"How is Xiao Tianyao doing?" Ye Xiu asked about Xiao Jun little brother as he tried to find some topic to discuss. Actually there were many topics that they needed to catch up, however after 2 years they didn't see each other. Both of them simply didn't know how to start.
"He is doing fine." Xiao Jun smiled when he remember his little brother. "He turned 16 next week and he insisted to spend that day in Military Camp."
"He is so stubborn." Ye Xiu agreed. He had seen Xiao Tianyou a couple of time when Xiao Jun was still training in the Mountain Sui Sword Sect. "Sadly, he won't have a chance to be a disciple of Mountain Sui Sword Sect."
Xiao Jun nodded, "I am sure he would pass the test easily. His sword skill is amazing." Xiao Jun praised his brother in loving tone.
"He is a talented young man. Glad to hear that he is fine after what had happened to your parents." Ye Xiu wrapped Riana's wound neatly with clean clothes that he had found near the bookshelf.
"He was struggling about a month, even though he didn't show it." Xiao Jun stood up to looking for clean clothes for Ye Xiu and himself. "He was too arrogant to show it." He corrected his own word.
"About late Emperor Xiao Zhong and Empress, there was something not right in that incident." Ye Xiu stated. Now that he has brought up this topic, it was a mark for the beginning of the real conversation as Ye Xiu turned serious when he faced Xiao Jun.
"I had been conducting my own investigation these past 3 years." Xiao Jun replied calmly while he handed a blanket and clean clothes to his Master.
"Tell me what you have got." Ye Xiu asked as he moved Riana to the table and laid her down there.
"The current emperor, my uncle, was involved in the murder that day." Xiao Jun said lightly. His tone didn't show any emotions, almost like he was talking about someone else who had been killed. However, his eyes flashed with killing intent. "Misty Cloud Clan was behind all of this. They had been searching for Stone Paradox of Time." Xiao Jun disappeared to the back of bookshelf in order to change her clothes.
Ye Xiu's eyes flashed with surprised upon hearing Xiao Jun mentioned about Stone Paradox of Time. That stone was almost like a myth among the Masters of Mountain Sui Sword Sect.
"That was a myth." Ye Xiu replied curtly when Xiao Jun stepped out from behind the bookshelf with clean grey clothes.
"Yes. I had just heard about it recently as well," Xiao Jun sat on the wooden chair with Riana was lying in front of him, still unconscious. "But, my men get information that people from Misty Cloud Clan said the stone is under Xinghe Kingdom's possession."
"Impossible!" Ye Xiu spat out.
"Master, what exactly that stone?" Xiao Jun hadn't received satisfy information about this stone, due to almost no one ever heard about this.
Ye Xiu shook his head, "I am afraid I don't know much about this either. From what I heard it was a powerful stone, and I don't know for what kind of power it possessed." Ye Xiu looked at Xiao Jun with concern, "For someone who is thirsty for power like Emperor Xiao Zi, he will definitely take extra length for this stone."
Xiao Jun didn't know what the correlation between that stone, his uncle Xiao Zi and his parents. But, whatever it was, his parents were killed because of a stone? His gripped at the edge of the table tighten. Gradually the whole table was shaken by his strength.
"Jun," Ye Xiu called out his name to pull back his attention. "Where I have to put Riana if you break the table?"
When he heard his Master farce reminder the killing aura around him dissipated eventually. "Riana will kill me if I let her lay on the ground." Xiao Jun snickered and he came back to his calm self.
"You must be careful with Emperor Xiao Zi. If he could manage to kill your parents to take over the throne then the next target will be you and your brother, Xiao Tianyao. Both of you were threat in his eyes." Ye Xiu warned Xiao Jun sternly.
In that unforgettable day, when late Emperor and Empress were buried, despite Xiao Jun was the appointed Crown prince, Azura Kingdom had disputed about who would take over the throne. Because, the fact that he was so young at that time made the elders put him into reconsideration. After power struggle, Xiao Zi was appointed to be the next sovereign.
For Xiao Jun, this current time was no different from someone who walked on the eggshell. He still needed long way to go before he could revenge his parents. Of course, the first step was to gather as much power as he could to back him up. Fortunately, Elder Dam from the Black Sword Clan was one of his strongest supporters.
Black Sword Clan was the only Clan that held Military power in Azura Kingdom. With Military back Xiao Jun up, the current Emperor couldn't act arbitrarily toward him and his brother.
