18 The Mysterious Man

The next day, Li Juan woke up even before the alarm. She was excited to meet the head monk, so she quickly got freshened up and went to wake Tang Wei Sheng who was sleeping next door.

"Good morning." Li Juan greeted him.

"Good morning sweetheart." Tang Wei Sheng flashed his radiant smile. "Did you sleep well?

"Yes. How about you?"

"I couldn't sleep properly." Tang Wei Sheng replied with a dispirited voice.

"Why?"

"Well, I am not a rock or metal. I am a man with blood and flesh and of course with a lot of feelings. How can I sleep peacefully when a beauty sleeps next door?" Tang Wei Sheng smiled mischievously.

Li Juan's face immediately turned into a deep shade of red.

"Give it a break, she shyly told and hid her face from him. Head monk allowed us to meet him at 7.30 am. So get ready soon."

"Yes, ma'am," Tang Wei Sheng replied as if he received a military command.

Li Juan smiled and ruffled his hair.

Why he is so cute?

Li Juan and Tang Wei Sheng waited in the courtyard in front of the meditation hall. The sun has risen but the climate was still chilly. Since they were near to the mountain ranges, there was an immense drop in temperature.

Even though the atmosphere was not clear, the outline of Tu mountain ranges was vaguely visible from the courtyard.

Li Juan looked at the huge mountain range not so far away. If they couldn't find the map, they have to climb that giant mountain to enter into the lost city.

"Just imagine climbing the mountain without any proper route? It will be a Herculean task." Li Juan said to Tang Wei Sheng.

Suddenly they were called inside to meet the head monk.

Head monk was sitting in the balcony which faced the mountain. He was a man in his eighties. His face was covered with many wrinkles, but his moist eyes and soothing smile gave him a welcoming and kind appeal.

Tang Wei Sheng and Li Juan bowed before him and introduced themselves.

"Please take a seat,"

Both of them sat on the floor mat.

"Xiao Li," head monk addressed her with a smile. "I thought you will come with the other man." He said calmly.

Li Juan looked at him and Tang Wei Sheng with confusion.

"Oh, Professor Han. Sorry master, due to some unavoidable work, he was unable to visit you." Li Juan said politely.

"Xiao Li, so you are looking for the route map to Jade land." Head Monk said with a smile. it was not a question, it was a statement.

Li Juan was surprised. She never mentioned about the route map. And the monk already knew that she came for it.

"Yes," Li Juan replied clearly.

"It will be a pleasure to give you that route map." He smiled and continued, "but before that let me make sure that you are eligible for having it?"

Li Juan was expecting something like that. The head monk was planning to test her knowledge.

"Yes, master." Li Juan replied in a steady voice.

"What made a young lady like you to get interested in searching for the lost jade land?" Head monk's question was simple and direct.

A calm smile appeared in Li Juan's face.

"I saw a dream."

A silence filled in between them. Only the whistling of a mountain wind was audible.

Tang Wei Sheng looked at Li Juan with shock. She was researching something that she saw in her dream?

"On my 18th birthday night, I saw a dream." Li Juan said.

"And what was it?"

"I saw a queen." Li Juan remembered the fragments of that dream.

Li Juan was standing alone on a battlefield. It was covered with dead bodies and the ground has become red and wet by the spilt blood.

The field was covered with black soot and she was desperately searching for a way out. Suddenly someone called her name.

The black soot slowly faded and the whole field covered with peaceful white light.

There weren't any dead bodies, there weren't any blood pools- Only white light

At the end of the battlefield, she saw a linear silhouette.

Li Juan ran towards it.

It was a woman.

Li Juan looked at the woman who stood before her.

What a beauty!

Like a white lotus bloomed in the murky water she stood in the gory battlefield filled with dead bodies

In a gust of wind, her long black hair was fluttering all around making a perfect contrast with her pure white Hanfu. On her hair, she wore a jade hair ornament with five coloured gemstones and a phoenix.

In a flash, a red flower bloomed where her heart is situated and it started bleeding as someone stabbed her. The white Hanfu has turned into red and it dripped blood.

She was injured and sinking. Li Juan tried to help her. But some invisible barrier was separating her with the queen.

"Save mmm…" those were the final words of the queen.

"Majesty," Li Juan called her and rushed to help her. But the invisible barrier stopped Li Juan from saving her.

