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

Chapter 20: Li An's Tragic Past

Cold winds started to blow from the north and the clouds turned grey from being ash white. The morning arrived coldly as Wei Yue and his friends managed to ride their horses into the coastal areas of old Jianghu.

"We're miles away from where we came from is the witch nowhere near us?" Luo Na asked him and Wei Yue took out his jade staff and waves it in the air.

"I can't see anything clearly in this weather. Let's just stay for the meantime I guess." Wei Yue said as he looks up into the dark sky.

"Looks like it's going to rain your highness, let us find an inn and stay until the storm passes." Li An suggested. Zhang and the others seconded the motion and Wei Yue agreed.

"I will release a spell in order for us to blend with the commoners. The witch will never recognize our faces even if she'll come across us." With that thought, Wei Yue commanded General Hua and Li An to find the nearest inn for them to rest.

On the way to the inn, General Hua and Li An exchanged short conversations while walking.

"So far, have you ever thought about regretting? Regretting your loyalty to his highness?"
General Hua asked her and she shook her head in response and smiled back at him.

"15 years ago, his highness Wei Xuan took me in. I have done bad things in the past and I thought that maybe if I devote myself to the kingdom, only then I will absolve myself upon the terrible things that I did."
As Li An said these words, a memory flashed back unto her mind. The weather was much more like the one that she is experiencing now and the scenario was very distinct.

Li An saw herself inside a house. There was blood everywhere and she can see her parents' lifeless bodies lying side by side along with the bodies of her two older siblings.
Li An was just a little girl when her family was massacred mercilessly by two Demons.

"Remember this day little girl for when you grow up, you will succumb to your revenge and when you will find us, we will feast upon your soul just like what we did to your family."
And just like that, the twin demons disappeared in front of her leaving her confused and broken. A spark of fury lit up inside her without her knowing.

She was then adopted by her uncle Xue An after the murder but... Everything went upside down. The grand consequential life that was promised by her own uncle turns out to be just a lie.

Her uncle made her do things without even asking for her consent. She made her a mindless criminal which heeds to his every beck and call.

Owing completely to his Uncle's grand life, Li An was forced to kill and steal in such an early age. Her Uncle was a very influential Count in the whole Lan Xi area and with Li An's help with the mysterious killings, no one ever dared to stand against his uncle. For five long years she lived in the guardianship of her uncle... But the day came when her uncle did not expect that something would happen where he would lose Li An and then be exposed of his crimes worthy of an execution.

Lan Xi was just a province governed by the great kingdom of The Jade Phoenix where the benevolent king, Wei Xuan ruled. Apparently, the king received a report from his ministers about mysterious killings that are happening in a particular area of his dominion. When Wei Xuan heard this, he called a magistrate to investigate things thoroughly and that investigate every move that the Count would make.
He gave him a token which grants him invisibility and carried out his mission.

When the truth has been exposed, Li An and his uncle was sent to prison. Two of them are going to be publicly hanged and their bodies would be nailed in the palace walls for them to serve as a lesson for the defilers.

However, things didn't turn out as what the kingdom would have expected. Wei Xuan cancelled the public trial and let the two scoundrels go. Li An's uncle has been exiled on a faraway island while she was kept inside the dungeon.

One day, Wei Xuan visited Li An and made her an offer...

"If you defeat me in a one on one combat, you will earn your freedom but, if I defeat you, you will serve my kingdom with your skills and loyalty."

Li An had no other choice and automatically agreed to the King's conditions.

In the palace grounds, Wei Xuan and Li An chose their weapons of choice.

"You can wield a large blade in your age?" Wei Xuan asked her laughingly picking up a spear in his hand.

"You talk too much, let's fight."

Li An lifted up the blade with just one hand and moved fast forward like a lightning.

"I should have never taken you lightly." Wei Xuan twisted the spear and initiated a kick which sent Li An into a blocking position.

Li An charged with her blade. Wei Xuan smiled. Her moves are anticipated from the start, Wei Xuan expected that Li An would just charge at him and wave the blade around but...

"Funny, I never thought that a king would be so naive."
Li An was standing at Wei Xuan' s back. It was just a trick after all. The reflection that Wei Xuan saw was her standing from his back all along.

"This technique... Mirroring Blades... Where... This technique was lost after the whole An clan died." Wei Xuan said kneeling on the ground while shaking Li An's arm.

"TELL ME... WHO ARE YOU CHILD?" He shook her more intensely and with teary eyes, Li An broke down and cry.

For five years, her agony has been quenched by revealing the truth into anyone who dared to believe. She won the fight however, she did not fled the kingdom and stayed by king Wei Xuan's side.
She became the Vice general at such early age of 7 years old under the supervision of a 12 year old General.

The memories faded into reality and Li An scoffed then bursted into laughter.

"Remember how we couldn't get along together?" She tearfully asked General Hua.

General Hua smiled. He knew that Li An is happy now and the past was way behind them.

"I know, you were such a klutz back then, HAHA." General Hua loudly laughed with his husky voice that annoyed Li An.

Upon reaching the entrance of the inn, General Hua spotted two familiar faces. It was Xiao Na and Ning!

"Oh no we need to hurry back to the others." Li An said. The feeling of fear intensified as they saw Ning and Xiao Na talking with the inn manager.

Both of them hurriedly ran back to the pier and the snow started to fall.

"They're here!" Zhao min waved at them but as they were getting closer, Zhao lowered her hands gradually, her face has been contorted with fear.

"Let's board a boat, let's get out of here!!!" Elaa shouted and gathered all of them.

The snow has just began to fall and the sea was in a calm state perfectly suited for voyaging.

When they had all boarded a boat, General Hua volunteered to steer the wheel while the others tended to other matters. Zhao and Elaa prepared the food and supplies while Luo Na and Wei Yue checked out maps that should lead to the island of the seven immortals.

Zhang helped with General Hua in the navigation of the boat since steering boats is very new to him.

"Have you known the Island of the Seven Immortals?" Zhang asked General Hua. His breath smoked freezingly. It was starting to get cold and the clothes that they are wearing is not enough to keep them from the cold.

"I've never been away from Old Jianghu before..." General Hua said while shaking. His hands on the steering wheel is getting frozen. When he removed his hands from the wheel, it stung like hell and blood came out from his hands.

"THAT HURTS!" General Hua said thinking that the skin of his hands are almost peeled off but the wound immediately healed in no time. Zhang gave him a cold look and tossed him a large fur coat which Luo Na distributed among them.

"What am I supposed to do with a dead animal's skin?" General Hua is very befuddled and shrugged.

Zhang squinted his eyes and shouted... "WEAR IT OR ELSE YOU'LL DIE IN THIS COLD WEATHER!"