The Secret Princess – Fan Fiction by AC Chapter 78: Bring me out of the dark
♥Author♥Angel♥Chua♥
Adapted from Princess Agents drama series and original novel by Xiao Xiang Dong’er – Chu Qiao Chuan Biography
Bring me out of the dark (edited 08.12.2021)
A loud sound of death hollows heard when the underworld gate slowly opened.
Like in the ancient of days, there is an indescribable gothic view, all made of copper, silver, and gold.
Scarface took the neck of the Dragon on his right hand and the neck of the ancient serpent in his left hand to fully open the gate valve.
They were all made of cast iron, fireproof, fortified with precious minerals, one can see its reflection made of heavy metal like a mirror.
A divine-like being is walking into a dream, the magnificent world of endless Higanbana flower field meets his eyes, swaying and dancing with the butterflies.
And not far from where he stands lies the forgotten river.
No living person may pass, no human being could trespass.
Yuwen Yue became the most beautiful human form that earned the chance to step into these realms without trading his memories, however spending only a limited amount of time.
The elixir that Tracker handed over to him was broken.
Yuwen Yue drank only half of it.
Transforming him into an enlightened state, it helped him discover his human form into this godly existence, offered him a beautiful escape.
Yuwen Yue holding the tiny wooden flask, he remembered the Kungfu of Ice master’s last words.
Scarface still on his knees, he did not even dare to look at Yuwen Yue’s back.
Yuwen Yue walked towards the forgotten river, and not even Xinger’s shadow was present.
Yuwen Yue simply took a plum blossom and holding in his palm said: “For my Cangwu bird.” Emotionless but calm face, he finally let go of the flower to the Forgotten River.
He saw something happening in his hands, something very strange he said: “It must be the elixir he thought.”
Everything is new to him but already knew before it happened.
He read it from the Qinghai books and listened to the Master of Kungfu of ice, every story told from the beginning until his last breath, all of it happened just as he spoke.
Suddenly an ancient Chinese boat is floating nearby.
An old man dressed on his monkish attire, with a covered hood on his entire face and body paddling the river waters without effort, calm and quiet.
Yuwen Yue knew who he was, in a voiceless voice, he impressed: “I am not here to overturn these realms. I came to say goodbye to someone and ask you to ferry me to the Ersatz realm.”
The Urshan did not speak but moved quickly towards Yuwen Yue’s back and stared at the Poe Yue Jian sword.
Yuwen Yue, handsome as ever, the eyes cold as ice but the heart warm as summer, did not move. There is no fear or even a hint of doubt in his heart.
“Your firm will and devoted heart paid you another chance to step into these realms, but your time is limited. I fear that you will die when the elixir slowly depletes in your body and when you return your mortal body to the mortal realms, it won’t be able to endure it. The wind and cloud decree can only save you once. The Mimi Gongzhu used it once to make you live well. When she was swallowed by the Ersatz realm with no definite time of return, you should have lived well. But you defied these realms and put her into danger again. If she can no longer come back, she will be trapped in the Ersatz realm forever.”
The Urshan speaking in terms of silence, but everything was clearly understood as if Yuwen Yue heard his voice in a crystal clear sound.
Yuwen Yue spoke using his silent eyes to the Urshan.
“I did not come here to listen to you or give away myself to your fears. They are not mine but yours. But you shall answer my question as well.”
“I, who existed as old as the plane existence of time shall bestow you a chance to ask one question,”
And the Urshan moved quickly, showed his face to Yuwen Yue. A handsome face is full of many ancient tattoos in his skin. It glowed like molten lava all over his face and neck.
Yuwen Yue did not look at the Urshan’s face, as if his eyes were blind. He knows to see his face is to invite him to snatch your soul to eternal damnation.
“I am about to usher your underworld Palm to the afterlife. He is here,” the Urshan is slowly walking in circles waiting for Yuwen Yue to speak.
The Higanbana flowers swayed and Yuwen Yue started to smell its fragrance, but Yuwen Yue started to crack the Plum blossoms in his hands. Suddenly plum blossom rain started to fall in the field of Higanbana flowers.
Such a beautiful and fragrant place.
***
According to the legends, the flower of the afterlife called the Higbanbana flower, brings back all of the dead’s earthly memories one last time before they disappear, before they reach the other side of the river.
It has been told that once an unrequited lover dies from the earthly realms, these flowers would bloom along the paths of the departed lovers.
If they were once a companion, they are never destined to meet again.
And these precious flowers represents the change of season too, from summer to fall.
However, the Master of Kungfu of Ice once told him as well: When you crack the plum blossom, it is often told that even immortals feasts on plums to enhance their physique and renew their vigor to surpass against the test of time. In the midst of harsh winter, before snowflakes melt, when the Cangwu bird returns, plum trees beautifully buds. When it blooms, it decorates the barren landscape ending the harsh dark wintry nights and awakening people’s memories of spring. Enduring many ugly nights, plum blooms, and makes everything beautiful, as it opens the gateway of hope, to begin another life.
