At one of the many private courtyards for the concubines of Emperor Zuo's harem.
The day had not turned dark yet for intimate physical pleasures that would normally occur between two people. However, a lascivious moan of a woman filled the silence of a room.
The bed creaked with every inaudible grunt and push from a man on top of the woman's alluring body, eliciting more whimpering and moans from her enticing red lips.
Despite how the woman was evidently enjoying the pleasure from her wanton expression and her eyes that had already rolled back due to the ecstasy, the man's dark eyebrows were tightly knitted and his expression was flat, as if the pleasure he was seeking from the woman underneath him was but a conquest. Nevertheless, he concentrated on thrusting his hips harder, faster, into the tightness of the woman's already drenched womanhood.
Finally, he trembled slightly, releasing his heavy load into the woman, causing her to also shudder and reach her own peak of pleasure. With her release, she let out a charming high-pitched scream, calling the man's name,
"Zuo JinLong~!"(1)
She did not get to relax her feverish body and her clenching tightness that had suddenly been deprived of his manhood when a hand suddenly wrapped tightly around her neck.
She clawed at empty air and the linen of the bed, gasping for breath. Her initially charming and lewd facial expression turned rigid, her initial pleasure was all forgotten, her face drained of any color. The pain in her lungs due to the lack of air and the constricting hand around her throat sent warning signals to her brain.
She wanted to cry but no tears would come out. She did not understand what she had done or had said wrong. After all, this man had shown her so much favor in the past few months, frequenting her chamber more often than he had done to the rest of the concubines.
In her fear and helplessness, she lost control of her bladder and involuntarily wet herself.
The man groaned in disgust and looked at the smelly stain on the sheet. He expended a bit of qi, channeling it to his arm and decisively sent the woman flying off the bed and across the room.
The woman's body flew like a broken rag-doll, hitting an elegant mahogany chair, sending the fine piece of furniture to tumbling along with her.
She coughed a mouthful of blood, then fainted on the spot.
The man glanced at her with ruthless coldness in his eyes and muttered,
"Fool! Just a plaything that Zhen has been mildly interested in as of late. Who has given you a bear's gall to call Zhen directly by name?"
He pursed his lips lightly and whistled a piercing high tune. Soon, some eunuchs and maids arrived in front of the room's door and entered without sound.
Emperor Zuo wordlessly took the black robe offered by one of the maids and draped it over his naked body. An image of a mighty dragon was embroidered immaculately in golden threads, occupying the space of the robes and hung majestically down his powerful back. The servants bowed their heads deeper.
All of his direct servants, be it male or female, were at least of Martial-Artist level. Obviously his closest bodyguards and confidantes were cultivators of higher level, be it the more experienced Martial-Artists, or novice Enlighteneds. However, some of his younger concubines were not cultivators -- just normal humans without an ounce of qi awareness who were admitted into the harem to further spread his already expanding branches.
Just like the unconscious woman.
A eunuch stepped forward and bowed deeply,
"Your Majesty... what about Lady Qin?"
Emperor Zuo, despite being in his sixty-fifth year, did not look anywhere beyond thirty. His cultivation achievement, being a top-tier Enlightened with only a thin line separating him from Sage-ism, definitely contributed to his youthful look.
Although he was undoubtedly good looking with explosive physique and well-defined lines emphasizing his hard-trained muscles, there was a cold ruthlessness emanating from him.
Lady Qin, a normal woman without any cultivation base, was only nineteen.
The Emperor's eyes softened just for a flicker of moment, but he quickly put on an indifferent facade once more,
"Let the maids attend to Lady Qin. Confer to her some of the rare herbs form the vault to aid her recovery."
At the very least, this woman had kept him entertained during the past few months. And her voice was so similar to that particular person whom he had not been able to touch. Although that person had never used the same coquettish tone at him and was always a rigid and proud individual, Emperor Zuo had obtained a somewhat pleasant dream in Lady Qin's voice.
"Then is Lady Qin allowed to keep the Dragon's seed?" The eunuch inquired further.
The sudden surge of hot qi emanating from the Emperor's body caused the Martial-Artist eunuch to fall to a kneel, banging his head repeatedly on the floor to beg for forgiveness. The pressure of power from his Master caused his heart to tremble.
