《BLESSING》


 Prologue: The Journey of the Setting Sun

    Prologue: The Journey of the Setting Sun


    The young boy sat quietly on the stairs leading up to his home. Other children in his age were running around in the street a few meters away, playing with a ball, but he still sat there with a blank look on his face. In his hand, there was a neatly folded scroll, engraved with beautiful lotus emblem. Recalling what was written in the letter, the blue-eyed boy grew even more saddened. His snow-white hair glistened in the sun and contrasted with his face that turned even paler than before.


    Change is never something bad in itself. But when change is equivalent to a loss then that becomes something entirely else.


    "Little brother Ming, come play with us! We lack one player." some of the kids playing football shouted to him. Unfortunately, the young boy, little Ming, was not in the mood for playing football. It was even better to say that he hadn''t even heard what the kids were saying. All of his attention was focused on trying to forget the matters in that letter. The terrible news seemed to have cleaved his heart in two pieces, strangled the life out of him and caused him to lose the will to live.


    "Year 1131. Emperor Wenxiung was killed on the battlefield by General Udon from the Tian Empire.


    His blood flowed across the plains of howling wolves, and he was joined by his soldiers soon after."


    "Ok, ok, don''t come then! We can play without you!" the kids shouted and stomped in the ground as their calls were unanswered for. They returned to the street and continued the game, one of the two teams with only six players.


    "So you really have died, father.." Little Ming mumbled to himself. He put his hand under linen shirt and grabbed a small item which he had tucked in. It was an exquisite ring inside a piece of cloth. He pulled it out. Gold and jade joined together to create a fantastic workmanship. Only the best blacksmith in the whole of china ould be able to produce such a piece of jewellery.


    "Little Ming, my son. When you lose everything you hold dear, when you don''t have anything left to fight for, when you don''t feel the will to live in this world any longer, put on the ring and close your eyes, and everything will be anew."


    ***


    The beckoning came from the deepest pits of my heart. As if I was a long-lost friend coming home. As if I was a forgotten ally now found. My eyes were still closed, but I knew I was somewhere else. Not in the village of broken-down houses and mottled walls, but somewhere else. Somewhere entirely else, a place I could never imagine to exist. The mulch scent burrowed into my nostrils, and the drumming of woodpeckers scalped my ears in form of tiny vibrations. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I could sense it. I could sense its heart. And how was I to resist this pulsating call?


    My eyelids were flung open, my blue eyes like caterpillars, breaking through their cocoons, thrusting out to see what life could offer. Astounded, yes, I was truly shaken to the bottom of my core. To imagine is one thing, and to see is yet another. They are two different concepts, producing two different results. Two different worlds.


    The moss-veiled path curved like a snake through brownish pillars wearing jade coloured hair, into the deep foliage of an inner sanctum. Wild garlic and chickweed and chubby mushrooms dotted the ground as if they were children of the trees, seeking to be as close to them as possible. I took my first step, my bare foot landing on top of the soft moss.


    Then it returned. The beckoning. Now stronger than ever.It wanted me to follow the trail of moss, to come home; where I belonged. And I could not resist. I didn''t want to resist.


    Step after step I trudged onward, more determined than I have ever been. Around me, the forest grew thicker. The more I walked, the more steps I took, the stronger the beckoning became. I don''t know how much time that had passed until I stopped. The clear, distinctive wishing startled me from my trance. The mystical murmurs inside my head intensified.


    Fizzily, the plunging water cascaded down over protruding rocks, booming like thunder.Trembling, my feet moved on their own. I watched in horror and fear as I walked into the water, into the churning waterfall. But that was not the end. I looked around only to find myself in a cave. A gentle thrumming made me move once more, over the slippery rocks and golden sand which together created the cave''s tropical beach. I was no longer in control of my body. It moved on its own, following the beckoning that stirred my heart asunder.


    Then I witnessed the creature. More golden than the gold of my ring and more luminous than a winter''s strangled moon. Sparkling, its scales glittered in the rainbow that shone over its mighty body. The beckoning didn''t stop here. It made me walk toward the creature, toward the golden dragon I had read about in the ancient scrolls of the palace library. A mystical being that could swallow the world and fight evenly with the jade emperor, a being who disdained heaven''s impending laws and limitations.


    It was smaller than I had expected, the size of three or four oxen stacked in a row, yet the heavenly, divine air it had was in no way to be mistaken.


    This was the golden dragon, the most powerful being in the whole realm.


    The creature overlooked me with what I thought to be a smile. The golden flame in its eyes boiled, and with a simple movement, its claw was placed in between my brows, just close enough to prick my skin. My head felt light, my feet wobbly. The dragon''s eyes were drenched in love, for which I don''t know why. A quivering escaped my mouth as hot fire coursed through my forehead. The dragon smiled and then closed his eyes, whereafter everything became dark and quiet. Again.