Growing in the lap of his great Yuwen grandmother, Yuwen Yue was often told: As a “friend of winter,” the plum blossom mostly forms the value of perseverance. Eventually, each blossom overcomes through the change of seasons where the fragrance is formed from “bitterness to coldness,” as the Chinese saying goes. When a soul plucks these blossoms from their branches, it is often told, they will undergo the test of time and come out strong, tempered in the depth of existence, breed their inner strength and generate unyielding firmness.
During his many visits with the Liang Empire, Xiao Ce prepared royal poetry readings and Yuwen Yue would come and sit to one of their reading session, as a masked Qinghai Prince, no one knew it is Yuwen Yue, the fourth young master of the Greenhills Courtyard. He heard all the poet expressed the wish of being one with the plum blossom:
All flowers have withered, you alone blossom,
occupying the focal scenery of the small garden.
Delicate branches cast shadows aslant over clear shallow water;
secret fragrance floats lightly in the moonlit dusk.
How can I transform my body into millions,
each enjoying the blossom by a plum tree.
Yuwen Yue, as the fourth young master of the Yuwen household often read Chinese Classical poetry books, recalled about the wordless poetry by Wang An Shi and the house of Plum Blossoms in resemblance to his life:
méi huā
梅花
[sòng] wáng ān shí
[宋]王安石
qiáng jiǎo shù zhī méi ，
墙角数枝梅，
líng hán dú zì kāi 。
凌寒独自开。
yáo zhī bú shì xuě ，
遥知不是雪，
wèi yǒu àn xiāng lái 。
为有暗香来。
Plum Blossoms
By Wang Anshi (Song Dynasty)
At a wall corner some plum trees grow;
Alone against cold white blossoms blow.
Aloof one knows they aren’t the snow,
As faint through air soft fragrances flow.
The power of the plum blossoms cast in the field of Higanbana flowers dramatically turned off the Urshan’s trickling hot tattoos over his face and neck.
The underworld Urshan transformed into a godly being allowing Yuwen Yue to meet Tracker once again.
Like a turn back of time, Tracker’s body was slowly restored through the Urshan godly being. He was given a chance not to betray his Mimi Gongzhu and to fulfill his last words to his Master Yuwen Yue.
They met once again and saw each other’s faces. Yuwen Yue smirked and said: “What did I tell you when you were still alive?”
Tracker back to his human senses told his Master, “You said once because I may need to stop doing betrayal one day and You may need to harm the underworld when You force my loyalty to be displayed to you. And it is happening now.
I am here in front of you. And I have a gift for you Master!”
Tracker used his finger and pointed it to a distance.
Suddenly a Cangwu bird is flying from the Plum blossom rain towards where Yuwen Yue stands.
It landed onto his shoulders picking his dress.
Yuwen Yue suddenly can utter the words he said: “Xie Xie, I owe you my Cangwu.”
Tracker bowed to Yuwen Yue and said: “Master Brother, I owe you my life and this moment. I shall usher you to the Mimi Gongzhu.”
Tracker started to move the ancient Chinese boat fetch Yuwen Yue from the other side of the Forgotten River.
Scarface stood and closed the Underworld gate and looked at the two divine beings paddling through the water path.
He silently uttered in his thoughts: “May you win the favor of the winds and the clouds in your hands.”
Tracker sailed through the waters and Yuwen Yue is standing behind him. In another space and time, like a hidden territory in the water realms, they arrived at the Ersatz realm.
Tracker stopped the sailing and the boat was suspended in the vast mirror of the lake’n sky.
There is no living thing that can be seen except for the undisturbed water mirroring the sky.
One cannot tell the difference but can see the reflection of its face.
However, facing the endless horizon, the Cangwu bird tweeted and uttered: “Seagulls, Swans, Seagulls.”
As soon as Yuwen Yue landed in its shores, many seagulls flew. While the swans continued to swim in the lake and painted the perfect, beautiful scenery.
In the blink of an eye, the Urshan came back to the boat while Tracker bowed again then slowly faded in Yuwen Yue’s sight.
No farewells but the memory lasted for a lifetime. Yuwen Yue finally waived his hands.
The Urshan did not react to Yuwen Yue but told in the gush of winds: Whatever your questions are, I hope you already got your answers.
Yuwen Yue feeling the impulse of the wind, his mind reading through it he responded back in his thoughts.
“Already got an answer. Be at peace.”
Yuwen Yue took out Poe Yue Jian sword and bestowed it through the waters.
An endless horizon suddenly showed in their sight.
The Urshan sailed through the winds and entered the horizon until it went out of sight.
