《Keeper of Steeds》
Chapter 00
The State of Shou was a backwater nation in the eastern land. The food was scarce, and the water was far from clean. Here, people struggled to survive and were deemed lucky if they could see the dawn of next day without a hole in their stomach ¨C without blood gushing out so to say. And neither did the River demons of nearby water sources ease the suffering of men; they sent more petty lives to the castle of fate than what old poverty ever did, and that went without question, and doubt.
This November month was bright and cold. Frost grew on top trees¡¯ crust and the dark soil beneath hardened. Not did this aid the people, Oh no, this made but trouble for them. To scoop up edible plants from the hard earth became almost impossible. And the water was mostly frozen, barely cracking from a man''s boot. However, this was the one time of the year when River demons were in deep slumber. Perhaps this was why the Shou people yearned for this bitter winter time despite its flaws.
Like other tales of great heroics, this one starts with a bang.
In one of these villages, a child lay gently in a bamboo bed. This boy¡¯s name was Juan Xi, and he was nine years old. His black hair was pinched with dirt and horse-dung, and his body was malnourished and feeble.
Is this not the definition of a hero? Or, perhaps one in disguise?
As the night grew quieter and darker, the little boy, Juan Xi, suddenly let out a muffled sound as he felt a pair of hands grip his throat. He opened his eyes in reflex.
M-mother?!
His mother was bent over him, like a beast; her cracked, dry lips curved in a frenzied grin. Those once bright eyes of hers beamed with insanity.
¡°Die,¡± she whispered softly. ¡°Die, bastard child!¡±
Hergrip tightened. He let out another muffled sound. His lungs were burning, almost throbbing, and tears became evident on his face.
Were the tears hers, or were they his?
The little boy grabbed hold of his mother''s clothes, trying his best to topple her. He sought not to die yet, his life had barely started.
However, no matter the force exerted, the woman''s hands did not budge an inch.
"*Thud *Thud *Thud*..."
Why, mother, why? His heart bled from sorrow. Why¡
The floorboards beneath creaked while the bed itself duly sang in rhythm. She slammed his head repeatedly into the bed. Crimson poured onto the white sheets, staining them with a fresh red.
Is this the end? Is this what death feels like?
"Thud!"
One last beating followed a long silence. The little boy''s full pupils trembled no more, his flame of life extinguished for good; only a broken shell without soul remained.
Dead.
He had not been given much choice in life. To serve and to obey, and to be beaten black and purple every day, that was his daily life. One could say he had been freed; released from the sorry reality his mother had brought him for years. Yes, he was finally free.
However, destiny¡¯s wheels hadn¡¯t stopped spinning yet.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
The little boy blinked. White. Everything was white.
His eyes were slowly adjusted. Blue. Black. Yellow.
The world before him was incredible. He stood in a valley of ice and snow; a dark-tinted castle with pointy towers in front of him. This supreme existence stretched into the sky, higher than the clouds filled with lightning-vortexes. Snow-tipped mountains surrounded the valley, proudly, as if they were the uncrossable walls of their castle.
This¡? Juan Xi was shocked. And scared too. He bent his fingers, shaking from top to toe.
"Did I actually die? Where am I, and why did mother kill me?" Countless of questions swirled inside his mind. "Is this the afterlife? What will happen to me?"
Juan Xi found himself line. Things he had feared as mere myths were seen all around him.
Monsters¨C
Standing in front of him was green, skinny creature¨C Four eyes, four legs, four arms, like a goblin from the tales of old, only double the arms, legs, and eyes.
Behind him was an even more frightening beast. Three meters tall it was, dull gray skin and wild eyes; just like a wolf, except it stood and walked on two legs like a human. And it had wings as well, and a glowing, crimson horn that protruded from its forehead.
Was he afraid? Of course.
Did he want to cry? Not at all.
His heart had bled plenty already. It deserved a laugh; how much of a joke that was. He did not fear what was about to come. The life he had gone through and the fact that had kept going until the end was proof of his perseverance.
So what? Death... is scary?
Compared to those bloodshot eyes his mother wore when she strangled him, death seemed to be a paradise.
He tried to walk forward, but couldn''t. An invisible force made him unable to move his body.Seconds later he felt strung up like a doll as this power puppeteered him along the line, along with all the millions upon millions of beasts and humans and monsters.
Cold and bitter winds pulled and plucked his tattered clothes. They fiercely bit his skin to the point of goosebumps.