 Under the River Bank 1

    What surprised Tian Ming wasn¡¯t that he no longer sat on the stairs to his old, rotten cottage in which half of his life was spent. Nor was it because of a stranger stood bent over him, inspecting his delicate face and white hair with curiosity as if he was a never before seen species of flower.


    No, it was because of how large her eyes were; deep-blue and coral sized, staring at him from above.


    The next thing that made him gasp was the colour of her hair. Yes, it was a river of titan-red, toppling down her face like a midnight gown. The ticklish strands enveloped him in a veil of red, making him unable to see anything but those deep-blue eyes, and that beautiful red hair which knew no equal


    The girl''s face was very close to his, close enough for him to smell the scent of fresh orchid from her breath. He stared at her with his mouth agape. While he did this, she noticed that he had woken up. This, by judging from her next action, and the sun-tanned skin of her face which now embezzled a similar colour to that of her hair.


    She abruptly stood up and turned her face away, flushed with what the young boy believed to be embarrassment


    Now that his view was clear, he was finally able to see the entirety of the girl he was speaking to.


    The red-haired girl had a willowy figure, slightly curvy like women''s bodies often are. She wore a leather armour which was tightly strapped to her like a tree¡¯s protective coat. She seemed to be a girl of maybe a bit older than his thirteen. Perhaps fourteen or fifteen. He didn¡¯t know.


    Looking around, he could see the interior of the room. There were three walls; the one behind him, and the two to his side. The space in front of him was covered in a white sheet, which fluttered a bit now and then. This fluttering white sheet also served as a roof. Below him, the wooden floorboards were dusty and creaky.A few barrels lay in one of the corners, but other than that, the five to ten meter long and three-meter wide room was empty.


    Where was he, and who was this girl?What did his father mean back then, everything will be anew?


    His left hand shot to the ring of his right in reflex. It was still there. He had not lost it. He tried to stand up, but his legs were unable to muster any power. Feeble and weak, he sank down to the ground. The thin, white robe he wore was tattered and dirty, not as he remembered it before, and his white, long hair was sweaty and pungent.


    As he was about to give standing up a shot once more, the young boy heard a male voice sounding out from outside the room. The sheet swept open and in, from the corner of the room entered a robust man clad in brown leather armour. To his side hung a steel sword and to his other a round buckler.


    ¡°Bring me a bowl, with the leftovers from lunch.¡± The girl said to the man with a soft yet elegant voice as he entered. Her pronunciation of each word sounded strange to the young boy and made him think if it could be any of the local dialects in the country.


    The man turned his head, letting his gaze sweep over the young boy who leant against the wall. He smacked his lips in disgust as he saw the battered robe. ¡°You¡¯ve helped enough by picking him up from the ditch,¡± he said. ¡°Why concern yourself further with a useless beggar¨C"


    ¡°He¡¯s a child. Not a beggar¡± the girl said. "Now, bring me a bowl of leftovers."


    ¡°Hmph, Fine.¡± he snorted.


    Just as the man was about to take his leave with a bow, the girl spoke again. This time, her voice was not soft like before. It was icy and indifferent. ¡°By the way, Ling Song. It¡¯s Fine, my lady. The next time you forget this, I will have someone sever your hand. Is that clear?


    Breaking out in cold sweat, and knowing fully well what the red-haired woman in front of him was capable of, the man bowed another time, so much so that his head touched the floor. He let his arrogance toward the beggar take ahold of him. ¡°This lowly subject apologises for his stupid actions. It will not happen again, my lady. Not now, not ever in the future."


    The red-haired girl crossed her arms over her chest, looking at the man with a thoughtful gaze. She knew that some just couldn''t accept having a woman as a leader. "Go, before I change my mind."


    "Yes, my lady." the man said respectfully and hurried out of the room.


    As the man who the young boy judged to be a soldier left, the red-haired girl turned to him. She went closer and sat down next to him.


    Looking him in the eyes, she said "We found you beside the road, unconscious. How come a young boy such as you is travelling alone? The lands here are dangerous, you know. Demons lurk and bandits gather. It''s a miracle we found you before anyone else."


    Tian Ming was startled by her direct explanation. Smart as he was for his age, the young boy was reminded by the ring, and how he had been in the village for one second, then here for the next. There was no need to tell her the truth before he was able to make sure she wasn¡¯t hostile.


    "I don''t remember, miss. Everything is blurry," he replied while keeping a mask of innocence plastered to his face. He then clasped his hands and bowed. "Thank you for helping me."


    "My lady, I''ve brought the bowl of leftovers. As you requested." the man said, lifting the white sheet, and humbly walking into the roof.


