Kunlun Mountain Part 4 - The Return

Chapter 1 - A Low Resonate Rumble

The Ghost Realm

Opening her eyes sharply, she looked straight up at the soft silk curtains that draped lightly about her bed.  It was still dark out, but the soft sounds of the maids moving about in the outer halls told her morning was just breaking, they usually rose before dawn to begin their daily chores.

Relaxing her stiffened body from the dream that had forced her awake, she closed her eyes again and began to force the image of her small restaurant into her mind, then slowly she walked through the door.  Keeping the image as clear as she could, she allowed her mind to then see the familiar surroundings that she knew so well.  It was what she always did when she awoke from a dream she did not want to remember.

And putting the familiar images of a place she loved into her mind, usually allowed her to forget the dream quickly.  Only this time, she could not rid herself of the man who had been haunting her dreams since her return.  A man with two faces, and both of them were people she knew well.

Sighing, she knew she would not sleep again and not wanting to see that face any time soon, Yan Zhi rose and quickly dressed herself.  Being so early, she knew Li Jing would not be awake any time soon, not after witnessing the amount of women he took to bed with him the night before.  

Not that she was bothered by it, she wasn't.  Her father too had loved to fill his bed with many women and many times she would walk in on them.  But she did need to wake him.  Several Generals who were still loyal to him were arriving after breakfast for yet another meeting, and since her arrival, her brother had finally made the move to clean himself up and fully step back into the role of Overlord.  

It hadn't taken too much effort on her part either, he had immediately ordered a meeting with his generals and advisers that he felt were still loyal and having a list of those who were not, was the reason for their meeting that day.  If he was to make a complete comeback, he needed to rid himself completely of those he now considered the enemy.

And it was an enemy that was on her mind at that moment.  Not only was the mans with two faces that haunted her dreams a possible enemy, but she had not yet informed Li Jing of this particular dream, because for one, she did not understand it, let alone know how to explain it.  But like every other prophetic dream, this one too had been in black and white, so she knew it was significant and possibly an ill omen.

Making her way into the courtyard where she always ate breakfast, she took a seat and waited.  Dawn had yet to break so the cooks would not have breakfast ready yet, but she didn't mind, it had been a very long time since she had sat under star lit sky with dawn just breaching the horizon which she had a very good view of.

And the spray of colors that were already fighting for her attention were rapidly taking over the mountain ranges in the distance the moment she lifted her eyes.  She had so many memories of mornings like that one spent with her father in that exact same spot, watching the breaking of a dawn together, but lately those memories seemed tainted the more she thought of them.  The glowing red embers that were almost upon her reminded her now of the war and the terrifying release of the Bell which almost saw the end of it all.

And that brought to mind, the Bell.  Li Jing had moved guards onto the border that surrounded the lands the Bell was currently resting in.  It was in a no mans land, a desert not owned by any realm, and though one could pass through, no one could own it, and certainly no one could place their guards in it.  But from he had learned, the Bell had begun to show signs of activity about the same time her dreams had started.

He had also informed her, the Celestials were also monitoring the Bell, apparently Lord Dong Hua Di Jun had been seen twice visiting the Bell, and Lord Honghui had visited once.  However, no one yet seemed to be doing anything about it other than monitoring it.