Beneath the Azure Sky

[Tan]

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I posted this @ winglin- www.winglin.net/fanfic/Tan1 a LONGGG time ago and also in the Story Vault. Oh no, i've not completed it...yet. (this is my first fanfiction by the way) The cast gets longer and longer when new characters are added. . . Ignore my crap....

---Casting(both main and minor)---
Raymond Lam Fung
Benny Chan Ho Man
Tavia Yeung Yi
Annie Man Chung Han
Ron Ng (Lam) Cheuk Hai
Leila Tong Ling
Kenix Kwok Hoi Ying
Lam Wai Sun


~Prologue (Warning: DRAMATIC!!!)

In the year AD 810, the Tang Dynasty of China was in decline and many people suffered the oppression of the corrupted officials. As a result, there were often rebellions and fights, disrupting the peace of the nation. The foolish Emperor believed the lies of evil officials and under their influence, beheaded and punished honest officials. The head of the evil officials, Prime Minister Yeung Zhuo Ping, made the Emperor besotted with wine and women so that he was the one who decided affairs of the country. However, he had one big obstacle: the Meritorious Great General, Lam Wai Sun.
General Lam originated from a family of good ministers, and he was very well loved by the people. Not only was he loyal to the country, he had won countless battles for the Emperor and was also highly skilled in martial arts. General Lam posed a potential threat to Prime Minister Yeung’s plot of taking over the throne and the vicious Yeung Zhuo Ping concocted a foolproof plan to get rid of this loyal man….

************************************************** ************************************************** ***********************

“ No! I won’t leave!” a distressed woman cried out. She was carrying a chubby three-year-old boy in her arms and her bulging stomach showed that she was pregnant.

The mustached man in front of her looked both seriously and pleadingly into her watery eyes, “ You must! That bastard Yeung Zhuo Ping has framed me of trying to overthrow the Emperor and the troops are coming. If you don’t go, the children would lose their lives too!”

A tear trickled down the woman’s cheek and she managed to mouth, “ What about you, Brother Lam?”

Lam Wai Sun looked down at the floor and stated in a shaky voice, “ If the Emperor wants his official to die, the official will die. Go, Lin Er, do not bother about me! Go!” Lam Wai Sun pushed his wife out of the back door and locked it just as the movement of soldiers inside the mansion could be heard. Lam Wai Sun ignored his wife’s muffled cries and mumbled, “ I love you, Lin Er.” With that, he took out a dagger from his sleeve and pierced it right though his heart. Blood dyed Lam Wai Sun’s clothing red and he smiled faintly, knowing that his wife and children would be safe. He never opened his eyes again.

[Tan]

~Two Descendants

A HOUSE AT A FAR-AWAY VILLAGE
A ferocious roar of thunder boomed, and electric streaks of lightning flashed. Soon, cold, hard drops of rain cascaded from the sky. It was very hard to imagine that the weather had been bright and cheery a few minutes ago.

“ Fung, take the clothes in! It’s raining!” a bossy voice belonging to a young man of about twenty-one sounded.

“ Alright brother,” ‘Fung’ called and ran out of the wooden house. A moment later, he came back in with a handful of clothes- all white. His brother, Cheuk Hai, who was dressed in pure white, glanced at him and continued polishing his jeweled sword, saying in a low voice, “ Today is father’s eighteenth death anniversary.”

Fung put the clothes down and nodded, “ We can go and visit him when it stops raining. I’ve got ready the necessary things.”

Lam Cheuk Hai and Lam Fung were the descendants of the Meritorious Great General, Lam Wai Sun. After their mother had escaped together with them from the Lam Mansion eighteen years ago, they had to live in a distant village to avoid the men of Prime Minister Yeung…the man who had caused the death of their father. Five years ago, their dear mother had died too, telling them to seek revenge for their father before dying. Both Lam Cheuk Hai and Lam Fung practiced the Lam Family Swordplay (one of the best sword plays then) from a precious book belonging to the Lam family and hoped to kill Yeung Zhuo Ping one day...Their martial arts were very good, but they still needed more than that to complete their task.

