Chapter 82: 81: Journeys

Chapter 81: Journeys

Sunan and Bao didn’t need any persuading. They decided to leave the following week.

It took a bit of time to take care of their affairs and belongings. After all, they had lived outside of Sunharee Machalee for a decade and a half, and no matter how much they had always viewed themselves as outsiders, had definitely put down roots.

Over the years, Lawat had turned into not only a close friend, but a skilled Qi fighter. As the only local who had reached the Profound Master level, he was somewhat of a legend. After much discussion with his own family, he decided to join the journey north as a way of repaying Bao and Sunan for their help years ago when his family fell ill.

However, when it came to Jinlong and Chunfeng, even after much discussion, the family couldn’t come to an agreement. The children wanted to join their parents on the journey back to their ancestral homeland, but Bao was staunchly opposed, convinced that the danger was too great.

“The entire purpose of our coming south was to protect the two of you!” she said. “I won’t allow you to be sent right into the tiger’s mouth!”

“Stop treating us like babies, mother!” Jinlong said forcefully. “We’re far more skilled fighters than you and father when you fought in the siege of Daolu!”

“That’s right, mom,” Chunfeng said. “We can take care of ourselves. It’s not fair for you to keep us away from our own homeland!”

Sunan didn’t seem willing to side with either his wife against his children, or vice versa, and only offered a few words of input here and there.

After nearly an hour of arguing, Gongye Zheng finally joined the conversation.

“I have an idea,” he said.

Everyone looked over expectantly.

“Jinlong, Chunfeng,” he said, “would you be willing to help out your Grand-uncle Gongye? I have an important mission to go on, and a long journey. Having the two of you along to protect me would leave me feeling much more at ease. You could give your parents some time to handle the important matters back home before you join them.”

Bao frowned. “What mission are you talking about, Uncle Gongye?”

Gongye Zheng stroked his beard as he continued, “Back when I met you at Mount Fohe, I said that I wanted to flee the empire to somewhere safe, that destination being Naqan. The truth is that there was a lot more to the story than I revealed. I was on a mission for the Timeless Master and Lady Qixia, a mission which, to this day nearly two decades later, I have yet to fully accomplish.

“Now that Li Buwei and Qixia are dead, I can’t delay any longer. The mission must be seen to its end.”

Chufeng’s eyes glittered. “A mission for the Timeless Master and Lady Qixia?!”

Gongye Zheng smiled. “That’s right. You know the story of how Li Buwei rescued Lady Qixia, right?”

“Of course!” Jinlong said. “It was during the Uprising of Xuanlu. Qixia the Butterfly was accused of cursing the Demon Emperor publicly, and was sentenced to death. Just as the sentence was about to be carried out, a band of masked men broke onto the scene, killing the Demon Emperor’s soldiers and saving the young girl. Of course, those masked men were led by Li Buewei. He fled with Qixia into the Banyan, where they got married and eventually became the leaders of the martial world.”

“Yes,” Gongye Zheng said. “You know the story well. However, there are some details that were never made public. The executioner actually swung his blade down toward Qixia, but her struggling caused him to miss on the first strike. Moments later, Li Buwei and his men burst onto the scene, and fierce fighting broke out. During the melee, Qixia grabbed the executioner’s blade, turning it upon the executioner himself and taking his head. However, because the blade was so large, Qixia couldn’t control it, and it spun off to the side, where it struck a golden tripod that was actually a powerful magical item.

“When the blade struck the cauldron, something like a crack of thunder was heard, and a wave of energy blasted out through the entire room, knocking everyone off of their feet.

“Apparently, the blade was imbued with powerful magic during that incident. Lady Qixia took it with her when they fled into the Banyan, hoping to unlock its secrets. However, she and Li Buwei soon realized that the powers of the blade were beyond their ability to control. Therefore, they entrusted the blade to me, instructing me to take it as far away from the empire as possible, and place it in safekeeping until someone appeared who could use it against the Demon Emperor.

Jinlong frowned. “But Grand-uncle Gongye, you were never with Lady Qixia and the Timeless Master. You’re from Yu Zhing. Why would they entrust the blade to you?”

“Clever kid!” Gongye Zheng said. “You see, Lady Qixia’s surname is Guo, and her father, Guo Minghan, was the chief constable in Xuanlu. However, before holding that position, he was a mid-ranking constable in Yu Zhing, and for years had been a drinking companion of mine. After his transfer to Xuanlu, we kept in contact, and he was aware that I detested the Demon Emperor and planned to leave the empire for Naqan. Therefore, when the matter of the magical blade came up, he was the one who arranged for me to take it to the far corners of the earth.”

“But Grand-uncle Gongye,” Chunfeng said, “I don’t understand what you mean when you say that the mission is not accomplished. Didn’t you live in Naqan for years?”