Everyone moved forward in a steady rhythm. Juan Xi¡¯s eyes were dull as if they were dead. Pain spread across his entire body as his limbs froze and his lips turned purple. This was torture, yet he had been through worse.
He knew not of the time, but finally, as an eternity seemed to have passed, he was shoved into the castle, through a hall bigger than what he had ever seen before.
Ghastly candles lit up this dark room. They were like fingers of dead men, stretching up from the ground in an attempt to reach the light where there was none to be found, their flickering motions creating demonic shadows that danced along the ancient walls of the hall.
Thick waves of hot pleasure caused his body to warm up and he regained feeling in his limbs as they unfroze themselves. His lips changed from purple to pink-red. The line gradually diminished, and the counted numbers that were ahead of him dwelled down to zero.
¡°Juan Xi. Qing Sheng Village. Killed by your mother at the age of nine, strangled. Father died years ago when defending the borders of the Qing Sheng village from the onslaught of the native river demons. His sacrifice saved a lot of people. From an early age to now, you have¡¡± the humanoid bull with glasses recounted indifferently, glancing in the massive, red-envelope book inside his large hooves.
The black bull was quiet as it continued to read in the book. It sat behind a desk, occasionally taking a look at Juan Xi, sizing him up. A two-handed axe placed on top of the desk gave off a fear-inspiring presence. Juan Xi concluded that this axe would show not mercy, but ruthlessnessif he as much as talked back.
He gulped. What will happen to me?
¡°I dare to say your luck in life is the worst I¡¯ve seen in a while!" the creature said. Its voice was dark and rough and loud. "But now you are dead, and well, I don¡¯t know if this is a lucky break for you or not, but I just remembered that I was looking for a newly departed soul to replace the keeper of steeds¡¯ disciple who was slain earlier today. From what it seems, you perfectly fit the criteria of being a boy under than ten years old.¡±
Juan Xi stared blankly.
"The look in your eyes tells me you won¡¯t respond no matter what I say.¡± It chuckled and slammed the book closed. ¡°Sorry for you, I¡¯ve already made my choice. Don¡¯t get yourself killed too quickly and watch out for the liquor god¡¯s rooster, he¡¯s quite the feisty one!
The black bull flashed its sleeves, and Juan Xi¡¯s body convulsed shortly after. He instantly vanished from the hall as if he was never there. Then, without suspense or waiting, the creature opened the heavy book again. ¡°Next!¡±
Chapter 01
Juan Xi once again found himself somewhere else. This time, inside a bright room five or six times bigger than the small bedroom of his family''s rundown shack. Maybe ten meters to each side. As his gaze darted across the room, he discovered the open space only having a few pieces of furniture; a bed, a table, and a couple of chairs next to the table. The windows frames, however, were lined with exquisite, white candles in golden cups that were breathtaking.
Perhaps what lies outside will tell me what this place is, because it¡¯s certainly not that cold place, or the village.
"Ah!" Juan Xi struggled to bring his small body up to above the window frame. It was surprisingly easy to do this. He remembered to always have problems pulling himself up to objects due to his weak body. Had he perhaps gotten stronger?
Strange!
"Huge!" exclaimed the little boy, eyes wide open after getting up.
He looked out from the window and was completely dumbfounded. Outside his room laid a gigantic city covering more land than his eyes could see. The houses had jade-colored plates as roof and stretched out seemingly infinitely; an endless sea of green! It was so big! How long would it take to build such a city? Years? Decades? Or even centuries?
While he was admiring the view, a sudden knock interrupted his daydreaming.
A middle-aged woman opened the door and walked inside. She wore a white dress with beautiful, red roses embroidered upon, and looked like a noble lady, similar those he had seen before when the village had hosted their autumn festival. That was, of course, before the great war and before the river demons went to attack.
She looked at him, smiling apologetically.
"You are the new one, right?¡± She said. "I''ve come to take you to meet your master."
He was confused. What does this woman mean? My master? Oh, yes, when I think about it, didn¡¯t that bull creature say something like this too?
¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked. ¡±My master?¡±
"Ah, you haven''t been told." She said, and then explained to him, not unkindly. "Don''t worry, everything will be explained in due time. Right now, all you need to worry about is how you are going to repay your new master for giving you a new life. Nothing else matters."
He slowly nodded. She doesn''t seem to mean harm, let''s meet this master.
She gave him a careful look. "Come with me."