Both of the brothers sat on the chairs in the wooden house, looking at the falling rain, which reminded them of beads of crystals. It was a special day that day, and especially so to Lam Cheuk Hai and Lam Fung, for it was not only the death annivasary of Lam Wai Sun, but also eighteen years after the tragedy. That eighteen years meant revenge…

The rain had stopped finally and the Lam brothers were at their parents’ graves. Their mother was buried beside their father and Lam Cheuk Hai laid two bouquets of white flowers down on each of the stone graves. Ever since the death of the brothers’ mother, they had always worn white and dull colored clothes. Lam Cheuk Hai, the elder son, kneeled down respectfully and said in a cold voice, “ Father, Mother. Fung and I have finally mastered Level 15 of the Lam Swordplay (the final level). We will travel to the Capital tomorrow and then, we will help revenge for your deaths.” He bowed three times and Lam Fung followed suit. Then, the duo cleared away the weeds and dirt on the graves before putting down the fruits and foods they had prepared without a word. Lam Fung was deep in thought, “ Why is Brother so bent on revenge? Would killing bring Mother and Father back?” Since young, the brothers’ personalities had differed. Lam Cheuk Hai was cold, unfeeling and kept things to himself, while, Lam Fung was the kinder, more innocent one although he did not show it often. Lam Fung sighed softly to himself and walked towards the direction of home. Behind him, Lam Cheuk Hai took a last look at his parents’ graves and walked away too. He knew that his younger brother was not the revengeful kind of person and Fung had never seen their father, nor knew much about his death, although his Mother and himself had often described General Lam as a loyal official and a wonderful father and husband. Lam Cheuk Hai looked up at the evening sky once again. “ Bless me on my mission, Father and Mother,” he muttered under his breath, pondering over the events to come.

The Sun had risen and it was yet another day. Although it was very early in the morning, Lam Cheuk Hai and Lam Fung had already woken, ate and packed. Each of the brothers had swords covered with cloths by their sides and the swords were actually the ancestral ‘twin swords’ of the Lam Family. The twin swords were given to Lam Tao Gang, the brothers’ great-great-grandfather by the Tang Emperor (one of the previous ones) for the brave and meritorious deeds he did. The twin swords were namely the Ruby Sword (owned by Lam Cheuk Hai) and the Emerald Sword (owned by Lam Fung), and were known to be very powerful, especially when they were used together.

The brothers did not have many belongings with them although the journey was going to be long, about ten days at the least. Before they left the house, Lam Cheuk Hai had tucked the Lam Swordplay Manual into his sleeves, keeping it carefully hidden from prying eyes (its precious, right?).

While Lam Cheuk Hai was still fumbling around, Lam Fung was already outside, clambering carefully onto one of the two horses there. Chia! The white creature galloped away quickly, leaving its owner wondering at its speed. Lam Cheuk Hai followed soon after, on a beautiful chestnut stallion. “ Slow down, Fung!” he called, trying to catch up with his younger brother.

Lam Fung heard his brother calling and chuckled, shouting, “ Catch me if you can!” With that, he galloped away on his mare, occasionally looking back at his elder brother, who kept calling, “ Slow down! Slow down!” Lam Fung thought in his mind, “ If we keep traveling at this speed, we are sure to reach the Capital within ten days.” This thought was pleasant to him, and he whipped his white stallion, causing the wretched animal to leap forward. “ Whoa!” Lam Fung stammered, holding on tighter than ever.

************************************************** ************************************************** ***********************

GREEN BAMBOO TOWN
All thanks to the amazing speed of the horses, by late noon, Lam Cheuk Hai and Lam Fung had reached Green Bamboo Town.

Green Bamboo Town derived its name from the famous green bamboo forest situated at the west of the town. The green bamboo forest was a magnificent place, and it was very scenic. However, the green bamboo forest was rumored to be haunted by evil women spirits who sucked the life of innocent passer-bys, leaving them dead in the forest. Thus, none of the villagers dared to go very deep inside.

