When I woke up, Huang Tuo was healing Pian Feng, Liao Jian was sitting weakly on the floor and Xing Gui was still sleeping his his arms. Chao Ya stooped down on the floor, blood was flowing out from her mouth onto the floor, just like the snow melted into cold snow water. And Die Che fell onto the floor in a daze, her face had seemed to grow old for several hundreds years within one instant. Yue Shen had already leveled her moon blade at her neck.
The wall of sigh has collapsed into pieces, dust flying everywhere, and then gradually settled down.
Die Che kept shaking her head, saying. “It’s impossible. How can someone, who comes from the outside of Huan Xue Mountain, destroy the wall of sigh?”
Yue Shen put away the moonlight blade and said. “I don’t think we need to kill her anymore. She’s already dead.”
Before we left Po Tian Zhu Que Palace, Chao Ya told me. “My king, in fact within our music sorcery tribe, Die Che is the best goddess of beauty and kindness. My king, if you are proficient in tune or melody, you would have understand that for someone who can play such a beautiful music is definitely not a bad-hearted person.”
Yue Shen said, “That’s why I didn’t kill her. My king, actually she didn’t use the most powerful assassination spell, if not Liao Jian and Xing Gui would have been dead by now. When I actually fought with her that time, then I realized her skill isn’t anywhere lower than mine.”
I turned around, the temple has lost the pale blue sheen, I knew Die Che has already withdrawn her spiritual power, the entire palace has become a huge yet magnificent ruins. I could see many palace maids coming out and I knew Die Che was the one who asked them to leave. Because when we were about to pass through the wall of sigh, Die Che said, “Ka Suo, I can no longer guard this palace anymore because I have always thought my feelings were the greatest and most noble feelings in the world, so strong yet despairing. But I found another feeling that has the power to surpass mine, so there’s no point for me to guard this palace anymore. I guess I will make a trip to the mortal world, playing zither, singing songs, to make the mortals also remember my magical butterfly zither, just like how they remember Chao Ya mother’s wu yin qin.”
Then I saw her smile, the flowery and warm smile, that beautiful lady was no longer the arrogant and powerful South Guardian, but an ordinary woman, embracing her zither, playing a sad piece of music.
I bowed at her with my status as a king; I did not know what kind of person was she in the past, hurrying through the trajectory of her life and left, but that short span of time was her remembered after so many thousand years later. Die Che gave me a dream, she told me that dream has the appearance of that person; she has been having this dream every night, a dream that she has had for a thousand year. In that dream, there was a courtyard covered with cherry blossoms and snow, there’s wind blowing the cherry blossom flowers off from the ground like the falling snow, a man was standing in the middle of the snow, his smile was so gentle and bright, thick eyebrow, sparkling eyes. He walked up to Die Che, bent down smiling at her; his smile was as bright as the sun then the wind came, the cherry blossoms on the ground flew up in the air, and they turned into blood red in the midair, his hair and robe were flying up at the same time, creating the rustling sound. Then the image went still, everything disappeared slowly like fog.
My name is Die Che, born in the music sorcery tribe. My mother told me when I was born, Zhuo Yue Xing just rose to the highest point in the sky, those cold moonlight dispersed among the dark night sky, and finally falling into my eyes and became the crystal soul.
I have been a kid with strong spiritual power, my hair was longer than my older brothers and sisters, they doted on me a lot, always carried me on their shoulders. They would always call my name, Die Che, Die Che, Die Che.
My favourite brother’s name was Chi Mo, he was the youngest boy among our music sorcery tribe, and his hair was soft like silk. We grew up together.
My brother was just like me, a kid with strong spiritual power, he taught me all sort of magic, he taught me how to control the chords created by illusions, gentle-looking eyes and smiling lips.
When we were still children, Chi Mo would always bring me deep into the snow fog forest to see the huge birds whistling through the shadows of the forest, the desolated and broken cries pulled invisible scars across the pale blue sky. Brother would always look at those panicky birds and said to me, “Die Che, have you ever thought of flying up in the sky to have a good look at it? I want to know if there’s cherry blossoms above the cloud or are they occupied by the souls.”
