Author Angel Chua
Adapted from Princess Agents drama series and original novel by Xiao Xiang Dong'er – Chu Qiao Chuan Biography
Suddenly it's here (05.16.2021 edited)
"Earlier it was my face, now…" Yuwen Yue looked at where the eyes are looking at the moment, and he saw his hand holding a familiar sword.
"Master brother, do you know what sword you are holding on right now?" said Zuo Zong. Yuwen Yue still stuck looking at his hand, and his cold eyes were glued to it.
Yuwen Yue on his deep thoughts recalled what happened earlier, the woman in a red mask, Zuo, the whip, the woman with the indigo scarf and her sword, his thoughts stopped.
Yuwen Yue left speechless and baffled from the sword to the woman with the indigo scarf who made him defend her from a shot arrow. It's like an automatic instinct that came out of him, and now he is holding his very own sword. The Poe Yue Jian sword, the sword his mother gave to his father, Yuwen Hao.
Yuwen Yue never thought that at this moment of need, the sword just dropped at his own two feet from a woman whom he doesn't even know who she is. He recalled that the woman has a superb gongfu, she leaped so high to cut the rope. Only thing, the spotlight was shifted to the woman in a red mask and eventually to Zuo.
Another spy came to Yuwen Yue called in his attention: "Master brother, we found this, the woman in a red mask might have dropped it when they hurriedly went away with the white lady."
Yuwen Yue looked at it, and it is a map titled: "Qinghai."
"There is no coincidence when a spy is at work. They want us to follow them" said Yuwen Yue not looking worried.
Yuwen Yue suddenly thought about the cavalry earlier and then spoke to Zuo: "We are being followed! The other side of the band of brothers was blown on their undercover. Hurry let's go."
And true enough they met along their way the junior spy who was with the half of the band of brothers, and he was the only one escaped.
"Master brother, I escaped to give you good and bad news" while the spy is gasping some air.
Zuo gave him some water to drink and said: "Easy, easy my brother."
Yuwen Yue's eyes went cold and asked:" good news first report!"
"We followed all of your instructions and was able to make ourselves safe from the hideout. Unfortunately, the bad news was they were taken by the woman who has a long whip and looks like where she is receiving her instructions is her boss whose face cannot be seen she has a long sword too."
But then the brother spy from rapid blade group saw the sword he was talking about hanging in the waist of Yuwen Yue.
"Master brother, why are you carrying this sword?" said the junior spy.
Zuo Zong replied instead and said: "we just have an encounter earlier and Master brother got this sword abandoned by its owner."
Not knowing yet, Yuwen Yue used to own this sword, but Yuwen Yue won't talk about it especially he is in post-tactical movement. Every minute is critical to follow by the plans and play by the rules.
Suddenly Yuwen Yue not looking so worried, have to scratch his plans and have a quick mind to direct their next movements as the half of the brothers they protected.
The heaviest of their arms and some of their possessions were just taken by two women.
Insane! said by Zuo Zong who is about to become angry and said to Yuwen Yue: "we cannot just let them be taken away. We have survived a thousand troops, but we lost our smart spy-war to those two women? Help me understand. Master brother, did I miss anything?"
Yuwen Yue said: "Behind a man's spying is a woman lurking."
Zuo asked: Did you experience such an instance before?
Yuwen Yue gave an honest answer and said: "yes" then look at the junior spy and asked: did you see how the two women took half of our brothers?
"Yes Master, in fact, there were no violence or threats, the woman just opened her scarf, and all the men suddenly went dizzy, but I smelled it was the best fragrance I have ever smelled in my whole life."
"How did you escape?" Yuwen Yue looking curious.
"I used this to escape, I saw the brothers became dizzy, so I know it's about that fragrant smell, so I covered my nose and mouth" and he showed Yuwen Yue his handkerchief tied on his right arm that served as a covering for his scarred wound and exposed their band of brother's creed.
"Good thing!" said by Yuwen Yue, and said: "Zuo hurry we have to go to their place of the hideout and find out first what really happened."
Half of the band of brothers walked to their hideout. Yuwen Yue investigated like he is finding the suspect from a crime scene with no crime. Found no trace of struggle or blood but carefully look at the footsteps until there is none. Looks like it was a swept by the wind.
He thinks is impossible to have a sharp wind to blow their footsteps unless it was some magical power involved. Yuwen Yue threw a stone to release his angst.
