Warring Kingdoms: The Tale of the Jade Phoenix and the Dragon Blade

Prologue: The Fall of the Phoenix

"Wei Yue, I fear that I may not stay for too long in this life. The Jade phoenix calls upon me in the afterlife... Now, it's your turn to bring glory to his kingdom and maintain peace and order to these lands." Yue's father said as he laid on his deathbed panthing for his dying breath.

"As you wish father. Your orders are my command." Yue held his father's hands and a while more later, they turned cold as ice and his father is breathing no more.

The jade phoenix signet from his crest snuffed out of light and lifted in the air. Yue closed his eyes and laid his hands forward.  The phoenix hovered and flew inside his chest. Wei Yue screamed in pain after the phoenix made it's way inside his chest. The mark of the phoenix gleamed brightly as Wei Yue stood up after flinching downwards.
"What?" He turned at his attendants.
"Your highness, you should look at the mirror."

Wei Yue asked his servants for a hand mirror and looked at his vanity from it.

"Wha- What's happening? Why do I look like a ..." his frightened voice then was shushed as a muscular man entered inside the royal chamber.

"Bird? Oh you would love it Yue, besides, when we were kids, you always talk to me about how you would like to become a bird yourself." General Hua jokingly said. Wei Yue squinted his eyes in disgust and facepalmed.
Gen Hua laughed a let out another joke that pisses him again. "You know, you look taller with that face."

The attendants can't help but laugh but Yue, keeping his pride, never faltered and stood straight. His face were serious than before.
"General Xian Hua, I am now the king, where is your respect before me?" Wei Yue's voice changed from friendly, to overpowering. General Hua then bowed before him and so as his servants. "Long live the king!" They all shouted as Wei Yue made his exit from the royal chambers and into the throne room.

As Wei Yue was about to sit to the throne and let the royal Dao's put the crown on his head, a fiery arrow struck inside the throne room. The servants, attendants, barons, counts, and other royalties ran and panicked after some men ransacked inside.
"Your highness, our kingdom has been breached, please evacuate immediately!" A ragged servant boy shouted with his elbow struck by an arrow badly bleeding.

Wei Yue stood stiff beside the throne. He could not move anymore and many questions sprang up from his mind. He's in a state of shock. General Hua grabbed him by the arm and forcibly rode him by his horse.

"Snap out of it!" General Hua shouted as he shook Wei Yue out from his state of mental breakdown.

"My father's kingdom... It's been passed unto me and yet look at it now... It's ruined..." He said tearfully when they both got outside the gates.

The Jade phoenix kingdom burned as they rode far away escorted by some men in horses. Wei Yue could hear the screams and cries of his people and it made him feel more discomfort. Yue could not even move an inch and all he could do is to hold unto General Hua's back so that he would not fall off the horse.

Moments later, they have reached a secret trail leading to the mountains. An eagle screeched and swooped down on them.
"It's her." General Hua stopped their horses at the middle of the trail and let the eagle rest on his wrist. He pulled out a scroll from it's feet and read the written message. He nodded and let the eagle fly again.

"East. Head east." He commanded his men and they all rode going east. The deeper they get into the mountain, the harder the trails get. Until, all of them had been forced to walk since the trail means that they should all climb and shimmy behind a waterfall.

"The Lunar Empress said that the hard trails has a purpose, that is to keep the enemies away so, all of you... Keep your fears to yourselves and follow me."
General Hua rounded up his men and shimmy behind a big, steep, waterfall. Wei Yue, with the undying pride of his shimmy by himself because he would not want General Hua to carry him around to show his men that General Hua wasn't a boss of him.

"So, General Hua... Who is this Lunar Empress?" asked Wei Yue.

"She's the one of the seven guardians and she owns two dogs." answered General Hua.

"I hope those dogs won't bite." the two of them laughed after they had reached the other side of the waterfall.

"Sire, apparently there's a large cave over there. Maybe we could temporarily set up a camp and build a fire. My men are tired and hungry." Li An approached General Hua pointing on a large cave.

"Fear not Lieutenant Li. That cave you talk of, that's the entrance to the tomb of the great Lunar Guardian." General Hua answered.
Xian instructed his men and also the emperor to stay behind and let him deal with both of the tomb guardians. After a while, he gestured with his hands from far away to come with him inside the cave.

Inside the cave was nothing special. The carvings of the Lunar Empress and the two Dog Guardians were manifested. Xian then removed a crest from his pocket and the cave opened from the inside. It was no ordinary cave. Outside was alright but inside was phenomenal. The room was filled with gold and silver treasures and there was some sort of throne room. An Empress sits on the throne along with his two dog guardians.

"I heard you're in some sort of trouble brother?" The empress spoke at Xian Hua casually as if they were siblings.

"Min Hua, we need your help. The Jade phoenix kingdom... It's destroyed."

"Destroyed?" The Lunar Empress Min Hua raised an eyebrow and moved closer beside Wei Yue.

"What did you do?" Min Hua raised her staff and pointed it to the Jade emperor.

"I have done nothing your highness."

"Then tell me, is there a traitor amidst?"

The whole atmosphere changed and Empress Min immediately casted a shield to the Emperor as a bolt of arrow struck and broke itself outside the shield.

They all looked at the traitor behind all of the guards.

"For the new king!" he shouted.

"I should have know better letting a traitor inside." Min Hua's eyebrows crossed and she waved her right hand and a breeze of gold brought the traitor forward to her.

"Yin, Yang... You two be the judge of this traitor." she scoffed and sat again on her golden chair crossing her legs.

"Your majesty, I suggest, we feed him to the ZiBai Lao so that he'll learn his lesson not just in this present life but also to his future self." Yang suggested sneering evilly.

"ZiBai Lao would be fine but wouldn't it be fine if we don't just kill him too soon?" Min Hua shrugged with a confused look on her eyes.

"We could interrogate him first who sent him, and why does he want to kill the Jade Emperor." Yin suggested.

Min Hua stood up and patted Yin on his head. "Such a good dog." Min Hua smiled cheerfully. Yang just sulked beside her but Min Hua took him and laid him on her lap along with Yin.

"Well? Spill the beans. Who sent you and why do you want to kill the Jade Emperor?"

"King Fu Xiaoxing sent me and wanted me to pretend as a royal guard to easily kill this phony emperor! He said that this emperor is not competitive enough and it's time for a change of rule!"

Min Hua rolled her eyes. "Have you or have you not believe that Wei Yue is a benevolent and pacifist King?"

"I was wrong to put my trust to a weak king!" the guard charged with a sword on his hand and pierced the side of the emperor.

"My King!" shouted Xian who then managed to get beside Yue after the sword struck his body.

The traitor guard removed the sword and ran outside the cave. Other guards of the king chased after him with Li An commanding them.

"Leave him be brother." Min Hua patted her brother's back. "He is not a mortal now. After he assumed to the throne, he inherited a curse along with it." she added.

"What curse do you speak of Min Hua?"

"The curse of immortality."