Adapted from Princess Agents drama series and original novel by Xiao Xiang Dong'er – Chu Qiao Chuan Biography
Ruins of the past came to life again (pass)
It was twilight when finally, the two reached their destination but Chu Qiao did not appreciate what she saw. They passed by a village whom people are sick and left no food to eat, no water and no shelter. The beggars came to her and touched her, but their hands were electrified suddenly felt the sharp pain. The beggar cried but Chu Qiao as if she did not care, the static coming from her Jin Bu, she gently touched the beggar and looked at her in her eyes. The beggar turned into an evil witch disguising her old woman looks from her dirty cloak. The old woman said: "She cannot enter unless she passes the test." Viper took out her long whip and, on her position, to protect her Mimi Gongzhu. Chu Qiao suddenly thought they are ambushing her, she looked at Viper sharply got mad at Viper and asks her, who is this haggard old-looking woman who disguised herself as a beggar and came to attack her.
The old woman kicked Viper and became even stronger, displaying the strength of ten men. Viper got up and gave her fierce looks, she used her whip and showed her shadowless martial arts, but the old woman seems to know how to catch her even Viper is shadowless.
Chu Qiao looking confused took apart when Viper was about to be hit on her head, Chu Qiao blocked the old woman by holding her hand and looked at her straight on her eyes. The old woman suddenly felt like there was a fire burning her hands. She looked at it and it became red while Chu Qiao is not letting go of her hand.
The old woman offered a key to Chu Qiao to deceive her, but Chu Qiao did not let go of her hands. The old woman begged but Chu Qiao did not mind it then twisted her hand. Although the old woman has the strength of ten men, Chu Qiao seems to be stronger.
Viper shouted to the old woman: "enough!" she is the one, the Mimi Gongzhu. Do not provoke her or else if she cannot control her power, everyone will die within 3 meters."
"Alright, you may pass," said the old woman.
Chu Qiao let go of her arm. The old woman put back her cloak into her head and walked passed them as if nothing happened until she disappeared like there is no shadow can be found.
"Who the hell is she?" Chu Qiao asked.
"She is the Skyshadow Master gatekeeper of the Chu Jing Palace," Viper replied.
Chu Qiao still locked on her brows, looks mad and impressed at the same time. Chu Qiao is getting more and more interested in this new world.
"Where is the Chu Jing palace?" Chu Qiao asked again.
"Mimi Gongzhu, do you have the key to unlock the secret door?" Viper asked.
"Okay. Can you just call me Chu Qiao?"
"Pardon me, your highness, I am your lady guard I can't just call you on your last name or first name." Viper replied.
"Call me Mimi then, just Mimi or else I am not anymore taking any steps further." Chu Qiao is pressing her.
Viper slightly nodded her head and Chu Qiao smiled.
"Great! Thanks"
"This way Mimi Go… " when all of a sudden Chu Qiao cut her words and put her two fingers in Viper's lips just like before they smiled at each other when they were still like children.
Where is the key Mimi? Viper asked.
"I don't know. Where I am supposed to get the key? I am afraid she is testing me again, so I did not bother to get it from her."
"Look at your wrist" Viper replied.
Chu Qiao somewhat stunned, she found the gold key in her wrist.
Here it is. Chu Qiao said and she gave the key to Viper and used it to unlock the door, one in the upper, middle and lower. When the door opened, an uphill labyrinth of Green tea meets their eyes. It is the first time for Chu Qiao but not for Viper.
Chu Qiao had a flashback again and her head gave a sharp pain. She leaned on the door for a moment then continued to walk. Viper used her whip to clear the way as the wild vines crawl to their hands and feet whenever they hold or stepped on them. As darkness swallows them, Viper's whip glowed in the dark and gives light to their way. The labyrinth is full of an obstacle course, but Viper knows the secret pathway both of them eventually evade the stratagems planted around it. If not careful, it may kill them both.
"Do not touch anything unless I told you to do so." Viper told Chu Qiao.
"I am not touching anything", replied Chu Qiao.
After few hours of winding the treacherous paths, Chu Qiao put into her mind those secret paths Viper followed. Including the mounted traps of evading of arrows, finding the rope to swing to the other side, crawling on the ground and walking sideways to avoid the cliff like a bottomless pit.
"We are here". Viper said. And they arrived at a stone-walled dungeon. However, the smell of the dungeon is very fragrant, but its ground is very dry. The ground is parched and on its cracks are the tiny purple flowers. Chu Qiao thinks these flowers emit the fragrance, however, she started to become dizzy, yawned and about to fall on the ground looks like the fragrant smell is poisoning her in killing me softly way, and Viper caught her.
