Legend of Fu Yao

Zhangsun Wuji lifted a brow. “Is the Taoist priest better looking than the nun?”

Meng Fuyao laughed, thinking, ‘The Crown Prince is swamped with work, yet he remembers the dirty jokes I told Lord Yuan Bao.’ She turned and saw a drenched Lord Yuan Bao staring at her resentfully.

Meng Fuyao sat up and gazed down from the mountains and wondered, “How strange, why is the distance between them increasing?”

Zhangsun Wuji calmly combed Lord Yuan Bao’s fur and replied carelessly, ” The imperial gardens are a forbidden segment of Lingzhu Mountain. The commoners cannot enter and know that full well. However, there remains the possibility that some lord or envoy might have accidentally stumbled in while hunting and touring.”

Meng Fuyao blinked, and it dawned upon her suddenly. ” Zhan Beiye?”

Zhangsun Wuji smiled.” And that famous little tail.”

“Did Zhuzhu come too?” Meng Fuyao remarked happily. “All us fools have gathered once more.”

After pondering the issue for a while, she realized something was amiss. “Are you up to something again? For example, luring the people who are out to find me to Zhan Beiye so that you have the opportunity to kidnap me?”

Zhangsun Wuji smiled but did not deny it. He looked into the distance.” The Emperor of Dahan isn’t too stupid either. He lured himself to Ya Lanzhu.”

Meng Fuyao facepalmed. “Poor Zhuzhu…”

“Why do you not take pity on me?” Zhangsun Wuji sighed. “Ever since I met you, I haven’t managed to rest.”

Meng Fuyao nudged him. “Why not return to Wuji? You haven’t been there in ages.”

“I have returned,” said Zhangsun Wuji expressionlessly. “I returned to Wuji before coming to Xuanyuan. My apologies, I am unable to abandon my responsibilities.”

“Why should you apologize?” replied Meng Fuyao. “Your home country is, too, your responsibility. A responsible man is a true man.”

Zhangsun Wuji smiled and looked at her solemnly, sighing. “Fuyao, you are so perfect sometimes that you make me both proud and afraid…”

Proud that she was such an open-minded and cheerful girl, born to be a queen and looked up to, yet afraid that she would soar to such heights that many others could not help but to follow and chase after her.

Meng Fuyao merely smiled, thinking, ‘There is no perfect being on this Earth, only two halves of a whole that fit so well that they are perfect in each others’ eyes.’

“Let’s go. People are coming.” She pushed Zhangsun Wuji. “Since you are here, you probably know what I want to do. Whether you want to help, plan to help, it is all up to you. Zong Yue is no Zhan Beiye. The effects of Zong Yue taking back the throne, and his revenge is something I cannot predict. So, please use an objective perspective to deal with Xuanyuan and don’t have any reservations because of me.”

“Okay.” Zhangsun Wuji rubbed her forehead and stood up. “Remember I am in Kunjing, by your side.”

Meng Fuyao smiled, sitting on the floor as she watched him leave. Under the dappled light, the gaze of the man who turned back was filled with so much love. Meng Fuyao’s eyes followed his back as it gradually disappeared in the horizon. She slowly took off the pair of tree leaf earrings, trying to read the words carved on them.

A miniature carving. Meng Fuyao squinted her eyes, reading what was carved onto one of the earrings, Meng Fuyao.

The other earring, Yuan Zhaoxu.

Under the glorious sunset, her lips curled up into a smile as she previously encapsulated the pair of earrings in her palms.

When the guards of Xuanyuan found the Empress, they spotted her squatting in the forest and skillfully waving her knife to peel away the skin of the deer.

Seeing the sweaty guards rushed over, the Empress lifted her bloody knife and proudly declared, “This deer looks delicious. We have meat to eat tonight.”

Xuanyuan Min quickly arrived too with a bunch of concubines following behind him. Meng Fuyao immediately served up a pail of deer blood to Consort Xian that was stuck to Xuanyuan Min like chewed gum.

“Deer blood is the best for nourishing your health. It is also renowned for its beautifying effects. Would Consort Xian like some?”

The dignified and honorable Consort Xian’s gaze landed on the bucket of blood and then onto the smiling Meng Fuyao’s face, which was covered in splatters of deer blood. Without a word, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she fainted.

She really fainted this time round.

Meng Fuyao signaled the same to other concubines, but with the exception of Tang Yi Guang and Jian Xue who sipped a little, the rest avoided it like the plague.

“Consort Xian has a weak constitution. Consort Jade, you share the same tent with her so please take care of her,” said Meng Fuyao.

Jian Xue quickly agreed and personally brought Consort Xian back.

Xuanyuan Min pointed his whip and excitedly asked, “My Empress, I’ve heard that this Lingzhu Mountain has plenty of strange beasts in deep parts of this forest. That white deer is one of them. I’ve heard that you have great archery skills and horse-riding skills, are you interested in competing against me?”

“Of course!” Meng Fuyao wriggled her eyebrows. “6 hours. The one with the most prey wins!”

“Very well!” Xuanyuan Min declared with a rare trace of heroism. He turned back to order his guards, “None of you are allowed to follow us, only An Zi and Little An. I want to have a fair fight with the Empress!”

