Everything went quiet all of a sudden; Chao Ya and Yue Shen leapt into the air, thinking that there’s no black suppression above them anymore; Yue Shen’s moonlight brightened up the place once again because Xing Gui had withdrawn all her black ribbons suddenly.
And then I saw the sad smile on Xing Gui’s face, just that innocent child when I first met her.
She looked at me and said. “Ge.”
I turned around to see Xing Jiu standing behind me, looking so dignified and stern in his astrology robe. His hair was flying in the wind, strand after strand.
“Ge, how did you get here?” Xing Gui asked softly, looking at Xing Jiu. At this moment, Xing Gui was like a gentle and obedient girl; like the fragile little girl whom Xing Jiu carried out of the Mystical Star Palace.
“You don’t need to know how did I get here. Xing Gui, tell me. Are you the West Guardian?”
Xing Gui didn’t say anything, and I saw a glow flashed past her eyes very quickly. “Ge, if I were to say yes, would you forgive me?” She asked, lowering her head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“I have told you before. Ka Suo is a king that I respect the most; if anyone were to hurt him in any way, I would not forgive that person. Moreover you had already killed so many people, do you not hear the voices of the souls in the sky when you sleep?”
“Ge, I don’t care about those people. I just care about you. Do you really not want to forgive me?”
“Yes, I will not forgive you.” Xing Jiu turned his back against Xing Guo and I saw big drop of tear rolling down his face, falling onto the gra.s.s.
“My king, let’s end this.” Xing Jiu told me.
“Xing Jiu, that is your younger sister…”
“I don’t have this kind of sister.” Xing Jiu cut me off.
“Ge, you really want to fight me?”
“Yes.”
“Am I not your younger sister?”
Xing Jiu looked at the sky and sighed. “My sister, Xing Jiu, is a kind and pure girl. She will lie in my arms and fall asleep peacefully but she’s already dead now. She died in my memories and she will not appear anymore.”
And then I saw Xing Gui’s tear like some shattered lights.
“Ge.” Her voice sounded like still water, feeling so calm yet one could still hear the despair in it. “Ge, if I were to know that you would not forgive me, I wouldn’t choose to live a few more hundreds of years. Maybe it would have been a good ending if I were to die in the palace at the age of two hundreds. Because you wouldn’t hate me forever.”
And then I heard the tearing sound of flesh, I saw those black ribbons went through her chest like black waves and Xing Gui fell to the ground with a thud. “Ge, ge! Why didn’t you forgive me?”
“Why didn’t you forgive me…”
The place, where Xing Gui died, has a crystal ball. That was the dream she left for her brother.
Xing Jiu stood high up at the cliff with Xing Gui lying in his arms. They looked just like the first time when I met them. Snow was falling onto his hair and shoulders and he had opened his shield to protect Xing Gui; his gaze was as warm as the lake water during spring.
“Xing Jiu, why did you come?
“Because I have been praying for my sister and you, and then I sensed that my sister is in a danger. I sensed that there are several powerful people attacking her, so I came all the way here until I saw the four of you and Xing Gui standing in the centre. At that moment, I know the truth. She is the West Guardian.”
“Xing Jiu, I thought you doted on her a lot. But why…”
“Ka Suo, all I can say is, the love I have towards my sister isn’t anyway lesser than your love towards Yong Kong Shi. So… Please don’t talk about this anymore because everytime if you were to mention it, I feel like I’m going to die.”
“My king, I will leave you because my sister is already dead and I have no one that I want to protect now. As for you, you have become stronger and there’s no need for me to protect you anymore. I may live in the snow mountain in seclusion, staying by Xing Gui’s grave and when the grave is filled with cherry blossom flowers that time, it will also be the time when I will cry non-stop.”
“My king, you are the most respected king in my eyes. I shall pray for you forever, but for now, please let me leave.”
I couldn’t say anything when I looked at Xing Jiu’s face.
And then Xing Jiu and Xing Gui disappeared in the snow, I could vaguely hear Xing Jiu’s singing voice from afar.
—
Nightmare. Xing Gui. Snow
“My name is Xing Gui. My father doted me the most. My father is the best astrologer in Ren Xue Cheng.”
My father was the toughest man that I have ever seen; I have seen the look of him when he was standing at the highest tower of the palace, reading the stars. He looked so serious and dignified just like the black basalt Star Sacrificial altar at the snow mountain. Wind gushed upwards from his feet like a tsunami roar; his astrology robe was fluttering in the wind like a pair of black wings. He would always look like a soaring eagle to me.
Many years had pa.s.sed and time flew past like water flowing past his body and I believed this would not cause any change to him because he’s still as strong and determined as ever.“
But everytime when he saw me, sadness would appear on his face and this was when I saw my strong father shed a tear for me.
"Because I am a kid that makes everyone worries.”