The Queen looked at her with agonizing eyes.

Gradually the whole battlefield became blurred before Li Juan.

"No, no!!!!"

Li Juan woke up from the nightmare; she was profusely sweating and panting. It was just a bad dream- but the queen's voice rang in her ears " save".

"After that, I saw the same dream numerous times, and every time she asked me to save her." Li Juan explained her dream.

"Did the Queen ask you to save her?" There was a bit of surprise in Head monk's face.

"Hmm, every single time I've tried, I've always ended up failing. I was unable to save her and that regret made me remain agitated for several days.

I couldn't forget her request.

I was curious to know why I saw a dream like that or whether it had any connections with me.

I wanted to know, who was she, so I began to search various history texts." Li Juan excitedly said.

"I didn't know where to start, the only thing I remembered was that jade hair Pin.

It had five coloured gemstones – white, yellow, blue-green, red and black- which represented the five elements of nature.

The phoenix, the symbol of the queen, It gave me a direction to start. I began to search kingdoms which worshipped nature. I almost swept through all the history texts in the library. But I couldn't find anything.

After 3 years, I have met Professor Han Guang who was studying about a lost city. I shared my thoughts with him and gradually we concluded that the crown might've belonged to the Jade land queen." Li Juan stopped for a moment.

"I still don't know why I saw a dream like that, but I wanted to know what happened to Jade land and its Queen."

"So that's what made you search for Jade land?" Monk smiled in satisfaction and signalled his assistant, Mu Hong. Mu Hong left the room silently.

"Are you going to save the queen?" Head monk asked Li Juan.

"It was a dream." Li Juan replied with a confused look.

"Yes. It was. But dreams have connections with your unconscious mind.

Did you remember the queen's face?" Head monk asked her.

"I am not sure about it. But I saw myself as the queen." Li Juan said with a low voice.

"Yes. It is." A satisfactory smile spread on monk's face. "Dreams symbolise the repressed feelings of your unconscious mind. Or they may signal something going on your real life.

So Why don't you figure it out what is happening in your real life?"

Mu Hong came back with a small box. He gave that to the head monk. It was a small palm-sized box made up of white jade and in the centre of it, 5 coloured gemstones were arranged.

Head monk gave that box into Li Juan's hand.

Li Juan was astonished to see the five coloured gemstones on the box. It was similar to the stones she saw in the Queen's hairpin.

"It is a map drawn by a Jadeland princess for the man she loved." Head Monk described it.

"But why? Why do you make a route map?" Li Juan was surprised.

"Jade land people were one of a kind, their rules of living, beliefs everything was different from others. They were considered as the sacred clan, so they discouraged mixing up their blood with others." Head Monk started to explain the story behind the map

"But the princess fell in love with someone else from another kingdom. And all she could ask her man to come and find her place and earn the trust of her people.

But weirdly enough, The Jade land people treated their women as treasure, you cannot buy a treasure you must earn it.

It is a map only in the right hands for others it is a puzzle which will test the intelligence.

I hope you can solve it." Head Monk concluded his words and looked at Li Juan hopefully.

"I will take a look and give it back to you." Li Juan assured him.

"No need, you can keep this. After all, you're the one who is going to save our queen." Head monk gave the jade box covered in red cloth to Li Juan.

Li Juan felt like she was receiving an award or something.

For her, the moment that box handed over to was the second-best moment of her whole life. And the best moment in her life was nothing but when Tang Wei Sheng accepted her feelings.

"Xiao Li, let this bring you towards your destination or maybe the man whom you are waiting for." Head monk blessed her.

Li Juan looked at Tang Wei Sheng for a moment and thanked the monk.

The man she waited for a long time, he has finally found her.

"Thank you so much, master." They both bowed in front of the head monk to show gratitude.

"I wish both of you, success." Tang Wei Sheng and Li Juan were practically on cloud nine when they left head monk's room. They bid farewell to the monks and left for the mansion in the Xi city.

"What do you think sweetheart?" Tang Wei Sheng asked the excited girl sitting beside him.

"I am just happy senior Tang...completely happy. I thought he will not give me that map. But he said I can have it."

Tang Wei Sheng patted her shoulders.

"I am happy for you."

On the way to the hillside mansion in Xi city, Li Juan called her colleagues and informed them about them the map and shared excitement and happiness. She was totally in a cheerful mood.