While the guards were hesitating, Xuanyuan Min had already bolted out on his horse. Meng Fuyao followed suit swiftly, and the guards were quickly left behind.

Meng Fuyao moved closer to Xuanyuan Min and asked, “What’s up?”

“Xuanyuan is about to take action!” Xuanyuan Min smiled coldly. “I don’t know what medicine he’s been eating, but I heard that his mistress is now pregnant.”

“Mhm?” This news caught her by surprise. She once heard that Xuanyuan Cheng’s ability to reproduce was secretly ruined by Zong Yue. So where did this child come from?

“He has probably thought it through and decided that I could never inherit his great rule and he’ll never have another child. The child in his mistress’ stomach is most probably a lie, and when 10 months have passed, and it’s time to give birth, he’ll just take a child from his family.” Xuanyuan Min revealed a cold smile as he bit down on his lips. “I’ve just received the news that, coincidentally, his cousin’s wife is pregnant.”

Meng Fuyao remained silent. ‘After waiting for so many years, Xuanyuan Cheng has finally decided to take this course of action. Since he has decided to continue his lineage in this manner, he’ll definitely be snatching the throne this time round.’

“I guess we wouldn’t be hunting for anything exotic today…” Meng Fuyao sighed. “Both the Empress and emperor have, unfortunately, met with danger and lost their lives? No wonder he didn’t come.”

“So we cannot stay at the base. It is littered with enemies. Nor can I inform my people to protect me, that would be equivalent of telling Xuanyuan Cheng who belongs to me. We can only hide.”

“Isn’t it dangerous out here too? Just you and I hunting, anything can happen.”

“In the deep forest of Lingzhu Mountain, there is a route to exit. Once we get there, there will be someone to receive us. I do not know what methods Xuanyuan Cheng will use to kill us, but it will definitely not be a simple ambush.”

Meng Fuyao listened quietly, a little absentmindedly. Somehow, she seemed to be listening to the sounds of the wind from afar. After a while, she turned back and made eye contact with Shadow Blade.

Xuanyuan Min also frowned.

Meng Fuyao commented, “Not a simple ambush as expected.”

She looked around the surroundings. The thick evening mist and the verdant and lush trees. Looking over from their direction, there seemed to be vague sounds of soldiers and horses. But no matter how fast they were, they still could not move forward.

Formation.

A formation that made use of the position of the mountains, the rivers, the sun, and the moon, causing one to enter this supreme formation.

Meng Fuyao sighed softly. “Fog.”

Everything in nature was part of the formation.

A rock could suddenly take the shape of a tree. A bird might turn into a flying rock instantly. The fallen tree could become a trap that one would fall in, only to find that one’s legs were still firmly rooted to the ground the next second and instead, a fiery flame would be descending from above.

The bright platinum disc hanging in the lonely sky seemed to be guiding one to the correct route. But following the moonlight would only lead one to the depths of the abyss. As one tried to trace his or her road back, they would only turn to the realization that the moonlight was on the other side. But at this point in time, following the moonlight was no longer a safe bet and looking up once more, the moon was the sky.

Cutting down trees to reveal its growth rings. Walking in the direction where trees were aged would lead one to the nests of snakes and in the direction where trees were relatively young would bring one to thorn bushes.

And that damn mist, it wasn’t in chunks, but rather, like pieces of cloth torn apart into pieces, appearing at a perfect timing. For instance, if it was an abyss right in front of someone, that fog would cover their eyes. Perhaps only for a moment, but it would be the moment of death for them.

That was how An Zi died—he carelessly stepped forward to find that it was the edge of the cliff. He felt that something was wrong and immediately stepped back, grabbing onto Xuanyuan Min in a pinch. The two fell down together and then… Xuanyuan Min came back up.

Meng Fuyao did not question how he returned; Shadow Blade remained expressionless. Regardless of whether An Zi had sacrificed to send Xuanyuan Min back up or Xuanyuan Min had stepped onto An Zi to climb up, there was no point in pursuing the truth any longer.

And so, a life was quietly taken away on this ordinary hill.

Because of Fog, a small part of the mountain was transformed into the arena of death. Danger lurked at every corner, hidden behind the mist and even the most ordinary of things could become a weapon of death.

What was worse was that this formation had no pattern to determine what was physical and what was a mere illusion. Meng Fuyao thought that she spotted a pattern, and when she had noticed a trap covered with grass, she believed it to be an illusion. She thought that it’d definitely be safe to walk over, but then suddenly, there was nothing beneath her and gravity pulled her downwards.

But a strong pair of hands grabbed onto her.

Meng Fuyao looked up and saw Shadow Blade’s eyes looking back. He had been walking by her side the entire time, sandwiching her between Xuanyuan Min and himself. She knew that he wasn’t afraid of Xuanyuan Min using underhanded methods on him, but rather he was afraid that Xuanyuan Min would use him as a stepping stone in the face of danger.

Seeing her grateful gaze, Shadow Blade smiled gently. “Careful,” he muttered.

In this dark night, everyone’s face seemed to be a little blurred; except for his. He was as strikingly beautiful, like a piece of art carved on an obsidian gem. His husky voice seemed to be more gentle than usual, bringing warmth.