(Part 3)
Xianwu climbed towards the heavenly palace. The sight was better than yesterday when Yeying visited, mostly everything was back to order. The buildings which were destroyed by the poisonous rain were immediately repaired while the plants grew back to normal. Looking ahead she entered the Heavenly palace walking closer towards the throne.
Tracing the figure of the heavenly emperor she bowed under his throne. "Greetings to the emperor, Yue Xianwu has arrived as told…" she greeted. Before she could bow low Zhijun caught her arm and lifted her head up. "No need to bow, there's no one here, you are not allowed to bow in front of Me." he said. His tone was serious yet it held a slight tint of unhappiness. Xianwu stood straight facing him head on. "You left the demon city?" Zhijun asked while eyeing a scroll on his golden emerald table. Xianwu nodded.
Zhijun opened the scroll gazing at it for a minute. Turning around he asked "Come here… show me your wings" Xianwu walked over to him where his throne stood she faced him with her back. Two silver pairs of small wings even lighter than the sun's reflection breathe up and down trembling. Zhijun tapped lightly. His fingers passed through them "With their condition, it's likely they will lose their power after 5 to 6 days. In that case I am giving you an easy task, when you complete it, come back to me." he told. Xianwu turned around and replied "kindly enlighten me…"
"In the mortal world, there is a mountain going by the name "Spirit Sealing Mountain." There is a village which is located with its largest river. For years that village has been prosperous, but for some time there has been many rumours, Kids of age below 10 are drastically getting kidnapped. There is no clue of how it happens, however, on the full moon night of every new month, a child or two gets kidnapped. Be it they are in houses or under their parents care they still vanish." explained Zhijun. "The villagers there say it's a demon who controls their children leading them to the wrong path but some say the demon changes the minds of the children's parents, making them leave them in the end. At the end of the day the point is no one knows who does it or how it happens, many of them took precaution on every fortnight but still it's no use…" he continued while sitting on the throne.
Xianwu pondered "Every fortnight a child vanishes up to age of 10… none knows if it's a ghost or parents behaviour…" Xianwu in an instant asked "How many children are kidnapped?" Zhijun replied "Up to 24 children have been kidnapped and there are no traces of them in the mountains when the villagers checked." Xianwu thought "So it's been going on for almost a year…" "Mostly are they girls or boys?" she asked. "Mostly boys and this has been going on for more than a year now, the village is almost deserted. An incident like this happened 18 years ago as well but it stopped after kidnapping of 2 kids and soon everyone forgot but now this, has caused an indescribable fear amongst many of those living there…" Said Zhijun. Xianwu nodded in response as she held the scroll and looked at the given information.
"So your majesty… you want me to find the one behind it and stop this incident once and for all right?" she asked. Her eyes flashed with solemnity. Zhijun nodded looking at her. "Once you are done with it, Even if you can't come back to me, your merits will enlighten your wings after a while… don't panic. Tell Feixing or Fenghuang to send you people to help, the mission is not as easy as you think…" he told. Xianwu nodded in return. "Xianwu…" Zhijun called as she faced him. "What about your powers?" he asked. Xianwu's expression widened as she remembered. The time she was about to die before she could take a whole thousand arrows her heavenly power vanished on the 777th one and she finally passed away. Zhijun could not do anything as well, only if Xianwu would have been reborn as a heavenly supreme again maybe she could but right now there was no chance. She was empty from top to bottom only getting her life refilled with his help was more than a favour she could handle. Her expression blackened. "My lord… you don't need to worry. Yue Xianwu might be powerless but she is still filled with divine will and even if I am reborn again I won't lose it."