As the two brothers walked along the street, they passed by stalls selling bamboo snacks, bamboo flutes, bamboo poles and almost everything that had to do with the word ‘bamboo’. They had gotten themselves a room at an inn called ‘Green Bamboo Inn’, planning to spend the night there.

“ I am going out for a walk!” Lam Fung informed his brother and strode out of the room happily, not waiting for a reply.

Lam Cheuk Hai watched him go and sighed, “ Ah, this Fung…he still acts like some child.” Then, his mind wandered off to Yeung Zhuo Ping and he thought hard for a plan to seek revenge.

Meanwhile, Lam Fung had ambled to the marketplace. He plastered a wide smile on his face and mingled with the crowd.
“ Clay dolls for sale! Clay dolls for sale!” A plump man called at his stall.

Another middle-aged woman shouted, “ Cheap Vegetables! Fresh and Green!”

Lam Fung visited most of the stalls, taking in the sights and smells. Since he had spent all of his time trying to hone his martial arts skill, he had not gone to crowded places for a long, very long time. It felt great to be out again.

Suddenly, while Lam Fung was admiring some flower paintings, he caught a whiff of onion biscuits…

When Lam Fung was younger, his mother had often made him onion biscuits to eat and the greedy boy always managed to devour everything. At the smell of his favorite food, he ran to the stall and said hastily, “ One Onion Biscuit please!” However, another young man had spoken exactly at the same time. The same words. Both of them glared at each other and then at the remaining onion biscuit. The dark young man of about eighteen said, “ Too bad. But I was here first.”

Lam Fung replied, “ No, I was here first!”

The young man snapped, “ I was!”

Lam Fung retorted, “I was!”

Suddenly, the young man looked very shocked and pointed behind Lam Fung; shouting in a strangely high-pitched voice, “ Watch out! There’s a man coming with a knife! He’s running towards your direction!” Lam Fung twirled around immediately.

There was no one. Lam Fung scanned the crowd thoroughly with his eyes and turned back again when he did not see the ‘man with the knife’. It was then that he realised that the sissy-like young man had vanished, so had the last piece of onion biscuit at the stall! Lam Fung gaped: He had been tricked! He felt both angry and funny at the same time, so that he did not know whether to cry or to laugh. He had been tricked the first time he was out on his own! Wait till his brother heard that! Just then, there was a hard tap on his shoulder.

“ I was looking for you. ” Lam Cheuk Hai said sternly, looking at his younger brother.

After a while, Lam Fung managed a weak grin and replied, “ Nothing, I saw this old man selling onion biscuits.”

Lam Cheuk Hai told him seriously, “ It is better to be careful. Yeung Zhuo Ping’s men might be anywhere. You never know.”

Lam Cheuk Hai said the name ‘Yeung Zhuo Ping’ with such disgust that people turned to stare at him. In return, Cheuk Hai glared murderously at them. Lam Fung saw that and sighed yet again.

“ Brother,” he said in a defeated tone, “ Keep on doing that and everyone would think that you are some mad murderer on the loose.”

Lam Cheuk Hai frowned and began to lecture his younger brother on the dangers and evils of the world of wulin. Beside him, Lam Fung just rolled his eyeballs, a bit exasperated.

[Tan]

Oh, i forgot to say that some characters are made-up...:P

~Breaking the News

A LAKE IN THE GREEN BAMBOO FOREST
A dark and dirty young man of about seventeen approached the sparkling lake and glanced into the clear waters, at his reflection. He pouted like a child and muttered, “ Stupid disguise…” He looked into the inviting waters once more and squatted down, beginning to wash his dirty face. The cool liquid trickled down his cheeks and he smiled.

“ Now, that’s better.” He said, satisfied with himself and looked at his reflection once more. In the place of the dark and dirty face was another with snowy skin, ruby lips, beautiful almond eyes and long eyelashes. In fact, if the young man were in women’s clothes, ‘he’ would be no doubt, a great beauty.

The young ‘man’ was looking up at the full moon when his keen ears picked up a sound.