Zuo being exposed to the eastern spy network told Yuwen Yue about the spies of the underworld. They are quite magical, and they have supernatural powers that only work at night and quite during the day or use only half of their power during the day. Zuo looking at the neat place suddenly feels cold.
Yuwen Yue asked Zuo: "I know you told me about the spies of the underworld that works for the Eastern Empire but was weakened by its Queen and its middle kingdom was smashed down by some interested parties from Wei and Liang Empires and divided its spoils. Also, the secret princess in some of the eastern folklore and the oracle of the of its middle kingdom shall one day rise."
Zuo Zong sat down in one of the big old rock and said: Master brother, those stories were in the past and today is present, but I once knew a spiritual healer who knows everything from start to end, and he often comes in the Shangxi port to trade and give information. Pay, and he provides secret information. I can only arrange a meeting. He never lets himself seen by anyone if he is giving confidential information.
How do you talk to him? Yuwen Yue looks interested.
At the port, I buy a special mooncake, inside the mooncake is a general note: "See me, I need secret information."
"It will be passed on to beggars, and they will give it to him. From what I know he is a shop owner from the borders of Wei and Liang states."
Where do you usually meet him? Yuwen Yue thinks he might have encountered this shop owner.
"In a thousand caves. Only those registered in the spy network can enter and find him in the cave."
"At the entrance is an old woman, you will need to give her a gold coin. She is called the Skyshadow gatekeeper. Once you enter there is no turning back, if you do turn back she is going to take your soul and feed it to the underworld" said Zuo and the rest of the brother's went on goosebumps.
The stick warrior said: "do not be frightened, she is just human too, but it is impossible to beat her."
Yuwen Yue heard a lot of this folklore of the East, the Qinghai empire and its middle kingdom the Chu Jing kingdom but no one dared to come near as the fragrant poison killed all of the human beings who dares to enter. He also heard about the secret princess who is still missing and its underworld league of spies and waits for her to gather it.
In the real essence, one year of quiet life was not at all smooth, for Yuwen Yue has gathered enough information about the powerhouses of the Ximeng continent. He blended well with their people, from the rich Lord of the east to poor of the poorest, enough to hear the hum of their secrets.
These secrets were also connected to Wei, Liang, and Yanbei. Even Some of it were also deposited in the repository of the Eyes of God that was self-destroyed by Yuwen Huai when he accidentally dropped his hands on the self-destruct push button.
Yuwen Yue never believed it until now. He had traveled to all the places from where his readings before, as the keeper of the ancient secrets and other repositories, he grew up around these stories.
Meanwhile, Chu Qiao back to her dark burgundy royal paladin and Viper managing three horses on the run had an instant man of cavalry following their backs and looks like they are being hypnotized by Viper.
Men wore their own neck cuffs made of black iron and chains extend to the next person's neck, and they formed a long line.
Viper used their own weapons of arrest and told them to put it in their necks, and so they followed her like they were a prisoner of war, but really there is no war.
Viper knows that her power shall only last for some time and sooner or later these heavily armed warriors will wake up from their dream and go back to the real world. Chu Qiao in deep thoughts had a flashback of the guy he fought earlier but unable to draw the sword to him.
The Poe Yue Jian sword suddenly became too heavy for her to lift as her stomach was also hit by slight touch, her Chi flow stopped for a moment done by that rugged man who looks likes their leader. She is somewhat unsure and sure that she has already met those sharp and cold eyes and that strange feeling of being weakened and unable to draw her powers on his presence.
Chu Qiao not really worried that she lost the sword because she took half of his cavalry from their leader who made it. She knows sooner or later they would come and they intentionally drop the Qinghai map to help themselves bring their own captive as well.
Zuo ranting and scratching his head said to them: "It would have been easier if we were captured by the thousand men, but two women capturing our band of brothers will give us more headache than we should handle. I would rather choose body aches we should have been receiving now than a headache. And he grinned sarcastically but shook his head from right to left in his dismay and not being able to do something for his brothers."
Yuwen Yue said: "This is a delay, but our brothers are more important than our plans. We camp on this site and be still to find out our next move. I never believed the stories were real and the underworld spies are still active after my father executed what we called the "celestial warfare." The war under the heavens down to the underworlds."
Zuo suddenly looked at Yuwen Yue's sword and said with some curiosity in his eyes: Master brother, you have not answered my question earlier.
Yuwen Yue did not answer. Instead, he whistled to call his Yuwen parrot that was somewhere behind the trees following them.
