When Li Jing was 130 years old that time, I went back to snow fog forest. I saw the adult Li Jing at the entrance of the forest and she was standing on the unicorn. Snow was falling slowly down and I looked at her like time had reversed - the first time when I saw Li Luo at the end of the long street like the beautiful cherry blossom flower.
I walked over and Li Jing came down from the unicorn, kneeling before me with both hands crossed before her chest. She looked up at me; even though she wasn’t speaking, I seemed to hear her voice in the air like what Li Luo said several hundreds years ago. “My king, I’m here to bring you home…”
I went over to hug her and started crying like a little kid. “Li Luo, I miss you so much.”
—
Li Jing became my wife, the queen of Ren Xue Cheng. On the day of our marriage, the entire city was bathing in happiness. I had seen too much deaths and killing, and when this kind of happiness came so suddenly at me, I felt so lost and fl.u.s.tered.
I stared at the firmament outside of the window; I couldn’t help but to wonder whether fate was playing a joke on me. I didn’t mind sinking further into this current state of life even if it was just an hallucination.
The happiness that I have been wishing for has begun to materialize, my heart was crying in happiness.
But something still bothered me because Li Jing has the same sorrow in her eyes just like Jian Tong. Maybe the several hundreds years of waiting has been too long and it almost made them want to give up waiting.
Both Li Jing and Jian Tong were by my side, because Jian Tong was from the sea palace; her spiritual power was outstanding, so she would always help with the matters relating to the city and I was impressed by her way of handling things. I would always see her tired figuring running around, reading all the dreams that the astrologers had given her and she would always tell me what’s happening within the kingdom and I would tell her what she supposed to do after that.
There were a few times when I saw Jian Tong sleeping in my palace, my heart hurt when I saw her exhausted self. Everytime I would carry her back to her palace, and then I would stay to watch her sleep. I had once told her not to tire herself so much but she just smiled at me. That bright smile was just like Lan Sang’s sunshine smile. “My king, I’m not tired. It’s a bliss to me to be able to help you in managing the kingdom.”
—
And Li Jing has been the one giving me all the tender loving care.
Everytime I went back to my palace, I would always see Li Jing standing at the door, waiting for me with a red lantern in her hand. I saw her hair flying in the wind; her face looked so gentle and peaceful and I seemed to hear her voice in the wind. “My king, please follow me home…”
Every night seeing Li Jing holding the lantern, waiting for me, I would tell myself no matter how tired I was, there’s still Li Jing waiting for me back at the palace. This tiny action of hers was good enough to make me feel warm. That weak light in the dark allowed me to know the way home, making me know that there’s someone waiting for me at home.
I told Li Jing not to wait for me in the wind, as that made my heart ached but she just shook her head with a smile every time. And then she buried her head into my chest; I could smell the scent of her hair.
It seemed like I have gotten the happiness I wanted but was it true that I wouldn’t feel regretted?
I looked at the sky, forgetting to speak.
Deep down my heart, there’s still someone that I have been thinking about the most but he has yet to appear in my life. Li Jing and Jian Tong were aware about it - I have been waiting for my brother’s news but he seemed to have disappeared from this world. Or was this a joke that Yuan Ji played on me?
Everytime I looked at the sky, Shi’s face would appear in the sky and when the snow sleet bird cried and flew past the sky, I would always hear Shi’s voice. “Ge, how have you been? Are you happy? I miss you…”
One night, I struggled to wake up from a dream and then I started crying. I hugged Li Jing and cried because I suddenly realized that I may not be able to see my brother anymore.
Suddenly, I thought of Yuan Ji’s words: the revived person would become what that person wanted to become in the past life.
If Shi still wanted to become my brother, it would mean I wouldn’t be able to see him anymore. Because my parents had already gone to the snow mountain, it was impossible to give birth at that place.
That night I kept sitting in the dark; everything related to Shi came gushing out once again. Those that had buried down in the heart came gushing out like blood from the wound.
Li Jing just sat by my side, not saying anything. Her hair fell on my shoulders as she wrapped her arms around my waist. “Li Jing, I miss Shi a lot.”
But one month later; I didn’t have much time to think of Shi anymore. I could no longer stand at the sh.o.r.e to admire the rock for one whole day anymore.