“ Who’s there?” he asked in a scary (not scared) voice.

He turned around to face a slim young woman dressed in an embroidered green robe, and a wave of recognization swept over him.

“ Sister Man!” he called happily, hugging her tightly, “ I’m Yeung Yi!”

Man Chung Han recovered from her initial surprise and asked, “ Wait! You are choking me! And why are you dressed as a man again? I almost couldn’t recognize you, Yi.” She got out of Yeung Yi’s arms and examined the person before her.

Yeung Yi explained, “ I sneaked out from the mansion. By the way, it has been half a year since we’ve last met, right? I missed you so!”

“There is no one else to talk to at the mansion. All the maids seems to be afraid of me,” Yeung Yi complained.

Man Chung Han nodded. “ Prime Minister Yeung would be worried about you if you just sneak out like this.”

Yeung Yi shifted guiltily and changed the subject, “ Where have you been all these time, Sister Man?”

Man Chung Han paled a little and shivered slightly as she said, “ Sifu has just taught me the Power Collecting Skill that requires me to suck the internal power of people. That is why I have to come to this Green Bamboo Forest to seek my victims.” Her lips quivered.

Yeung Yi thought, “ Why does the Holy Star Sect have these funny skills?”

She snapped out of her reverie and said, “ Sister Man. I went to the marketplace just now and look what I’ve got!” She fished in her pocket and brought out an onion biscuit wrapped in grease paper. (^^)

Man Chung Han smiled delightedly.

Yeung Yi continued, “ It was the last piece and I had to trick this charcoal-guy to get it.” She said the last part proudly as if it was an accomplishment and handed Chung Han the hard-earned biscuit. “ I know you love it. Here!”

Man Chung Han tore the paper off the biscuit and munched hungrily. She said in between munches, “ Th-munch-anks!”

Yeung Yi laughed at the sight. Mid-laugh however, she heard heavy footsteps behind her.

“ Miss,” a rough voice sounded. Yeung Yi knew who it was.

Three burly men stood before Yeung Yi and Man Chung Han. The two girls looked at each other.

The leader of the three men said, “ Miss Yeung, Master wants you to go home now. He says that he wants to discuss something important with you.”

Yeung Yi pouted and shouted at him, “ No!”

She glanced adamantly at them. It had been very hard for her to sneak out, and they want her to go back? Fat hope.

Man Chung Han looked at Yeung Yi and told her seriously, “ I think that you should go back first. Maybe Prime Minister Yeung has something important to tell you?”

“ But-” Yeung Yi began.

“ No. You should go back.” Chung Han held up her hand to silence the disobedient child. Yeung Yi gave her a puppy-dog look but was greeted only by cold, hard eyes.

“Yes,” Yeung Yi said finally, deciding to go with the three men who looked extremely relieved. “ Bye Sister Man!” She called, waving her hands in the air. Man Chung Han waved back, wondering when she would see her good friend again. Her heart jolted suddenly and she realized that she had not suck any internal power that night. Disappearing into the darkness, she sought her next victim.

************************************************** ************************************************** ***********************

THE DRAGON CLAN
The Dragon Clan had been established for a hundred years, and now, the leader of this powerful clan was none other than Hong Chi. For many years, the Dragon Clan had been enemies with the Holy Star Sect and as Hong Chi was already very old and suffered from intense internal injuries (from training some weird skill), he wanted to destroy the evil sect more than ever.

It was Hong Chi’s sixtieth birthday and he had called his eldest disciple, Chan Ho Man, into his room. Chan Ho Man was a strong and highly skilled twenty-five year old and was also Hong Chi’s favorite disciple.

The doors opened after a knock and Chan Ho Man greeted Hong Chi, “ Sifu.”

The elderly Hong Chi was sitting down on a mahogany chair and he motioned for Chan Ho Man to sit down on another chair too. Chan Ho Man obeyed and sat down.

Hong Chi said after some pauses, “ Ho Man. Sifu isn’t young anymore, and one day, the position of leader would be passed on to you... Would you help to fulfill my last wish?” He stopped and added, “ It is rather dangerous.”