When I was still a kid, my mother told me tearfully that my star sign had been disrupted and I could only live till 250 years old. Once I was over 250 years old, my life would start to have an unpredictable trail because there’s a possibility to die anytime. After that I saw tears started streaming down my mother’s face, dropping into her pure red long robe, forming tiny flower pattern on it. I stretched my hand to wipe her tear away, telling that I would continue to live my life happily even if there’s only two hundreds years for me to live on.
And then I saw my mother burst into tears.
When I was born, the whole family was very happy with my arrival because my newborn body had already possessed a thousand years of spiritual power in it. My mother told me that when I was born, my hair was already longer than her and those crystal white hairs were wrapping me within it tightly while I slept soundly in it.
My father cried out of happiness.
But I was a child that made others worry.
My father held a star reading ceremony for the newborn and my mother told me he was exceptionally happy on that day. His smile was as bright as the sun in the sky, and everyone in the family was being influenced by his happiness because they have never seen my father smiling like this before.
But when the star reading session was halfway through, the whole alter went silent all of a sudden and everyone could see the shattered star sign above my father’s star staff. My father wobbled for a moment before he fell onto the icy cold basalt rock.
“I am a broken child and I shouldn’t be born at all.” This was what I have been thinking while I was at the dungeon of Mystical Star Palace.
My body was getting weaker and even a gush of wind was enough to make me vomit blood. That day when my father carried me down to the underground dungeon, he cried again. “Xing Gui, my dear daughter, you will be absolutely safe and sound when you stay here. Father is the best astrologer so I will change the star track for you. Father will not let you die.”
I looked at my father and nodded. “Father, I believe in you. You are the greatest astrologer.”
And then I closed my eyes. But I knew it’s impossible to change the position of the stars even with my spiritual power, let alone my father.
My brother, Xing Jiu, is also a child with strong spiritual power except that he didn’t possess such strong power and weird destiny like mine.
But I loved my brother because he has been the one comforting me. “You made me want to be a better person.”
Because of this sentence, I fell into his arms to cry.
Before I reached 130 years old, I was a lonely child that lived in an underground dungeon within the palace. I have never seen the real star sign before except those on the star staff. I have never seen the snow falling on the cherry blossom trees before nor did I experience the snow falling on my shoulders as well. Never seen my own palace before, the lightest palace of the Ice Kingdom.
I could only manage to imagine these images when my brother told me about it. The more I thought about it, the more upset I got.
My brother always told me with a determined look that he would become a better person and I wouldn’t die when I reached 250 years old.
When I saw his young look, I knew I liked my brother a lot.
When my brother reached adulthood, he came to look for me after his ceremony. For one moment I thought I was looking at my father.
My brother has become a persevered astrologer like our father. I saw his pure white astrology robe and his flying long hair as he walked into the dungeon.
“Ge.” I called him slowly and blissfully.
Xing Jiu walked over to carry me up and put me on his laps. “Xing Gui, I’m getting stronger each day. Wait for me.”
I nodded and I saw my brother’s warm smile scattering all over me.
“Xing Gui, gege won’t let you die. I will change the track of the stars and then you can stay by my side. Because you are the person that made me stronger. You are my everything.”
“You are my everything.”
My brother didn’t know that I have been very upset over his words, and I kept thinking what if I were to die one day, would my tough brother cry if he didn’t find me in the dungeon?
My brother always told me about the things happening outside, including who was the king of the Ice Kingdom, who was the best illusionist and he would always mention Ka Suo’s name because my brother viewed him as the best prince in the kingdom. He’s gentle, kind and dignified. My brother always said that he’s great man and he would become the greatest king.
My brother told me that one day he would become very powerful that he could change one’s destiny and then he could bring me out of this dark prison, giving me a chance to stand on the majestic grand hall to pray for Ka Suo as I was the best astrologer.
When I saw my brother’s happy face, I thought it was for real for one moment but I knew it was just a beautiful dream; a dream that could comfort my brother and myself. I knew the last day of my life would happen either on the morning or blood red evening, but I was still grateful for my brother for giving me the hope to live on. I still felt painful and upset, it’s not for myself but for my beloved brother, Xing Jiu.
I possessed a body const.i.tution that others not have because I was still in my child form even when I reached adulthood and this was when I knew I would never grow up.
That day I didn’t want to see my brother because I would cry the moment I thought of him. My brother was already a handsome adult but I was still a kid. I didn’t want my brother to be upset when he saw me.
But it seemed like he was aware of it. He stood in the dark and spoke in his gentle voice. “Xing Gui, I know about your situation but ge has not changed in any way. I still like Xing Gui because Xing Gui is still Xing Gui, no matter how much you have changed, you are still Xing Gui.”
