Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  The moment she had enough energy she slid from the bed to the cold floor and rushed to the window to see what was outside.

  Looking out, she was shocked to see that she was in a massive castle. A castle which seemed to have been created entirely from marble, looking exactly like ice.

  On the ground, snow was visible everywhere, and Sha Yun was unsure what she should do. She was not given a long time to consider this thought because suddenly the door opened and seven people appeared. These people seemed to have a layer of frost all over them; their eyes were white, clearly seeing nothing, and their bodies creaked while they walked.

  Looking at these people Sha Yun felt the cold imprint itself into her body. It seemed to penetrate straight through her bones and made her shiver involuntarily.

  “Come with us.” The seven experts said in unison. Their voices were almost mechanical, and their movements seemed stiff. Seeing them, Sha Yun was terrified. She had lived in this world for a very long time, therefore how could she not know that the white men were frozen experts. They were all from the Frozen Army.

  The Frozen Army only moved on behalf of the Frozen General, something which caused Sha Yun to tremble in fear. It seemed that she was somewhere quite dangerous.

  Seeing that Sha Yun was not moving the seven experts reached out grabbing the snake woman and without waiting any longer they moved out the door and down a set of stairs.

  They moved through one corridor after another. The further down they went the more the castle seemed as though it had been created from just ice alone, and slowly she saw more and more frozen people walking the halls.

  The frozen people were all different. The majority of them were like the seven experts who had picked up Sha Yun, completely mechanical, while others seemed to be more conscious.

  Moving past them all, Sha Yun was surprised to see the different levels of conscious these experts had. She soon understood that the higher conscious one had, the higher their rank. As to how these dead experts had been created, Sha Yun had no idea. She did not want to know anymore either.

  Reaching the ground floor the seven experts went in front of a massive ice door where they then knocked on it before once more surrounding the snake-woman.

  The door opened, and the small party moved forward once more. As soon as the door opened, Sha Yun could not help but look carefully at the people in front of her. However when she saw the so-called Frozen General, her eyes almost popped out of her head, and she retreated a step.

  “Zhong Fai?!” She exclaimed, her words making the entire hall quieten down. Even the conscious members of the Frozen Army were shocked to hear someone dare call out their master’s name. Their dead, white eyes seemed as if they were filled with rage, and their movements were swift as they rushed towards her, ready to attack for the disrespect she had shown.

  “Stop!” Zhong Fai’s words caused everyone to stop in their tracks. None of them dared to move even an inch as Zhong Fai’s words had sounded out.

  Standing up, Zhong Fai left his frozen throne and went down to Sha Yun as he offered her his arm. Knowing who he was, Sha Yun dared not be disgraceful, and while trembling she accept it following him back to the frozen throne.

  “Find a chair my beautiful companion,” He ordered, and instantly the seven experts who had brought Sha Yun here instantly scurried away to find a chair for her.

  It only took a few moments before a chair was placed before the throne and Sha Yun sat down, not certain what was happening.

  “Don’t be scared.” He said laughingly. “These people will not harm you, neither will I.”

  “I would have invited you in a more gentle manner, but I was certain that you would not accept the invitation, so I had to use a few other ways to get you here.” He said smilingly as if nothing was wrong with kidnapping people.

  “We were such good friends back when we were in the dungeons of the divine,” He said. “And I noticed that you and Hui Yue have a special relationship. I am sure he will come visit me soon if I tell him that you are here.”

  “Don’t worry, your stay here will be very pleasant. No one will treat you badly, and I will make sure to keep you company so you won’t be bored either.” He continued like an excited, small child.

  “Why are you so fixated on Yue?” She suddenly asked. “In the dungeons, you were only interested in him, and now you’ve gone as far as kidnaping me for the sake of having him coming to visit you.”

  Hearing the question did not anger Zhong Fai at all. Instead, it made him laugh. “I like talented youths; I am sure you already know that.”

  “Every talented youth I have found so far have become a part of my frozen army but this time it is different. Although he is the most talented young man I have ever seen, I just want to befriend him. There are some some goals in life which I am incapable of achieving myself but with his help, it is highly likely I can achieve something.”

  Sha Yun asked no further question. She had met Zhong Fai before, and she knew of his obsession with Hui Yue. Hearing that he had something he hoped for Hui Yue to help him with, Sha Yun no longer fearful. If Hui Yue found that she had been mistreated, then he would without a doubt ensure that he got revenge on the Frozen General and would in turn never help him.

  Sitting still, Sha Yun exchanged some pleasantries with the Frozen General. He wanted to hear about their daily life and Hui Yue’s improvement.

  The many conscious members of the Frozen General were all shocked to see Zhong Fai, their leader, being so excited and youthful. He was incredibly powerful and could crush mountains with the flick of his hand. He could gather thousands of followers with one word. He could shake the entire world if he wanted to. He was one of the supreme existences in this plane, and he would never lower himself speak with an ordinary person.