The middle-aged woman turned around and exited through the door. Juan Xi hurriedly followed her with his small steps.
"Whoa?!" he thought to himself as they had walked outside.
Everything was clean here compared to his village. The houses around him were all made from some sort of white stone. He didn''t know what type of stone it was, but it was pretty and sparkling, like that seashell he had found years ago by the river when he was trying to find his father. The little boy could at that time not accept the news of his father¡¯s death and strove out every night to search for him. One of these nights he had stumbled upon a white, gleaming seashell which he kept in his pocket all the time. After a while, it grew important to him; a symbol for his search.
"Take my hand." ordered the middle-aged woman in a stern tone as they stood outside in the shining sun.
He took her outstretched hand.
*Swoosh!" the wind brushed past his ear as they somehow rose in the air. The houses down below became small, like black dots. His feet dangled in the air freely, and it made him very afraid to think about what would happen if she accidentally, or on purpose, dropped him. He would be smashed like those meat pies aunty next door used to make for throwing at her husband who spent time with other women.
Juan Xi was amazed by the view. He was able to see the whole city from up here and it was absolutely magical. People were flying in the air like birds. Everyone in the air was dressed colorfully and the majority had weapons hanging from their waists.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
At this moment, he caught up to reality. Flying? What the heck? How is that even possible. What was going on and who were these people? Gods?
However, when they came higher up in the air, Juan Xi felt the blood drain from his face. The wind hit and entered through his mouth as they soared across the sky. The wind resistance here was too powerful, and he was eventually unable to breathe as they came further and further up. Less than a minute after, he fainted.
When he opened his eyes again, he was lying upon a stack of hay inside a normal looking barn, except without no animals. His tattered shirt and brown shorts were full of that scratchy, dried grass. He got up to his feet and was about undress in order to spare himself from the resulting scratch of doing otherwise when an old, melodic voice rang out in his ears.
"You''re awake?" it said.
Juan Xi stopped moving around and glance from side to side. No one was here. Then where had the voice come from? His imagination?
An old, wrinkled-faced grandpa stepped inside the barn with a smile. The old man was different from all those Juan Xi had seen earlier, those with colorful robes and shiny weapons. A brown leather tunic and black leggings adorned his haggard body and he had no weapons or so from what Juan Xi could see.
The little boy was surprised at how energetic the man seemed to be even if he was this old. Most grandpas in his village were just sitting in the square talking to each other about the old times, basking in the sun as they spoke about how teenagers were more polite when they were young.
"I see it as you are my new disciple." He said, coughing. "I''ve been expecting you.¡±
Juan Xi was quiet, not knowing what to say.
The old man laughed and flicked his fingers. Juan Xi felt a sharp pain to his head and blinked hard. Moments later, a purple paper slip left through his forehead and landed in the old man''s outstretched hand.
The old man¡¯s face went from cheerful to solemn as he inspected the paper slip. A flash of anger appearing in his eyes before he turned his head up, looking at Juan Xi with a perplexed gaze that was filled with pity.
¡°You¡¯ve had a rough life, little Juan.¡± He said after a while. ¡°It¡¯s a shame for a boy to go through that sort of things. But you don¡¯t have to worry. As long as you help me and complete what I ask for, this will be your new home.
Juan Xi blinked, surprised. A home?
The old man continued. ¡°You will not have to live in fear anymore. I will make sure of that. Except for when you perform well, I will even allow you to have some time off.
¡°A home?¡± Juan Xi repeated to himself loudly, a few tears in the corner of his eyes. What does it feel like to have a home? The little boy couldn¡¯t even remember the last time he felt like he truly belonged somewhere, where he was welcomed. The only memories he had of a home were those when his father was still alive, when they were a big family. Yet those times were gone, they had been replaced by daily torture and beatings.
¡°Yes¡± The old man explained. ¡°It might take some time to get used to it, but you are welcomed here as long as you complete the tasks you are given.¡±
¡°I¡ am welcomed here?¡± the little boy couldn¡¯t hold his tears anymore. He felt both joy and sadness as his snivels turned into sobbing. The memories from his past life in the village, to now, when this old man told him that he was welcomed, replayed themselves all over each other in his mind. How his father died and how his mother went crazy. The times she hit him, lashed out her pain with her fists and whip. The worst was how his mother strangled him; those eyes he didn¡¯t recognize, those eyes full of insanity.
Before coming here, he had been like a dam on the verge of breaking loose.
