Feng could not help but meddle with his curiosity, so he turned his head a bit to the other side to sneak a peek of the crown prince. His face was very alluring; much like his mother's charm, as he had heard on his way to the chambers. Although, as he chatted with his father, Feng began to notice that his eyes were similar to someone who knew...but who?
"Feng, you are excused. Oh, and please do escort my son back to his room. He would like to have a moment with you."Feng was hesitant, but he had no other choice."Of course your majesty. Shall I return afterwards?"
The emperor did not pay heed to his words, and instead just told them off."We will talk later this evening, now do send him off."Feng then bowed shortly before leaving, as the emperor closed the doors for himself.
"Feng Luo Xi, what happened?! Did you get in trouble with—" Feng covered his mouth, pointing to the guards just nearby."We'll continue this in your room, your royal highness."The crown prince eventually got the idea and came with him quietly. Feng's guards followed.
"All the rest of you are dismissed. Wait for me by the courtyard, I'll see you there in the evening. I wish to have privacy with his royal highness."The guards swiftly left, bowing again before leaving. Feng then closed the door and looked at Xiao Chen straight into his eyes.
"As expected, it is you...I thought I was mistaken when I saw you kowtowing to that old hag's bed."Feng, feeling disgraceful, had to cover one's face with his palm."I can't believe you're here yourself. And during that drinking party, do you still remember what I told you? IF YOU MAKE ME DRINK EVEN A SINGLE DROP, I'LL HAVE YOUR LEGS BROKEN BY THE FOLLOWING MORNING."
Xiao Chen backed away in dismay."Now's not the time to break my legs... it's the afternoon,y'know?!"Feng did not question his arrival here, as they went through the same accident at the same time, and yet...simultaneously with this general and prince?
"...What about you, what do you think's going on?"Xiao Chen doesn't seem to have any thoughts regarding the issue."I...don't understand most of it either. Do you think this is real?"
"More or less so, no. It may or may not be a fragment of our imagination, but if we are in a dream, how in the world are we connected somehow? Illusion or not, I don't care. We have to retogress to reality."
Xiao Chen had a lot to say about the issue, and they weren't getting closer to the latter end of this mess. He knew for himself that there was something that could help them in this room—well, at least, that's what he thinks.
"What do you think—XIAO CHEN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"The young man was pointing a sword onto his chest, ready to plunge at himself."PUT THAT DOWN OR SO HELP ME."Feng's face turned pale white from fear."This might work, and if it works I'll try and wake you up on the other side—"
"Can you just—" Xiao Chen doesn't miss a beat, and he tries to end his own life. In but a second, the surrounding air began to cluster around the sword, eventually encasing it in brittle yet translucent ice. Upon coming in contact with Xiao Chen's chest, it shatters and the pieces plummet down like icicles from the sky.
"X-xiao Chen...it shattered into ice."Both of them observe the shattered sword in confusion, and they eventually inspect it for a little while."So I was right, this is a game."
"A game? Doesn't feel like it, the ice that formed feels like it came straight from you."Feng looked at him obnoxiously, and faced him directly."Are you trying to say I'd save you if you were to die? Not a chance, Xiao Chen. I only need you here because you're the crown prince."
The prince grinned in amusement, even laughing just as hard."Ahahaha! Well, it's not like I expected anything from you either. We have our differences."Feng ignores him, peeks outside the doors, and immediately closes it."That old bastard earlier, is he the previous prince's father?"
"Why else do you think I'm the crown prince now? Although, I had met this brat's mother earlier. She's a beauty and looks rather young. Do you think that maybe that old hag is..."
"Oh, enough chatter. We didn't come here for gossip, we have to do something quickly. This emperor doesn't seem to be in our history books, further concluding that—"
"Feng, he has my surname. Wu Lan Yao."Feng turns back to look at him."That means...they have similar names as us. This doesn't seem right; if we do have similar names, something's bound to be wrong."
