Twenty years later…
In a dimly lit and quiet hall, at the far end of southern Hua, a lady in black was seen sitting on a black majestic dragon throne, which radiated an ominous and domineering aura. Her chin propped on her left palm, with her elbow resting on the arm of her throne.
On the other hand, she held a cup of hot piping tea, twirling it gently as she gazed at her subordinate bowing below the throne with her dark and dangerous eyes that were hidden behind a gold and black mask.
A calm smile that looked nothing like a smile played at the corner of her fine nude lips. Her long one-sided bang covered the left side of her face, concealing half of the black and gold mask she was wearing.
Below the dais, there were ten men and women standing with their heads bowed. One of them looked nervous as he tried to fit in and adjust to the suffocating aura permitting the dim hall. The nervous boy was the only one wearing a different uniform from the rest.
The others wore an all black hanfu uniforms, embroidered with silver threads to make distinct designs on the shoulders, and the lower sides of the uniform.
A middle aged man with messy hair stepped forward and bowed before the steps of the dais. "Master, the mission has been completed, the reward has been sent to the treasury. Here is the account book for the month." The accountant reported while stretching out the account book to the young man who stepped down from beside the throne.
The lady on the throne nodded to the accountant while receiving the account book from her right-hand man; Ah Yue Cheng, who was also known as 'First brother' by his fellow students.
After flipping through the book and making comparison with what she had in mind, she put the book aside and shifted her gaze to the nervous looking young boy wearing a different uniform.
Seeing that he was being stared at, the young boy wearing a black hanfu — with a lapel laced with yellow, tucked into a pleated black skirt with a yellow belt left flowing on both sides of his waist, stepped forward in an awkward manner and bowed.
"M– Master, Fifth Young Master Xie, from the Xie family in the capital placed a request with us– the 'Bai' house to assassinate the Third Young Master of the Qin family. The request is still pending approval." The boy reported, but the lady on the throne was still staring at him with those emotionless eyes without uttering a word.
The young boy suddenly feel his back drip with sweat. He didn't think he had done anything wrong, so why was the master still staring at him? 'What else should I say at this junction, somebody, please help me!' He begged in his heart.
This was his first time of coming to report a mission on behalf of their older brother - the leader of the Bai house. He was on a mission, so as one of the talented youngers in the Bai house, it fell on him to report the mission on their leaders behalf.
The sword of death assassin guild has numerous units or division called, houses. Each house was categorized depending on their strength.
The top fifty assassins of the sword of death assassin guild as they are called, bear the middle name 'Yue.' The Yue house has only fifty members.
Following the Yue house, comes the Yulan house. The Yulan house has a hundred members. The third being the Bai house which has five hundred members, and so on.
Each house was differentiated with their uniforms, their personalized skills, and the way they carry themselves, plus their talents.
Aside from the top fifty assassins, only the leaders, and the most outstanding students from the other houses get to see their master, which was why the young lad from the Bai house didn't know how to interact with his master.
This was his first time having to stand in front of the master. If not for the Bai house's leader going on a mission, he wouldn't have dared to come here even though he was given a thousand guts.
Seeing that the junior was stuck and couldn't continue, Ah Yue Cheng, 'First brother' decided to step in and help the junior out. "What is the dispute between both young masters? Why is one seeking to kill the other?"
Before the sword of death assassin guild takes on a mission, it was mandatory to know the reason why the target has to die. If the one issuing the mission was at fault, his request would not be accepted nor would it be denied, making the person wait forever, unless they take the mission somewhere else.
'Oh, so that was it?' the young boy thought before he coughed. He was about to start giving a detailed report when Ah Yue Cheng cut him off.
"Cut to the chase, what are they fighting for, and who owns it?"
"The young master of the Qin family owns the bride," The Young lad reported.
Ah Yue Cheng glanced at the lady sitting lazily on her throne, waiting for her to give her verdict.
She picked up a brush from the table in front of her and scrabbled lazily on a drawing paper, "Pending."
Ah Yue Cheng turned to look at the young lad and repeated. "Tell your leader when he returns that the Sword of death will not accept the mission, nor reject it. You may leave."
"Thank you, Master!" The young lad bowed and hurried out of the hall. He couldn't want anything more than what he had just been given– amnesty from the suffocating atmosphere in the hall.
The master, although didn't say a single word all through, she exuded a deadly aura that rings all the alarms on a person's head, warning them to not provoke her.
After the young lad left, the remaining nine subordinates still had something to report, but the lady on the throne raised her hand, stopping the next person from stepping forward.
She picked up a brush and scrabbled on another paper for a while before Ah Yue Cheng picked it up to read aloud.
"Ah Yue Rong, you shall be going to meet with Ah Yue Jin in Prime Minister Su Tian's Manor, in the capital. Come to my chambers tonight and retrieve his next assignment."
With that said, the lady postponed the meeting and headed out with Ah Yue Cheng and Ah Yue Fan, a young boy of about fifteen years old walking behind her.
...
At night…
In a dimly lit bedroom, the lady earlier could be seen lying on a bed. She tossed and turned, beads of sweat forming on her furrowed brows. It appeared that she was having a nightmare.
"Yue Er, listen to your father and go with your brother, Bai Lu. He will take you to see lots of flowers and buy new silk clothes. Don't you like them the most?"