Now, everything just came out at the same time without stop.
He sat down without thinking and curled up, crying. The little boy let everything he had held for so long loose. "Waaa..."
¡°Eh,¡± the old man scratched his head. ¡±Now what?¡±
¡°Tch,¡± Horwin heard a female voice from behind and spun around only to see an extremely beautiful woman in her twenties. The woman¡¯s face was perfectly symmetrical. One couldn¡¯t find a single fault to point out. A warm aura was radiated from her whole being, and asmile was painted onto her face, along with her brown, soft eyes.
¡°Lady Jia Lien!¡± the old man¡¯s face shone up. ¡°Just in time!¡±
¡°Oh, Horwin¡ you sorely lack in skill outside your profession,¡± Lady Jia Lien snorted, shaking her head that was adorned with curly, brown hair stretching to her waist. ¡°You are far too old for not knowing these things¡¡±
¡°Heh,¡± Horwin coughed, smiling. ¡±My loyalty lies only w¨C¡±
¡°No need to flatter me, old friend, now step aside and let this woman do her thing.¡±
Jia Lien ignored Horwin and walked over to the crying Juan Xi. She gently took him in his embrace.
Juan Xi did not resist. Deep down, the smell she gave off, and the way she spoke; It reminded Juan Xi of how his own mother had been before she went crazy. Unconsciously, the little boy hugged back. These soft arms felt just like home.
¡°Shh, don¡¯t worry, little boy.¡± She said. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be alright¡¡±
Chapter 02
Horwin looked sternly at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you earlier because you were crying, however, were you to cause another scene like that then I would have no choice other than but to kill you and fetch someone else to help me.¡±
The white-haired old man squinted his eyes, more wrinkles appearing on his forehead. ¡°Is that clear?¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡± Juan X nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±
This morning neither cold nor hot, very unlike his old village ¨C Just perfect. Horwin and Juan Xi walked along the main road of the city, headed for the Eternal Palace where they were to start the first day of work. Juan Xi had gotten his tattered clothes replaced by a leather tunic and leggings in black.
¡°Do you remember what I told you?¡± Horwin asked.
¡°I should keep my head down at all times and not speak unless told, Sir.¡± Juan Xi recited from his memory, pausing for a moment before continuing. ¡°And if talked to, I should still keep my head down. And always address people we meet with lord or lady if they speak to me."
¡°Precisely,¡± He replied. ¡°Never forget this.¡±
The old man had expounded on his situation earlier after Juan Xi had stopped crying. Right now, he was inside a distant, otherworldly land where immortals, natural born beings with incredible power and unlimited lifespans, soared across the sky and ruled all living like gods. Juan Xi, however, was merely a mortal boy, grabbed from the endless river of souls from inside the castle of fate to serve the holy emperor and his queen, along with the highly-respected immortal gods inside the Eternal Palace. It went without saying that the little boy would need to lay extremely low if he valued his head to still be stuck to his body.
Even Horwin, the Keeper of steeds, said himself to be nothing compared to these famous immortals. Horwin was an immortal being too, and had quite a bit of fame to his name, but was still incapable of resisting their vast influence. Or so he said.
The white-walled houses with jade roof were the standard of the city. Some houses, or pagodas, as they walked passed to see, were slightly different if you inspected them carefully. Yet, the green, jade-like color always stayed the same. Only the style, and perhaps the size, would differ, but this was not by much.
The city was divided into four regions; the outer region, the middle region, the inner region and the forbidden region. At this moment, they were going to the forbidden region. This place was not open for the majority of immortals and was the grounds of the Eternal Palace. Inside the Eternal Palace lay the heavenly stables, which was their goal.
Horwin smiled dryly. ¡°I¡¯ll be showing you the ropes today. The faster and better you work, the better you will be treated. Keep in mind that this world is not an easy one. Here, you are judged based on your worth to others. If you fall short of that, then you will die.¡±
As they came to the forbidden region, they entered the palace and walked through many corridors and hallways. Juan Xi, without much choice, followed Horwin¡¯s orders and kept his head down. As they were walking with haste, Horwin suddenly spoke out. Most likely, they had come across someone in the hallway. And much correct, they had. Jian Xi heard this from footsteps closing in upon them. These steps were light and gentle. Probably a woman.
