Legend of Fu Yao

Yan Jingchen could no longer be near to… Meng Fuyao who was once his.

From the time that she displayed the “Breaking Nine Heavens” technique in the True Martial Arts Meet, he once again felt the distance and lack of fate between them. That figure under the limelight would forever be the scroll of art or the flickering chandelier that hung high in his life – beautiful but out of reach.

She had left him far behind.

Even if he did not cherish himself, even if he was willing to sacrifice everything and put himself in a humiliating situation, in the end, he was not even deserving of coming into contact with her.

Meng Fuyao was born to stand on the pinnacle of life. The romance that happened on Mystic Essence Mountain was merely a gift from Heavens for him to meet her, and he was not destined to be able to wish for more.

Then, his vision slowly landed on Mist’s corpse that lay motionless in the alley.

That was his teacher, benefactor, and foe. He thought that he would never be able to escape from Mist’s needs and traps, just like how he would never forget the pain he suffered during those disgusting and humiliating nights. But today, because of her, he was free.

Yan Jingchen understood what she meant – she killed his wife and then destroyed his nightmare as compensation.

What a straightforward but pitiful compensation.

As for him, from now on, should he continue to drown in pain, or let go and try to forget?

Yan Jingchen stood in the rain, and his robes were drenched. Meanwhile, Meng Fuyao put down her sword, and her smiling eyes – an expression he had never seen before – fell upon the spectator standing on the opposite roof. Those eyes were gentle but they evoked joy, and a glimmer flashed by in her pupils.

On the opposite side, the spectator had an umbrella in hand, and as he slightly leaned forward to smile at her, his calm eyes seemed to embrace the entire universe.

The moment that their eyes met.

Yan Jingchen instantly felt that he was shrinking to the size of a speck of dust that floated in the skies.

Moments later, Yan Jingchen brushed past Meng Fuyao and slowly walked towards the corpse. He squatted and scooped it up.

The aged body completely deflated in his arms and it could no longer bring any harm to him. As for those intertwined destinies and the love-hate relationship, in the end, they would follow this body to be forever buried.

With Mist in his arms, Yan Jingchen stood up. No matter what, Mist was once his teacher, and he had the responsibility to give Mist a proper burial.

Step by step, he walked away, and there was not a moment that he looked back.

Meng Fuyao watched his figure gradually fade into the darkness.

‘Yan Jingchen, our grudges have finally been settled today. Hopefully, you will make the right decisions for the path ahead.’

Behind her, Tie Cheng and his subordinates cleared away the metal scraps. All the residences around this area had actually been bought by Meng Fuyao, and a barrier was set up at the outer rim to stop people from entering. Over the past few nights, a fake alley made out of metal – a trap – was built within the original alley. By feigning drunkenness to scratch the walls and lie on the tree, Meng Fuyao was merely triggering the trap.

A few days ago, when Mist finished recuperating and rushed back from the rural hills of Pandu, she had already spotted him. She drank and actively sought entertainment, just to wait for him.

Having no advantage at all, how could Mist not lose?

An umbrella slowly hovered over her head and blocked the downpour. Under the umbrella, that person beamed, and the gentle and radiant smile brightened up the chilly night.

Meng Fuyao looked up and similarly showed him a satisfied smile.

…

In the seventh year of the Thousand Springs era, on the third night of the eighth lunar month, a general from Heaven Demon led his army to cross the banks of Qi river, in an attempt to discreetly attack the Black Dragon army. He was, however, defeated by Zhan Beiye, who was awake and waiting. When his soldiers waded over the Qi river and emerged on the other side, they were greeted by the black and ghostly metallic pikes of the Black Wind Horses soldiers.

On the same night, Mist, one of the top ten martial arts wielders, was killed. The news of his death created an uproar. When it reached the ears of the other nine experts, most were baffled, except for the couple who chased each other for 38 years, and they exchanged a smile as they simultaneously recalled the strong and determined girl on the Fallen Phoenix Mountain.

The silver-haired man slowly said a sentence that would soon continuously spread around the whole world, “This is just the beginning.”

“The era of the top ten wielders will pass by, and the new generation will finally rise.”

…

The next target – Zhan Beiheng!

There used to be a reasonable number of offsprings in the royal family of Heaven Demon, but over the years, the second, fourth, eighth and ninth son had all passed away at a young age. If it wasn’t for the farsighted grandfather who sent Zhan Beiye to Geiya in his earlier years, he might have long been dead. When Zhan Beiqi died in the Changhan mountain range, Zhan Nancheng was only left with Zhan Beiheng by his side.

As the longest-surviving prince and a somewhat trusted confidante of the Emperor, Zhan Beiheng would definitely not be as plain and incapable as he seemed. From Meng Fuyao’s observation, he was a cunning and scheming man who had great tolerance – Ya Lanzhu used to be his fiancee, but she disregarded their marriage agreement and chased after Zhan Beiye instead. While she became the laughing stock, he was not spared from the mockery as well. However, he nonchalantly agreed to break off the engagement and treated Ya Lanzhu like a stranger from then on. When they met at the True Martial Arts Meet, his expression did not waver at all.

A person like him meant trouble. With him around, even if Meng Fuyao killed Zhan Nancheng, she would only be doing a favor for him. Hence, Meng Fuyao has already decided to first kill Zhan Nancheng, and then slaughter Zhan Beiheng.