I was at the other end of the darkness, looking at my brother. His face was so gentle, his hair was so soft and I saw his black astrology black robe with illusionary blue hexagram prints on it. And then Xing Jiu turned around and he saw me, so he walked over to carry me up, putting me on his laps. “Xing Gui, father gave me this astrology robe because I have predicted a disaster accurately. I am getting stronger, you just have to wait for me.”
With that he leant down to kiss the hexagram mark on my forehead. “Xing Gui, you make me want to become a better person.”
Staying in the dungeon made me forget about the liveliness of the outside world, it just looked like I was waiting for my time to come in silence.
There was a period of time when my brother didn’t come to visit me because that was the time when the Holy War started. It just caught everyone off guard.
I stood in the dungeon, looking up at the black roof, imagining the world above me in fire and wondering if the icy blue clouds were being burnt into red lotus flowers.
I kept reading the stars, praying for the kingdom because my brother was at the war. I could always imagine him standing high up in the cliff, raising his star staff and observing the star signs. I could see his perseverance that was exactly the same as our father.
For the long period of time, my father had replaced my brother’s role and he would come to accompany me, putting me on his laps just like the time when I was just born.
I would always ask him about the holy war and my father always told me. “Xing Jiu, you don’t have to worry because our king is the greatest king ever.” My father told me that my brother was the youngest astrologer in that war and his achievement was very outstanding. I believed in my brother because he was the greatest person in my heart.
My father would always let out a sad sigh everytime he saw my smile because I knew he got reminded about my life, short like a meteoroid. I would always touch his face to console him. “Father, please don’t worry about me because gege will change my destiny.” I said, using the lie that I didn’t even believe to console him.
“Rights. You should continue to live happily.” He said, and then he turned his head around, but I could still see the tears br.i.m.m.i.n.g in his eyes.
I wasn’t sure how long had pa.s.sed when my brother was finally back to see me again. I knew the holy war had ended. My brother had won the war because he has officially put on the royalty robe of the astrology tribe. I felt so happy for him.
He came forward to carry me with a bright smile on his face. It was just like the shining sun in the sky that warmed me up.
“Xing Gui, I have finally become the king of the Star Tribe. I will become stronger.”
I saw his serious look and nodded my head. I’ve started to believe in the dream that he had created for me.
But it was still a dream after all, and it would disperse away like illusion in the water. And I have never expected it to come so quickly.
“It seemed like my life was going to end earlier than expected.” I thought.
When I was 190 years old, I felt a piercing pain in my chest all of a sudden. I fell to the black basalt floor with white blood gushing out from my mouth.
When I woke up, I was still alone, lying on the floor. I sat up slowly and wiped the blood on the floor with my sleeve. Tears kept streaming down my face as I wiped the floor; I have never felt so upset before. It’s not because of the pain or the arrival of death; it’s just that I suddenly thought of not able to see my brother’s smile that made me sad. I continued sitting on the icy cold floor, thinking of my brother.
That night when Xing Jiu came to visit me, I didn’t tell him about the earlier incident because I was afraid that he might get sad over it. He continued telling me stories about the beautiful world outside. A moment of sadness. .h.i.t when I admired his handsome face because it reminded me that I wouldn’t get a chance to see this face again in future.
Subsequently it has become more frequent for me to vomit blood and my health started to deteriorate but I didn’t let anyone know about it. I would always smile when I was with my brother and father, I didn’t want them to be sad because they were the two men that I loved the most in this world.
It was only until one day when I woke up from the black floor, cleaning the blood on the floor, I saw a lady standing in the darkness. She looked at me and told me her purpose without any hesitation. “I can give you eternal life.”
“I can give you eternal life.” I wasn’t sure who was this lady before me.
“I am Yuan Ji.”
“How did you know about what I am thinking? Are you an astrologer?” I asked fearfully.
“I am not an astrologer. I am the G.o.d above everyone.”
“If you are willing to be my West Guardian, I can give you eternal life. You can go to and fro between the Snow Mountain and Ren Xue Cheng. You can live wherever you want.” She said.
“So I can stay by my brother’s side forever?” I asked.
“Yes, but you have to come to me when I need you.”
“Okay, I agree.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little too fast for you to reply me? Why didn’t you ask about the role of the West Guardian?”
“I don’t want to ask as long as I can stay by my brother’s side. I will do whatever you ask me to do.”
“I guess it’s better for me to tell you because the West Guardian is the cruelest guardian and this role takes charge of killing and you will be despised by everyone.”
“As long as you don’t ask me to kill my brother and my family will do. I don’t care about what the others will think about me.”
“Very good.” Yuan Ji said and then she disappeared into the thin air like an illusion. For one moment I thought there’s no existence of such person at all, but my health started to get better and the frequency of vomiting blood reduced gradually until it stopped completely.
My brother stood before me, bending down to look at me. “Xing Gui, you make me want to be a better man.”
I cried when I saw my brother’s face. I hugged him and told myself. “Ge, I can finally be with you forever.”