¡°Greetings, Lady Jia Lien¡± Horwin said. ¡°Why the rush?¡±
¡°Ah, Horwin, the same I ask you,¡± Lady Jia Lien said smilingly. Her voice was friendly, which surprised Juan Xi. Well, it wasn¡¯t any strange, he didn¡¯t know it was her who gave him comfort, he didn''t even clearly remember what happened after he started to cry except for what Horwin told him. The reason to his surprise was due to Horwin who had said that most immortals gods were proud and arrogant. But this woman, Lady Jia Lien, as Horwin called her, did not seem to be the same.He wondered why.
¡°Are you perhaps on your way to the stables?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± the old man replied, frowning. ¡°What of it?¡±
¡°My husband brought in a new pet.¡± She explained, seemingly not very happy as she stomped in the ground. ¡°A golden three-eyed monkey from the east. He had the imperial guards leave the animal inside the stables, and put very much importance to it, saying that if anyone were to harm it, he would have this person¡¯s head flying by noon.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
¡°I will have it handled personally,¡± Horwin said. ¡°Where is it?"
¡°The seventh peak.¡± Lady Jia Lien declared. She glanced at Juan Xi. "I see that you brought him. Are you sure the boy is ready?¡±
¡°Ready or not,¡± the old man coughed dryly. ¡°What does it matter?¡±
¡°You are right, it matters not.¡± She replied after some thought.
¡±And Horwin, do bring him to my chambers after you are done with today¡¯s work." Lady Jia Lien said." I will have the tutor come to get started with him."
Horwin smiled ¡°This subject will do as told.¡±
Juan Xi could hear the woman''s steps as she walked away. There were no one else to pass during the rest of the way, and as such, they soon arrived at a stop.
¡°You may raise your head,¡±
He heard Horwin¡¯s voice and looked up, stunned.
¡°Impressed?¡± Horwin grinned.
A massive mountain range towered up before them. A steep path led up from the ground beneath, through the jungle that surrounded the area. Juan Xi followed the dirt-paved road with his eyes and saw fogs of white mist mysteriously circling around the higher mountains peaks. Right now, they were standing on top of a small hill, just outside a gate leading inside to the of the palace.
"This is... the stables?" Juan Xi asked. He wrinkled his forehead. "When did we leave the palace?"
"Who said we left the palace." Horwin laughed ¡±Did you expect the palace to be small?¡±
"No," he shook his head, breathing out heavily. "But not this big.¡±
"Well, that''s because you come from the mortal plane. Everything is small over there." Horwin laughed again and then began walking down from the hill. ¡±Let''s hurry up, the more we wait, the more hungry they will be, and I can tell you, you won¡¯t like them when they are hungry.¡±
¡±What?¡± Juan Xi asked, quickly catching up to the old man. ¡±Who will be hungry?¡±
¡±I haven¡¯t told you yet, I guess,¡± Horwin said. ¡±You know who I am, right?¡±
¡±The Keeper of Steeds,¡± Juan Xi replied steadily. ¡±An old immortal in the holy emperor¡¯s service.¡±
¡±That¡¯s right,¡± the old man nodded. ¡±But do you know what the Keeper of steeds does? Do you know the duty I have to the holy emperor?
Juan Xi shook his head.
¡±One can say I am from a long line of people specializing in taking care of magical creatures. In fact, I am the 13th Keeper of Steeds¡¯ since the universe¡¯s birth!¡± He explained boastfully. ¡±My duty lies here, in the backyard of the eternal palace. I feed and trim the immortal gods¡¯ mounts and pets, making them perfectly able once they are requested back.¡±
The little boy listened attentively. Then he asked. ¡±I¡¯ve only seen strange creatures that aren¡¯t human nor beasts in that cold place where I was before coming here. Do you take care of creatures like those?¡±
¡±Those puny life forms? Hehe, if so, there would be no need for my post.¡± the old man snorted. "Well, there''s no use in trying to explain." he said."You will, after all, son experience it first hand.
Once they got past the jungle, they carried onward on the steep path, which took them about twenty minutes. The little boy was once again surprised by his body. Before, when he was alive, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to walk this far without a pause. His malnourished and frail body had been weaker than a leaf. However, today, he was barely tired after such a long walk. He was still very energic!
Now when I think about it, my hands and arms have gotten a bit thicker since I came here. They are somehow fatter. But how is this possible?
His question remained unanswered. He swore, however,to inspect his whole boy once he got time alone. He would definitely find out if something else was changed except for his arms and hands.
Why doesn¡¯t he fly us up there? He''s a immortal, it would take only take him but a minute or two.
