The Union of Breaths (Xianxia Fantasy Original)

Introduction:
Hello there, I am AuxiliaryExit. After reading a lot of wuxia and xianxia novels online I couldn’t resist writing my own xianxia story. My goal is to combine chinese mythology, xianxia story elements with my own ideas. I hope you all enjoy it and I am looking forward to your commentary.

Description:
The path of an elementalist is long and dangerous, but in a world where a single strong beast or expert is capable of deciding the fate of millions one should strive to be strong. Famous sects, mighty clans and powerful trade conglomerates litter the continent. How could a young man from a troupe of travelling musicians and actors, armed only with the skills of his trade, ever hope to achieve true greatness in such a world?

Updates:
As long as I enjoy writing this tale I will continue to release chapters, but don’t expect chapters as regularly as properly translated novels. My work, other hobbies and personal life don’t allow it. Sorry!

Chapter 1 – Waking up

Yi Cheng woke up early, completely unaware that there would be a bounty on his head before nightfall.

Beside Yi Cheng only Liling Gong, a beautiful maiden of fifteen summers, was already awake in the courtyard of the city lord’s mansion where the Golden Melody troupe was allowed to stay during their visit to Green Tree City. The troupe had been invited by the Mu family to provide the entertainment during a wedding which would bind the junior mistress of their clan together with the junior master of the Futou family. Both families held esteemed positions in Green Tree City and placed great importance on the upcoming wedding.

It was very unusual that Yi Cheng was already out of bed during the hour of the tiger (03-05am). The rest of the troupe would probably not wake up before the hour of the snake (09-11am). The life of actors, musicians and entertainers was mostly lived at night.

“Where are you going this time Yi?” asked Liling Gong as she tended to the animals and the three magical creatures that the troupe possessed. The One-Horned Lion and Three-tailed Horse weren’t very rare, but the Scarlet Fox was the prized possession of the entire troupe. It was capable of using fire element. It was gifted to the troupe by the city lord of Thundercloud City in the past.

Yi Cheng grinned as he said, “Do you really need to ask?” Liling Gong smiled, “Don’t you dare to get lost again. If you show up late, you know what is coming to you!”

Even though Green Tree City was only a minor city in the Thundercloud Prefecture it was still a city that housed more than three hundred thousand inhabitants. Being unable to return in time for the performance that the troupe was giving later that day during the wedding party would not be strange.

In most cities Yi Cheng would speed towards the marketplace or trade quarters since that is where he would generally be able to come across manuals, magic items or creatures capable of increasing one’s strength. Yi Cheng was considered to be one of the most promising and beautiful actors in the entire prefecture, but what he truly desired was to become a mighty elementalist and follow the path of his dao once he found it. He realized the foolishness of his desire, but he still hoped one day he would be able to purchase something that allowed him to step foot on this path. For now his entire fortune of three gold pieces, fourteen silver and thirty-three coppers, if he had brought it with him, was only enough to buy the most trivial of training manuals. Such manuals were simply insufficient for his grand dreams.

Green Tree City had something more interesting than even the allure of training manuals. The name of the city originated from the extremely large willow that stood in the center of the public park. This willow was different from other ones because its leaves were green year round and the tree had been there long before any humans settled in the area. Even if the entire region would be covered in a thick layer of snow the tree would be in full bloom. Ying Cheng had heard a lot about this tree and was eager to look upon it with his own eyes.

Before he could reach the park he was stopped several times by the city guards, running through the streets at this time was very suspicious to them, but they let him continue on his way after he stated who he was and why he was speeding towards the park. They even helped him in the right direction. Anyone else would probably have been questioned properly, but none of the guards doubted his identity. How could there be other adolescents in Green Tree City with such refinement, such beauty and such eloquence, it could only be Yi Cheng!

When he arrived at the park the hour of the tiger (03-05am) had almost passed and the hour of the rabbit (05-07) was almost starting. During the day the park was quite busy, but at this time it was practically deserted. Only a few daring couples were still hiding in the nooks and crannies of the park, but those would hurry home before the sun would rise.

