was never confirmed.

But Master Zheng knew. Because he had gotten incredibly close to learning of its contents, alongside  His own wife, who had been a member of Fenghuang sect.

His mind flickered back to a memory from years ago. He was young, the same age as the young master. He had been searching for specific herbs in the mountains, when he came across a beautiful young woman who was practicing her martial arts.

Her dark, thick hair flowed in the breeze, illuminated by the night sky and the moon that hung low. The fabric of her blue hanfu fluttered behind her. The sheath of a jian hung at her hip, while the blade was gripped in her hand. It was adorned with a delicately carved jade pendant in the shape of a flower.

She was Hua Yue....one of the few remaining cultivators of the Fenghuang sect. At the moment, he had no idea that cultivators still existed. But seeing her beautiful movements and fluidity with her blade made him curious.

The sound of branches cracking under his feet brought her attention to him.

"Who's there?" she shouted from the forest edge.

The young man ran away after that. But he couldn't help but be stunned by her beauty, so he came back the next night.

She was there again, practicing her martial arts under the moonlight on the hill.

"I know you're there. I can sense you...there's no use hiding."

He hesitantly stepped forward out of the bamboo, revealing to the young woman, a harmless, kind young man whose smile was illuminated by the stars.

"Hello there. I'm not spying on you...I just couldn't help but be drawn to your performances...are you a dancer?" he voiced curiously.

The laugh escaped the woman's mouth.

"Performances? A dancer?"

She sheathed her sword, then took a few steps toward the man.

"I'm nothing of the sort. In fact, I could cut you down right here for spying." she threatened, brow furrowed gently. The man's smile only widened as she came close to his face, studying it in a way.

"You won't though."  He chuckled after a moment, beginning to walk a circle around the young woman. "Because you've put your blade away."

She rolled her eyes.

"It takes but a second to unsheath it, and a second more to swing. I would watch out if I were you. What business do you have up here in the mountains anyway?"

"Herb collecting. I am a physician, I treat people with care." he replied evenly. "My name is Zheng Haobei...what might yours be?"

The woman crossed her arms, irritated with the male's charm.

"And why should I give you my name? How do I know you're not a spy sent to take down my sect?"

The male paused in front of her, surprise forming in his gaze.

"Sect...? So, you're a cultivator?"

Her eyes widened and she retreated back a couple steps, putting some distance between them.

"I don't sense evil intent behind your actions, but you're too curious. I have somewhere to be now, goodbye. Oh, and my name? Hua Yue."

Before the young man could speak further, she disappeared into thin air, leaving him alone on the hill.

He came back the next day, only to find she wasn't there. And the day after that, and the day after that as well. After 2 weeks, he decided to give up...

It wasn't until a couple months after, that an urgent knock came to the Zheng clinic in the dead of night.

The young man hurried to answer it, only to find the same young woman standing before him with slashes and cuts all over her. Blood stained the ripped clothes she wore, her face full of agony as she struggled to stand.

Without any words, he immediately rushed to her side, helping her into the clinic and onto the patients bed.

She fell unconscious after he fed her some water, though he began to clean her wounds and stayed by her side until morning.

She didn't wake up, though, which concerned the young man. He applied herbs to her wounds and fed her broth two times a day for a couple days. He didn't leave her side and even temporarily closed his clinic while he cared for her. He checked her heart beat consistently to make sure she was still alive, and after the 7th day of her unconsciousness, she finally began to show signs of waking up.

"The scriptures..." She mumbled, brow furrowed as a cold sweat beaded down her forehead. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, meeting the young man's worried gaze.

"We have to....destroy them...."

He came closer, listening intently to what she was saying, even though he had no clue what she meant.

"Alright. I promise I'll help with whatever you need. But for now,  just focus on getting better, ok?" he smiled as he placed a cold cloth on her forehead.

She fell back asleep after that, but woke when he brought her broth.

She cleared her throat, seemingly feeling better, though she refused when he offered to help her eat.

"I can do it." she voiced, taking the bowl from him and gulping it down in one go.

His eyes widened, lips curling into a smile.

"Glad to see you haven't lost your appetite." he chuckled, "You've been out for a week now. I would have figured that a cultivator could heal by herself, but I guess I was wrong...or, perhaps there's something you're not telling me?"

The woman sighed, looking away from him for a moment before she spoke again.

"They locked it up..." she finally admitted, her face showing embarrassment "My 'Minds eye.' ....My ability to cultivate and use my qi as I please. They beat me, before I managed to escape. You....were the only one that I could go to for help. Everyone I know is on that mountain."