In the end, though, the little boy kept these thoughts to himself. He wasn¡¯t that close to Horwin yet, and although Horwin was very friendly to him at this point, Jian Xu was unable to forget what the old man had told him previously, how, if the little boy was to act out again, he would kill him.This place seemed quite nice, and according to the old man, Juan Xi would even have some free time to spend after work, and wouldn¡¯t have problems with food, or finding roof under his head. That¡¯s why he refused to risk it.
¡±We¡¯re here,¡± Horwin told Juan Xi. The old man stretched out his bodyand cleared his throat. Bones cracked as his body twisted. ¡±That was a good exercise," he said. "I don¡¯t get those a lot these times.¡±
He turned to the little boy. ¡±Before we start, you must promise me one thing. When we go up there, and I show you the ropes, don¡¯t ever show fear or arrogance.¡± Horwin donned a grim expression. ¡±Do you understand me?¡±
They were currently in front of a large, golden mountain gate, and had just finished walking the steep path.
Juan Xi slowly nodded, suspicion evident in his eyes. Don¡¯t show fear?
¡±Follow me,¡± Horwin ordered and entered through the gate.
Chapter 03
Jia Lienwalked with bold steps through the palace, on her way to the throne room after meeting with Horwin and the boy, who, by the way, she didn¡¯t think very much off. Despite her constant urging concerning Horwin''s new disciple, especially when the old man¡¯s last one was slain, trampled by the liquor god¡¯s rooster, Horwin refused to let her bring him a young immortal to help. It made Jia Lien angry that her old friend was always this stubborn to follow the traditions laid down by the ancestors.
New times requires new change. Why doesn''t he get that, we have no time to be dallying around! Darkness is upon us, and he''s still caught up in the past.
¡±Lady Jia Lien.¡± two beautiful, sixteen or seventeen-year-old female servants bowed respectfully.
The walls of the throne room were decorated with antique ornaments and old paintings of past emperors, whereas a table was set up in the middle of the chamber, and several men and women sat next to it in chairs. These people were all enjoying purple, shiny grapes and bottles of spirit liquor ¨C brewed in the liquor god¡¯s workshop, and poured up in dazzling wine cups, which, in turn, were adorned with colorful gemstones. The delicacies were placed on top the table and were continuously brought anew by servants.
"Ah, wife," a man spoke out as he noticed Jia Lien walking inside. This man was seated at the end of the table, looking over the others like a father would, his blue eyes shining with splendor and love. His beard was shot with white, and it made him seem older than his three thousand years. He gave off a majestic feeling to everyone who watched him, and his body was donned loosely with a white, golden robe of silk. "Come," he said, smiling. "Join us! We''re speaking about old times!
Jia Lien sighed inwardly, joining them by the table. A fake smile was plastered on top of her face, to shadow the doubt she held deep in her heart.When did this husband of minechange? Where is the warrior who crushed rebellions after rebellions with a single hand, he who held the heaven and earth within his palm?She knew not how they were to survive theupcomingcrisis. She didn''t even know if her husband took it seriously. Old enemies were slowly waking up, and he sat here ¨C chatting with the rest of the naive fools, in an illusion of peace. However, she was his wife, and the goddess of love, so all she could do was to support her champion from the sides.
"Lady Jia Lien, I heard the Keeper''s disciple died." One of the gods said. This one was an older man, his hair gone with time. However, his eyes were like swords, and his body radiated the aura of a veteran. He also had a brown, knotted beard. This man was the god of war, master of all weapons, Tian Ma."Has he gotten a new one?" he asked, taking a sip from the spirit liquor.
"Hopefully so, one more to be sent to me. A shame the last one''s soul shattered on the spot by fatty''s rooster," the goddess of death slipped in. This young-looking woman was very sexy, able to entrance the hearts of many men. She was in charge of the nine circles of hell where souls that had begone heinous crimes were confined and tortured. Rumors said this goddess loved to stroll down the ninth circle, where the most vicious souls of all were kept locked behind bars, and do the deeds herself, yet nothing had been confirmed even to this day.
"He didn''t even come down to me," she continued, licking her lips and grinning. "I think I would have enjoyed him very much."