Guided by the light of the moon which shone down upon him, Yi Cheng walked over the field of grass towards the large tree in the centre of the park that seemed to emanate its own light as the moonlight reflected upon its leaves.

As he came closer to the tree he realized that it stood in the middle of a large yet shallow pond. Few people would chose to cross the pond to reach the tree, but that is exactly what Yi Cheng decided to do. After removing his shoes and lifting his robes beyond his knees he waded through the water, slowly encroaching upon the trunk of the tree which was at least seven meters in diameter.

Yi Cheng who was generally very restless, unable to sit still unless custom or occasion required it of him, felt more and more at ease as he drew closer to the tree. As if his connection to the world was getting stronger and stronger with every step. He hadn’t planned on climbing the tree, but when his palm came in contact with the bark he felt a sudden urge to go up that he wasn’t able to resist.

When he reached half the length of the tree he came across a thick branch which reached further out than most, allowing him to view as far as the edges of the park. The urge to climb had waned and he sat down on the thick branch, leaning against the trunk comfortably.

He let his gaze scour the park for several minutes before turning his eyes upward towards the moon, remembering a famous poem which he was fond of before reciting it, “I long to fly on the wind. Yet dread those crystal towers, those courts of jade. Freezing to death among those icy heights. Instead I rise to dance with my pale shadow.”

After watching his surroundings for a few minutes he pulled out his bamboo dizi (flute) and started playing. Yi Cheng was considered as one of the promising actors of the entire prefect, but his musical skills were incomparably more profound.

Before he could join the Golden Melody Troupe he had to promise his mother to not let anyone hear him play an instrument. She was certain that his talent would invite nothing but trouble!

As he played his dizi all other sounds in the area seemed to stop, it was as if the world itself had held its breath to enjoy the songs played by Yi Cheng. Even though the world held its breath, something inside the heart of the willow awoke.

When the sun started to rise beyond the horizon Yi Cheng stopped playing. Instantly after he stopped playing a radiant green light flew out of the tree and stopped two feet before him. The light was so blinding that Yi Cheng could barely see, the strength of the light was burning his eyes, but it seemed to come out of something very small, at most a few inches in size.

“I never thought I would wake,” said the light with a voice that sounded very feminine to Yi Cheng. “I am lucky to have come across someone capable of waking me this quick!” said the light more enthusiastically. Yi Cheng responded, “Noble emerald spirit, I humbly ask you to reduce your brilliance, you are as bright as the sun!” The light replied casually, “Really? My light should only be able to blind ordinary mortals.”

Even though the green spirit had said this, it reduced the output of its aura, revealing something unexpected to Yi Cheng. In front of him there was a naked maiden so beautiful that it was vexing. Her green hair was decorated with countless flowers and reached beyond her waist, her skin was flawless like brilliant jade, her eyes were like two radiant emeralds, her lips were soft and full of secrets, her figure was sculpted by the heavens itself and she was only five cun (inches) tall.

When the tiny maiden noticed that the sun had almost replaced the moon in the sky she panicked. “Not enough time, not enough time,” declared the little creature with a stressed tone present in her voice. “YOU HAVE TO RETURN TONIGHT!” shouted the little creature in a demanding tone before pleading in a far more demure manner, “Promise me that you will return tonight.” Yi Cheng was dumbfounded but managed to reply sincerely, “I promise! I PROMISE!”

By the time he repeated himself the green light had flown back into the tree at a rapid pace just as the moon vanished from the sky entirely.

After the green light had returned to the tree Yi Cheng needed some time to recover from shock. When he was finally able to piece his mind together he decided it was time to return to the troupe.

When he returned the majority of the company was still asleep, but Liling Gong was no longer the only one awake. He pondered if he should tell anyone about his strange encounter, but decided against it. Anyone willing to believe him should question his own sanity even though he was certain of what he had seen.

