Red Blossoms Next to a Cold Stone and Warms Its Heart

Chapter 3

Smoke filled the sacred mountain side as the fire spread. Bai Qian raced up the steps to the temple in which she had been trained, her lungs burning and her eyes stinging. The usually peaceful place was filled with the sounds of swords clanging. A small party of Yinying soldiers were surrounding a group of young disciples. Snapping her fan, a powerful gust of wind silenced the fire roaring in front of her, and the Yinying soldiers retreated deeper into the temple.

"Seventeenth! The Yinying, they're-"

"Report this to Shifu, now!" She shortly barked the order before chasing after the small band of soldiers.

Following them out the back of the temple, she froze. An entire army was waiting for her, black and golden yellow flags whipping in the wind. Then she saw the bodies, her brothers laying at her feet. Tears fell from her eyes as she yelled out in rage. Her Jade Fan snapped up a chilling windstorm. Without thinking of their difference in numbers, Bai Qian charged. Each snap of her fan pushed them back a little further, but she could not keep it up forever. And she did not need to, she only needed to hold off the army until her Shifu arrived with reinforcements. Then, these soldiers would hardly be a threat.

Spinning and flying, she took out a row of soldiers. And then another. But she was surrounded. Deflecting one blow, she was hit by another. There was a sharp pain across her back, and blood ran down her cheek. Her breath was short, and she knew she could not hold them off any longer.

Just as a sword was about to meet her stomach, a frightening crack split the air and pushed everyone away. At first, she thought her shifu had arrived so quickly. Then the earth began to shake, and the sky turned dark. Looking up, she saw the sun had been eclipsed by the moon. The Yinying soldiers started to cheer. Shadows seemed to move. They wrapped around Bai Qian, a terrible chill crept up her spine, and her holy weapon fell from her hand. Through the shadows, she saw a man draped in golden yellow riding a black horse. He raised a twisted black spear and charged towards her. She could not move. Closing her eyes, she waited for the blade to cut through her.

But it didn't.

Opening her eyes, she screamed at the sight.

"Shifu!"

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Dijun arrived at his palace as quickly as his borrowed horse would allow him. Immediately, he was swarmed by officials and questions. The Emperor had been gone for a whole three weeks, so of course the state of affairs had fallen into disarray despite his clear instructions. Had his brother not been able to control the imperial matters for such a short time? That seemed unlikely. Mo Yuan was not one to slack off in his duties, but perhaps he had been too busy with the war effort to take care of internal affairs. Whatever the case, now it meant he had a mess to clean up. How bothersome.

"We have many things to discuss. Si Ming, call Mo Yuan to court."

Si Ming looked distressed, and the other officials had fallen silent. The Emperor looked at Si Ming for explanation, and the scribe started to sweat.

"Uh, well, your majesty, Mo Yuan is... Uh, how do I explain such a thing?" Si Ming felt very weak now.

"Explain it clearly," the Emperor's cold voice was very frightening. No one wanted to be Si Ming just then. "Why can you not call Mo Yuan to court?"

"While you were gone, Yinying raided the sacred temples of KunLun Mountain!" The Emperor felt his gut drop. Why would they attack the temples and grave sights of KunLun? There were only a handful of young disciples, monks, and priestesses there. "Mo Yuan went to defend these sacred lands, and... And he was cut down in battle!"