"You vile creature!" the god of life, Sheng Ming, said. "I''d be damned you are the one to suffer the worst punishments if you were to go to your evil circles! Oh, and about the rooster, I fear it went too far this time. The keeper must be feeling down at the moment. That kid stayed with him for quite some time after all.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Hey, don''t blame this on little Lan Lan!" A fat, bald man stood up, his belly vibrating like jelly as he roared when discovering what the god of life was saying. "It wasn''t his fault that kid wasn''t paying attention. Taking a step wrong can happen to anybody, even the most careful ones like my little Lan Lan!"
"Right, we all know the temperament of that pet of yours. Perhaps it was that kid''s fault, but the rooster certainly was part of it!" the goddess of archery shouted at the fat man with her sun-tanned face flushed red, contrasting quite well to her golden hair and delicate, petite features. "Don''t you remember when he flew away from the stables, and came to my domain, pervertedly chasing my hunters! I had to come personally to restrain him! What do we know, maybe that rooster deliberately killed him and made it look like an accident!"
"Nooo!" the fat man shouted, his eyes wild. "He would never do something like that, never! I refuse to believe it."
"We can''t allow it to roam freely like this anymore!" the goddess of archery slapped her thigh. "This beast is a danger to our kingdom, what if it breaks loose and goes to harass young and innocent female immortals! We must¨C"
Jia Lien suddenly began to laugh, interrupting the archery goddess. Everyone silenced, staring at her and wondering why she started laughing, completely out of the blue.
"This is why you all are the best!" Jia Lien said, smiling, and then turned to the fat man, who was, in fact, the one and only liquor god. The man was a very easy-going figure unless someone talked bad about his magical rooster he found two thousand years ago when it had just hatched. "Don''t worry, fatty, although we are a bit worried about little Lan Lan''s behavior, nothing will happen to him. We know how much you dote on him."
The liquor looked at everyone with a bit of suspicion and anxiousness in his eyes as if he still was still unsure if they would do something to his roster. In the end, he finally sat down, taking a moment to revert to hisnormalattitude.
"Fine," the bald god agreedand then snorted proudly. "I see you all finally remembered who makes that wine for you!
The archer goddess seemed upsetand was just about to speak out, but then stopped as if she had realized what to do. This had been many of her failed attempts in order to make the rooster she had a personal debt with disappear.
They were about eight of sixteen gods in the room.Except for the god of love, Jia Lien, the god of war, Tian Ma, the goddess of archery, Ling Peng,the god of liquor, Chun Bai, the goddess of death, Dai Yu, God of life, Sheng Ming, and the emperor and god of creation, Huang Jian, who were there, everyone else were busy with their own doing. Some were inside their domains, while some were out on adventures or missions, leaving behind their children to handle their duties.
"There are, after all, more important matters to speak of." Jia Lien said.
For the first time in the entire conversation, the emperor, Huang Jian, opened his mouth to speak. "You mean the ancients?"
"I do," she replied
Everyone''s faces turned solemn. They knew what the emperor''s wife meant.
"Do you know how far they have come?" Huang Jian asked his wife. "Have you spoken with Mei Tie?"
"I have not." Jia Lien said sadly. "I fear she isn''t back from the forbidden lands yet. Almost a month have passed."
The Emperor was silent by the table. After a while, he got up and walked over to his throne, getting seated there instead. He seemed to have aged countless of years during this short time, a gleam of rescinding in his eyes that were now slightly dull appeared. "Send words to the others. We must speak, everyone this time.""
Chapter 04
Within Tian Ma''s Chamber of war¨C
"My lord," A tall, lean man said respectfully. "This humble vassal presents himself in front of the supreme general as he was told."
"Cheng Mao," Tian Ma, the god of war, said and stroked his beard, looking at his trusted subordinate carefully. "I have a mission for you."
The young man who was named Cheng Mao had been burned by the yellow star in the sky since birth, which in turn added to his fairly dark-toned skin. His brown eyes twinkled with determination and confidence as he was squatted down on one knee ¨C The standard greeting of a superior. The young man was, in fact, the commander-in-chief of the holy emperor''s guard force. It was a rare occurrence to see him, who was famous throughout the kingdom for his battle prowess, ''this'' humble with someone else. However, it wasn''t that strange, though, considering the position of the man he spoke with¨C the invincible god of war and the supreme general of the holy army, Tian Ma!
"Anything for you, my lord," he replied. "This vassal''s life will forever be in your hands."
"I know, that''s why this mission can only be given to you." Tian Ma explained. A gleam of appreciation seen in his eyes that were, however, completely serious. "Yet, I must warn you, Cheng Mao, I fear this mission will be unlike one you''ve ever been assigned, boasting of an untold danger and high risk of death.