The Yuwen Parrot came to his shoulder and said: Xinger, Xinger, Xinger
Zuo repeated it like he was parroting in a slightly raised voice: Xinger?
Yuwen Yue looked at his bird with some irritation as he does not intend to reveal more than what he should about his past, Yuwen Yue wants them to understand when he comes back to his grandfather and maybe make some appeal.
"Master," said the stick warrior. "The sword you are holding, it did not surprise you?"
Yuwen Yue gave a cold look and does not want to answer any questions earlier, he finally replied: "It was mine. My father gave it."
Zuo Zong stood up and narrowed his eyes and smiles to downplay what he heard: "Master brother do not tease us like this, you know I am gullible when it comes to you."
And the stick warrior also was surprised by what he heard from Yuwen Yue said: "You must be kidding Master brother."
Yuwen Yue thankful, the subject was diverted to the sword instead of Xinger, it's not time yet for him to reveal to his brothers about his last standing at the frozen lake.
Yuwen Yue smiled and said: "I don't tell stories but I just do it like…"
…and whoosh a nearby tree branch was cut. Yuwen Yue leaped and cut the branch of the tree and landed on a perfect position on how a Jian swordmaster would cut the head of the enemy.
"Master brother, I cannot fight you, I am only good at sticks to remember? Please do not get angry I believe you." and the stick warrior who is smiling at him and giving him a hand gesture of surrender is raising his hands.
Zuo Zong is feeling that fire in his heart, got his master's moves and suddenly took the long staff of the stick warrior and joined Yuwen Yue infighting.
The master of the eyes of God versus a kungfu Shaolin master dancing in the twilight and all of the band of brothers gathered and saw this fantastic martial art with their weapons on display.
Yuwen Yue not even moving a single facial expression and Zuo expressionless as well. Yuwen Yue about to break the staff when Zuo threw it on air suddenly.
Yuwen Yue mirrored Zuo's actions and thrust his sword on his left hand and caught the staff on his right hand.
"Now you're out of arms, what are you going to do?" Yuwen Yue threw him a cold eye.
Zuo smiled and said: "Not today Master brother, you win this time." Zuo is applying the praise and attack strategy to outsmart him and Yuwen Yue knows.
Yuwen Yue gave him a slight grin and turned his back to sit on the old rock when Zuo tapped the staff on his hand, but Yuwen Yue turned and gave him a butt slap. Zuo cried in pain and on a painful grin: "ouch ouch, I was just playing the staff Master."
Yuwen Yue grinned slightly and said: "I knew you are, so I hit your butt."
He..he..he.. smiling with shame, Zuo is still holding his slapped butt and said: "Master brother, even if you did not say it, we know for a fact that you own this sword since we saw how you used it earlier.
"The Poe Yue Jian sword is a very important sword in the history of the Eastern empire, and it has a unique style of grip handle that only the owner knows how to use and hold it properly, thus it was called the most gentleman of all sword weapons and the finest of its kind. When you took the sword to counter the arrow, it seemed that you use it both ways, to protect the woman and to kill the arrow."
Yuwen Yue turned his back and brushed him off as if he did not hear anything. Suddenly Zuo grabbed one of his feet at his end and bowed his head and said: "Master Brother, we do not know who you really are or where you have come from, but the sword you are holding is the sword of the Qinghai King given to his son."
And Zuo sobbed for a while, but Yuwen Yue said: Enough! Get off my feet, I can't walk.." and Zuo suddenly stopped, sobs and wiped his eyes, stood up as if nothing happened then said: "what about it master brother?"
Yuwen Yue looked at him and said: "Are you acting again?"
Yuwen Yue gave an indifferent sneer.
Yuwen Yue came closer to him to pat his shoulders then said: "Didn't we have enough acting earlier?"
And Yuwen Yue looked at the stick warrior who is looking at him with reverence. Zuo Zong revealed about the Poe Yue Jian sword and all eyes to Yuwen Yue.
Yuwen Yue suddenly sensed the worry of respect in their circle, he said: "My brothers, I am what I am, but whatever story behind this sword we will uncover it together."
Yuwen Yue gave a short speech to his band of brothers. He wants to go back at ease and do not burden them with the story of the Poe Yue Jian sword and his position.
He did not even tell them that he is the heir to master of the eyes of God in Wei state but only Zuo Zong knows this because he gave him his handkerchief.
The band of brothers was relieved and came forward to Yuwen Yue.
Yuwen Yue tapped their shoulders, and everyone came back, ready to move forward to save their brothers in captive.
