Dusk And Dawn ✔️

Jade's Curse

*A Hundred or so years before Prince Wang YiJun was born*

A shaman sits at Meng Yao's feet.

"Witch, tell me the prophecy again?" Meng Yao orders the shaman, who is sitting at his feet. The shaman starts reciting the prophecy in a quivering voice. It's prophecy of Meng Yao's end, "When a jade is born from a lotus, in the womb of cloud; thrice died; twice part alive; will rise the fourth time in his mother's home; and a Vermillion wolf prince with the blood of night, come together; two jades, will end the curse; one of flesh and one of stone; on the first day of the nineteenth year;......"

"Stop!" Meng Yao commands. He fangs out and walks towards the source of the noise he had heard a second ago. He finds no one at the scene.

"Shaman, write it down. Word for word." He commands, and the woman nods; she writes it down.

Meng Yao takes the parchment in his hands, and a huge smile erupts on his face. "Shaman, when is the time you mentioned in the last line?"

"I...I don't know, master, I have never heard of such a time." She stutters, terrified.

"Are you sure this is what you heard?"

Shaman nods.

"Tell me what the rest of it means." Meng Yao orders.

"It will take a while to decode the true meaning." She says in a small voice.

"Go ahead." Meng Yao pulls up a stool and sits next to the woman, as she starts referring to her books. After an hour of silence, Meng Yao loses his patience. "You are the best seer in the whole kingdom. What is taking so long?" he asks impatiently.

"My King, so far, all I can tell you is that the prophecy speaks of a man who can kill you. He will have something of lotus on him and will belong to the Jade kingdom. And he will have the power to kill you on the first day of his nineteenth year."

Gayo kicks her, "You stupid woman! I already understood that part. Tell me what the rest of it means."

The woman shakes her head.

Meng Yao sighs before taking out his sword and stabbing the woman. The shaman screams and falls silent.

"XiChen!" Meng Yao calls the man he had marked and bond himself to only a few hours ago.

The man arrives. He gasps when his eyes fall on the dead woman.

Meng Yao goes to XiChen and removes the belt holding his top garments before taking it off completely. His eyes fall on the lotus mark right over XiChen's heart. Meng Yao smiles confidently and kisses it.

XiChen's eyes widen at the unexpected touch.

"My boy, how old are you today?"

"It's the first day of my nineteenth year," XiChen replies without looking at Meng Yao.

"Dispose her off." Meng Yao orders.

XiChen nods before falling to his knees. "I am yours to command, master. But please spare the princess."

Anger flashes across Meng Yao's face, but he schools his features almost immediately. He looks at XiChen with eyes full of affection, "I will not kill her, my boy. She is, after all, my sister."

He walks closer to the man dressed in blue, and cups his face, "There is no one in this world that loves you more than me, my boy." Meng Yao states, and XiChen nods.

"XiChen, do you think of me as heartless?"

"No master."

"Are you thankful that I spared your life and took you as mine even though I should have killed you?"