"Do you still accept?"
He nodded. "Of course, my answer will not change, my Lord."
"Very well." Tian Ma acknowledged, flashing the sleeves of his robe. A parchment scroll with jade handles appeared in his hands. He gave it to Cheng Mao.
"This is..." the young man said in disbelief after reading its contents. "...is this true? They are rising once again?"
"Yes, there''s no need to doubt, I''m sure of it." the war god nodded solemnly and gave him an emblem that depicted two axes. "During this mission, I will bestow upon you the earth dragon, my personal mount. Find the Keeper, tell him you are to pick it up under my orders. He will lead the way and help you get the beast under control. Show the emblem to my dragon, only then will it obey. You have until noon to prepare before you must meet up with the rest of the party at the southeastern gate."
"Yes, my Lord!" he shot up to his feet and performed a deep bow. "I will complete this mission without failure!"
He held the emblem, clenching within his right fist, and strode out from the chamber. His eyes were glistening with anticipation. As he left through the door, he heard Tian Ma''s voice echo in his ears. "Tell your friends goodbye before you leave. After all, you will disappear for a long time. Cheng Mao, I will await the good news!"
Cheng Mao left. As he stood outside the chamber, his body started to radiate bloodlust, and within his eyes, a fire was growing, one that he had thought to have extinguished long ago.I can finally have revenge for what those monsters did to you... I promise you, sister, those monsters will suffer!Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
...
Just outside the Eternal Palace¨C
Juan Xi followed Horwin through the golden gate and into the cave, which, was remarkably mundane opposed to the endless city, or the Eternal Palace that was encircled by it. The tunnel was similar to those mining shafts built by the grown-ups of his old village, in which they later stored food and other proviant for the winter year.
Soon, after five minutes or so, Horwin and Juan Xi came out from the tunnel.
Arghh!¨Cthe little boy groaned as the white landscape blinded him.
This is... the heavenly stables?They were standing on a mountain peak, gazing out. It was truly a magnificent view; the circling mist, and the snow-tipped mountain crowns that stood out like kings of their realm! Adding to the dozen of wizened, thin-branched bridges that connected peak to peak, this place seemed like an entirely different world than the one below; one that was carved out in a master painting. Juan Xi was very moved. How come this is called a stable? This is too big for a stable!
Horwin turned to him, taking a deep breath of the fresh air, then saying. "Look, after we enter these peaks, you must be neither arrogant nor scornful; don''t think of these mounts and magical creatures as mere animals¨C they have sentiment, and some of them are even more intelligent than humans! I can speak from my own experience; I''ve seen several people getting killed when these proud creatures discovered how they were looked upon. Don''t make mistakes you will later regret, Juan Xi!"
"I understand. I will humble and respectful," Juan Xi replied. "You have my word, sir."
Don''t worry, old man; I won''t risk this new life that easily.
Horwin nodded back. "Well, I hope you stick to that. For your own sake."
"Before you will follow me to take a look at the newly captured three-eyed monkey, I''ll shortly tell you how this place works," Horwin took something out from the pocket of his leather tunic he spoke. "We have sixteen mountain peaks, and there are ten slots for creatures in each one. These cells are designed for the sixteen immortals that hold the position of Godor Goddess. I have no time to teach you every duty the disciple of the keeper of steeds'' has, so you''ll have to learn by yourself as time passes."
"Here, take this."
The old man handed him a blue, soft bag. It was the size of a fist.
Juan Xi looked at Horwin like a question mark.What is this for? What can such a small bag possibly hold? A snack?
"Don''t look at it like that," Horwin said, laughing, pointing at the blue bag."That''s a sack of unlimited storage, an artifact crafted by the god of craftmanship¨C Hou Man! Anything you place in there can be stored forever without decaying. Of course, you can''t actually bring humans into it. The sack has about two-hundred meters of cubic space, an item you will need when transporting food from the Eternal Palace to the Heavenly Stables. Take good care of it, I will have your head flying if you lose it!
"Yes, sir!" Juan Xi said in response, his heart beating faster than normal.I''ll definitely check this out later! To be created by an immortal god, this item must surely be valuable! Those people back in the village would be struck with awe if they saw me with this item in my hands!
"Now come, let''s go see that monkey." the old man said and stepped upon one of the bridges, disappearing into the mist.
Jian Xi rolled his eyes.Why does he never wait for me?