THE LEGEND OF SHENLI

CHAPTER 8

      Once the gates were closed the three were alone in the courtyard, however everyone present knew they weren’t really alone. The prince spoke as he took a seat on the stone bench, “You’re a difficult person to meet Young Master.”

“I am not as hard to meet as Your Highness,” was Xíng Yún’s reply.

Shěn Lí left for the kitchen to look for something to eat. She had been a military officer in the Demon realm for hundreds of years, and in all that time she met many officials and civil servants. The ones that annoyed her most were those who failed to recognize other people’s time. She didn’t appreciate the crown prince’s attitude and wasn’t interested in listening him mouth off.

“I hear that Young Master can communicate with the spirit world and foresee the future. This prince is very interested and is curious. Can Young Master divine using a trigram?”

“No.” Xíng Yún flat out refused. His decisive answer disappointed the prince and his face sank. Xíng Yún didn’t notice though and continued, “It’s not that I can’t, it’s just that I don’t like to. Divining is not a cheap and causal thing to do. If this is your wish, then please find someone else.”

“Oh.” The prince sneered. “So Young Master has a price tag. If you can read the affairs of my heart, then this prince will give you prestige and wealth. Once I ascend the throne, you can hold the prestige and not even need to perform the functions of the office.”

Xíng Yún still shook his head. “Not interested.”

“Young Master must not know how to appreciate favors, preferring vinegar over honey.” The prince gave the courtyard a cursory glance. “It would be an easy task for me to flatten this courtyard.”

Xíng Yún was confused by the prince’s words for a moment, however he soon understood. After taking a sip of his tea he smiled and spoke. “Your Highness came all this way to learn when your ascension will happen. It is not that I am unwilling, however the lifespan of the emperor is fated by Heaven and not something that should be calculated. Also, Your Highness is mistaken if you think you can crush this courtyard so easily. Although if you tried to flatten it by sitting on it . . . that’s a possibility.”

The crown prince rushed at Xíng Yún and shouted, “You have some guts!” This shout alerted the guards outside and they immediately rushed in. One came at Xíng Yún from behind and pressed a sword to his neck, forcing him to remain still. The prince was so angry that he picked the teapot on the table and splashed the hot liquid at him.

Shěn Lí heard the ruckus and turned to look only to hear Xíng Yún’s cry of pain. An intense anger welled up in her heart making her want to do someone bodily harm. Two guards stepped forward to block her path and pulled out their swords as they sneered at her. She aimed a fierce kick at one of the guards, knocking him into the one behind Xíng Yún. This caused the two to collapse sideways into each other. Another guard moved to take the place of the fallen, brandishing his sword in front. It was easy for Shěn Lí to reach over and grab the blade and grip it lightly between her finger and thumb. A cold shiver ran down the guard’s spine as he watched the blade crumble like paper in her bare hand.

Once done with the sword, she dropped it to the ground. Then ignoring the astonished guard, she flashed over to the well, scooped up a handful of water and flicked it at the crown prince. Although it was only water, the speed she used caused it to fly with the sharpness of an arrow. It was so strong that it knocked the crown prince off balance and forced him to quickly sit back down on the bench to regain his equilibrium.

“Ah! Ow!” The prince’s head was drenched causing his hair to plaster wetly to his forehead. Only a few seconds had passed from when the prince initially poured the boiled water on Xíng Yún to when Shěn Lí soaked the prince with water. No other guards in the courtyard approached her. It was as though they were all afraid.