This was the least she could do to comfort herself. Zhijun spoke "How about your blade?" He asked in return. Xianwu replied "The day I died was the day the Moonblade died… I don't have the right to yield it anymore…" she replied. The time she died her blade was fighting for her but the moment she died it fell onto the ground, in her sight it got trampled and ridiculed. Rather than yielding it. Even if she finds it there's no way she could face it. "My lord! I am alright. Even if I don't have my powers or my blade, I still have many ways up my sleeve. On this task I won't disappoint you. Kindly trust me once more!" she asked with confidence. Zhijun looked at her with his unwavering eyes, he nodded slightly. "Then go… solve it for me and come back safely…" he said. Xianwu made her way outside the heavenly palace as Zhijun stared at her. "After all that happened she never lost her nobility…" he exclaimed smiling.
Xianwu engrossed in the scroll walked past the heavenly street and towards the famous tea shop where Meizhen and the others waited. Xianwu joined them. "I am back!" she called. "Welcome back!" replied Meizhen hugging her. "All free?" asked Fenghuang with a smile. Xianwu nodded. "So what about the mission?" asked Shentong as he drank tea. Xianwu replied as she took the cup in her hands. "For the mission I would have to go down to the mortal world and find a place to live there for a while until I solve the mission. And once I'm done with it I will return back to the heavenly palace to report it…" she explained. Feixing asked "So for the very first thing, you have to go to the mortal world and find the place to stay right?" Xianwu sighed "Indeed." She replied.
"How about we help you?" asked Meizhen. Xianwu kindly rejected her offer. She was still not a respectable character in the eyes of the people of the heavenly city, Furthermore if she would ask for their help her impression might be tainted to the very end of being dirt. "I am thankful. You all are kind, but if this task is given by the emperor himself then I might need to do it myself as well." she told. Meizhen and the others looked at each other worriedly. "If you say so then we respect your decision." said Fenghuang with a smile. "When will you leave?" asked Shentong.
Xianwu drank the last sip of her tea replying "Right now… I am leaving right now…" she said. "My life force is maximum to 6 days, if I don't complete the mission on time I might not survive anymore." she continued. Feixing nodded. "Then be careful, join our group transmission and ask for anything if you need us!" told Meizhen as Xianwu entered the transmission group. "Don't worry Shashou is also there if you need to ask anything regarding your case then feel free to disturb him as well!" she said. Xianwu smiled as she walked towards the Ascension plane waving them all one last time. Meizhen looked at her worried. "I wonder if she would be fine?" she whispered.
"Lady Meizhen, you friend came after a long time. Though powerless now. I don't think you should really worry like that. Trusting her right now might give her hope." Comforted Fenghuang smiling. Meizhen smiled "I guess so I'll do that. The thought of her dying again makes me very scared…" she thought. Feixing looked at Xianwu walking back. "Princess Yue Xianwu… let's see how you rise to your glory once again." He thought.
Xianwu walked towards the Ascension plane. "I am going to see the mortal world again after so long… only she thought of it gets me exited!" she thought. Suddenly she bumped into someone. "Ouch… I'm sorry. Kindly forgive…" she apologized. However, the moment she gazed at the figure before her, she halted. Her steps froze and her expression widened gazing at the 2 figures in front of her. Those figures were the last ones she wanted to meet at that very moment. Her hands trembled and her voice vanished. Xianwu was lost. The sight of those two made her remember her past.
One of them with a grand physic, his arms strong and expression cold his name was "Shijei Enren" (World's Benefactor). In Xianwu's eyes he was amongst the most trustworthy people she could ever trust, in the past he was her royal knight. Guarding her day and night without a question, without complaint but a single misunderstanding caused a great edge between them. Likewise, the other one was "Senlin Nuwang" (Lady of the forest). For Xianwu Senlin's existence was like an elder sister, in the past she took care of her every possible belonging, with her by her side she was able to stand with confidence. Her and Xianwu's connection was much deeper as she was adopted as the royal caretaker of Xianwu giving her a great reputation in the kingdom, but in the end she was the first one betray her.