Chan Ho Man nodded, wondering why his Sifu was talking as if he was going to die soon.

Hong Chi said again, “ Our Clan has been at loggerheads with the evil Holy Star Sect for as long as anyone can remember. The Mistress of the Holy Star Sect has many disciples. But, the only two suitable to be the next Mistress would have to be Man Chung Han and Tong Ling." "The Holy Star Sect has a secret manual that is only passed on to the next Mistress. I want you to get close to Man Chung Han and obtain the secret manual. Without the secret manual, the Holy Star Sect would just be like any other small sect. Kill Man Chung Han when your task is done.”

Chan Ho Man thought that the idea was preposterous and could not help but blurt out, “ But Sifu, if we do that, we would be no different from the Holy Star Sect! That would ruin the Dragon Clan’s reputation!”

Hong Chi frowned at his favorite disciple and after a while, said in a low tone, “ Sometimes, we have to resort to such means when dealing with those kind of people. You can go out now.” He pointed at the door.

Chan Ho Man got out of his seat, greeted his Sifu once more, and walked out of the room. Somehow, the last few words of his Sifu made sense to him. “ Sometimes, we have to resort to such means when dealing with those kind of people,” he repeated under his breath.

Making up his mind to fulfill this wish of his Sifu, Chan Ho Man walked into his own room to rest.

************************************************** ************************************************** ***********************

YEUNG MANSION
Yeung Yi was sulking as she entered the main hall of the Yeung Mansion. She was dressed in an exquisite yellow gown with stitched butterflies and looked as gorgeous as a fairy. Her face was, however, plastered with an extremely sulky look- she missed her Sister Man.

Her father, Yeung Zhuo Ping was already seated in the hall and looked very stately, like he was in court. He noticed the presence of his daughter and nodded in acknowledgement.

“ Yi-er,” he began.

Yeung Yi tried to smile and asked, “ Yes Father?”

Yeung Zhuo Ping bit his lips and continued, “ Well, you are seventeen and of marriageable age.”

Yeung Yi said loudly, “ But I am not going to marry!”

Yeung Zhuo Ping glared at her slightly and declared, “You will be married to the son of General You next month and they have already sent us the betrothal gifts (He pointed at some red stuff in a corner of the hall that Yeung Yi had not noticed before). End of talk.”

Yeung Yi’s smile drooped drastically and she stared at her father in disbelief, trying to digest the words that she had just heard.

The truth suddenly dawned upon her and she shouted furiously, “ But you never asked me for my consent! I don’t even know who this son-of-General-You is! How could you? You are destroying my life!” Yeung Yi stomped back to her room without thinking, leaving her father sitting rigidly on the chair.

“ Bam!’ Yeung Yi shut the wooden doors. She huffed angrily and her mind was in a whirl. With thoughts of the conversation she had with her father still in her head, she packed her bags, taking with her some clothes and money. Beads of tears gathered in her eyes as she did that. But, all she knew at the moment was that she had to get out of that wretched place, away from that dreaded marriage, away from her father and away from everything else. Maybe she would return when she cooled down. Or maybe not.

Yeung Yi got out of her room and she began to run out of the mansion, ignoring the shoutings of many guards behind her.

[Tan]

~Two-Faced

GREEN BAMBOO FOREST
“ Help me! Help!” A horrible shouting penetrated the still silence of the forest, making a few birds fly out from their nests, looking very annoyed. A young man was desperately running away from four evil-looking bandits, all armed. “ Hand us all your money or die!” The leader of the bandits hollered, about to close in on the helpless man. The man ran with all his might, never looking back.

“ Ah!” the man had tripped over a rock. He tried to scramble and get up again, but the leader of the bandits had grabbed hold of his collar before he could do so.

“ Die now, weakling!” the bandit chief exclaimed, smiling maliciously at his victim. The poor man fainted, unconscious…

TWO DAYS LATER

Man Chung Han looked over at the man who was lying on the bed. She had rescued him from some bandits who were just about to kill the man, and he had been unconscious for about two days already.