Chapter 2 – The Wedding Party

The Golden Melody Troupe provided the music, fireworks and ritualistic dancers which would protect the wedding procession against evil influences which could potentially ruin the marriage. In front of the entire procession were Yi Cheng and Lilong Gong, dressed as a male dragon and female phoenix, symbolising the union between woman and man. Right behind them was the majestic scarlet fox which would spit out fire at set moments to make the dance of the dragon and phoenix look more authentic by enshrouding the pair in fire. Following right behind the magical creature were four female and four male members of the Golden Melody Troupe playing their instruments. In the middle of this group of musicians walked the one-horned lion, roaring loudly whenever the other players ended one of their melodies. Closely behind the musicians followed the bridal sedan. It was carried by eight close friends of the bride and groom. At the back of the procession were two more musicians. They carried heavy gongs, their reverberating sounds ensuring that evil influences could not sneak up from behind.

When the sedan arrived at the wedding place during noon countless firecrackers were set off as the bride was led along a red carpet towards the main hall of the primary mansion of the Futou family. Upon arrival the junior master of the Futou clan kowtowed three times to worship the heavens, parents and spouse. After this ritual had taken place the new couple was heading straight to the bridal chamber where they could look forward to good-natured but bawdy encouragement from their friends and family for the rest of the day. Only when the sun would set would the doors of the bridal chamber finally close so that the groom could deflower his bride.

From the moment the wedding couple entered the bridal chamber the wedding banquet started. In ancient times this was a very formal banquet and both genders enjoyed separate feasts, but in the last few millennia this practice had been long abandoned. Wedding feasts were now joyous occasions with lots of food, music, alcohol, scarcely clad dancers and other delights that were expected at such a drunken revelry.

The Golden Melody Troupe performed several acts of infamous comedies that would most certainly not be performed in respectable venues due to their raunchiness. Noble families such as the Futou and Mu clan would normally not approve of such plays, but common belief dictated that a lascivious wedding party would greatly improve the fertility of the bride, resulting in many children.

After the applause of the final act Yi Cheng wanted to quickly leave the party before he would be forced to remain longer. Even if others wouldn’t believe him, he still had to return to the park and meet with the little green spirit again. His plans of a quick retreat were thwarted when one of the bridesmaids pulled him to a corner of the hall.

“I need your help with something Yi Cheng,” said the young girl while she pushed her chest against his arm, flattening her breasts. Yi Cheng wasn’t surprised in the slightest. The differences between actors and courtesans were known to few. Many actors would become concubines or manservants after or during their acting careers. His own mother had become a concubine of the city lord of Thundercloud City a few years ago.

Normally he would have leaped at the opportunity to entertain a young woman from a noble family since he rarely left empty-handed, but tonight he had a more urgent appointment. “Milady, I am afraid I can’t assist you since there are other matters I must attend to,” said Yi Cheng while trying to escape from her grip. The girl could not be persuaded, and managed to drag him out of the main hall with little effort. How could he possibly cause a scene in front of so many esteemed guests of two noble families?

Yi Cheng resigned to the fact that he would have to comply with this young lady’s wishes for the moment, following her through several halls before arriving at a door which he guessed would be one of the guest bedrooms.

Upon entering the bedroom he quickly discovered that the situation wasn’t as simple as he expected it would be. The bridesmaid had dragged him into the bridal chamber.

The half-naked groom had passed out, an empty wine cup still in his hand. The only thing the bride was still wearing were her thin silk undergarments, leaving very little to the imagination. “Dear Futou Ai. If you had taken any longer I would surely have lost my maidenhood to your brother,” said the bride without shame. “I guess we are lucky that I managed to arrive on time then,” said the bridesmaid holding Yi Cheng tightly while flashing a radiant smile.

“Mu Nuan, let’s arouse our fathers anger,” said Futou Ai as she pushed Yi Cheng towards the bed. Yi Cheng’s jaws practically dropped when he realized what the girls were planning to have him do. Their actions were blasphemous against their fathers, their clan, the heavens might even disapprove, yet the idea excited him greatly.