Because the Fire Tribe had trespa.s.sed the Ice Sea and their fire had already burnt the land of the Ice Tribe.
It seemed to have gotten back to the period of the Holy War; the sky was filled with sharp icicles and the land was filled with fire. I was still sitting in the grand hall but I was no longer that little kid that was wrapped within the thousand-years fox fur anymore. I have become the ruler of Ren Xue Cheng just like my father that time, standing high up in the grand hall, wearing the phoenix robe and the face was cold like the hardest ice in the snow mountain.
But I kept receiving news about the death of the warriors, I could imagine the picture of the soaring fire at the war; countless of sorcerers dying in the fire just like how Tuo Ke died before me and how Ji Quan died on the cliff with a three-spines sword pierced through her body.
Astrologers continued sending the war situation to us with dream and I knew why was the Fire Tribe so powerful. Because their Prince was strong and in the dream, I could see him straightening his right fingers and then the greatest sorcerer of the Ice Tribe died before him. It was almost like the time when Yue Shen and I fought against Yuan Ji despite the difference in strength.
Astrologers told me that the Prince of the Fire Tribe was by the name Li Tian Jin. I saw his face in the dream - short red hair like jumping fire, evil yet handsome looking face, red swords in both hands and the creepy glows in his eyes.
In one of the dreams, I saw Li Tian Jin killed one of my sorcerers easily. I was shocked. Even if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to kill a sorcerer with such simple move because that was the best sorcerer in Ren Xue Cheng.
The number of sorcerers in Ren Xue Cheng has started to decrease, and in the end, I have decided to go to the war myself. Some officials agreed while some disagreed, but I have decided.
When I was about to leave for war, Li Jing and Jian Tong were standing behind me. They have changed into their illusion robes. I didn’t say anything because I knew they would follow me to wherever I went.
When I was at the black tall city gate, there were a few people waiting for me there.
I saw Yue Shen, Huang Tuo, Chao Ya and Die Che. I saw their smiles and they knelt before me. “My king.”
Die Che told me she knew about the war while she was in the mortal world. Because this war was much greater than that one during my father’s time and in addition, the Fire Tribe’s prince, Li Tian Jin, seemed to possess invincible power.
When we were at the battlefield, we stood at a high cliff and I saw the battling of the Fire and Ice Tribe. I saw many of the white illusion robes disappearing into the flame like dispersing fog.
Chao Ya and Die Che sat down with the zither chords in the air - Chao Ya’s one was white while Die Che’s kne was green. Countless of b.u.t.terflies came flying out and zoomed down like lightning strike at the Fire Tribe fairies. And then I saw those fairies being surrounded by the b.u.t.terflies when the b.u.t.terflies started penetrating their bodies like spikes and in turn shattering their red bodies.
Die Che and Chao Ya have to use the deadliest a.s.sa.s.sination skill among the music sorcery skills because Die Che told me the spiritual power that encompa.s.sed each individual fire fairy came from Li Tian Jin himself.
And then I saw the sorcerers from the Ice Tribe turning back, looking at me. He pointed and shouted to the rest. “Look! That’s our king.”
Everyone got motivated and soon the white robes started moving like the flying snow sleet birds, chasing the red flame away from our land.
I looked back and saw Die Che and Chao Ya’s smiles. They were indeed the strongest musicians in the Ice Kingdom.
But immediately, I saw the smiles being frozen on their faces. I asked them why but they didn’t reply me. But I’ve already known the answer; I looked back and saw the b.u.t.terflies being consumed by flames. Every single b.u.t.terfly was shattered and then it started falling down from the sky.
I saw a red-haired man standing at the cliff afar. He was standing at the sharpest and steepest rock. There’s a look of despise on his face and he held his right hand up. I could see him curling up his index finger.
Li Tian Jin has appeared.
“My king, you go back to the camp first. We will take care of everything here. Just go back first.” Chao Ya and Die told me at the same time.
I didn’t agree but all of them insisted me of doing so. Huang Tuo came and knelt before me. “My king, please stay strong because there’s someone who is still waiting to reunite with you. You possess their memories in you.”
I dazed out all of a sudden. I have been listening to this for countless time and I only have Shi’s memories in me. But, would I get a chance to see my brother again?