    The red-haired girl nodded to the man.Without saying anything, the man bowed, put the bowl on the floor and exited again, leaving the two alone.


    "Do you remember your name?" she asked him gently and gave him the bowl.


    Tian Ming was quiet for a moment and then shook his mind. "I''m sorry. I don''t remember."


    "I see," the red-haired girl said. She smiled at him. "My name is Wu Bai, a general of the heavenly court''s army."


    After that, before Tian Ming was able to respond, she sighed.


    "Under any normal circumstances, we would be able to drop you off at a nearby village." Wu Bai said "But, right now, we are just outside the forest of shimmering light, tasked by the heavenly court to find a local earth god who has gone astray."


    She continued. "However, we can¡¯t turn back now. That would make several days go waste and might endanger not only the people of the villages but also the forest guardian. At the same time, we can¡¯t abandon you while we go and complete our task as it would go aginst the principles set up by theLate Divine master of the Heavenly Origin to protect all life of deva.


    Heavenly Court. Earth god? Forest guardian? Late Divine master of the Heavenly Origin? Deva Realm?


    The things Wu Bai talked about were all very familiar to him. He gulped as he came to an understanding.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Either the girl in front of him was bullshitting to an extreme, or everything she said was true which meant that the young boy was no longer in China.


    On the other hand, how was everything she said true?


    According to the scholars of the palace, The divine master of the heavenly origin, also called the supreme beginning and the limitless and eternal creator of Heaven and Earth, picked the Jade Emperor, as his personal successor. The Jade emperor, sealing the strongest demon, Asura, became the ruler of heaven and sculptured the human race from clay. This was a common belief in China. His father, the emperor, always paid his worship to the Jade Emperor and the immortals the first day of every month.


    But, how was Tian Ming in heaven? Only men and women who did meritorious services would be allowed to live here and prosper in his kingdom. He hadn''t done anything in his life.


    "Please don''t mind me, miss." Tian Ming said after a while. "I don''t remember how I got here, but it''s not your responsibility to look after me. You can just drop me off anywhere."


    If the girl really was a nut-head, who believed herself to be a general of the heavenly court, then he should get out of here immediately.


    And to add, the man who seemed to be her subordinate was carrying a sword. Just the fact that he was a grown up proved to be enough to cause the young boy to feel scared. Maybe if Tian Ming had a sword himself would he feel more secure, but he didn''t. So, the best option was to get away here as quickly as possible.


    Crazy people could do crazy people, and he certainly didn''t want someone crazy to control over him.


    Unfortunately for him, the red-haired girl shook her head, causing the river of titan-red to dance. "No, I can''t do that," Wu Bai said. "This forest is crawling with Asura''s minions. And even if without the demons, bandits would capture you before you could make it to the nearby village."


    She stared at him, saying. "There''s no choice. You''ll have to come with us until we finish the task."


    The young boy knitted his brows but said nothing.


    "When you''re feeling better, you can come out." Noticing the young boy''s hesitation, Wu Bai left him alone with his thoughts.


    Tian Ming peered inside the bowl. Chunks of meat were floating around in the brownish stew along with unknown vegetables. Grabbing the two sticks she gave him to eat with, the young boy began to devour the food with great appetite. He was quite hungry, did he discover, and the stew was very tasty. After having eaten all of the meat, Tian Ming raised the bowl to his mouth and drank. Then, licking the bowl clean, the young boy put the chopsticks on top of the bowl and placed the bowl on the floor.


    "So, let''s review what I know." He talked to himself. "I slipped my finger through the ring father gave me, and the next second I opened my eyes I was here. The girl seems to be a nut job and the man seems to have something against me, thinking I''m a beggar."


    He scowled and hit his finger against the wooden wall behind him. Every second, there was a light thud sounding out in the otherwise silent room ¨C except for the sound of win, which the young boy clearly head now when he was alone in the room. This must mean that, on the other side of the white sheet, was outside. Maybe he was in a waggon or caravan of some sorts.


    "In the end, I guess there''s nothing I can do if I''m stuck in here."


    Trying to stand up, the young boy leant against the wall. His weak legs were stronger than before, but he could feel a heat growing on his forehead. Though unpleasant, st was not yet unbearable, so he ignored it. With the use of the walls, Tian Ming advanced to the other side and swept open the white sheet.


    He was met by the sun, glaring at him from above. The light blinded him and it took a couple of seconds before he could see clearly. As he gazed out, the young boy saw trees and bushes. The edge of the forest was green and not so thick.


    Tian Ming spotted a dozen or so armed men and women who sat on the ground not too far away. The man who the young boy met earlier was among them. They looked like soldiers, each one carrying a weapon by their waist. While most of them had a sword hanging there, some were in possession of different weapons, for example, an axe or a polearm or a spear.