"Should we run away—"the voice of a woman, definitely not Feng's servant, interrupts them from the outside."Your royal highness, it's Ye Zai Shan. Could I come in?"Xiao Chen did not respond, but he opened the doors carefully, further checking if someone else came with her."Come in. General Feng is here."She slightly bowed in front of him, revealing her face.
"T-tian?..." his voice trembled."She's not Tian, Feng. Looks like her, doesn't she? I was also surprised to see her here, turns out it's not her."The general could not believe his eyes; she had a rather close resemblance to her, and yet it felt so far."W-what...are you sure?..."
"I understand that you're confused, general Feng. I, of course, can corroborate that I am not her, but at the same time, I am also her. Whether you can decipher the meaning of this does not matter, as I have only been sent to help you through this disaster."
"You see? She's not Tian..."Feng sighed in disappointment, trying not to tear up."Who even sent you..."She did not answer this, but he paid no attention to it. He felt too overwhelmed; he missed his sister dearly, and he no longer wanted to insult Xiao Chen out of spite. It was no use; they were never going to get anywhere if they kept this up."...We leave this evening. We can't keep delaying ourselves, we have to find a way out of this situation."
Zai pulled out a sword from inside his robes, handing it to Feng."Ehm...how long has that been in there?"Once again,Zaishan ignores the question, but she handed it to him either way."You forgot your sword, didn't you?"Feng realized, but did not pay much attention to it."Well, none of my guards remembered either way..."he responded to Xiao Chen.
Night had fallen by the time their conversation had ended, and after leaving Xiao Chen's room, he took out the sword and observed it."Feng...Feng...Xie Fan?Mother?..."He then took a look towards the courtyard, where the guards were still awaiting him under the delineated moonlight.
He felt a sense of guilt, so he headed there swiftly, carrying the sword on his back."Ah, you have returned, my lord! Please, take this sword with you. You seem to have left it back in your chambers, and everyone else didn't seem to notice..."
"No need, I think I'll be fine. I've already earned myself a fine-looking sword that his royal highness had offered me, so I think I shall pass."The guards seemed to be surprised, but they did not let it show." I-if you say so, my lord..." the man backed away, feeling nauseous.
His servant then approached carefully, taking the chance to conclude with her report."My lord, it is time we part ways with his majesty now. General She Yan Hai has been struggling with the defenses lately, and he has already sent a letter to the emperor that we leave soon.
"Although he has informed him that you are required to rest here in the imperial palace due to the fact you have not been diagnosed as fully recovered, the defenses have begun to die down quickly, therefore his majesty has allowed it."
"He has also requested that his royal highness the crown prince and one of his attendants, Ye Zai Shan, be arriving with you. His majesty denied this offer, but he has approved Ye Zai Shan's admission to the camp. Our last task is but to await her arrival here."
"Although, that sword...do you wish to use that, instead of your actual sword, my lord?"Feng then took the sword from his back, taking another look at it without unsheathing it from it's rather crusty scabbard. "Hm...well, I think I'll be fine with this one anyway. Keep that one, I'd rather have this one on hold."
Feng hesitates before leaving, as he had a promise with Xiao Chen to escape that night."(Will he be able to make it to the camp, when he doesn't know a thing?)..."Meanwhile with Xiao Chen, he seems to be chatting with Ye Zai about the planned heist."It's alright, I know a few tricks up my sleeve. I promise I'll make it without anyone noticing, yes?"
"I will not be put to rest unless you have shown me your capabilities, your royal highness. Shall we spar? Not here, of course.Just by the courtyard. Do be certain that your face is hidden."
"Ahahahaha!You underestimate me, Ye Zai Shan. Let us get to it then!"The stars laid above them adorned the night sky, and it felt as it would all shatter eventually; revealing that it was all but a dream. Unfortunately, that would not be happening anytime soon...
[To be continued in the next chapter, please be patient for the next one. Thank you for reading.]