Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

“Sure, let’s eat some delicious food.”

  Although the business sector was not ideal at the moment, over the last two days, many famous restaurants and clubs had opened their doors again. So people could eat many delicious cuisines from all over the world there. The price had gone up a lot however, not that the usual patrons would notice or mind the increase.

  I remember there was a restaurant that was the best in the Sacred City.

  When Ye Qingxuan was still in the prison, Ludovic often invited him to visit that restaurant and taste the signature dishes. It was really delicious.

  When Ye Qingxuan walked to the restaurant, he realized he did not have any money with him. After he woke up, everything had been taken care of by the officials of the Sacred City. In his pocket, there was only some coins.

  “What’s wrong?” Bai Xi saw him digging in his pocket for the money and instantly knew what was going on. She did not feel unhappy or angry, instead she pinched her small jaw for a while.

  She found another restaurant that was not far away and smiled to Ye Qingxuan. “It is fine, cousin. It is my treat today.”

  “What?” Ye Qingxuan was confused. “You have got money?”

  “Of course not,” Bai Xi said. “I am going to go back to my profession.”

  She cut off the lower hem of her coat and changed it into a mask with Alchemy, then used it to cover her face. Then she snapped her fingers and cut the statue of a saint along the road into pieces. She picked up two swords made from the arms of that statue and walked into the restaurant.

  “Do not move!” she yelled. “Give me money!”

  529 The Hand of God

  A cold wind blew and swept across the street.

  Dead leaves flew together with snowflakes.

  Ye Qingxuan stood dully in the doorway, listening to the loud noises that were coming from the restaurant, and a series of breaking sounds. A few gloomy aether waves were destroyed by a stormy wave as soon as they appeared.

  In the end, the wall crashed. Someone laughed and came out of the floating dust and smoke.

  “What are you waiting for?” Bai Xi was veiled, carrying a large bag of freshly-made food. Her two eyebrows jumped excitedly. “Go! Go! Run!”

  As she spoke, she grabbed his hand and began to run with the stumbling Ye Qingxuan. A sharp whistle came closer to them.

  “That’s him!”

  “There he is!”

  “Don’t let them go!”

  While the sharp whistle of the patrolmen approached swiftly, Bai Xi pulled Ye Qingxuan to run along the streets of the Sacred City.

  At that moment, Ye Qingxuan was in a trance.

  It was like suddenly going back to a time long, long in the past.

  In the same unfamiliar city, they ran crazily on the streets.

  This time, his hand was held by Bai Xi.

  -

  -

  They didn’t get rid of the pursuers until two o’clock in the afternoon.

  The two collapsed on a bench in the street, panting. After hearing their pursuers run past them, they finally felt relieved.

  “Ah, they’ve gone cold.” Bai Xi opened the paper bag and took out a lunch box, shaking it helplessly. “The soup also spilled. A lot.”

  “That’s alright, it’s stolen. So just eat.” Ye Qingxuan rubbed his hands and felt hungry. “The beef steak’s for you and the smoked fish for me. Okay, you can also have the soup.”

  “Why do I have to share half with you?” Bai Xi held the paper bag in her arms, squinting at him. “I was the one who stole them and led the way. You were just waiting there as a lookout. It would be nice enough to give you a piece of cold bread.”

  Despite what she said, she still reluctantly put a warm sandwich into his hand.

  He could tell at first glance that she had forced the chef to make the sandwich.

  Because it was sprinkled with the wrong sauce.

  Ye Qingxuan held the sandwich, smiled, and stuffed it into his mouth.

  Then he turned his head and took a cold breath.

  Why are there so many pickled cucumbers in it?!

  Facts had proved that it was not a good idea to irritate chefs. Most of the foods that Bai Xi robbed were full of strange tastes.

  “Ah, this bread is so spicy!!!” Bai Xi’s mouth was swollen after eating the spicy bread. When she looked at the miserable face of Ye Qingxuan with her watering eyes, she couldn’t help laughing, spewing bread crumbs into Ye Qingxuan’s soup.

