Who are you? (2)

(Narrator's pov)

Out of all the kingdoms in the land, the kingdom of Ming was considered the strongest of all. But what makes them so strong was the origins of two families, the Ming Clan, and the royal family. When the kingdom was first created, there were two people, one became the first emperor of Ming, and the other became the emperor's right-hand man, a general who battled and conquered all for his master.

They weren't just strong because of their skills, but it was the blood that they carried that put them ahead of others. The emperor was a direct descendant of the dragon, while the general was a direct descendant of the phoenix. Both carried the blood of two of the most powerful magical creatures that ever existed.

The two men made an oath to each other. One that must be kept as long as both bloodlines continue.

General: "I, general Ming, swear to always be loyal to the emperor and to only take orders from him and no one else. I promise to keep this all a secret until the day I die. My descendants shall also be bounded to this oath until the day where the Ming Clan no longer stands. And if there is a day when the Ming Clan betrays the emperor, whatever punishments shall come, we will accept it all without a single word."

Emperor: "I, emperor of Ming, swear to always trust and listen to the people of the Ming Clan. They shall be my sworn brothers. I promise to be a wise emperor and choose a wise emperor from my descendant to not make the Ming Clan's loyalty vain. And if a day comes where I betray the Ming Clan, let the dragons fall, and the phoenix rise. Let this oath be bound to my descendants. And only when an heir has been officially chosen will they know of the Ming Clan. Until the day when the dragon blood is no longer flowing, these secrets shall never be known by the world."

Both families, bloodlines never became weaker as generations passed by. It was only who was stronger or who was weaker. The royal family was blessed by the dragon and lived long lives. They were smarts, strong, and it wasn't easy to kill them. For the Ming Clan, they were able to transform into any animal that they wanted to, and they had magical powers that allowed them to clone themselves, but how well the clone worked depended on how strong their powers were. They also have their own mystical dimension that allowed them to store all sorts of things in there. And the last ability that they have is to make fake human skin. This skill allowed them to change their appearances and others during vital times.

(BaiLing's pov)

After talking to my brother, I headed back to my room. The outfit I wore was already simple, but the dress was still fancy in its own way. So, when I got back, I went and changed into something even simpler.

Once I finished changing, I went to the bathroom right next door to wash my face. When I came back, I noticed someone outside of my room, and from the feels of it, it was my brother. I went outside and looked around to see where he was. No one was in sight, but a little sparrow was perched on the tree in my courtyard.

"Ahh, so that's where he is," I thought.

Me: "Brother, isn't it tiring to stay as a sparrow? Why don't you come down? I know you want to talk to me about something. "

Within seconds, he flew down from the tree branch and turned back into human.

He stood there staring at me, not saying a single word. He stared as if I would disappear any second, and he didn't want to forget what I looked like.

Me: "Brother, what is it? If you don't say anything, I'm going to go to the kitchen."

After two minutes, he finally moved and dragged me back into my room and sat me down at the table. He looked at me with an expression of anger and worry at the same time.

When he finally spoke up, the first thing he said to me was.

"Are you alright?"

From the way he was talking and looking at me, I guessed that he had heard from father about the engagement.

I smiled at him and said.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Brother: "But..."

Me: "Ge, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

(Ge or Gege is older brother in Chinese)

Brother: "How can you be okay? Ling'er, this is your marriage we're talking about. You and I both know that this isn't what you want. Besides, don't you remember about our family's history?"

(Ling'er is BaiLing's nickname that her family calls her by.)

Me: "I do remember. But what can we do? This is orders from the emperor. Besides, it's more than enough for our family that you can find true love."

Brother: "What?! How is it good enough for just me to be happy? What about you? Ling'er, you deserve happiness just as much as anyone else does."

Me: "Ge, we are bounded to an oath. We can go back on that oath, just like how our family needs to find true love. It's something that we can't run away from. Besides, I don't feel burdened by it, so don't worry."

Brother: "I don't care about that oath! What I care about is you! Ling'er, you've done more than enough for the royal family. How many times have you risked your life for the 9th prince?! How many years have you spent protecting him in secret? Is it not enough, now you have to marry him?! Our family made an oath to protect the emperor, but that doesn't mean we have to be bound to them like this. I don't care what punishment I have to go through. If it's for you, I will go and stop the emperor!"

My brother was so worked up. His face was turning red, and his voice was getting louder by the minute. He has never had the best temper. He couldn't hold it back very well whenever he got mad, but otherwise, he was always a very laidback person.

I smiled dryly and told him.

"Ge, don't worry about it, okay? I'm truly okay. Let me handle this, okay? Trust me."

Brother: "But..."

Me: "Ge, did you forget who I am? I'm the Demon General. I'm the general of the Ghost Army, feared by everyone. There's no need to worry. I can handle this."

