"You're dismissed." A pale slender hand gestured and the servant bowed, retreating without a word. The man sitting in the chair lowered the scroll he held. His face wasn't cold but it was unfeeling. The elegant robes he wore personified him as a great hero of the Jianghu. However, the black mask covering half his face gave others the impression of evil. His robes were of fine quality, the inner set tighter fitting and the outer set with a wide collar. Similarly, the inner sleeves were tightly fitted but the outer sleeves opened halfway down the upper arm to allow for mobility.
The man's hair was long but put up simply and a fine black sword rested on its perch on the sword rack beside him. Within the room, the air was still, until the man raised his eyes and the temperature within the room seemed to drop. His limpid eyes contained not a trace of warmth nor did they contain any of the calculating mischievousness he'd had before Liu Qingyuan had left. They were simply, frighteningly empty.
This little cub who Mo Wu, had saved; why, after going out into the world, was he so disobedient? Everyday he deviated further from their purpose. The ending Mo Wu had built up since the previous Emperor's reign was slowly crumbling before his eyes. As the last true purpose left in his life, Mo Wu could not let it fail.
He glanced again at the scroll on the table, gently swirling the tea in his mouth. Just recently, the king and his personal guard had been separated from his entourage during an assassination attempt and had gone missing for a few days. They'd only returned to the palace a little scratched up a few days ago.
Mo Wu narrowed his eyes, picking up the letter and dipping the corner in the candle's flame. He watched the paper burn. All those years ago, he'd saved the little child named Liu Qingyuan and raised him as his personal disciple. With his capabilities, and the unguarded personality of the king of Qiangda, he'd certainly already located the Qiangda flower. However, why wasn't the mountain incident utilized to finish him off? His heart burned faintly of destruction and anger at his incompetence.
With a sudden violent movement, this man showed a rare moment of discomposure. The tea cup in his hand flew with such speed, it left an after image in one's eyes. It shattered into dust on the far wall. Mo Wu had an itching suspicion. The emotion that had once controlled him like a puppet on a string was now infecting his disciple. He knew himself just how far this emotion made people go. Thus before it was too late, he would ruthlessly help his disciple cut the strings. He would thank him later...definitely.
◆◇◆◇◆
Liu Qingyuan walked down the street, smoothing weaving through the crowds of people. The street was alight with warmly glowing lanterns swaying in lines above his head. Stalls lined the street, filled with snacks, trinkets and hawkers calling out with enthusiasm. A woman dressed brazenly with bright red lipstick brushed past him, giving him a coy look and waving her handkerchief in his face. Liu Qingyuan looked away coldly, eluding an even more distant aura. The night life in this district was as strong as the daytime marketplace. Coying calls and the heavy scent of fragrance graced the night.
Liu Qingyuan stopped in front of a building, the frown in his brow furrowing even deeper. He'd received a message earlier, but even then, why here of all places...Well, he was here already so might as well...
Liu Qingyuan's tall figure made a striking image the moment he stepped over the threshold. His features were fine and handsome and the brooding look on his face eluded a certain charm. He immediately caught the eye of several girls, one of which stepped forward to try her luck.
This girl was a slender beauty with a white face and rouge cheeks. Her pouty lips and wide eyes gave a sense of innocence but the teardrop mole by the corner of her eye shattered that. Instead, it gave her the look of a seductress. Her pale green robes were embroidered with lotuses and the collar was positioned to reveal much of her clavicle. Liu Qingyuan had a sudden thought. This girl's white face was powdered, but in contrast, the king's skin was fine like jade and his cheek smooth beneath his fingers...
"Gongzi, would you like to sit down and take a drink?" Her hand with its exquisitely painted nails lightly touched his arm. Liu Qingyuan's sword eyebrows furrowed deeper, stepping away and turning his head to survey the room. There were gauzy curtains everywhere, amplifying the ambiguous atmosphere and rowdy laughter in a headache inducing wave. There was the strong smell of wine in the air, almost masked by the sheer amount of fragrance powder drifting in the air.
"Gongzi," the girl tried again. "Would you like to book a room?" She waved a pale green handkerchief the same colour as her dress and leaned closer. QingYuan got a whiff of strong floral fragrance and almost choked. "We'll take care of you." She winked. QingYuan shook her off, wanting to step back but found that the girl's friends had also come to ensnare him. They surrounded him, giving him no escape.
"Yes, don't worry and just relax. Well treat you nicely," the girls echoed. Just as Liu Qingyuan was about to push them all away, a high-pitched voice screeched out.
"Shoo, shoo! What are you all doing." The well built madam of the house shot out from a back room. She waved her handkerchief at the group of girls, glaring frighteningly and they scattered. Then she turned, immediately putting on a flattering smile. "Honoured guest, I apologize for the poor service. The girls are not properly trained, shame on me!" She leaned over fawningly and hurriedly dusted off Liu Qingyuan's clothes. He shook off her hands, shaking his sleeves in irritation.
"Madam."
