Through the course of Love

Chapter 1 Away From Home

Appearing in this chapter:

Eddie Cheung- The Emperor
Lam Yi Kay (Hacken’s mother in LE)-The Emperess
Irene Wan- Trinh Phi
Tavia Yeung-Duong Tam Nhu
Michelle Yip-Duong Thi Nhu
Gigi Lai- Nguyen May Tuyet
Angela Tong-Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong
Carmen Lee- Nguyen Ngoc Yen


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“Mother, mother, please wake up!”

A young boy about the age of six was seen leaning over the body of his dead mother. He continued to desperately pull on his mother’s hand as tears poured out of his eyes. Around him were about seven eunuchs and ten maids. They all stood to a side not daring to disturb this young boy may have only been six but his royal gestures could have overtaken any fully grown man.

“Where is my father?” he demanded, “Does he know about this?”

The eunuchs and maids all looked at each other not daring to say a word. The young boy looked at them suspiciously before running out of the room to find his father the emperor of Sung.

After running halfway through the palace the young prince decided to go to the Empress’s palace to ask. He ran there blindly as passing servants, guards, eunuchs, bowed at his royal presence, finally he ran into someone.

“Sorry,” he said trying to get up again without looking at the person he had collided with.

“What’s the rush?” the boy he bumped into asked rubbing his forehead.

“Tri Lam,” the prince began “Do you know where my father is?”

“I heard that he is with Trinh Phi Nuong Nuong.” Tri Lam answered and before he could say anymore, the prince ran off.

“If he’s gone so quickly something must be wrong,” Tri Lam said to himself, “I should find the Empress.”

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“Father,” the prince shouted bursting into the room. In there he saw Trinh Phi (Irene Wan) helping his father, (Eddie Cheung) put on his golden coat.

“Hoang Nhi, (dragon child),” the Emperor said looking quite outraged. “Why did you enter without knocking?”

“Father,” the prince said holding back tears, “Please follow me to see mother.”

“I’ve said so already,” the Emperor said impatiently “I’m not going to see Huong Phi today or through the coming month.”

“But…” The Prince began.

“I said I’m not going,” the Emperor said angrily.

The prince looked to the floor and began to cry silently.

“Your majesty,” The Empress greeted as she entered the room. She looked over to see the Prince crying, walked over to him and wiped his tears with her handkerchief. “Hoang Nhi, don’t cry,” she said.

“He’s far too obnoxious,” the Emperor said.

“He’s still very young,” the Empress(Lam Yi Kay) replied softly.

“He is continuously trying to get me to see his mother. Let me tell you child that in my eyes your mother is nothing!”

The prince ran out of the room furiously, and the Emperor shook his head.

“That child needs to be taught a lesson.” The Emperor said picking up a cup of tea.

“Your majesty,” the Empress began, “Huong Phi has died.”

The Emperor dropped his cup of tea and looked at the Empress with a stricken face.

“How could this be?” the Emperor asked with a face as though refusing to believe the fact he had just heard.

“Your majesty,” the Empress began tears forming in her eyes, “Huong Phi has been sick for over a month now, each day her health worsened until today…”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” the Emperor asked furiously.

“Huong Phi did not want you to worry,” the Empress replied tears falling from her eyes. “According to the servants, Hoang Nhi tried many times to get you to come to her, but each time you refused. When she died the last thing she told her son was ‘Look after your father’.”

“Huong Phi,” the Emperor said in a trance before running towards the direction of her home.

The Empress glared at the stricken face of Trinh Phi before turning in the opposite direction and following the Emperor’s past.


~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~

12 Years Later…

In the most mysterious place of China with a variety of obstacles through it’s forbidden boundary laid Thuy Lien Cung (The Water Palace). Even further in was the chamber of Thanh Nu (sacred maiden/female heir). Inside a room within the chamber two 19 year old females stared down at their Thanh Nu (Gigi Lai) whom sat meditating on the double wooden chair.

The two standing girls (Tavia and Michelle) were wearing identical outfits that were long white skirts with a waistline that was tucking in a small shirt with a white overcoat covering their arms and shoulders, they were completely in white.

The sitting Thanh Nu was in a simple white dress and overcoat. Around her sleeve the far bottom of her dress and coat, around her waistline in where the material was about to end 5cm away from the end was one 1cm of gold running in a straight circular pattern. Her hair was half up with small feathers green, purple, yellow, and pink on each side of her head it was connected by a dangling clip that had 10cm of gold and a pearl at the end of it. The clip stuck on both of the feathers on the left and right side of her head. A piece of wire was across her forehead with a pearl in the centre. She was enchantingly beautiful, and when she suddenly snapped her eyes open the commanding air around her increased.