After thoroughly enjoying the groom’s bride and his younger sister Yi Cheng was about ready to leave the crime scene as he noticed a manual between the wedding gifts.

He picked it up from the desk it was placed on. The cover had three words on it, “Quintessential Spear Arts”. “You have a good eye, that tome was the gift of my uncle, it has several high class spear arts recorded in it. If this wedding wasn’t so important to the family they would have never been willing to give away such an heirloom,” said the bride from the bed. “Feel free to take it. This oaf of a husband has no martial talent at all if I can believe my dear Futou Ai.” The groom’s sister had already left the bridal chamber, knowing it wouldn’t be wise to remain absent from the party too long.

“Don’t mind if I do then,” said Yi Cheng while flashing a wide smile to the blushing bride. Just as the actor was planning to leave the bridal chamber through the side the main doors opened. In the door opening stood the current master of the Mu Clan. Yi Cheng had no idea how he would manage to get out of this situation, but Mu Nuan responded almost instantly, “FATHER, FATHER! He is trying to steal the quintessential spear arts!”

The eruption of commotion in the room managed to wake up the groom. Upon waking he looked at the scene with glassy eyes. His slow comprehension meant that he would most likely never discover that he would wear a green hat for the rest of his life. Yi Cheng was the second one to react and made a run for the door. As he slipped into the hallway he started to run towards the main hall, hoping he could manage to win valuable time in the crowd of people before slipping out of the mansion entirely.

The Mu clan master shouted loudly, his voice echoing through large parts of the mansion, “THIEF! THIEF! YI CHENG HAS STOLEN THE QUINTESSENTIAL SPEAR ARTS!”

No one in the main hall had heard, but several guards that were stationed in the nearby hallways had started to chase after Yi Cheng. Luckily enough the handsome actor managed to reach the main hall which was a massive drunken revelry, allowing him to shake of his pursuers.

Upon reaching the courtyard Yi Cheng hurried towards the stable, knowing the three-tailed horse of the troupe should be there. When he entered he quickly found the magical beast and mounted it.

Several guards had run towards the main gates of the estate, ordering the gatekeepers to close the gate as soon as possible. The young actor realised he would soon be trapped in the estate, ordering the three-tailed horse to speed towards the gate in a full gallop.

Before the gatekeepers could succeed in closing the heavy metal gates the three-tailed horse had brought Yi Cheng outside of the Futou family grounds.

In the twilight Yi Cheng hurried towards the park. The wisest thing would be to leave the city immediately before the city guard closed it off hermetically, but Yi Cheng had no intention of breaking his promise with the little green spirit. His life was in shambles, but he couldn’t imagine himself breaking his promise to the little creature.

Chapter 3 – Celestial Wood Fairy

Before sneaking into the park Yi Cheng was smart enough to send the three-tailed horse in a completely different direction. The beast was clever enough to find its way back home by itself to the Golden Melody Troupe at a later point of time. If he had kept the magical creature with him the city guard would have found him much more easily.

When he was certain there was no one near the giant tree he charged across the field of grass and the pond, climbing the tree with a devilish abandon, praying no one would notice.

It was the hour of the rat (11pm-01am) when he finally felt confident enough to pull out his dizi. Before he could start playing he was interrupted by the green light charging out of the tree. “Don’t tell me you were thinking your music woke me up,” said the green spirit with a snicker. “I do admit your understanding of wood element in the regard to sound is quite decent, but that was definitely not what woke me up.” “What succeeded in waking you up then?” asked Yi Cheng inquisitively.

The little creature let out a hearty laugh before replying, “A celestial fairy only wakes up when their destined partner appears. I could never imagine that my fated one would be so pathetically weak however. Gong De Tian* is stingy as ever with her blessings!” Yi Cheng had trouble comprehending the scope of things the celestial fairy was saying to him. He knew that beyond the realm of mortals and immortals the celestial realm existed. She couldn’t possibly mean that she came from the same realm such as supreme celestial beings like The Three Pure Ones*, right?