“ Why did I save him?” She wondered to herself.

No reason came to her mind.

She just did save him.

“ Water…Water…” a faint voice broke her thoughts. The man had awoken! Smiling delightfully, Chung Han walked over to the table and poured the man a cup of water. She placed the full cup in his hands gingerly and helped him to sit up. The man gulped the liquid down furiously, and in a twinkle of an eye, the cup was empty. Man Chung Han refilled it again. And again. Only until the weak man had finished the twelfth cup did he stop and managed to ask, “ Where am I?”

Chung Han beamed at him and replied, “ You are in my house. I rescued you from some bandits.” After an awkward pause, she asked, “What is your name?”

The man seemed to look around his surroundings and said, “ Chan Ho Man.”

Chung Han nodded and said, “ I am Man Chung Han. Call me Chung Han then.”

Chan Ho Man smiled weakly and remarked, “ That’s a nice name.”

Chung Han blushed slightly and mumbled, “ I’ll go out and get you some food. You can rest here.”

She got up but Chan Ho Man grabbed hold of her hand and said, “ Please come back soon. I don’t want to be all alone.”

Chung Han’s face turned crimson and she nodded, before exiting the house hurriedly. Her heartbeat sped up and she felt butterflies in her stomach. “ What’s wrong with me?” She muttered under her breath before walking into the forests in search of food.

Meanwhile, Chan Ho Man was smiling while lying down. His plan was working perfectly.

Flashback-------------------

Hong Chi said again, “ Our Clan has been at loggerheads with the evil Holy Star Sect for as long as anyone can remember. The Mistress of the Holy Star Sect has many disciples. But, the only two suitable to be the next Mistress would have to be Man Chung Han and Tong Ling. The Holy Star Sect has a secret manual that is only passed on to the next Mistress. I want you to get close to Man Chung Han and obtain the secret manual. Without the secret manual, the Holy Star Sect would just be like any other small sect. Kill Man Chung Han when your task is done.”

Chan Ho Man thought that the idea was preposterous and could not help but blurt out, “ But Sifu, if we do that, we would be no different from the Holy Star Sect! That would ruin the Dragon Clan’s reputation!”

Hong Chi frowned at his favorite disciple and after a while, said in a low tone, “ Sometimes, we have to resort to such means when dealing with those kind of people. You can go out now.” He pointed at the door.

Chan Ho Man got out of his seat, greeted his Sifu once more, and walked out of the room. Somehow, the last few words of his Sifu made sense to him. “ Sometimes, we have to resort to such means when dealing with those kind of people,” he repeated under his breath.

Making up his mind to fulfill this wish of his Sifu, Chan Ho Man walked into his own room to rest.

--------------------Flashback

Chan Ho Man thought in his head, “ That Man Chung Han sure is easy to trick.” He closed his eyes again, pretending to be resting.

That night, Chung Han roasted some wild pheasants she had caught in the forest over a fire she had made.

“ Smells good.” Ho Man thought, glancing at Chung Han who was sweating profusely from all the heat. He walked over to her and said, “ Here, let me help you too.”

Chung Han shook her head and said, “ You’re sick and you ought to be resting.” She motioned to the bed but Ho Man insisted, “ No, let me do some work. Please? Or I’ll feel guilty about not doing anything.” He gave her a sweet look and Chung Han’s stomach lurched.

“ Fine,” she said softly, handing him a stick (with the pheasant stuck on) also. For the rest of the night, the two chatted and talked, enjoying their food. Both of them, for some reason, felt very comfortable and happy with each other, and Chan Ho Man never talked once about the secret manual of the Holy Star Sect he was supposed to obtain.

************************************************** ************************************************** ***********************

YEUNG MANSION
Yeung Zhuo Ping was seated in a tall chair opposite a pretty, grim-faced woman. “ Leader Kwok,” Yeung Zhuo Ping greeted her in a polite tone.

The woman was actually Kwok Hoi Ying, leader of the Holy Star Sect.