"And about…" Before Ye Xiu could finish his words, suddenly the whole Dome was shaking violently as debris and dirt were hovering in the air.
"They are going to tear down the temple." Ye Xiu said while looking around when the bookshelves were toppling one by one.
"Do you think this dome could hold on, Master?" Xiao Jun stood up.
"I am not sure." Ye Xiu hugged Riana and covered her face from dust that was cycling in the air. "Let's move." As he said that, he hauled Riana into his embrace and both of them ran towards the opposite direction from where they had came.
However, before they could reach the door, a bookshelf and a large stone from the roof toppled over and covered the door while the room kept shaking. Ye Xiu and Xiao Jun looked at each other, then a tacit understanding form between them.
There were only 2 doors in this room, the door where they came before and the door in front of them, which was now impassable.
They need to go back to the first door to get out from that room with the consequences of confronting Azura's forces in order to get past them.
When Ye Xia and Xiao Jun were about to retraced to the first door, suddenly Riana raised her shaky hand and pointed to another direction.
"Riana, you awake?" Ye Xiu exclaimed in relief. Xiao Jun who walked in front of him halted and turned his body. As he did so, he caught a sigh of Riana eyelashes were fluttered between the blankets that wrapped her small face.
"There is another door there…" Riana said weakly, she kept pointing the other direction at their left.
Simultaneously, Ye Xiu and Xiao Jun looked at a bookshelf that was pointed by Riana.
"I didn't remember there is another door here." Ye Xiu said, but he was walking to the direction that Riana was pointed with Xiao Jun followed behind him.
"So do I." Xiao Jun agreed.
When the two of them were in front of the bookshelf, Xiao Jun scanned it to figure out the way how to open it. But, he couldn't find anything.
"Riana, how to open it?" Ye Xiu asked softly to the girl.
"Pull out the red book on the left side and blue book at the right side together." Riana whispered softly as she bit her lips to hold back her pain.
Ye Xiu moved to the right side and found a thin blue book. This was the only blue book in this shelf while Xiao Jun moved to the other side and found a thick red book. With a cue from Ye Xiu they both pulled the book together at the same time.
There was a sound 'klik' from behind the bookshelf while it moving. The bookshelf split into two and each side was moving to the opposite direction which then revealed a dark aisle behind it.
Ye Xiu and Xiao Jun looked at the dark aisle with wide eyes. Shock was written all over their faces.
"Riana, since when you know there is another door here?" Xiao Jun tried to look at Riana, but due to the blanket that almost covered her entire face, he could see nothing.
"How you know about this?" Ye Xiu darted his gaze toward Riana. However the girl didn't answer him as she had close her eyes again.
A loud sound from outside could be heard and urge them to moved fast. They didn't question Riana anymore and walked inside the aisle. Because either Ye Xiu or Xiao Jun knew how to close the door, they let it open.
The aisle was very deep and dimmed. The only lighting there was a white marble stone which sparkled along the aisle. The deeper they walked the noisy sound began to faded.
After they walked in silence for long time and no more sound around them except their footsteps, the atmosphere became moist as the sound of running water was heard.
Ye Xiu glanced down at Riana who still closed her eyes after she notified them about this room.
After a long walk, finally they could see a wooden door in the end of the aisle. It was a big door with intricate carvings, thick dust covered it.
Xiao Jun pushed open the door and the dirt scattered everywhere. He was coughing hard while trying to brush the dust off his face. Ye Xiu turned his back and covered Riana face with the blanket.
After the dust settled, they could see behind the door was actually a cave with stalactites were hanging over it and stalagmites from the ground. Not far away from them, there was a small river with flowing water. The glowing from stalactites and stalagmites was reflected on the river surface and it showed beautiful scenery.
They stood astonished by the scene before their eyes until a soft voice from Riana muffled under the blanket. "We are here."
"Riana…" Ye Xiu didn't say anything other than called the girl name softly and sat her on the ground. Riana blinked her eyes to look her surroundings.
Xiao Jun walked to the river and filled the empty bottle before he handed it to his Master. Ye Xiu accepted the water bottle and let Riana drink it first. She gulped down half of the water before she gave back the bottle to Ye Xiu.
"Riana, where are we?" Ye Xiu asked carefully. "How you know about this secret door?"
Xiao Jun who was curious as well sat down beside her, "Senior brother, you are here." Riana stated with happy smiled on her pale face.
"I am here."
"Glad to see you here." Riana smirked weakly at him. She always like that to Xiao Jun, and it make the man's heart skipped a beat.