Tang Wei Sheng also felt good that they have finally obtained some solid evidence.

When they reached the H town, Tang Wei Sheng stopped the car.

"Sweetheart?" He called Li Juan.

"Yes. What happened are you okay?" Li Juan was concerned about his health.

"I got some business here. I think we have to part our ways here." Tang Wei Sheng said in a disappointed voice.

"Manager Zhang is on the way."

"I can drive you home but..." Tang Wei Sheng looked concerned.

"There is no need. It will be wasting your time. I can drive." Li Juan suggested.

"Should I call a driver?" Tang Wei Sheng took his phone.

Li Juan stopped him before he could make a call.

"No sweetheart. It's dangerous; I don't want you to drive to Xi city. You sit back and enjoy the view." He kissed her palm and called Manager Zhang to arrange a driver. After fifteen minutes, manager Zhang Zi Zhong came with his driver. He greeted Tang Wei Sheng.

"Good morning Mr Zhang." Li Juan greeted him.

"Morning Miss Li, you look lovely." He complimented her.

"CEO Tang, you could've told me to arrange a room to stay. You didn't have to stay at the monastery." Manager Zhang complained.

"It was a great experience. I swear it was the best night I've ever had." Tang Wei Sheng was true about his words.

It was the best night he ever had. When compared to his bedroom the cottage wasn't even spacious and there wasn't any heater or proper bed. Nor do any fancy lights. He stayed in a small room, ate simple meals and slept in a futon and shared meaningful moments with the woman he loved.

He was satisfied beyond his heart's content.

"I will come back as soon as possible. Have a safe journey." Tang Wei Sheng patted li Juan's shoulder and led her to the car. He opened car's door for her.

"Call me when you reach there." Tang Wei Sheng smiled and bid farewell.

"CEO Tang, what do you want to buy?" Manager Zhang asked as soon as Li Juan's car left their eyesight.

In the middle of yesterday's night, Tang Wei Sheng asked him to come to the H town and look for a souvenir shop.

"Manager Zhang, I need a ring. A green jade ring, to be exact;" Tang Wei Sheng informed his need.

"All you need is a ring?" Zhang Zi Zhong went speechless.

Well, he couldn't complain, H town was famous for being the repository of Jade. But why Tang Wei Sheng called him and asked to come to this town – that too help him to find a ring; H town gemstones are available all over the country.

CEO Tang is certainly eccentric.

"It's for my girlfriend." Tang Wei Sheng smiled.

"I am going to ask her hand on marriage."

"Congratulations CEO Tang," Zhang Zi Zhong congratulated him.

"Let's go to Bai Jewellers, they are the best when comes to gemstones."

Li Juan's car was in the traffic signal.

It was an intersection where the calm and quiet H town meets the buzzing streets of Xi city entrance.

Even though it was a city, the roads were bordered with plum blossoms. The sidewalks and parks filled with people who came to take a look at the beautiful view.

Li Juan looked at the overwhelmed expressions filled in the onlookers. All of them appeared happy.

Suddenly Li Juan's eyes met with someone. It was a man. In the middle of happy faces, he looked different

His tall stature made him distinguishable from others. Even though he was covered in a black trench coat, one could easily identify his well-built physique.

He stood there in the sidewalk, gazing at Li Juan. A Mysterious cold aura surrounded him.

His striking face had messy stubble beard which made him oddly attractive.

If his eyes weren't blinking Li Juan would have believed that he was a living statue.

His exceptionally attractive features contrasted with his enigmatic face. However, his obsidian eyes contained a longing expression.

Even though both of them were separated by 50 m distance from each other, Li Juan felt uneasiness.

Why those eyes look familiar?

Did he know her?

Did she meet him before?

He was a random pedestrian, but why he looked so familiar?

Where did she meet him? Li Juan immersed in her thoughts.

Suddenly Li Juan remembered that dream she had in the flight when they were travelling to Xi city.

It was him, the man who shot an arrow at her,

the man who tried to kill her.

A cold wave embalmed Li Juan as the hairs rose on the back of her neck and her mouth ran dry.

She did not dare to look at him.

Suddenly the traffic lights turned green and the driver started the car.

Li Juan sighed in relief and took a glance at the Mysterious man for the last time.

There was no one in the place where he stood, only pink Plum petals whirling down in the wind like snow.