Before he could speak out the issues troubling his mind the fairy interjected, “I am Izel, a celestial wood fairy. Fate has delivered you to me. Therefore I will not resist.” The clueless actor thought to himself, “Resist? What does she mean! What could she possibly mean?” While Yi Cheng struggled to think of things that Izel could mean with her words the little celestial fairy got more and more impatient as a blush started to appear on her cheeks. After a minute had passed the trembling little fairy couldn’t hold her tongue any longer, “Do I really need to spell it out? I… I… I will allow you to form a blood contract with me,” said the fairy with a quivering voice.

Even though Yi Cheng had almost no knowledge of magical creatures he knew the importance of blood contracts. There were three manners to become the master of a magical creature. One was too tame a creature over an extended period of time until the creature had become docile and condoned its master or masters, the second was to enslave the creature with certain magical items, and the third was to form a blood contract. A blood contract meant that both the master and the creature willingly agreed to form a master-servant relationship. It was a bond that could never be broken unless either the master or the creature died. There were numerous other benefits to a blood contract, but Yi Cheng had no knowledge of these.

The young actor didn’t hesitate at all as he quickly bit his thumb. Drops of blood flowed out of the minor wound as he extended his bloody hand towards the celestial wood fairy to form a contract. Izel noticed Yi Cheng’s actions and shook violently before erupting loudly, “You… YOU UTTER FOOL!” After venting her frustration Izel explained herself, “Fairies are made up entirely of their element. Only once in our lives do we bleed.” She paused before continuing her explanation, “Only when… when…” taking a deep breath before exclaiming, “losing our maidenhead!”

Yi Cheng had reached a point where he could no longer be surprised by the things the celestial fairy said to him. “You are barely five cun (inch) tall. I am almost six chi (feet) in length. How could we possibly engage in any of the nine positions?” asked the handsome young actor as he pondered about the feasibility of such a coupling.

Izel closed her eyes and clapped her hands once. In less than a breath Yi Cheng realized that his surroundings had changed drastically. Everywhere he looked around him there was blue silk, enveloping him entirely. Upon closer inspection he discovered that he was no longer wearing his robes, in fact he was completely naked! Before his nakedness could embarrass him, Izel appeared before him. She was no longer a tiny maiden barely larger than his hand, but a fully grown girl, only slightly shorter than himself.

When he saw Izel standing before him Yi Cheng realized that the world did not turn blue, he had shrunk and was currently trapped in one of the folds of his own robe! The flying fairy landed quietly in front of him, the bright green light she usually emanated had been dimmed completely, allowing him to gaze at her naked features more easily.

If it weren’t for the now visible yet translucent wings Izel could have been mistaken for nothing more than a heaven defying beauty, but with those wings no one would dare to deny that she was indeed a magical creature.

Yi Cheng gulped as Izel moved closer towards him. He was hardly shy, but he had never been shrunk before. How could he possibly treat this celestial fairy as a regular girl? When Izel let her eyes linger over his jade stalk she huffed, “One maiden is not enough for you? Why do the heavens send me such a womanizer?” This time it was the young actor who interjected, “I do admit, I have a slight flaw in my character,” before pushing his lips against hers, hoping that an overbearing attitude would work well on such a proud celestial creature.

The fairy tried to resist before caving in, knowing fully well that resisting ones fate would rarely bring good fortune. Once the first hurdle had been conquered, Yi Cheng’s experience took over. Between the creases of his blue silk robes they repeatedly practiced the nine positions and experimented with many others until the sun rose during the hour of the rabbit (05-07am).

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* Gong De Tian = Goddess of Luck
* The Three Pure Ones = The Three Heavens and the deities that rule them.

Chapter 4 – Farewell Golden Melody Troupe

When the sun rose Yi Cheng snapped out of his post-coitus bliss, remembering that he was most likely a wanted criminal after the events that happened at the Futou family estate. How could he possibly escape from the city as this point? The city guard would most certainly have closed off all the gates by now.