The warning was enough to tell him what to do with the Dragon's seeds that had been planted inside Lady Qin. The eunuch would bestow her a contraceptive medicine to kill the seeds.
As the maids cleaned up the room and carried Lady Qin to a separate courtyard to recuperate, some other servants came inside the room, bringing a fresh set of robes for the Emperor.
After he was fully attired, he finally left the room. He looked into a distance, where Ying Tao Palace was -- the place where that person lived.
"How is Lady Shuan?"
Another eunuch who had been trailing behind him bowed,
"Reporting to Your Majesty. Lady Shuan is still yet to give birth."
The Emperor frowned. It had been over twenty-six hours. Despite being an Enlightened and could definitely hold her own against fighting numerous males, Shuan Bing had difficulty giving birth to a tiny baby.
A woman was after all, a woman. Emperor Zuo's lips were upturned slightly in a tender smile, but soon his bearing was cold again when he was reminded about how the stubborn woman had been treating him.
He was the Emperor, and the flowers in his garden were numerous and beautiful. It was only his right to seek for their comfort whenever he felt like it.
Shuan Bing was one of the most beautiful and strongest flowers he owned, and hence he had been somewhat partial and favored her, also letting her carry his seed to full term. Not only that, her father was his shifu as well, although the wise Sage had passed barely two years after Shuan Bing was admitted into the harem.
The barrier that had been set up to protect Shuan Bing and her unborn baby, or perhaps to curb her fluctuation of qi during childbirth, was definitely the doing of another Sage of Wu Shan sect. The pattern and energy emanating from the thin membrane that clouded Ying Tao Palace was too familiar to the Emperor. He had seen his shifu setting up a similar barrier numerous times back in the sect.
Emperor Zuo had not seen this person yet, but he had a clue on the identity of the Sage responsible for the barrier.
It would be his shifu's martial brother -- the Emperor's shibo when he was still a disciple at Wu sect.
"Never mind." He sighed, thinking to himself,
"A Sage is not someone I can throw my weight around on. Shibo has always loved Bing-er like his own daughter. It is only fair that he is with her, even without notifying me first. I'll just let it go."
Reminded of the unborn child and his initial pampering for Lady Qin, his face darkened,
"Make sure Lady Qin drinks her contraceptive medicine without fail for thirty days!"
The eunuch's body trembled just for a short while, then he nodded his understanding.
The Emperor looked one last time towards Ying Tao Palace. He shifted his feet slightly, considering to visit that person, one of his favorite flowers. But when he was reminded of her proud bearing and her unwillingness to succumb to him completely, his heart grew cold once again.
What more would she want of him? Did she not know, an Emperor could not have only one woman? The harem contained his power, his symbol of strength, his future lineage. One woman could not hope to satisfy him. Ever since she decided to come with him, she should have known. Perhaps she had wanted to change him.
Emperor Zuo JinLong would never change for a woman.
With a low disgruntled snort, he flicked his sleeves and started to walk towards the Empress' Palace instead. His Empress was also an Enlightened - one of the only two Enlightened women in his harem. And she was always docile and accommodating, telling him words he needed, wanted to hear.
At this moment, the Empress was the kind of woman he needed.
When the Emperor walked away further and was finally out of sight, the eunuch could only pray for the pitiful Lady Qin. She was only a young woman not even reaching twenty yet. Soon her womb would be useless and she could only become a plaything for the Dragon inside the harem, not able to carry his child and held her head high.
Her life was over with just a few words from the Emperor's mouth.
The eunuch did not know what offence Lady Qin had done, but it was not his place to question his Master.
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"It is a little prince, my Lady." The midwife carried the silent bundle with trembling hands, offering it closer to the woman lying on the bed.
Blood pooled around the woman's lower hip area. If Shuan Bing was not an Enlightened with decades-long of qi cultivation, she would have lost her life giving birth to her newborn.
Her two personal maids proceeded to wipe her body, tears welling up in their eyes. The maids were all Martial-Artist cultivators, having followed Shuan Bing from Wu Shan sect. They were all, in a sense, Shuan Bing's shimeis.
Cradling the little baby, Shuan Bing's pale face broke into a smile. For her, the little human in her arms was perfect, despite all the trouble and pain she had gone through.
The door to her room was opened with a silent creak.
Two people walked in, their faces unfazed, despite the reeking smell of blood.