  Ye Qingxuan sighed, blew away the bread crumbs, drank a bit of the soup, and finally rinsed the sour taste of pickled cucumber from his mouth.

  “Next time, you’d better wait for me to go back and get the money.” Ye Qingxuan looked up to the sky and sighed heavily.

  A subtle and soft melody came from the distance. The snow had already stopped, and a riot of sound was heard in the dilapidated church.

  The girl in white gauze, holding hands with her beloved boy, stepped down from a rented carriage, then went into the church with the cheerful melody.

  A wedding.

  The smiles of the guests seemed to be the few bright colors in this city.

  There were still people who lived in this brutal world, suffering but still smiling.

  At the end of a long street, they held a simple wedding ceremony in a dilapidated church. Although the priests obeyed the dispatch of the Order, and were busy working, they still invited a young apprentice of the Order to witness the wedding.

  The young man who seemed to be inexperienced was dressed in a robe, holding the Holy Bible in his hands, scrambling to preside over the wedding. Fortunately, the wedding continued although there were a lot of troubles.

  The wine was not sufficient, the bread supply was limited, and the banquet was not rich at all. Several old workers who could play instruments formed a temporary orchestra and played the wedding march.

  Everything was simple, but all the things needed were there.

  “Louis, are… are you willing to marry her as your wife? According…”

  The young trainee priest stood on the stage, stuttering over the contents of the note in his hand. “According to the Holy Bible, you shall live with her, in the sight of God… connect with her. You shall love her, respect her, and protect her in the way you would yourself. No matter… no matter…”

  His voice was getting lower and lower.

  Being stared by all the people present, sweat was gathering on the priest’s forehead, although the weather was cold.

  He forgot the words.

  The scene was really embarrassing.

  The more anxious the priest was, the more he couldn’t recall, and then the more awkward he became…

  Standing outside the crowd, Ye Qingxuan could swear to God that this was absolutely one of the top ten embarrassing scenes he had ever witnessed in his lifetime.

  “Forget it, I’ll help you out.” Ye Qingxuan sighed and opened his lips silently. A voice fell into the young priest’s ear along with the breeze, which cheered him up like being redeemed. Then he shouted out the final words ecstatically.

  “…whether she is sick or healthy, rich or poor, will you remain loyal to her until death do you part?”

  Everyone breathed sighs of relief.

  The groom nodded, “I will.”

  The wedding proceeded smoothly, and the embarrassing moment was quickly forgotten.

  The groom kissed the bride.

  The guests applauded.

  “It’s so nice.” Outside the door, Bai Xi looked at the two people who were hugging, and applauded them.

  In the tranquility, the sound of the marching carriage sounded from a distance.

  Accompanied by grand horns, a gorgeous carriage was driven out of the Apostolic Palace, and marched on the avenue of the Sacred City.

  With trumpets like the burning sun, the snow was rolled up from ground, blown into the sky by the wind of the rotating wheels, and fell massively on the canopy and flags.

  The fragrance of incens
e rose from the copper furnace, spreading in all directions, and enveloped the entire world in a warm spring breeze.

  The sergeants dressed in black stood by the two sides of the troop with knives and swords on their waists, holding banners up to the sky. The countless red banners fluttered in the strong wind and snow, like burning flames.

  On the empty streets which were covered with yellow silk, numerous servants ran forward to meet that luxury troop that extended to the outside areas of the Sacred City.

  Guarded by numerous sergeants, the long and narrow troop marched outwards.

  The marching sound of thousands of people converged like thunder, rumbling and shaking the giant city.

  It was like an imperial visit.

  Ye Qingxuan suddenly looked up and only saw a huge carriage drawn by six three meter high horses among layers of guards. Wherever it passed, everything and everyone bowed humbly, not daring to look straight at it.

  The white-haired musicians dressed in robes rode on horses and followed behind the carriage.

  A huge honor guard of the East appeared on the streets of the Sacred City for the very first time.