    Except for a group of four who sat in a ring and laughed, each one of the soldiers handled themselves. Most of them were polishing their weapons, but there were some who lay sleeping in the shadow of a tree, taking a breather from the sun¡¯s scorching.


    As the Tian Ming was inspecting the foreign surroundings, one of the men who polished his weapon discovered him. The young man with brown, curly hair arched his head back and shouted. ¡°Hey, general, the boy¡¯s up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Hong,¡± Under the shade of a tree a fair distance away, the red-haired girl, Wu Bai, responded. Her titan-red her was spread over the lush grass, shadows threading over her. Rising up, she walked over to Tian Ming who stood just outside the waggon.


    ¡°You decided to come out after all,¡± she said. ¡°How do you feel? Do you remember anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry. It¡¯s all very vague.¡± Tian Ming replied. He looked at the forest. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    The red-haired girl smiled and pointed at the forest. ¡°Just outside the forest of shimmering light. Do you know where this is? Is the name familiar to you?


    He slowly shook his head.


    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll show you.¡± Wu Bai said. She grabbed his hand and brought him over to where the group of four men sat. Feeling her soft hand, the young boy began to blush. He didn¡¯t know a lot about boy and girl matters, but he knew that holding hands was a sign of a couple, or so his mother had told him.


    ¡°Xin, can I borrow your map?¡± She asked one of the men in the ring.


    The bald man glanced at Tian Ming, then back at Wu Bai. Nodding, he grabbed a small scroll with jade handles from inside his boot and gave it to the red-haired girl.


    Tian Ming inspected the bald man, whose slightly wrinkled face was decorated with a large grey beard and a scar which ran across his left cheek. The scar made him look like a battle-hardened warrior, but at the same time his grey beard was prickled with white, and clearly showed that his youth had long ago passed and had been replaced with seniority.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Wu bai said to the man and pulled the boy with her, over to a free space.


    She rolled out the scroll and placed it on the ground. The map depicted a large, single continent. Tian Ming frowned. This wasn¡¯t a map of China. He had seen those maps before and they weren¡¯t like this. Also, looking at the top corner of the map, the young boy noticed four letters forming a word. Deva.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the Forest of Shimmering Lights.¡± Wu Bai said and placed her finger on a landmark. then she pointed at the image of a castle in the middle of a map. ¡°Here is the capital.¡±


    Her finger trailed onward, settling a bit away from the landmark of the Forest of Shimmering Light. ¡°And here¡¯s the nearest town, which is also the village whose earth god went berserk and escaped into the forest.¡±


    Tian Ming nodded. Inwardly, he was shocked. He even started to believe a bit that they were in the Deva Realm.


    Otherwise, would they really be this crazy and even create a fake map to fool him?


    ¡°We found you here close to where we are now, beside the road, and put you inside the waggon.¡± Wu Bai explained. ¡°I wonder how you got here, considering your age. Also, you had no things with you, no bag, no food, no nothing. And you don¡¯t seem to be a homeless person. Your appearance and demeanour don''t strike as such, and the white robe you¡¯re wearing is of quite good quality.¡±


    ¡°Do you still not remember anything?¡±


    He gulped. ¡°No..¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± she said and rolled back the map. ¡°Anyways, we are going to advance into the forest soon, so I¡¯d recommend that you rest in the waggon. We others will be on the outside. If you need anything, just tell us.¡±


    The young boy nodded in understanding. They wanted him to stay out of the way. He got up to his feet and clasped his hands before walking into the waggon again. On the outside, the red-haired girl watched him enter the waggon. This boy is quite clever, he know he will only pull us down if he stays on the outside, she thought as she told her men to pack up and get ready, or maybe he''s just afraid of the earth god.


    Meanwhile, the young boy sat down on the floor in the waggon, leaning against the wall. He was unsure about what was going on. Looking at the ring on his finger, he brought it to his mouth and kissed it. The surface was cold, but the young boy felt a special warmth from the kiss when he thought back to who previously wore the ring.Father...


    Suddenly, without any warning, a golden image flashed in his mind. Everything turned black for a second.


    In return, his body stopped acting at his commandand slouched down to the ground. Head first. A creak came from his nose, blood pouring out on the wooden floorboards. He muffled out in pain, and pushed himself up from the floor, rolling onto his back. He held onto his noseand cursed his own carelessness. You stupid idiot, Tian Ming!


    However, the golden image flashed again, and everything turned black for a second just like last time. His face began to flush red and his breath turned ragged. A painful heat overcame him, its origin from his forehead. Then, before he could do anything, he fainted from the pain.