The young man's expression darkened.

"Why would they do that? Aren't you one of them?"

"...Because I refused to do their evil bidding. It was so sudden, after searching for the scriptures for years, the sect master learned that my qi is compatible to unlock the seal. I snuck into the tomb and had a look for myself, only to see the worst thing imaginable on it. Something that could harm everyone if it got into the wrong hands. We have to destroy it!" her voice became urgent, showing the young man that what she said was incredibly important.

His brow furrowed, surprised at her words. There seemed to be so much stuff going on in this world that so little people knew about. But, now he had an obligation to help.

"Alright, don't worry...I can help you." he voiced, giving the girl some relief that she had someone she could rely on.

"But, if you can't use your Qi...how will we do it?"

"I'll teach you. You can learn how to cultivate, and once you've become strong enough, you can unlock my Minds eye.."

He was quiet for a moment. He never expected something like this to happen. But he wasn't going to let her down.

"Alright, I believe you. I'll do whatever it takes."

And so, the two began training. They worked together every day and eventually became close. They decided to marry, and at this point, the male had grown his Qi immensely, but it had nearly been a year and it still wasn't enough to unlock it.

After a few months more, Hua Yue became pregnant.

Because of their attempts to unlock her Minds Eye, something horrible happened. She went into labor and gave birth to twins at 6 months of pregnancy, causing the babies to be premature.

They spent a lot of time caring for them after this, and had less time to spend on strengthening Haobei's cultivation.

Mingze and Li-Xue....the two of them grew up in their first 5 years as sickly children. Because of their premature birth, they were found to have weak hearts and were highly susceptible to heart pains. They couldn't run and play with the other children in the neighborhood like they wanted to, and they spent most of their time inside doing painting or playing games together.

At this point, the sect leader had begun to search for Hua Yue once more. In the few years she had been hidden, they had been searching for another being with suitable Qi to open the seal, but had been unsuccessful in their search. So they decided to find her and force her to obey.

It was a cold, rainy night. Li-Xue had been sick with a cold, so Haobei and Hua Yue were taking turns watching her through the night.

The sect leader had come and knocked on their door, prompting Hua Yue to answer it.

The sect leader had quickly drugged her and brought her back to Huo-ling mountain, where he tied her up and prepared to bring her to the tomb where the scriptures resided.

Haobei woke in the early morning, confused as to why she didn't wake him. After searching the house, he realized what must have happened.

He got the neighbor to watch the children and set off for the mountains.

Hua Yue had told him of where the tomb was before, so he went straight there, sensing that she was in danger.

By the time he reached the tomb, the Sect leader had the female tied up and kneeling in front of the door.

In a rage, he began to attack the sect members using his Qi. Luckily, he was strong enough to take most of them out, but he had trouble with the Sect leader, who wielded a strange type of Qi. A dark red aura had engulfed him, rendering all attacks useless.

Haobei had only one option left. He would use his Qi to unlock Hua Yue's Minds eye and the two of them would have to fight together.

Though, After quickly doing so, the Sect leader sent an attack towards them. This hit Haobei and injured him, causing Hua Yue to stand alone.

She gathered all of her Qi, and performed an attack on the sect leader. One that he himself had taught her. In order to get rid of him once and for all, she sent them both to the spirit realm.

"Haobei....take care of our children for me, ok? I'm sorry I couldn't be with you longer. But this is the only way. Teach them to be kind, and I know you'll bring them up with love and care. Make sure they know that the short time I got to be you and them, was the greatest time of my life. Good bye, dear. Perhaps we can meet again some day."

This left Haobei alone in front of the door, hot tears streaming down his cheeks as he stood and looked to the seal.

He preformed a series of complex hand signs, then directed his Qi toward the sky, placing yet another seal on the door and sending the key to the seal somewhere far away.

That burst of Qi sent through the sky landed in a small house on the outskirts of Beijing, where a baby girl had just been born. It fell onto this young child and spread through her blood, providing both a blessing and a curse. She would be protected from getting dangerously sick, saving her from a tragedy that would take her family. But in turn, 19 years later, once her blood was mature enough, she would be hunted and used to open this seal to the scriptures.

This girl is named Wu Yi-Nuo. 

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

Footnotes

* A Jian is a double edged straight sword used in China for the last 2,500 years.

Authors note
Hello! Thanks for reading this chapter! It's a little different this time, I'm not sure if I added too much of an info dump lol so please add your thoughts in the comments!!