Both of them were clothed in azure-blue robes, a distinct uniform of Wu Shan sect. One was an adult man, and the other a boy of no older than ten.
Shuan Bing noticed the dark sky outside and the thunderous rumble of heaven. Static formed in the air, causing it to assault her already weakened senses. The clouds rolled violently and with every flash of lightning, she was not sure if it was not just an illusion she saw. A mighty serpent of myth was dancing between the clouds throughout her labor and when the baby was born.
As if the heavens were encouraging this little soul to be born.
Almost two days ago, ever since she started to feel some movement and more laborious contractions, the sky over her Palace had darkened. She then felt the surging of qi inside her abdomen. It was a foreign but much stronger qi that Shuan Bing knew did not belong to her.
It was her baby's.
She did not know if it was a blessing or a curse to be carrying a life that carries so much qi. Nevertheless, Shuan Bing knew that she had to protect her son's existence, hiding him from the many malicious minds inside the Palace.
She had sent for one of her trusted maids to fetch for her shibo at Wu sect. With the maid's cultivation level, she should be able to go and return in half-a-day.
As soon as Sage Shen Zheng arrived, he took one look at the bleak sky that had graced her particular courtyard, then wordlessly set up the barrier around the perimeter of Ying Tao Palace.
To outside eyes, there would be nothing out of ordinary. Ying Tao Palace looked every bit the same as any other day, calm and quiet. To normal humans, the blue sky extended to as far as the eyes could see.
In contrast, inside the thin membrane formed by the powerful barrier, the sky was dark and grey clouds formed faster than the ocean's surging waves during a storm. With every passing moment that brought Shuan Bing closer to giving birth, every inch of Ying Tao Palace rumbled with the chaotic sky.
Sage Shen Zheng did what he could to curb the discordance, but the little baby seemed to want to let the world know of his impending arrival.
Which was exactly what Shuan Bing did not want to allow to happen.
If there was one thing she had learnt during her stay in the Imperial Palace, it was that the harem was the least safe place for a little baby, especially a royal prince, to show power in such tender age.
The Sage's disciple that had tagged along finally helped his shifu to strengthen the barrier. Despite his age, he was already a mid-tier Martial-Artist and his qi was solid and strong. Although the barrier was not enough to completely fool Enlightened-and-above ranked cultivators, it was sufficient to protect Shuang Bin and the baby from other concubines, as well as the most powerful woman in the harem.
The Empress – another Enlightened that was just a notch lower than Shuan Bing herself in cultivation prowess.
Even Emperor Zuo did not seem to be concerned about the barrier. Sage Shen Zheng was confident the Emperor would have noticed it, but for whatever reason turned a blind eye to it.
When the baby was born, the prince did not let out a single cry, causing the mid-wife's heart to plummet. She was one of Lady Shuan's trusted people, and the last thing she would want was for Shuan Bing's offspring to never see the light of day.
She let out a breath of relief though, when a lightning suddenly flashed outside the room, opening the dark sky. Perhaps it was the sudden bright light that caused the baby to then let out a tiny mewl of protest, barely audible enough to let people know that he was alive.
As he continued to gurgle inside his mother's arms, the fluctuation of qi gradually calmed down. Only three people in the room could see the congregation of thick qi pool and finally dissipate into the baby's forehead, his Shang Dantian.
Sage Shen Zheng and Shuan Bing looked at each other, wariness etched on their taut expressions.
Martial-Artist Shen Wei(2) looked at the tiny baby that was being held by his former DaShijie. He walked slowly to the side of the bed.
The Sage was going to reprimand his disciple for being impudent, but Shuan Bing merely shook her head and smiled at her shibo, allowing Shen Wei to come closer to her and her baby.
Shen Wei was usually as rigid as his shifu, but he had been pulled by an invisible force to get closer to the newborn prince. His qi reacted to the baby's now calm qi, Shen Wei's very soul seemed to be shaken.
With trembling hands, he reached forward towards the yawning baby.
Everyone in the room could not help but let out relieved and warm smiles when the baby suddenly lifted his own hand with a sudden strength unusually possessed by a newborn. The baby's eyes were still closed, but he let out a contented hum when his hand finally took hold of the person.
Shen Wei could only blankly stare at his index finger that was being held by the baby. The warmth that seeped through those little fingers sent tremor to his heart, calling his soul to succumb to the little one.