After calming him down, he agreed to let me take care of this. He then left, and I went to the kitchen to check on dinner.

(Narrator's pov)

BaiLing made her way to the kitchen and opened the door upon arriving. Everyone in the kitchen stopped what they were doing and greeted their young lady.

Everyone in the kitchen: "Greetings, Young lady."

BaiLing: "Please rise."

Everyone got up from their greeting position, and the head chef asked her.

"Is there anything that we can help you with?"

BaiLing: "No, I'm just here to see if dinner is ready."

Chef: "Yes, we just finished."

BaiLing: "That's great. Please bring it up and then you can all go and rest."

Chef: "Understood."

BaiLing: "Thank you."

All the staff bowed to her, and she left to go to the family room. BaiLing doesn't smile very often and carries a cold yet strong and elegant aura around her. She never mistreats her staff, instead much better than any other household. All the staff respect and pours their heart into taking care of their young lady. To BaiLing, everyone is human, no matter their status, so she treats everyone equally. That was something that she was taught since young, and she has never forgotten it.

(BaiLing's pov)

Once I finished checking on the food, I went over to our family room. My dad and brother were already there waiting. Both of their expression was grim, and I could tell they were still bothered by the news of the engagement, but couldn't do anything but trust me to handle the situation.

Me: "The food will be here soon."

My father and brother both looked up at me and nodded. I took my seat at the table, which was

between my brother and father.

Soon the food came out, and we all started to eat. As we ate, we talked about our day.

When dinner was over, we retreated back to our own courtyards.

(In China, the ancient manors had multiple courtyards, these were where the rooms were. It's not just a room area, but there will be a yard, sometimes a pond as well.)

I was about to go take a bath when I noticed someone land outside in the courtyard. From the footsteps, I could tell that it was Bai Yang, my secret guard and the vice-captain of the shadow guards.

Me: "Bai Yang, come in."

Upon hearing me, he came in and greeted me, down on one knee, bowing his head.

Bai Yang: "Greetings, Captain."

Me: "Stand up and sit down. What happened?"

Bai Yang stood up and took a seat across from and proceeded to tell me.

"The emperor summons you. He wants to see you as the lady but at the usual spot."

Me: "Did he say why he wishes to see me?"

Bai Yang shook his head.

Me: "Alright, I understand. You can go and get some rest now."

Bai Yang stood up and was just about to leave when I remembered something and stopped him. He turned back around, ready to receive his orders.

Me: "Check to see where the 9th prince's location is."

Bai Yang: "We just received a report today about him. It seems as though he is back in the capital city and has been for three days now."

Me: "Is there any reason why he's back so early. He didn't even do a celebratory parade coming back."

Bai Yang: "I don't know about that. It seems as though he just wishes to come back in secret and get some rest before others find out."

Me: "Alright. Thank you, now go and rest."

Bai Yang bowed and then left.

After Bai Yang was nowhere in sight, I got up and went to my father's study. I knock on the door, and a response came soon after.

"Who is it?"

Me: "It's me dad, BaiLing."

Dad: "Come in."

I stepped into the room to see my dad sitting at his desk, doing some reading. I couldn't help but smile. This was a sight that I was so used to seeing growing up. It looked peaceful and fun.

After closing the door, my father set his book down and looked up at me while asking.

"What's up? It's quite late now. Did something happen?"

Me: "Dad, I need to head into the palace for a bit."

Dad: "Huh? Did something happen?"

Me: "I don't know. Bai Yang came by and said that the emperor summoned me."

Dad: "But didn't he just see you earlier today?"

Me: "I don't know, but I'll be back soon."

Dad: "Alright, stay safe."

Me: "Mm, I will. And dad, don't stay up too late. It's not good for your health."

Dad laughed and nodded his head before I headed back to my room.

(Narrator's pov)

Throughout the mansion, there are many secret paths and traps set up. One of the many paths was in BaiLing's room. This path led her out to the horse stable in the back of the mansion.

Once she got back to her room, she took that path out to the back, grabbed her horse, and headed into the palace through another hidden passage.

(20 minutes later)

BaiLing finally arrived at where the emperor was waiting for her. Located deep within the palace, a small pavilion overlooking a pond.

BaiLing got off her horse and tied the reins to a tree nearby before going over to the pavilion to greet the emperor.

BaiLing: "Greetings to your majesty."

The emperor turned around and told her to rise.

The emperor took and seat down at the table and gestured for her to do the same. After she sat down, he said to her.

"The empress dowager's birthday is coming up. So, I'd like to ask a favor from you."

BaiLing nodded, and the emperor continued.

"My mother has always enjoyed dancing. That was one of the things she enjoyed doing while spending time with my father. So, for her birthday this year, I want you to perform a dance for her."