Izel noticed the change in Yi Cheng and humorously said, “Don’t tell me you are worried your rising dragon will remain shorter than a cun (inch) for the rest of your life?” After explaining everything that had happened the previous day to Izel she sulkily said, “Ch’uang Mu* has certainly blessed your life, you fiend!”

Yi Cheng understood that a proud creature such as Izel wouldn’t approve of the loose sexual morals that most entertainers had in this minor world, but was convinced that discussing his escape from Green Tree City was far more urgent than bickering about things of little importance. “I suggest we delay our discussion on moral principles until we have successfully escaped from the mess I got us caught in!”

“Hmph! My powers are still recovering after that long slumber. Your plan will have to rely on your own capabilities,” said Izel indifferently. Yi Cheng thought deeply on the matter, to the point where his head started to hurt, before stating, “I can’t think of anything. I require aid in this matter.”

“What?!? No plan? No ideas? Nothing?!?” Izel started to curse the heavens for pairing her with someone this foolish.

“No point thinking about it anymore. I will return to the Golden Melody Troupe. All my possessions are there as well. I can’t leave those behind either.”

“Didn’t you say your troupe was allowed to keep camp in the courtyard of the city lord mansion?” asked Izel. “Yes, that’s where the troupe should still be,” answered Yi Cheng.

“You are asking to get caught!”

“How long will I remain this size?” asked Yi Cheng, ignoring Izel’s opinion of his plan.

Izel sighed deeply before answering her blood master, “Because I was not contracted when casting this spell it should stop working once you leave this tree.”

“I need to scale this tree as a little person?”

“Getting down is not something you should worry about. You should focus on the real problems.”

“Oh? How do you suggest we get down?”

Izel flashed a mischievous grin as her wings spread. Without warning she charged at Cheng with considerable speed. Pushing him further and further into the fabric of his robes. It didn’t take long until the two of them had crossed the edge of the branch.

Even though Cheng was smaller than most cats and didn’t weigh very much, it was enough to let the robes slip slowly of the branch. Once it left the branch there was no returning. The robes with Cheng stuck in them entered a free fall down the tree. Cheng screamed as he plummeted towards the bottom of the tree, but before he could truly experience the feeling of freefall the robe already made contact with the pond. The fall did not take more than eight seconds.

When Cheng got dunked into the water, he desperately tried to hold his breath, his fear of breaking his bones upon landing quickly being replaced with the fear of drowning while attempting to escape from his robes.

His fears were ungrounded. A few seconds after hitting the water the magic of the shrinking spell wore off. Cheng returned to his original size almost instantly. The first thing Cheng noticed was Izel laughing loudly as she floated a bu (pace/5 feet) in front of him. Cheng quickly stood up, reaching for his thoroughly soaked robe and started wading towards the shore. “Ha.. I’ll remember that look on your face. Truly a dragon amongst men! Ah ha ha.”

After getting out of the pond Cheng hurried to put his robes on, hoping to regain some of his dignity. He looked at himself, his wet clothing would surely draw the attention of everyone, before returning to the troupe he would have to find something less conspicuous.

Escaping from the park was fairly easy. Many of the guards which usually patrolled the city had been ordered to search for Yi Cheng outside of the city, but it was still too dangerous to return to the Golden Melody Troupe in his own clothing.

In the commoners district Cheng didn’t need to search long for a new outfit. There were several laundry lines hanging between houses. By pushing a cart beneath them Cheng was able to pluck a new outfit from the line. In exchange for the clothing he took he left his own silk robes behind. If they sold the robes, their profit would be enough to feed several families for a year.

Dressed in rough, cheap linen clothing it became much harder to recognize the young actor who usually wore extravagant silk robes that he could proudly display like a peacock. To decrease the chance of detection even further he used a piece of string to tie his long black hair into a ponytail. If he didn’t let any of the city guards look at his face he would surely be mistaken for the most common of commoners.