"Mimi, use your scarf to defend yourself." Viper doubled her mask using her indigo scarf underneath its red thin mask that covered her nose and mouth.
The embroidered plum blossoms in her scarf sprinkled with plum blossoms oil and in times of being poisoned, a sniff will save her to death. She sniffed the plum blossoms in her scarf and it went to Chu Qiao's nostril and Viper said: "The plum blossoms is a friend in winter and a gift by the Qian (heavens)."
Chu Qiao recovered, she stood up to walk. She is astonished of this entirely new world far different from Green Hills courtyard, Wei or Yanbei. She is slowly remembering who is Xinger's, her deadly and trickiest trip to Jile Pavilion where she killed Yuwen Xi, the stratagems at the secret repository of the Eyes of God at Green Hills courtyard. However, she cannot recall all, but if an object comes to life-related to the past, she remembers all of them.
By the time they reached the Chu Jing inner courtyard Palace through the secret door shortcut, it was already deep of the night where the moonlight is unusually huge and clear. Chu Qiao not able to contain what she sees now, all is new like it was her first time but in reality, it is not. Mixed emotions creeping into her consciousness and Viper got her attention before she can even speak.
Viper coughs: "This is the ruins of Chu Jing palace, suit yourself, we still have many things to carry out for tomorrow. I will walk you to your room."
Viper noticed some welling tears in the eyes of Chu Qiao and she asked: "Mimi, is there anything that bothers you? Seems there is a lot of sadness in your heart."
Chu Qiao said:" I don't know I just feel a lot of things happened in this place." Chu Qiao cannot keep herself any secrets from Viper, so she let go of her tears. She feels she owns this room and she is like sneaking in her own territory. Chu Qiao feels like a stranger in familiar surroundings and yet did not tell Viper that she is slowly remembering the past, because it is still disfigured. She remembers her mother Lou He is riding in a black horse which she is screaming her name "Mom, mom" but Luo He said: "Do not forget all of the things I told you" a sad smile and went on her way.
Viper is busy fixing the secret princess royal Chinese mattress to sleep when a sudden cold wind blew around them. She knew that there were only two people who can use this summons of weather in the form of martial arts. Either Viper or the fighter who chose to follow the prince of Yanbei, now the future King just waiting for few months before its crowning day. And before she could even turn around, Viper took her whip and slam it to the window.
Chu Qiao saw the one lurking around and called her name: "Zhong Yu!"
Zhong Yu did not let them see her face right away she hid her face with her light orange scarf but then she walked towards them with bluish feather falling on the secret princess diamond hall.
The room of the secret princess called the diamond hall because it's shaped like the diamond. The ceiling made of clear glass, cut and made of real rough diamond stones created by diamond smiths of their empire. At night, you can almost see the moon and the stars twinkling and 10x near, like an instant telescope. Their are lots of secret passages in the secret princess room, unfortunately, all of them somehow forgotten by its owner.
It seems Viper and Zhong Yu had some little issues in the past. Zhong Yu is looking fierce at Viper while Chu Qiao is just happy to see her but then she could not understand the friction between the two. Zhong Yu look at Chu Qiao and said: "A'Chu, the prince of Yan searched you everywhere and failed to find you, still on his ashes until now. He said he won't be declared as king of Yanbei until he finds you. If you are dead, then we show him your bones, unfortunately, we cannot kill someone innocent to match your figure and present it to him. And one thing, the prince reached his age of golden wisdom but gave in to his dark side that no one could lie or cheat at him."
Viper suddenly went in front of Zhong Yu and said: "You cannot take her, she is the Mimi Gongzhu that Wu Dao Ya guarded using his own life, he exchanged his position and was supposed to be Yan's leader to govern its highest officials next to the Yan King."
Zhong Yu is not ringing a bell and replied: "Viper I don't trust you!"
"You must know and trust me this time!" Viper shouted.
"You never came back after the secret princess fall from the cliff, you did not report to Wu Dao Ya. Now you took A'Chu the general of Xiuli army. Prince Yan Xun is looking for her, we need to take her back to Yanbei," cold and constant feminine voice Zhong Yu looks determined.
"I don't have time to explain to you Zhong Yu, but if you dare to touch her, I am afraid I will have to cut off ties with you and will forget you as my eldest sister!"
Silence in the air… mysteries opened before Chu Qiao's eyes.