Fresh Embers of Love

Chapter 60

Fuzangloong wielded the long blade in his hand expertly, staring intently at his opponent across the circular dirt field of the training ground. He could feel the metal of the sword, like an extension of his arm, his magic giving him the ability to use the sword without touching it, if he so chose.

QingWa Sheng glared back at him from the other side of the training ground, holding his staff with an insolent posture. They had been best friends for a long time, but their friendship was now strained.

Fuzang had only been here a few days, but it had been long enough to hear the snide remarks the soldiers were making about his beloved sister. It had been long enough to notice the bulge on his sister's abdomen that she tried to hide. He had put two and two together, and it led him to an unmistakable conclusion.

Nuwa had been hidden away here because she was pregnant, and it was QingWa Sheng's fault.

Fuzang sent the sword flying like a spear towards QingWa's head, simultaneously leaping upwards, arcing towards him. QingWa dodged the flying sword, batting it away with his staff, and turned in a graceful spin to wield his staff at Fuzang.

Fuzang dodged the staff, calling the sword to his hand from behind QingWa, who dodged it narrowly, a strand of his hair being cut by it, flying off into the air. Fuzang caught the sword in his hand and grimaced. He had thought that would work.

"STOP IT!" yelled the voice of his sister, as she came running out of the palace door. "STOP, FUZANG! STOOOOOOOPPPP!"

"Stay out of this, Nuwa!" Fuzang yelled over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off of QingWa.

"Fuzang!" she pleaded. "He didn't hurt me! He saved me from Tangyue!" she confessed.

He turned to look at her in confusion. "Tangyue?" he asked. "What's he got to do with this?"

"Come upstairs" she requested. "I'll tell you everything" she offered, trying to catch her breath. "I was just embarrassed" she admitted.

Fuzang grudgingly put down his sword, still looking askance at QingWa.

"Sheng-Da, you should come too, you can tell him what you saw after I left." Nuwa waved at QingWa.

Fuzang looked at them both suspiciously. QingWa threw his staff on the ground, and stalked off towards the palace, visibly irritated. Fuzang followed warily, handing his sword to the guard by the palace door.

After they had finished their tale, Fuzang sat back on the bed in stunned amazement. Tangyue! Tangyue had raped his sister, to try and steal his throne! He never would have guessed that Tangyue was capable of such villainy.

And this other person, with the strings, who was he? An unknown Uncle? If Tangyue had called him 'Uncle', then he must be a relative of theirs. Someone with some kind of claim to the throne.

Fuzang massaged his temples with his fingers, a mannerism he had picked up from his Father, while he thought it through.

The man wore red, used red strings. Red was usually associated with Fire magic users. Tangyue's mother uses Water magic. It had to be from Uncle XuFeng's side of the family. XuFeng did not have any brothers apart from Father. Perhaps an adopted brother that no one knew about? Fuzang puzzled over the identity of his enemy.

This man had known that Nuwa would get hurt by Phoenix flames, and had convinced Tangyue to use that on her. He must hate her for some reason. This man wanted Tangyue to have a path to the throne. That meant that Fuzang was a target too. And Father! Tangyue couldn't take the throne with Father on it.

But Father was too strong, so this man wasn't going after Father directly. He was going after the weak link. The person who Father would want to protect. Nuwa was half-mortal. She was the weakest of them all. She had been his first target. Fuzang wondered who the next target would be.