“Thanh Nu,” Thi Nhu (Michelle Yip) and Tam Nhu (Tavia Yeung) said placing both hands at their waist and bending their knees slightly to make them shorter in a sign of respect. It was their way of curtsying.

“You can all go and rest.” Nguyen May Tuyet (Gigi Lai) said.

Thanh Nu May Tuyet was the future Cung Chua (palace ruler) of Thuy Lien Cung. Being thus every person in the palace knelt at her presence. She had the perfect commanding aura.

“Yes Thanh Nu,” they replied.

May Tuyet took a walk in the forest to the tomb of their founder. She stood outside for a moment and stared expressionlessly at the door. It was a while before she moved or did anything then there was a slight faint noise of someone using their lightness kungfu to move throughout the forest May Tuyet launched onto a tree far from the tomb to look around on the ground. After a while, she saw two men completely dressed in black clothes for moving around in the night, exchanging information.

“I have not found the tomb or the Water Palace.” The first man informed.

“Nor have I.” The second replied.

Knowing that it was time to come out, May Tuyet launched out of a the tree spinning her body while keeping it straight and landed on the floor in front of the two men. They both opened their eyes wide open when seeing her face.

“Sorry, but this place is forbidden,” May Tuyet said calmly staring right at them, “You have no right to be here.”

“You are a person of Thuy Lien Cung?” the first man asked.

“What if I am?”

“Then where is Minh Lien Thanh Thuy (Moonlight’s holy water)?”

“What do you want it for?” May Tuyet asked commandingly.

“You don’t need to know,” the second man replied.

“Fine, I’ll kill you both then lets see how you can take away the Thanh Thuy.”

Almost instantly May Tuyet launched for the two of them and they began a deadly dual. Two men against one girl. The fight was quite striking until May Tuyet did something that finished both men quickly and quietly. She concentrated a fraction of her internal power at the point of her right index and middle finger as her other fingers were bent down and swiped her fingers across their necks without touching it. The two of them fell to the floor as though a sword has struck them.

“Very talented,” said a voice around her that belonged to a male, “It is hard to believe that someone so young could have internal energy that powerful.”

“Who are you?” May Tuyet asked commandingly.

The voice laughed and a man landed on the floor a few metres away from May Tuyet without a sound. May Tuyet looked at him with no expression on her face.

“You only need to tell me where is the Thanh Thuy (holy water) and I’ll let you live,” the man said. He had his face covered mysteriously.

“Who are you to give out orders like that to me?” May Tuyet replied.

The man laughed and shook his head. Before either of them could exchange another word two middle aged women in pure white flew towards them and landed next to May Tuyet curtsying respectfully at her. May Tuyet nodded in approval before the two women stood up and faced the other man.

“Well if it isn’t the two personal Minh Thuy (moonlight water) armaments of Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong.”

“Hinh Bong (shadow),” Tieu Ngoc said, “You should not be here.”

“If your mistress has personally sent an invitation to lead me out of here then I will of-course leave in respect of her this one time.” After saying that he flew off.

“You know him?” May Tuyet asked.

“Thanh Nu,” Tieu Phuong said, “about this subject you should personally ask Cung Chua.”

May Tuyet eyed them suspiciously and turned away from them both, “Let’s go back to the palace,” she announced.

~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~

“Cung Chua,” everyone in the room bowed to the presence of their ruler they were all in the throne room of the palace it was a place full of coldness and power. The room was very icy and in the middle of the room from the stairs that walked up to Cung Chua’s throne to the door at the end of the room, which was about 30m away. Was a long pool of water about 3m wide filled with freezing cold water and chunks of ice.

A beautiful woman in her late 30’s appeared out from behind the left side of the thrones curtains. She was wearing a grand outfit fit for an Empress. It was pale yellow with a trim at the end of the coat 2m long and trailing behind her hair was half up and hung by a single ribbon. She had a single long chain 10cm long that ended with a pearl stuck in her hair. Her earrings were of the same style and she had a diamond print at the centre of her forehead on her very blank face.

She walked toward the stone chair and sat down on it. Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong (Angela Tong) looked down at the thirty people below her as though searching for someone.

“Where is May Tuyet?” Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong finally asked.

“Cung Chua,” Thi Nhu (Michelle) said, “Thanh Nu May Tuyet is currently within the forbidden forest.”

Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong nodded and said nothing, suddenly the large doors at the end of the room slowly opened and three people appeared at the door. The person in the middle was May Tuyet, the Moonlight water armaments flew towards Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong and landed two stairs below her throne.

Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong stared directly at May Tuyet who was looking right back at her.