  The carriage that should have marched outside of the city parked on the street. Countless people stood silently in the melted snow, seemingly waiting for something.

  “The Easterners?”

  Ye Qingxuan frowned, staring at the banners hanging up over both sides of the carriage. At the sight of the strange emblem on the banners, he instinctively felt a burst of disturbance for no reason.

  “There will be troubles again.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head and took Bai Xi’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  But she didn’t move, staring at the newly married couple hugging in the church. After a long time, she suddenly looked up. “Qingxuan, will you propose to me one day?”

  “Eh?” Ye Qingxuan thought he must have misheard, but Bai Xi looked at him silently and waited for the answer, causing him to panic. “Oh, why do you suddenly…”

  His opened his lips, but no words came out.

  He didn’t know what to say, or if he should say anything.

  However, seeing his embarrassed look, Bai Xi laughed happily as if it was just a mischief. She kept laughing, then lowered her head.

  She said, “Qingxuan, I’m leaving.”

  “Eh?” Ye Qingxuan was shocked. “Where are you going?”

  “To the East, I think. I’ve never been there. Is that very far away? I would hate to take a ship, my head will get dizzy. Besides, with so many people, it will be annoying and troublesome. However, I shouldn’t need to worry about that,” she whispered, looking at the troop in the distance. In the gorgeous honor guard, someone rushed towards Bai Xi, head down, holding a white fox-fur robe in both hands. He minced forward, but stopped ten steps away from her.

  Respectfully and with awe.

  Ye Qingxuan looked at him in silence. After a long moment, he looked back at Bai Xi. “What’s happening?”

  “It is said that I am now the daughter of the Regent,” Bai Xi said. “They dare not look at me directly and they are afraid that I will kill them. So they are more obedient than those in the Cloud Tower City. If I say ‘kneel down,’ they will kneel down…”

  Hearing that, the servant went down on his knees, regardless of the mud and snow on the ground. But he still held the white fox-fur robe high to prevent it from being stained with even a trace of dust.

  “You see, it’s great.” Bai Xi smiled. “I will live a good life there. You can rest assured…”

  “No!” Ye Qingxuan interrupted her.

  However, he didn’t realize that his voice was so loud and sharp, as if he was afraid.

  He didn’t know what had happened, and why it suddenly became like this.

  But as Bai Xi stared at him, he felt embarrassed and panicked, and didn’t know what to do.

  He was doing great. He had already saved the Sacred City, and become a strong person. Obviously, everything had been improving…

  However, he found that he was going to lose Bai Xi.

  “Why do you want to go to the East… I mean… The East is so far… It will be troublesome and tiring. I can… Hey, I’m not going to drive you away here. I mean, you can stay…”

  He stretched out his hand hesitantly, but dared not touch her, fearing that she would disappear like a dream. Just looking at her, he prayed humbly and incoherently.

  “Bai Xi, please stay.”

  Please stay.

  I can do anything for you.

  I can even smash the Sacred City again.

  I can pay any price.

  “Stay here, okay?”

  He stopped in front of the servant and separated Bai Xi from the troop in the distance.

  He had exhausted all his strength by saying just a few words.

  Master, Charles, Ye Lanzhou…

  Are you also going to leave me now?

  In silence, Bai Xi looked at his face.

  “Qingxuan, Hermes is dead… I hadn’t even realized that until now,” she said. “I just thought that he would blame me if I went home late. But he’s dead already.”

  “But you still have me!” Ye Qingxuan still wanted to say something, but Bai Xi shook her head and pinched his cheek:

  “If I still stay here, Yunlou Qingshu will definitely come up with some wicked idea. And then, I will hinder you, and I will hate myself. Moreover, my character is troublesome. I will be sad if you ignore me. If you don’t take me out to play, I will be bored. If you don’t care about me, I will be angry. If I find out one day that you don’t like me any longer, I will be very sad.”

  Ye Qingxuan was shocked.