The little girl of five years old was a little reluctant but when she heard; Bai Lu, silk and flowers, she immediately smiled broadly and nodded, "I will go with brother Bai Lu."
The girl was carried into an inconspicuous carriage with a small boy in it. Both were wearing low quality materials and looked nothing like Nobles.
"Yue'er, let's go and have fun for a few days. Don't you always say you want to marry me? Come, let's go and get married." The boy's voice didn't sound amusing, but sorrowful.
Little Su Yue was so happy with the overdose of joy that she didn't notice the tear that dropped from the boy's right eye.
The scene changed to when Su Yue was seen running with all her might towards where the people were gathered on the execution ground.
Bai Lu chased after her and held her hand, trying to pull her away. Both of them paused when they heard their fathers' names being called.
"General Su Yulan, general Bai Ting, and general Zhu Muyi were supposed to be the pillars of Hua Xia kingdom, but unfortunately, these great generals are the enemies of the kingdom!"
The two kids dashed into the crowd and paved way through the adults legs with difficulty to get to the front.
"...They gave the kingdom's layout to the enemies, sacrificed the lives of thousands of soldiers, bribed and killed officials, and recently, they were caught conspiring to kill the new emperor and bring crown prince Yi to the throne.
" Plotting treason, endangering the lives of the citizens, corruption amidst other crimes not mentioned, the new emperor hereby declared the public execution of the traitors and their familes.
"The emperor spared general Su Yulan's third brother; master Su Tian for coming forth and exposing his older brother, and for that, the son of heaven— the emperor, shall reward him." The man rolled up the decree once he was done reading and then announced. "Let the execution begin!"
The lady jerked awake. She brushed the stray hair that had glued to her face due to sweat to reveal a pretty face that looked exactly like her older sister who died in that incident.
She got off the bed and washed her face with the water in a bowl that was placed close to her bed.
The servant who waits on her was made aware that a bowl of water must be placed beside her bed at a given time and for many years, the surbodinate had never failed for once.
Su Yue placed her mask on after wiping her face with a towel and left the room through the window. Getting outside, she leaped up and landed on the roof of her dwelling.
Using that as a starter, she sprinted through the roofs of the linked buildings specifically made for the top fifty assassins who lived in a courtyard Separated from hers by a fence, her dress dancing along with the cool night breeze.
Her steps were light, so light that they'd never hear a sound even though they were fully awake and vigilant in their rooms.
Getting to her destination, she stopped and sat on the roof to stare at the full moon.
"I knew you won't be sleeping."
A voice sounded from beside her. Su Yue didn't turn to look at the person because she knows that only one person would dare to start a conversation with her without greeting her first.
"Let me get your writing tools." The fifteen years old boy, Ah Yue Fan said with a bright smile before he jumped down and entered his room.
Every night when she cannot sleep due to nightmares, Su Yue comes to sit on her naughty subordinate's roof knowing that he also might not be sleeping. She feels lonely sometimes and the only person who doesn't fear her and could speak to her like siblings would, was Ah Yue Fan– the third brother of the Yue house.
The sword of death assassin guild doesn't care about age. Their hierarchy system for giving title was based on the strength the disciples posses.
Ah Yue Fan was the youngest member of the Yue house, but he was called third brother because he was the third most powerful disciple in the guild.
A few moments later, Ah Yue Fan arrived with an ink slab and lots of white papers. He handed them to Su Yue and sat beside her.
"You didn't give me the new mission," He said.
Su Yue glanced at him for a while before she turned away and wrote: 'I have other things that needs urgent attention and you are coming with me.'
Reading what she wrote, Ah Yue Fan was so excited that he couldn't wait to ask: "Which city are we destroying this time?"
His master doesn't go on a mission by herself unless it was a super difficult mission and, it's only when the mission was about her revenge or her subordinates' revenge.
Any mission that his master attends to by herself, there was always bound to be a massive aftermath. The whole kingdom would know that the sword of death assassin's master was out.
Wherever she visits and whoever she kills, she would always leave a message– 'we bring you peace' on the walls of the City, bodies of those she killed, or their houses. That was her signature.
'Capital,' She wrote.
Ah Yue Fan choked on his saliva. His eyes turned wide. The size of his widened mouth could contain an egg. He shifted towards her and held her arm while shaking it softly. "Master, you cannot go there. The emperor is…" he trailed off and lowered his head.
Seeing him behaving like a pitiful kitten, Su Yue smiled faintly and ruffled his long hair that was left to fall on his back. Then she wrote: 'we are not going for a fight. We will be going to survey the city.'
Reading that, Ah Yue Fan sighed in relief, then asked: "The emperor has tightened the security around the capital, how are we supposed to go in?"
'Spread the news that the miracle doctor will be going there in a few days,' she wrote.
"Ok… but that still doesn't make much difference. If we are going to survey, we need to be around the most powerful people in the capital…" he suddenly looked at her and smiled, "Master, you are so wicked! Was that why you sent the poison to older brother Ah Jin? who do you have in mind for the lab rat?"
Su Yue smiled but didn't respond.
"Hahahaha…" Ah Yue Fan laughed boisterously. "I can't wait to cause some trouble."
'Before we go to the capital, I have some scores to settle with the poison valley. Tell your first brother to see me at dawn.'
She got up and headed back to her courtyard after writing that, leaving Ah Yue Fan staring at her back with a mesmerized look on his face like a young boy in love.