"Ah yes, yes. My apologies. This way." The madam turned to lead the way up the central staircase. With her back to Liu Qingyuan, she lifted her handkerchief and discreetly wiped her forehead. What was with this cold aura? Just now, she thought her girls were done for! Yes, she must punish them properly. What if he comes back and they mess up again?...
She glanced over her shoulder quickly. Liu Qingyuan's bearing eluded nobility but his face was absent of the arrogance all young masters held. Maybe he just needed a little prompting...after all, with a potential customer under her nose, the madam of the house would, of course, try her luck.
A door to their left suddenly opened and another beauty stumbled out, holding her head delicately like she had too much to drink. She fluttered her eyelashes coquettishly and fell into Liu Qingyuan. Surprised, Liu Qingyuan automatically steadied her but she fell boneless again and leaned towards him. "Gongzi..." she panted.
Liu Qingyuan's eyes flashed with disgust and he shoved her into the madam's embrace. Liu Qingyuan fixed his robes, deliberately crossing his arms. His sword clanked gently and made itself known. "Madam, I implore you do not waste my time."
The girl was flung unceremoniously to the side as the madam hurried to flatter him. "Ah yes, yes. This place really is too unbridled...haha..."
"..." Lady, you're the owner of this place!
Not daring to cook any more schemes with a man like him, the madam led Liu Qingyuan to the top floor. As the premium rooms were up here, less and less people appeared as they travelled higher.
"Sir." the madam gestured for him to enter the last room. Liu Qingyuan suddenly felt uncertain. Why meet here of all places? Though, the sender was prone to randomness... He pushed the door open and was immediately hit in the face with an oppressive fragrance. The room was dimly lit and gauzy curtains fell from the ceiling to drape across the room in a maze. Liu Qingyuan narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on his sword. There was something off about this.
He stepped forward slowly, pushing aside the curtains as he walked. A gust of wind fluttered the candle flames and shifted the cloth in dizzying patterns. The round, pillowed bed stood in the middle of the room, sporting a shadowy figure that flitted away. Liu Qingyuan paused and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. From the corner of his eye, he saw a small golden bell fly at him with great speed. He twisted to avoid it but it still cracked against his wrist with bruising force. Reflexively, the sword dropped from his hand and clattered onto the floor. In the next second, a foot from behind him kicked it and his sword slid away into the shadows. Liu Qingyuan felt wind at his back and turned quickly to block the blow. He tried to hold his own but in three quick moves, he was pinned to a pillar. Liu Qingyuan gazed in shock at his assailant's face, even if he had a previous inkling of their identity.
"Master?"
"Tsk. Still too slow." Mo Wu reached out, pinched his jaw open and shoved a round pill into his mouth. Liu Qingyuan went to spit it out but Mo Wu clamped a hand over his mouth and nose, gaze turning a bit displeased. "Swallow it." Liu Qingyuan did.
Almost immediately, Liu Qingyuan felt the constant throbbing pain in his shoulder lessen and the burden on his body decrease by a significant margin. He touched his mouth. "That was...?"
Mo Wu turned back and with lightning fingers, pinched his cheek. "You haven't greeted me yet and you go around questioning things?" Mo Wu accepted his hasty bow then continued. "The wound in your shoulder would have killed you."
Liu Qingyuan touched his shoulder. "How do you know about that?"
Mo Wu raised an eyebrow. "I have sources everywhere." For some reason, Liu Qingyuan felt a wave of guilt and his eyes shifted downwards, unable to meet his master's piercing gaze. Does that mean that he knew everything between him and...the king? His mission, after all, was still to kill him. His throat bobbed uncomfortably. With his master standing right in front of him, the glaring problems he'd pushed to the back of his mind rose to the forefront in blaring red letters.
"It's the second time I saved your life." Mo Wu leaned against a pillar a distance away, watching the minute changes on his disciple's pale face. "How will you repay me?"
"What does...master want me to do?"
"I believe recently, you and the king went missing. Alone. Together." The words sounded ambiguous on their own but they sent a shiver down Liu Qingyuan's spine. "I believe you're competent enough to have found the Qiangda flower." He smirked. "After all, I haven't raised you for nothing."
"..."
"Well?"
"It's been inconvenient to get."
"Is that so?" Mo Wu approached little by little. Liu Qingyuan stood stoic, face impassive as it was trained to be, but heart beating wildly in his chest.
"I hope you're not lying to me."
"This disciple wouldn't dare." Liu Qingyuan eyes wavered.
"You've changed."
"How so?" Liu Qingyuan had seen that dark look only a handful of times before. It was terrifying. "Master," he added.
"What this master does is for your own good. Don't you know?" Mo Wu's gaze was dark. There was a pause as if he contemplated on saying more. "I hope you won't fail me again."
"Yes, master." Liu Qingyuan bowed formally. By the time he looked up, Mo Wu was gone, the night wind fluttering the curtains around the room like a hazy dreamscape.
A/N Welcome, welcome, I'm back from death. Assignments are burying me QAQ. Not that they're numerable (they kinda are), but its just those one or two that are difficult and complicated to an astronomical level. Anyways, hope u enjoy (i hope the story line is making sense :P)