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

Chapter 11: The Jade Phoenix's Power

The cold night passed by and soon, the moon died out only to be replaced by a bright sun. As the sun rose at the peaks of Mount Kunlun, Wei Yue moved out along with his companions.

"A battle fought with pride and dignity is a battle well-fought." Yi Mushen waved goodbye at them as they made their descent at the plight of stairs leading back to the original stony path. This time, the rocks that were up ahead weren't as perilous as the ones that they acquainted before.

"I'll scout ahead, your highness." Luo Na volunteered and General Hua joined her up front. The chemistry between the two seems to be piling up rapidly. Wei Yue just stared at them with his eyes full of confusion. Zhang Xiaoxing stretched his back all cranky.

"What's up? Looks like you didn't sleep well last night?" Li An teased him.

"Of course I didn't sleep well. My futon is too hard. It's not like something that I sleep with back at the palace." Zhang Xiaoxing just continued to yawn and creak the bones from his back up to his hands while walking.

"You shouldn't have joined us in the first place if you were too comfortable in the palace, Sir!" Li An stepped back and hit him in the head. Zhang Xiaoxing scratched his head in stinging pain.

"No one hit me that hard before, Actually there was some girl back when I was doing business in-" Zhang Xiaoxing didn't continue what he would like to say when Li An shushed him and pulled out her sword from the sheath.

Li An went in front and signaled General Hua and Luo Na.

"Sir, I think we will be ambushed. I sense other ones rather than us in this bamboo forest." Li An whispered as the bamboo trees shook and leaves fell down from it.

"I know. Just stay sharp and keep close." General Hua draw his sword and so as Luo Na. Four masked men that wore black garb approached from a puff of smoke all targeting Wei Yue but Zhang Xiaoxing fended off the sleek blades with his sword.

The masked men all regrouped and then targeted Luo Na instead. One of them crossed blades with General Hua and the other is with Li An.

"Luo Na the betrayer, we sentence you and your bunch of imbeciles to death. By the order of the ever glorious King Fu Xiaoxing." One of the masked man spoke.

More masked men armed with bows, daggers, swords and arrows appeared from above the bamboos. General Hua and Luo Na couldn't possibly hold back such numbers of men since they're outnumbered.

The men's target was Luo Na and them and they had mentioned about the bewitched king. It means that they are nearing at the dragon's tooth.

"Grahh!" Luo Na shouted in pain as one of the masked men struck her with an arrow upon her thigh. Even though she could and should scream in pain, she didn't. Luo Na continued to brandish her dual daggers and fought the men. Her vision is getting blurry and the noises of clanking metal weapons are fading gradually.

"N-no..." She softly said as she sat beside a bamboo to catch her breath. Everything is getting darker in her perception...

She collapsed but luckily General Hua caught her.

"Your Highness. We're outnumbered is there something your all magical staff can do?"

The General's patience is wearing thin. Wei Yue should do something about it. And finally, he decided...

"All of you step back." He wielded his jade staff and casted a powerful spell...

"Oh ancestors of the jade phoenix hear thee the battle cry of the Emperor and send forth an army to vanquish thy evil."

He raised his staff pointing at the sky and a green flash of lightning struck at the ground. The masked men stopped pursuing them and froze in confusion.

"What was that suppose to do?" Zhang Xiaoxing scratched his head but Li An pinched his ear and shushed him.

After a while, the ground from where the lightning struck started to crack and an army of armored bird men holding swords and spears arose from down below...

The masked men unsheathed their weapons and aimed for the army instead. Wei Yue pointed his staff towards the masked men and gave his command...

"Attack."

The army brandished their swords and spears and attacked all of the masked men. The battle was unclear since when the two sides had clashed, all was lost in a whirl of sand.

When all of the sand dissipated, the masked men were all struck dead and lifeless on the ground. But the mystery there is...
Wei Yue's mysterious army were also gone along with the sand.

"W-what sorcery was that?" Zhang Xiaoxing stood there with his eyes growing wide pointing at the dead men.

"That was the power that the witch seeks." Li An replied calmly.

"The power of the Jade phoenix shouldn't be shown to mere mortals but... For that, I am sorry." Wei Yue bowed his head low and headed back into the trail.

The others weren't surprised at all. Luo Na, having missed such important memory by being unconscious, walked into her dreams.

After the fiasco, all of them headed outside the bamboo forest where a large inn stood in front of them.

A woman of late forties wearing a pink silk flower embroidered robe approached them...

"Welcome to Kunwu Peak, the finest inn in the country."