  Bai Xi leaned forward, and hugged him tightly. She buried her face between his arms and clung to his heart, listening to the echo there.

  She closed her eyes.

  It was like they were back in the long-gone past, in darkness, embracing each other for the first time.

  The world was so cold, but when you found that destined person, it no longer was.

  Even in a world without moon and light, you wouldn’t fear while embracing them.

  “Qingxuan, you know what? I always think you are a hero,” Bai Xi whispered. “There is only one hero in each woman’s heart. After I met you, no one else could get in there. I have lied to you so many times since the begging. Do you hate me?”

  “No.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “Never.”

  “If I need you one day, will you come to save me?”

  “I will.” Ye Qing Xuan hugged her, but could not help crying. “Even if I’m dying.”

  Bai Xi smiled, and wiped away his tears with her hands.

  In the end, she raised herself on tiptoes and kissed his forehead softly and carefully with her cold lips, as if she exhausted all her strength.

  “Then, goodbye.”

  She released him and moved backward step by step. She waved goodbye to him with a smile on her face, like the one when they first met years ago.

  She was free, as if she had nothing to worry about.

  It was like, after passing through the darkness, and stepping out of the cage, she finally stretched her wings and flew through the memories into a world that Ye Qingxuan had never seen.

  Wherever she passed, everyone bowed their heads in horror and knelt down on the ground, greeting her arrival with respect.

  Step by step, she got onto the carriage.

  Gradually, she went away from Ye Qingxuan.

  Quietly.

  In the silence, the carriage moved forward again.

  Ye Qingxuan stared at the troop until it disappeared from his sight.

  The snow fell from the sky, and covered the silent city and the last traces left by Bai Xi.

  He closed his eyes.

  Walked way.

  -

  -

  The troop marched through the streets of the Sacred City, out the front gate, then on to the wasteland.

  The sound of the sea came from afar.

  In silence, the ol
d man in the carriage put down the book in his hand, then said softly, “He didn’t follow. It seems that you were wrong. Are you sure that he will come to you?”

  “Yes, he definitely will.”

  Bai Xi nodded with confidence, as if to state a truth.

  As if he were hearing a joke, Bai Heng smiled slightly. “You are my daughter now. It will not be easy for him to take you away. He must at least have the courage to fight against the whole Empire of Aurora.”

  “I believe that one day, he will come to save me from your hands.” Bai Xi gazed at the Sacred City in the distance, and said softly, “If the Empire of Aurora gets in his way, he will defeat it. If you get in his way, I will help him kill you.”

  “Are you thinking of killing your father already now? You really are the daughter of a traitor.” Bai Heng laughed, touching Bai Xi’s long hair. “Hermes didn’t lie to me when he said that you were born like me. If the day comes, you could take my head off. But whether you can take the entire Empire of Aurora as your dowry, depends on your power.”

  Staring at the indifferent Bai Xi, he was full of joy.

  “After all, it is worthy of being killed by my own daughter.”

  -

  -

  At midnight, in the Apostolic Palace.

  Under the dazzling light, the deep noises continued.

  The secretaries with documents in their arms kept walking in single file and put the documents from all over the world on a huge round table. The documents were sorted out and awaiting disposal.

  Behind the huge round table, some of the tired cardinal bishops were busy dealing with the documents, discussing with their colleagues in low voices.

  An ashtray was full of cigarette butts, the pungent smoke floating in the air.

  A warm wind blew, but it was both boring and suffocating.

  Behind those cardinal bishops, the King of Red, who should have been resting early, remained sitting in his place. The tea in his cup was cold and changed.

  In the long silence, he seemed to be waiting for something.

  Until someone came close from afar and pushed open the front door of the main hall. The door trembled, sending out a low voice. The biting winds poured in from outside, dispelling the stifling heat, and bringing the low-pitched disputes to an abrupt end.

  From outside to the Apostolic Palace, someone arrogantly walked straight through the layers of the threshold to the center, without any notification or etiquette.