Seeing her two most important people in front of her made fearful enough to face everything in return making Xianwu bow her head in shame. Xianwu slightly clutched her scroll with her head bowed low. "General Shijei… General Senlin… How destine meeting you here, hope you are alright?" she asked. Her voice trembling while she gulped. Senlin and Shijei looked at each other as Senlin spoke "How could it be destiny? We walked from our palaces to meet you here!" she told annoyingly. Xianwu flinched "If that is so… then I apologise for making you…" she said. Her voice trailing into a light whisper. "Your apology doesn't change the fact that we walked here…" said Senlin irritatingly. Xianwu smiled bitterly unable to reply back.
"Then I don't think I can do anything, kindly excuse me…" she said. Excusing herself was the only way to leave this invisible hell of taunts. "Your leaving won't change the fact that our heavenly palace are destroyed by you and that ominous star." said Senlin. Xianwu confusedly asked "Pardon?" "When did that happen?" she thought.
"The time you were called in the heavenly palace. The rain created by that demon king, corroded the roofs our palaces and withered our plants, so to tell you the truth our heavenly palaces are roofless, not useful to even be slept inside!" explained Shijei with irritation. Xianwu looked at the two of them with her soul leaving her "What in the world!! That Yeying?! Why did he had to be so extreme? Right now I don't even have merits to increase my life, how will I compensate for the loss of their palaces roofs!? And most of all why did you burn the roofs of only the two of them?? Xianwu thought as sweats fell down her forehead like melting glacier on a sunny day. Xianwu turned around clearing her throat "Forgive me, I never knew this happened. I just got my first task today, when I finish It, I will receive merits the remaining ones… I'll give them to you to compensate all your losses." she said offering a preferable deal.
"With a single task how much do you think you will repay us?" asked Senlin with irk. Xianwu was stunned for a while. Not because they were talking back to her like this nor how they were continuously mocking her every choice. But how easily they forgot the relationship they had before. "Ah… is this karma?" Xianwu thought to herself. She spoke "If not a single task can compensate you… then I'll compensate you after completing my every single task. Each one will have your share how does it sound?" she asked with a broken smile. "I don't think I have anything else to give you right now, so kindly excuse me…" she said walking back. Talking to them was like pressing thorns to her heart deliberately. "Xianwu!" called Shijei. Xianwu halted but didn't turn around afraid she won't be able to hold back her tears with just a single glance.
"Do you think you can do everything on your own?" he asked. Xianwu never responded. "Once you settle down… we'll come for you, be prepared!" he told. Xianwu confusedly walked away with a single nod. Walking towards the Ascension plane Xianwu thought "Come back? Why? So you could taunt me more? I don't wish for you to come… if you did, I think might lose my last bit of dignity as well…"
Xianwu took a deep breath standing straight gazing at the unlimited sky. "Ahh… I once wanted to reach there too…" she thought. Suddenly her figure vanished from the Ascension plane and instantly it began floating in midair. Xianwu's eyes widened as she looked at the world in her eyes. Even after a 1000 years the sight she saw never changed, moreover it became more innovated. The grassland which were once live less were busted with villages. The rivers and lakes unknown by the people were now discovered. It was a majestic sight. All worries she had a moment ago was washed away.
Once left but never forgotten. A smile escaped her lips while she opened the scroll. "It's so good to be home…" she thought. "So… I'll have to land on the mountain… but, right now I'm in…" she said immediately stopping in between her sentence. Soon a sudden realisation hitting her brain. "What??! Where am I? Why am I flying? Where will I land? How will I land!!" she shouted in the midair. The moonlit nightingale looked at Xianwu in shock as he himself fluttered its wings. "Waaaah…" she yelled tightly gripping the nightingale into her embrace as she fell from the sky. "I don't even have my powers. If I were to fall on a land I might as well be dead. It would be better if it's a see. But still…" she thought in a frenzy hugging the nightingale tightly. "May heavens grace be bestowed and all blessings unrestrained!" she thought.