“ Prime Minister Yeung,” Kwok Hoi Ying said, “ I have got my disciples ready. Once the time is right, we may attack the Dragon Clan.” She let out an evil smirk at this.

Yeung Zhuo Ping smiled fakely too and said, “ Yes, I have informed my soldiers too. Given more time, there would be no more Dragon Clan in this world, and your Holy Star Sect would be the most powerful in the pugilistic world.”

Kwok Hoi Ying relished for a moment at this sweet thought of revenge. She got up and said, “ Well, see you then, Prime Minister Yeung.” Then, she left as abruptly as she had come. Yeung Zhuo Ping glared at the direction in which she had gone, and he thought, “ Who do you think you are, acting so aloof?”

After a while, Yeung Zhuo Ping got up and walked towards one of his servants, Steward Yip. He said harshly, “ Has Missy returned home yet?”

Steward Yip shook his head vigorously and Yeung Zhuo Ping said again, “ Send some men to look for her and find her before the wedding. Any failure to do so would result in their death.”

“Yes, Master.” Steward Yip replied, bowing very low.

Yeung Zhuo Ping brushed off some dust from his shoulder and strutted off. He thought about Yeung Yi and how to account to General You.

[Tan]

~Unknown Territory

“ Oh great, I’m lost,” Lam Fung moaned in his head, staring at the unfamiliar surroundings he was in: All he could see was trees, trees and more trees.
He and his brother was nearing the Capital and he had just gone to a stream to quench his thirst when…

Flashback--------------------

“ Just wait till I catch you!” Lam Fung said through gritted teeth, fixing his cool stare upon a pathetic-looking brown creature which was visibly an abnormally large rabbit. He crouched lower and got ready to pounce on the poor thing, his hands firm.

The rabbit’s eyes widened.

“ Ah!” he yelled, landing on the hard forest floor with a loud ‘thump!’ His right leg was somewhat bleeding and he grimaced when he noticed that there was no rabbit in his hands. “ Hey! Where are you!” he yelled to nothing in particular.

It was then that the poor man realized that he was not beside the stream anymore…but somewhere with a lot of trees…and his hands were wet…All he could manage to think about then was that it had not rained in that area for a long time…

--------------------Flashback

Lam Fung shuddered as he imagined his brother’s angry face, yelling, “A rabbit? You went after a rabbit instead of doing better things? Up in the heavens, Father and Mother would be ashamed to see you doing this kind of childish thing. Do you know how your great-grandfather…” He tried to shook away the thought of a lecture and continued walking aimlessly, hoping that he could get out of that dreaded place soon and if someone was cursing him with all that bad luck. Lam Fung looked ahead and saw more rows of trees, which made him sigh. Crack! There was a loud sound which broke the tranquil ness of the forest and made a few birds fly off their perch. It took Lam Fung less than a second to realize that he had stepped on a twig and was falling…falling, into a dark hole… “ Whoa!” He exclaimed, trying hard to maintain his balance.

“ A trap!” he shouted, landing on a pile of dead leaves and yelping in pain and anguish.

“ What is the problem now?” Lam Fung screamed in frustration, chiding himself for falling into a trap prepared for some animal.

Just as he was about to stand up again, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the hole…

“ You can’t run now, dinner!” A croaky female voice said from above, obviously happy that Lam Fung had fallen into the trap hole.

“ What?” Lam Fung’s mind said aloud, and he wondered if he had just heard something wrongly. He attempted to use his lightness kungfu to help him get back to the top but to no avail. “ My skills, they can’t seem to work!” He muttered furiously under his breath, his mind in a dilemma as to what was happening.

Before he actually had a chance to work it out, his limbs grew extremely tired and he collapsed onto the ground in a heap.

************************************************** ************************************************** ***********************

BLACK WOODS
Lam Cheuk Hai frowned and murmmered under his breath, “ Where is that Fung? Fancy him running around like a child.”