The method to kill him – by using the hands of someone else!

Now, Meng Fuyao was a general under Zhan Beiheng. The latter managed the imperial guards on behalf of the Emperor and was the boss of Meng Fuyao’s boss. He was in the good books of the Emperor, and every day, he would receive an overwhelming number of visitors trying to meet him. As the pair of stone guardian lions had been polished sparkly clean by the officials who leaned on them, they were replaced by a pair of steel ones, and he earned the reputation as the “Aristocrat of the steel guardian lion doors”. A man like Prince Heng would not bother to meet a subordinate’s subordinate like Meng Fuyao.

Meng Fuyao made three visits to his residence, and each time her card that was used to request for an audience was collected by the stuck up attendants at the door, yet she could not meet Zhan Beiheng at all. But she was not anxious. When she went back, she expressed her amazement that it was a rarity among royals to have someone receive such special favor from the Emperor, to which Zhangsun Wuji replied, “Is the Emperor especially generous to him recently?”

After some thinking, Meng Fuyao agreed, “Seems true.”

“Just like how one tries to accessorize flowers with beautiful brocades or add oil on top of a fire, everything starts to go downhill once one reaches his zenith.” Zhangsun Wuji smiled. “History has proven that either the ruler or the subordinate will definitely change during a period of reign. Zhan Nancheng must have become suspicious of Zhan Beiheng.”

Meng Fuyao’s eyes darted around, and she pounced on Zhangsun Wuji’s knees. Looking up at him innocently, she said, “Your Highness, Fuyao is loyal to her ruler and has always pledged allegiance to Wuji. It is merely a temporary antic to devote myself to another court now. Seeing that you’re showering me with so much favor, could it be that my death day is coming soon? I beg Your Highness to not favor me, please don’t favor me-”

Everyone spat out their rice at the same time, and Ya Lanzhu barked, “Meng Fuyao, how shameless of you!”

Faking a kick, Zhangsun Wuji laughed. “Away with you, I dislike the sight of you. You can continue being a nuisance to civilization for another thousand years.”

Meng Fuyao chuckled and sauntered away, heading towards Zhan Beiheng’s residence for the fourth time. This time round, she did not give the attendants her card. Instead, she stopped the two attendants in an alley not far from the residence and gave them a fierce beating. Afterward, she demanded, “Who told you guys to look down on me and not let me in? From now on, I’ll beat you up every time I see you.”

The attendants cried, “Captain Meng, this, this…. It’s not up to us to make the decision…”

“F*ck, you dare belittle me? I’ll make you broke.” Meng Fuyao cursed and then she instructed, “Later when I’m at the door, take my card. Welcome me in a grand fashion, and then serve me tea and chat with me in the waiting area. You no longer have to pass the card to the prince, and just do what I told you. If you keep to my instructions, I’ll not beat you up.”

If she did not want to deliver her card to request for a meeting, why would she be there? Just to drink tea and chat at the waiting area? The attendants could not fathom it, but her request made their jobs a lot easier, and they hurriedly agreed.

Moments later, Meng Fuyao strolled to the door, and the door was opened quickly even before she delivered her card. The attendants squeezed past the crowds to welcome her, giving her 90-degree bows and formally inviting her in.

Officials who had been waiting under the scorching sun turned their heads in unison and stared at Meng Fuayo.

‘This lad is something! The servants of Prince Heng usually have their noses up in the air, and since when have they ever been so humble and courteous? There’s an 80% chance that he is the Prince’s confidante!’ thought most of them.

After a while, Meng Fuyao ambled out of the door as the attendants politely sent her out of the door. In a loud voice, she said, “I suddenly remembered that I have urgent matters to attend to. As for Prince Heng, I’ll come by later for him to call upon me!”

When everyone heard that, they felt that Meng Fuyao was even more amazing. ‘He can come and go as he wishes, and that definitely means that he has intimate ties with the Prince!’ they thought.

In a hurry, those officials who had been unable to enter crowded around Meng Fuyao and blocked off her path. One after another, they tried to curry favor with her, and their chatter was all over the place.

“May I know of your noble surname, General?”

“I’m Governor Liu, what an honor to meet you, General…”

“General, you’re handsome, and you have a spectacular aura. I took a liking to you when I first saw you, and I really hope to meet you. Do you happen to be free? I booked a table in a grand restaurant, and I hope that you’d grace the banquet…”

Meng Fuyao was all smiles, and she responded, “It’s hot under the sun, let’s talk under the shade.”

So, under the shade, they went, and Meng Fuyao’s hands were very soon filled with gifts, many of which by those who had requested for her “speak kind words” of them in front of the Prince. Some officials even wept on her sleeves and cried, “Please take pity on me. I’ve entered the capital for so many days, but I’ve yet to see the Prince. My money is running out soon even though I don’t even have a proper job. Lord Meng, if you can help, please help…”

“My pleasure! My pleasure!” Meng Fuyao beamed as she left, under the watch of the expectant officials, and with her arms filled with luxurious items.

The next day, she visited the residence at another time of the day. She pulled off the same trick, and similarly went back with a huge load of gifts.

The day after, she continued to receive the offerings but this time round, she carried a basket.

After days of repeating the same routine, the attendants anxiously went up to her and said, “General Meng, His Highness is waiting for you at the garden.