If there was one thing Shen Wei was sure about, he would live in accordance to his name, for this person.
This little prince, would be someone Shen Wei would guard and protect.
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Shuan Bing looked at Shen Wei and the doting expression on the little boy's face that could not have been missed by anyone.
Thankfully, soon after the baby was born, the sky returned to its calm tranquil state. Sage Shen Zheng waited for a while before dismantling the qi patterns that had set up his barrier.
Shuan Bing had been cleaned up. Despite her fatigued expression, her face showed content.
The Sage frowned,
"Bing-er. Shizhi. Is it worth it? To vie for that ingrate's affection. We have not even seen his shadow all day. An Enlightened like him could not have missed my crude barrier."
Shuan Bing chuckled,
"Shibo. You are the only one from the sect who is still probably referring to me as a disciple," her eyes were wet with melancholy and longing of her past that had long gone,
"Even father disowned me after I decided to follow JinLong shidi and become one of his concubines."
"Father, he... I know he died with a broken heart."
"I am such an unfilial daughter."
The Sage only sighed and proceeded to lift her hand, feeling her pulse. His countenance grew grim,
"You knew what you were getting into when you decided to leave the sect. I cannot even be angry anymore. Your father passed quietly during his meditation when trying to breakthrough as an Immortal."
"An impossible feat, as which we all already know. Nevertheless, he lost his way when his only daughter chose to abandon her own cultivation to be with his former disciple."
"I know you never liked JinLong much," Shuan Bing let her wrist be felt around by her senior,
"So many years already. I cannot say if I regret what I did. What was done is done."
"I was foolish and thought that I would be enough for JinLong."
"How could I have been so immature and expected more? He is a Dragon of men. I cannot... will never be the only one."
Noticing the Sage's slightly forlorn eyes, Shuan Bing patted his hand,
"I know I don't have much time left. A few years to watch my son grow... is all I ask."
"When I stepped out of the gate of Wu sect, I knew I was abandoning all my lifelong effort in cultivation."
"I am over seventy already, shibo. I have lived enough."
"As a woman, I have experienced a beautiful short dream. I now hate JinLong, but I love him too, for showing me that dream."
She gazed tenderly at her son's direction who was sleeping contentedly in Shen Wei's arms,
"And my son is a fruit of that dream."
"Foolish." Shen Zheng grunted, "If you had stayed, you could live for over a century. Your father passed short a few years to his third-century of age."
"We should call it a blessing in disguise that he is not around to see his only daughter's approaching end."
There was a visible pain on Shuan Bing's expression, and that caused the Sage to soften and finally stay quiet. He finally released his hold on Shuan Bing's wrist,
"I give five to ten years at most. Your qi is depleting at an alarming rate, which should be expected because you are no longer a cultivator."
"Five to ten years...," Shuan Bing's eyes grew misty.
One could not hope to stay young forever and live in perpetual happiness surrounded by the children's laughter.
Her son would be her first and her last child, she knew of it. For a mortal, giving birth at her age was already a heaven-defying occurrence which was only possible because of her previous cultivation.
One day, she would just cease breathing, her soul would no longer be able to stay in her body. The qi that had been the drive behind her life would disappear completely, leaving an empty husk that was forever frozen in her youth. After all, as an Enlightened, her physical form had slowed its aging appearance decades ago.
In five to ten years, she hoped she could kowtow personally to her Father in the afterlife, begging for his forgiveness.
But before that time arrived, she would live for her son.
"DaShijie," Shen Wei broke the silence between the two, and gestured his chin towards the sleeping baby in his arms,
"What is his name?"
Shuan Bing smiled and remembered the peculiar sky when her son was born; the thunderous rumble; the flashes of lightning,
"Zuo ZhouLei (3)." She did not care about Zuo JinLong's approval for naming her son herself. If he thought he could do whatever he wanted, bedded whoever he fancied, naming her own son should be the least compensation he should grant her.
"Let's call him Zhou Lei."
Shen Wei broke into a grin and cooed at the sleeping baby,
"Lei-er. One day, you will be my shidi. I will protect you."
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Note:
(1) Jin Long = Golden Dragon
(2) Wei = Guard/ Protect
(3) Zhou = Eternity/Infinite. Lei = thunder