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“I did, and I spent almost a decade of my time there preparing a special place to store the blade, an underwater vault of sorts. However, in the hopes that I would eventually find someone worthy of wielding it, I never fully sealed the vault entrance. For some reason, I feel that now is the right time to finally end the mission for all time.

“Jinlong, Chunfeng, will you two be my escorts back to Naqan? Being the born martial artists that you are, perhaps one of you could unlock the secrets of the blade, and wield it in the fight against the Demon Emperor. And if not, you can help me to seal the vault once and for all. Afterward, we can return to the empire. By that point, your parents would surely have been able to ensure that you will be safe.”

As Gongye Zheng spoke those final words, Sunan and Bao exchanged a glance, and Bao nodded ever so slightly. As for Jinlong and Chunfeng, this tale of a magical blade buried beneath the sea, once wielded by the now-dead heroine Lady Qixia, had already begun to tug at their hearts and minds.

“Children,” Sunan said, “what do you think…?”

“Father,” Jinlong said, “Grand-uncle Gongye shouldn’t make such a difficult journey on his own. He needs escorts!”

“That’s right,” Chunfeng said. “Besides, what if that magical blade has powers that can help in the fight against the Demon Emperor? Jinlong and I are probably stronger than Li Buwei and Lady Qixia were when they sent it to Grand-uncle Gongye to take to Naqan.” She looked over at Bao. “Think about it, mother, it makes sense. Jinlong and I can go to Naqan to help with the blade. By the time we finish and come back to meet you, you’ll have had plenty of time to make sure things are safe.”

Bao was somewhat torn. By this point in her life, her children were more important to her than anything, especially her desire for revenge. She truly did feel that it was too dangerous to bring them right into the middle of the chaos that was the empire and the martial world. On the other hand, the idea of sending them away to the other side of the world was equally heart-wrenching. However, at the moment, the latter decision seemed the safer of the two.

“Very well,” she said. “It makes sense.”

Jinlong let out a whoop of excitement, and Chunfeng grinned and clenched her hands into fists.

The week of preparations seemed to fly by. When the day came to depart, the entire family stood on the docks of Sunharee Machalee. Sunan, Bao, Lawat, and Mao Yun would boat up the Zhe River to Scorpion Villa, the home of the Scorpion Swordsman.

As for Gongye Zheng, Jinlong, and Chunfeng, they would make the journey to Naqan over land. There hadn’t even been a discussion of them going by ship. The waters to the west were infested with pirates, making any such journey far to dangerous. They would travel the mountain passes north to the Kushen Basin, and then go straight west all the way to Naqan.

Sunan embraced his children and gave them a few parting pieces of advice. Bao tried hard to keep her tears from flowing, but failed. Even Mao Yun’s eyes were a bit damp. Being Kithiri, Lawat was a very complicated individual, but even he seemed to be moved.

With that, they parted ways. As the ship slid out of the harbor, Sunan and Bao kept their eyes glued to the docks, and the sight of their children waving goodbye.

The first days of the journey were made mostly in silence. However, as they settled into the rhythm of travel, they soon resumed their normal routines of meditation, martial arts forms, and sparring.

The trip north was mostly uneventful. Having made the journey on multiple occasions, Mao Yun knew exactly where to stop along the way to find the best and safest accommodations. He knew which stretches of the river were prowled by bandits, and how to avoid them. He even knew a bit about the river currents.

Overall, things went very smoothly.

“I can’t believe you made this journey every year for so many years,” Sunan said to Mao Yun.

Mao Yun smiled. “Bao is my sister, and you’re my brother-in-law. And I love those children like my own.”

“Speaking of which,” Sunan said, “after all the years, why haven’t you married yet?”

Mao Yun chuckled. “Don’t tell Bao, but it won’t belong before I am,” he said.

Sunan’s eyes widened in shock.

Eventually they reached the northernmost stretches of the Zhe River, where they abandoned the boat and began to hike north toward Mount Peng.

It took three days to reach Scorpion Villa, where the Claws of the Phoenix and the Dragon Lords were waiting. To some extent, it was an emotional reunion, and yet, even the leadership of the two divisions viewed Sunan and Bao with awe and reverence, and didn’t dare to treat them with excessive familiarity.

There were many familiar faces, including Li Jiahui, Tie Gangwen, Li Runfa, Mao Mei, Lin Cuiruo, Sima Zikang, Ma Ge, Wang Tian and others. Of the original group of fourteen leaders, a few had perished in combat throughout the years, but the majority had maintained their position. All of them had advanced significantly in their martial arts, with Li Jiahui, Tie Gangwen, Mao Mei, and Lin Cuiruo all being in the Profound Master level, although not quite as advanced as Bao and Sunan.

After the initial formalities and pleasantries, the Dragon-Phoenix Sect held its first official meeting in more than fifteen years….

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