  But, here he was chatting and joking with Sha Yun. At first, she had been very nervous and worried but as time went on she was smitten by the excitement in Zhong Fai’s voice and his energy. Soon laughter escaped her lips as she told him about all that had happened. Her barriers were now completely broken, and with a smirk Zhong Fai listened intently. He was the perfect listener, exclaiming surprise at the right time, showing worry when needed, and indignation when it fit. Seeing the attention she got, Sha Yun was no longer as alert as she had been before.

  Chapter 382 - Let Us Return

  * * *

  Chapter 382: Let Us Return

  Wang Ju Long’s face was beet red as Hui Yue held her hand and dragged her with him towards their friends. At first, she struggled to get her hand back, but after noticing that Hui Yue had no intention of letting her go, she finally accepted it and a warmth bubbled up in her heart. Although she was embarrassed and incredibly worried about how their friends would react, she still felt happiness deep inside.

  As Hui Yue moved towards their group of friends, Huli jumped forward and landed in Hui Yue’s embrace where she nestled herself. She sat in his arms looking at the rest of the world with happiness. Even though she was being held with only one arm, the small fox seemed content.

  Wang Ju Long had been too focused on being shy but when she finally glanced towards the group of friends she stopped in her tracks. Her hand suddenly gripped harder on Hui Yue’s hand, and her lips tightened. She noticed the third prince with her friends. She was shocked, and it was clear that she was anything but happy.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Hui Yue mumbled. “I will make sure nothing happens to you.” The words caused Wang Ju Long to calm somewhat and her facial expressions returned to normal. After hiding her facial expressions a facade covered her face making it impossible for anyone to guess what she was thinking. Her expression made Hui Yue sigh as he understood that she did this when pressured.

  Wang Ju Long was feeling a range of emotions at this moment. Not only was Wang Ju Long pressured and holding down the rage in her heart, but she was also confused. See glanced at Hui Yue and saw him holding what looked to be a black fox with his arm. A fox that was clea
rly very content and comfortable laying on his arm. On top of the fox, there were also four Saints whom she had never seen before in their party.

  “Boss, congratulations on finding your wife!” One of the Saints called with laughter causing the others also start cheering as well. The words once more caused Wang Ju Long’s expressionless face to turn crimson quickly.

  She was so embarrassed at being called Hui Yue’s wife and her eyes were bashfully lowered. Hui Yue, on the other hand, was feeling such bliss that his mood could not even be destroyed by looking at the third prince.

  “Now, we only need Ma Kong and Sha Yun,” Hui Yue said while smiling. “Sha Yun should be with the group of mixed blooded experts somewhere within the grave. When I saw their group, they seemed relatively strong so I shouldn’t worry about her.”

  “Ma Kong is with his family. They have very strong experts, so he will be fine as well. I think the best thing to do now is to return to Muchuan City. When we are back, we can start dividing the spoils from our adventure.”

  Hearing this, the four Saints nodded. Although Hui Yue had gotten some things personally, that they would not request, things such as medicinal pills, armor, and weapons would be equally shared amongst them all.

  Leaving the grave was no difficult matter. Everyone understood that there was no more treasure to be found in this grave, and the many Saints who had followed after Hui Yue had long since given up trying to take his treasures.

  “Your highness!” Exiting the grave, Hui Yue instantly heard the calling of the royal guards the moment they saw the third prince. Looking at the group stationed outside, Hui Yue found that the king was not present. This was something which made Hui Yue’s heart clench, and as he looked at the third prince, Shiu Ye looked directly at him. Shiu Ye had a brilliant smile on his lips, and his eyes were dark like an endless well, making it hard to know what he was thinking.

  “Your highness, half of us will follow you back to Muchuen City while the rest will wait for the King’s return.” One of the guards said, and without waiting for a reply, the many experts split into two groups. One of which followed behind Hui Yue and the third prince.

  “To think that we get to travel with the Shield of the Taiyang Kingdom,” One of the guards mumbled to his friend.

  “These are experts from some important families in Muchuan City!” Another exclaimed as he looked at Zhu Jun, Ye Ling, and Luo Qiang.

  “Of course they will be there to support the third prince so that he could explore the grave without being in danger,” Another mumbled, but all their thoughts suddenly stopped as they noticed how these four experts stood right behind Hui Yue. These four experts were cautiously looking around and sometimes shared a few words with him; however, the respect they showed him made it seem as if he was their lord.

  Everything they saw made the guards shocked as they watched this white-haired young man. It took them some time to scour their memories before they paled and realized that the person in front of them was most likely the Grand Marshall of the Shenyuan Beast Army.

  These guards were now very confused now about what was going on. The Grand Marshall of the Shenyuan Beast Army was someone they needed to treat with respect. Although they needed to treat him with the respect, it was not the same as accepting him as their boss. Calling him boss meant that they were on his side. Did this mean that they no longer supported the Taiyang Kingdom? Why would they betray their kingdom?

  Thinking this sweat broke out on the experts’ faces as they feared that the Saints they had previously relied upon would suddenly be allied with the beasts. If another war were to break out, did that not mean that their pillars of support would suddenly attack them instead? How absurd was this? Yet, it seemed to be the case.