He scanned his surroundings in frustration, wondering where his playful brother had gone. Lam Fung had said that he was thirsty and gone to find a stream while Lam Cheuk Hai had waited exactly two hours for him until he could bear it no longer and left to find his brother. W-o-r-r-y was spelled across his forehead as he gripped his ruby sword tightly. It was at that moment that he actually noticed a girl in peach wandering around in the forest some distance in front of him. “ Good lightness skill,” he commented, amazed that the girl actually made no noise when walking. Cheuk Hai decided that he would ask her where the mysterious place he was in was. That would help when he was searching for Lam Fung.

The girl was about nineteen years old and looked up when she felt Lam Cheuk Hai’s prescence. “ Yes?” She said, beaming.

“ I want to ask if-” Lam Cheuk Hai began, looking at the girl’s pretty face.

“ Why don’t you smile?” The girl cut in. “ You know? Smile?” She displayed another dazzling smile and looked up expectantly at Lam Cheuk Hai. She was wondering why anyone would have such a gloomy face.

Lam Cheuk Hai breathed and thought, “ Keep your cool. Keep your cool. Keep your cool...” If it had not been a girl who had said that, he would have simply punched that fellow. He realised that he would not get any answers out of the girl without smiling. After a pause, he attempted to force a smile on his face. Indeed, for someone who had hardly smiled for so many years, it was a hard thing to do. But the girl seemed to accept it and she said cheerfully, “ My name’s Jin Wan Ling. What’s yours?”

Lam Cheuk Hai thought for a moment. That girl might be an enemy, his mind reminded him as he peered at that innocent, angelic face. “ Li Jie.” He replied after a long pause. He had decided that he would hide his true identity. “ I wanted to ask you where this place is.” He continued, getting quite impatient.

Wan Ling replied in a dark voice, “ This is the Black Woods, where the Herbal Witch dwells.”

“ Witch?” Lam Cheuk Hai exclaimed in disbelief and raised an eyebrow. Was she joking?

Wan Ling chuckled merrily and explained, “ That is just the nickname given to Tong Ling of the Holy Star Sect. She is an expert in all sorts of poisons. Well, and if you venture too deep into the woods, she might just catch you and make you a victim of her next experiment.”

The sound of the Herbal Witch sent a chill down Lam Cheuk Hai’s spine and he thought hard. Anyone who has such a nickname must be a real witch.

“ Are you all right?” the sound of Wan Ling’s voice broke Lam Cheuk Hai’s thoughts and he blurted, “ Huh?”

Wan Ling laughed yet again and taunted, “ So, are you scared? Of the Herbal Witch?”

Lam Cheuk Hai frowned and stated, “ Of course not! I am here to look for my brother. He seems to be…lost.”

Wan Ling heard that and asked curiously, “ How does he look like?”

Lam Cheuk Hai eyed her with suspicion and replied, “ He is eighteen and of about the same built as me and is carrying an emerald sword.”

Wan Ling’s ears perked up when she heard the words ‘emerald sword’. She looked at Lam Cheuk Hai’s ruby one.

Lam Cheuk Hai asked, “ Did you see anyone like him?”

Wan Ling shook her head and fumbled in her pocket for something. Finally, she took out a pink satchet and handed it to Lam Cheuk Hai. She said, “ Take this, it might help you, you know.”

Lam Cheuk Hai took the girlish satchet from her and said in disgust, “ How will it?”

Wan Ling placed both hands on her hips and said, “ It will. Trust me, and I wish you would find your brother soon!” Lam Cheuk Hai kept the satchet away reluctantly and looked up when he had done so. To his astonishment, the girl was nowhere in sight. Blinking and pinching himself to see if he was dreaming, it only brought him much pain. Trying to shake off all funny thoughts, he concentrated on the road ahead, hoping to locate Lam Fung.

[Tan]

Did i miss out anything?..no..i hope...this is set in ancient China but the facts may be a little wrong.

[patricia n]

hello!!! i've already read this chapter in winglin but i just want to bump this thread as a reminder to update this please! i love tavia and ray!

[baby1talk]

Great storyling. I can already predict the pairings, let's just hope it stays that way. So who caught Fung, is it Tong Ling?