“Everyone leave,” Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong ordered, her eyes still on May Tuyet. The thirty curtsied towards her then turned back and did so to May Tuyet before walking out the door. They did not dare to touch their Thanh Nu as they walked pass her even if she did not bother looking at them.

May Tuyet walked completely straight into the water and instead of sinking down she floated with grace and looked like a beautiful water fairy. When she reached of the water she stepped onto a piece of ice and looked up at Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong.

“Is there something you wish to ask me?” Cung Chua said smiling down at May Tuyet.

“Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong,” May Tuyet began, “I met three people in the forbidden forest today.”

“Are they dead?”

“Two dead, one alive.” May Tuyet answered.

“Do you want to ask who the last person was?” Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong asked. “And how I know them?” Her smile had now disappeared.

“Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong I do not dare to interfere with your business,” May Tuyet replied. “And I have no right to, I only wish to know who it was that led the men so deeply into our forbidden midst.”

“May Tuyet why do you say that?” Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong asked, her cold smile reappearing on her face. “You’re my daughter.”

“But have you ever treated me like one mother?” May Tuyet asked.

Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong’s smile faded as she stared down at her daughter. After a while May Tuyet spoke again.

“Cung Chua, if you can’t answer my question then I will find out myself.” After saying so, she used her lightness kungfu to fly out of the room.

~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~

“Thanh Nu are we really leaving?” Tam Nhu asked.

“Only until I finish my task,” May Tuyet answered.

“Do you know the way out then?” Thi Nhu asked.

The three of them May Tuyet, Tam Nhu, Thi Nhu was standing just outside the forbidden forest. It was a rather cloudy day and Tam Nhu and Thi Nhu were both carrying the luggage over their shoulders with one hand and their sword in the other. May Tuyet being the superior there carried nothing and her arms were simply behind her back.

“I don’t yet.” She answered, her playful and cheerful face appearing with a smile. “But I don’t think that it will be that hard.”

“Thanh Nu,” Thi Nhu said looking at her uncertainly. “You aren’t joking are you? Last time Man Man only took one wrong turn and her body was found days later.”

“What are you two worried about?” May Tuyet asked, “I refuse to believe that I can’t lead you two out of this place.”

“And Cung Chua would never lead her daughter to death.” Said a young girl that looked like a moon goddess walking up to them.

“Ngoc Yen,” May Tuyet greeted as her face broke into a warm smile.

“May Tuyet,” Ngoc Yen (Carmen Lee) smiled.

“Nguyen co nuong,” Thi Nhu and Tam Nhu greeted.

“May Tuyet,” Ngoc Yen began, “Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong requested me to give you this.” Ngoc Yen passed May Tuyet the flat blue box in her hands.

“Don’t open it until you leave the boundaries of Thuy Lien Cung,” Ngoc Yen added. “And make sure that it reaches its destination.”

May Tuyet nodded and May Tuyet took out two tiny jars, one black one blue.

“May Tuyet,” Ngoc Yen began, “In the black jar there are a few pills of Nguyen Nguyen bao tam don (treasured internal remedy), and the blue jar had four or five pills of the new remedy that I have just invented. Take it and you won’t go hungry for a few days.”

“Thank you,” May Tuyet said taking the jars.

“And Thi Nhu, Tam Nhu you two have to cover your eyes and let May Tuyet lead you through the forest.” Ngoc Yen informed. “May Tuyet Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong said that after you find your way through she’ll reformat the forest---”

“So I don’t get back out again,” May Tuyet finished.

“I won’t delayed your progress any longer,” Ngoc Yen said smiling, “Good Luck.”

May Tuyet nodded and turned to Thi Nhu and Tam Nhu whom had just covered their eyes. She took Thi Nhu’s hand which was clinging onto Tam Nhu’s and began leading them into the forest.

Ngoc Yen stood there and waited as she slowly saw May Tuyet walk further and further into the forest. Then as a gust of wind came by Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong was seen standing next to Ngoc Yen.

“Have they left?” Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong asked.

“Cung Chua,” Ngoc Yen greeted, “May Tuyet has just left.”

“Did she bring with her Minh Lien Thanh Thuy?”

“I don’t know.” Ngoc Yen answered.

“And what about Tam Tuyet Long Chau (snow hearted dragon pearl)?”

“I believe she did bring it along.”

“Hmm…” Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong sighed. “Go back to the palace first Ngoc Yen.”

Ngoc Yen nodded and turned away. Thanh Thuy Nuong Nuong stood there staring at the forest.

“May Tuyet, be careful.” She murmured, and as the wind blew she was gone without a trace of being there.

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