  It was not only the guards who thoughts this, but the third prince’s face which even though he was smiling, didn’t make him appear friendly right now. His eyes were hard and seemingly unhappy. At first, he thought that they called Hui Yue boss as a joke, but after having traveled through the grave he understood just how important Hui Yue was to these experts. Trying to reel them in was not a possibility, and he had to give up before even trying.

  Moving through their surroundings, Hui Yue noticed quite a few corpses. There were many bandits on route to Muchuan City, but none of these bandit groups were silly enough to attack a group like Hui Yue’s, one filled with royal guards and Saints. The bandits might be brave, but they were not stupid.

  Since it was like this, Hui Yue managed to reach Muchuan City with his friends quite quickly. They had only needed two days as they traveled with their fastest speed.

  Hui Yue had observed the third prince’s movements and had even gone as far as to invite him for a walk. However, the prince did not leave the sight of his guards for even a moment, and Hui Yue found that it was impossible for him to get the prince face to face without anyone else appearing with them. This made it impossible for him to get vengeance, and the small flame of hate within him was boiling with rage, screaming to be let out, yet Hui Yue forcefully subdued it. He knew he had to endure. Just as they reached the tall walls of Muchuan City Shiu Ye turned to Hui Yue and gave him a slight bow. “Thank you for allowing me to travel with you. If you ever have any problems then come visit me. The door will always be open for you.”

  Thanking the prince, Hui Yue bowed towards him then watched the prince and his guards slowly vanished towards the castle. Sighing deeply, Hui Yue gestured with his hand for the others to follow him and they soon made their way towards his mansion.

  As soon as he opened the door, he found that the mansion was as well maintained as it had been before. It did not take long before the entire mansion was aware that the owner had returned.

  Standing in the entrance hall, Hui Yue suddenly saw two blurs and moments after two children appeared in front of him. Though neither of them dared touch him; they even seemed too scared to look at him. Both were looking at the ground. Their heads were bowed, and they fidgeted with their hands, clearly unsure of what to do.

  Behind them, after some time came an elderly man wearing a gray robe. Hui Yue instantly recognized him as the teacher he had employed previously, and he gently nodded towards this elderly man before he got down so his head was at the same level as the two kids.

  “You cannot kick us out!” Lao suddenly said. “We worked hard! We have learned a lot of things. Please don’t kick us out!” He said, his voice hoarse and his eyes red. Behind him was Jo, her hands clenching a part of Lao’s clothes as silent tears were falling from her eyes.

  Seeing the fear in the children’s eyes, Hui Yue sighed before he placed Huli on the ground and dragged the two children into an embrace. At first, both of them were shocked and as stiff as a wooden plank, yet slowly they felt the warmth from Hui Yue. They soon started to cry out loud as all their worries vanished into thin air.

  “I took you in and gave you a family name. I will make sure you get the best teaching possible. I will give you everything you would need; food, clothes, and magical items alike. Why would you think that I would kick you out?” He asked gently as he pulled back only to look at the two teary-eyed kids.

  “But you suddenly vanished, and Master Jie said you might not come back ever again. We thought you had left because of us!” He brawled, and Hui Yue sighed deeply once more. It was true that he could have very well died in the grave, but for him to scare these children, he felt that was a little too much.

  “I had to go on an adventure,” He said patiently to the two children. “I will have to be away from time to time, but the two of you belong to my family. I will never leave you alone, and when you get strong enough you can join me on my adventures, but you need to be strong enough before you can do so.”

  His voice was firm, but the words he spoke were caring, and he knew that these kids had already gone through a lot. “Now all you need to think about is increasing your strength,” He said as he placed a hand on each of the children’s shoulders, but as he did so his eyes widened. “
Lao, you have already reached the rank of Grandmaster?!” He exclaimed shocked.

  One had to remember that Lao had never trained before Hui Yue brought him back to the mansion, yet while he had been away, the young boy had shown the most terrifying talent Hui Yue had ever seen. He finally started to understand exactly why Lan Feng was so excited about finding this young man.

  “Un,” The young boy nodded his head. “How strong do I need to be before I can join you on your adventures?” He asked. His eyes filled with longing and excitement causing Hui Yue to laugh.

  “Become strong enough to at least reach the rank of King.” He said before he took a step back.

  “Xiao Ning, Luo Qiang, Ye Ling, and Zhu Jun this is Hui Lao and Hui Jo, my two adopted children.”

  “Little Lao, Jo, greet your uncles,” He said smilingly, and the two children instantly bowed deeply. “Lao pays respect to revered uncles!” He called out, and Jo copied his words saying the same.

  Nodding in satisfaction, Hui Yue once more picked up Huli. He and Huli had no contract between one another. Though despite this she refused to move away from him for longer than a moment, and she preferred being carried in his arms like a small child. Hui Yue knew he owed the beast a lot, but he was also surprised as to why it had picked him over its old master. Deciding not to think more about it, Hui Yue dragged Wang Ju Long in front of the two kids as well. “This is your mother, whatever she says do. Always listen to her words, as they are as important as mine.” He finished and the words once more causing Wang Ju Long’s face to turn dark crimson with embarrassment.