Cheng managed to reach the City Lord Mansion without any difficulty, but entering the courtyard would not be that simple. He needed to come up with some good excuse to gain access to such a place. The Golden Melody Troupe was only allowed to stay there since the city lord of Thundercloud City was their primary benefactor. If it wasn’t for this fact, the entire troupe would have probably been arrested after the events of the previous day. The difference in status between the city lord of Thundercloud City and the city lord of Red Tree City was insurmountable. Thundercloud City was the capital of one of the twenty-eight provinces while Red Tree City wasn’t even the main city in the county. Therefore it was highly unlikely that the city lord of Red Tree City would harm anyone not directly involved.

Half a day passed without a change, Cheng was still eyeing the main gate of the city lord mansion in the hope of an opportunity. Izel who had followed him through the city couldn’t hold her tongue any longer, “Staring at that gate won’t open it.”

“I know!” responded Cheng bitterly.

“Why don’t you try one of the other gates?”

When Izel mentioned different gates Cheng realized how stupid he had been.

After encircling the City Lord Mansion twice Cheng chose to approach the servants entrance at the back of the estate. The guard who stood watch at this door wasn’t the brightest and could easily be tricked into believing a story of Cheng’s choosing. The young actor felt somewhat proud that he could so easily come up with a plausible lie that allowed him entry into what should have been the most heavily guarded estate in the city.

Now that he had gained access to the estate it was relatively easy to slip into the camp of The Golden Melody troupe. The city lord had send several guards to keep a close watch over the camp, but the guards preferred to play dice instead. They rarely paid any attention to the things that happened in the camp. What were the odds that Yi Cheng would show up here? If he was smart he would be a thousand li away by now.

Cheng snuck into his living wagon. After closing the door he realized he wasn’t alone. Sleeping on top of his bed was Liling Gong. He quietly approached her, placing his hand on top of her mouth and whispered, “Ssshh! It’s me.”

Liling Gong woke abruptly when a hand was placed on her mouth. She wanted to scream out in surprise, but managed to subdue the urge upon realizing who had placed the hand on her lips.She gently brushed Cheng’s hand away from her mouth as she rose up.

“That wasn’t necessary you know.”

“I couldn’t risk it,” said Cheng bluntly, “there are guards outside.”

“I know.”

Cheng waited a few seconds before replying, “Aren’t you going to mock me as usual?”

Liling Gong shook her head as tears started welling up in the corners of her eye, “There is a price on your head! How could I possibly…”

“I’m sorry Liling,” said Cheng as he put an arm around her, slowly pulling the girl’s head towards his shoulder.

As Liling Gong quietly sobbed Cheng soothed her by stroking his hand through her long flowing hair. When the tears stopped flowing he finally said something again, “I can’t stay.”

“I know, but…”

“I need your help.”

“What? Off course I’ll help you. What do I need to do?” asked Liling resolutely.

“After I escape from this city I need you to take this wagon to Thundercloud City. Mother should be able to watch over it until I can reclaim it.”

“That’s all? No smuggling you out? No goodbye kiss? You really are incorrigible!” said Liling as disappointment dripped off her face, “It took us two and a half years to get here. When are you planning to return?”

“I won’t return to the troupe.”

“What? Are you serious!?”

“I am.”

“But why?”

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path,” said Yi Cheng remembering the words spoken by Buddha. After a long pause Cheng said, “I must go and search for my dao.”

At this point Izel opened the door and flew in, “The guards are coming!”

Before Liling could panic from either Izel’s appearance or the notice she gave Cheng grabbed Liling. He opened his closet and pushed Liling inside. With the large amount of silk robes, other luxurious clothing articles and accessories it was simply impossible for him to fit inside, but a maiden could.

Cheng quickly rushed to the door, hoping he could still escape from the approaching guards. As he opened it, he realized this would no longer be possible. Before him stood eight armed guards, several of them with their swords already drawn.

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* Ch'uang Mu = Goddess of Beds and everything that happens in them.

Continueing this on royalroad.

http://royalroadl.com/fiction/4916