“Once you enter the Ersatz realm, there is no time nor space. Void of any emotions, no entrance or exit. It is a place where only the present lives.”
“There is no past or future, nor memory does exist.”
From his ears, he listened to the Master of Kungfu of Ice like he just heard it close to his ears. Yuwen Yue knew he is fighting a battle he can’t win.
***
Yuwen Yue’s enlightened human form is slowly turning on and off like a bulb.
He looked at his palms and he seems to see traces of his human hands back to its original form. He is not afraid but hopes to find a solution. He started to walk to the endless sands of time.
Not knowing where to go, there is no guide to follow.
The Cangwu bird, like its master, transformed to its enlightened form but around his eyes already showing some weariness.
Yuwen Yue took the bird from his shoulders and put it in his Kam sleeves to protect the bird from weariness.
A sudden sandstorm came to block its sight and Yuwen Yue quickly closed his eyes used his hands in superb and excellent coordination, the bow and arrows steady and ready to fire a downward angle. He took down a single scorpion.
Yuwen Yue still closed eyes, works by his sense of hearing, ten times sharper than the usual, he heard another batch of scorpions crawling on the sands.
The Kungfu of ice once told him.
“If you exhaust the winds, your arrows will not be that strong. Use your sword but do not let any bite from scorpions drag you to death. Keep your eyes closed or fear will have a grip on your soul.”
Yuwen Yue freed more arrows continued to shoot at a downward angle, and suddenly finds an empty Quiver at his back.
Ran out of arrows, he can only use the sword as the last weapon of defense. He does not know where the Scorpions are coming from but it meant to test his sight, feeling only the impulse of the trade winds but tempted to open it.
Eventually, giving into temptation, he opened his eyes, sees the scorpions crawling as many as the sands.
The first scorpion crept into his veins, this stung in his feet turns off a portion of his enlightened form. The second, third stung and so forth…
Until he can no longer hold on. His light is dying but his sword remains untouched.
Suddenly three sounds of an arrow are whistling away trailing the scorpions as many as the sands.
An endless fire brilliance of golden hot arrows came to burn the scorpions on the ground. Yuwen Yue’s body was spared but he is slowly returning to his human form but there is fire all around.
The master of Kungfu of Ice said: Once you lose your godly form, your body will pass out like you never existed. When it happens, you are forever trapped in the Ersatz realm.
The will of your mind will determine your outcome, you must not face oblivion before you see it coming in your own sight.
Chu Qiao continued to shoot endless fire arrows.
And when everything was set on fire, she walked at the middle to find the godly man lying in the sand, a circle of protection was formed.
The Poe Yue Jian sword was inserted in the ground just before Yuwen Yue dropped to the sand. Looking through his dreamy eyes, he tried to capture every moment but his eyes are slowly getting hazy.
He saw a woman dressed in white with a cloak wrapped around its head and half of its face.
He thinks he lost himself forever.
“Xinger…is this you…Xinger…answer me.”
A helpless groan came from Yuwen Yue’s lips, he is not going to close his eyes.
Yet, do not want to lose this moment or even break a stare for the most beautiful woman approaching him.
Yuwen Yue took the wooden flask from his Kam sleeves and put it in his palm he said: “I have no time, but this will heal your chibi. Take it.”
Abandoning himself, he is slowly disappearing. Yuwen Yue’s body being engulfed by unblinding light is like slowly turning off. Yuwen Yue finally reached out his Poe Yue Jian sword.
Chu Qiao heard and looked at Yuwen Yue’s body. He is fading like a memory in front of her. Chu Qiao said: “You don’t understand.”
Yuwen Yue still have little time left found the words to speak he said: “If this is the only way for me to save you, I must do. See you in a better place…”
Chu Qiao reached out Yuwen Yue’s hand but he slowly turned invisible until he can no longer be seen. No Poe Yue Jian sword, no Cangwu bird and Yuwen Yue gone out of sight.
Her bitter teardrops fell.
As soon as the teardrops fell, the fires all around were turned off and the mirror of the lake’n sky was clear when suddenly the Urshan is sailing towards her.
The Urshan reached where Chu Qiao stood, he stepped out of the ancient Chinese dragon boat he said.
“He is trapped forever. He has been warned.”
Chu Qiao asked he Urshan: “Can I turn back time?”
The Urshan walked in circles and said: “You can do anything. You are the leader of the wind and cloud decree but there are consequences. To replace him, you must exchange yourself and you will be trapped in this realm forever.
Chu Qiao sighed and said: “He must know I gained back my memories. I remember him.”
The Urshan said: “There is another way if you are willing.”
“What is it?” Asked by Chu Qiao there is a curiosity in the tone of her voice.
The clouds quickly moved by the trade winds, misty forests and mossy grounds, all living things came to move in the surface. To the dust and dew, the springtime has come.
♥♥♥
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Thanks for the chapters Ms AC
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