Whenever Chi Mo said that to me, I would always see those sun dappled shadow of the trees falling into his crystal clear eyes. For many times I thought his eyes were black, like Corydalis ink so pure yet creepy black, embracing everything, enveloping everything. I always felt fearful, but everytime when Chi Mo smiled at me, that clean and beautiful smile was like those bright sunlight debris turned in crystal flowers blossoming on his face.
I always believed that my brother’s body would have the scent of flower blooming. Just like how I believed his clothes would have the essence of flower.
That moment of fragrance, but they could go on eternally.
Chi Mo was older than me by ten years, when I was 120 years old; my favourite brother was already 130 years old. In that particular morning, I was about to run out of the house to look for Chi Mo that time, I saw him standing in the middle of the snow, my adult brother. The moment he turned his head around, I could hear the sound of blooming cherry blossom flowers.
Chi Mo was standing in front of me, tall and straight, his long cloak was like a floating cloud sketching his long slender figure. Chi Mo was more handsome than my father and other brothers, his eyebrows were as straight as slanting blade flying into the hair on the temple, his eyes were bright like the stars in the sky, his face has the sharp profile as if crafted by the cold wind. He was facing me, corners of his mouth curled up, revealing his white teeth, I saw the bright smile of my brother.
Cherry blossoms were blooming presumptuously behind him.
He walked in front of me, bent over to face me and said. “Good morning, Die Che.”
Ten years later, I have become an adult as well, I stood in front of Chi Mo and smiled at him just like how he smiled at me ten years ago, Chi Mo squinted his eyes to look at me, his eyelashes were long and soft, he said, “Die Che, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Even more beautiful than my mother.”
Chi Mo’s mother was a concubine of my father; she had died a long time ago, and her death was because of some unknown reason that was being concealed, no one knew about it except my father and my mother.
Chi Mo grew up as a kid without a mother, but he has been quiet and kind, gentle and stood aloof from the world. He’s still the same even after he’s an adult. He would smile just because of a flower blossoming; he would also smile when he was looking up the sky. Every evening he would sit on the highest city wall in the palace to play his zither, countless of birds would hover above his head, feathers fell down and covered his eyes turning them into dove grey, and the shape of the clouds were just like intoxicated red flowers.
This was how he has been living for the past hundred years and everytime I would ask him, “Ge, aren’t you lonely?”
He looked at me and said, “I will never be lonely because I have Die Che.”
Chi Mo and I were the ones with the strongest spiritual power among the family, I was the pride of my father, but not Chi Mo, and my father did not like him. When I was still little, everytime my father saw me with Chi Mo, he would come over and pick me up and put me on his shoulders, walking away, leaving my brother behind. But Chi Mo was never upset, he would always stand behind me and watch me, everytime when I turned my head around, I would see his bright cherry blossom-liked smile, he would stand on the horizon line and watch me walk away.
Once I had asked my father the reason for not liking Chi Mo, it was my first time asking and also the last time. Because his warm expression turned cold suddenly just like ice. Then he stroked my hair and said, “Die Che, then day when I grow old, you will become the new king of the music sorcery tribe, you will stand at the centre of the grand hall and play for our noble king, your music will be heard throughout the entire Snow Empire. You are my pride.” And I looked up, I would always see my father’s god-liked face and he would stroke my long hair, smiling at me. His smile was as somber as dusk.
I have never blamed my father, but when I looked at my brother I would feel so sad so depressing. Because I adored my father, he was the greatest musician in the history of the music sorcery tribe. Chi Mo also worshipped him, and everytime if he were to mention father, his eyes would sparkle and his expression would look exceptionally respectful. But my father didn’t like like, I would always feel sad for Chi Mo.
My father was the imperial musician of the Snow Empire, and also the only man that was very well versed in music, in the past most of the kings of the music sorcery tribe were women, and their music was soft and gorgeous. But my father’s music was just like a gushing sun, like the roaring snowstorm, I have not heard my father’s performance when he first became the imperial musician. I only heard from my family, they told me on that day, the soul and spirits of my father’s music were wafting above the entire Snow Empire, all the birds from everywhere flew high up into the sky and their chirps lingered long over Ren Xue Cheng.
I am my father’s pride, everytime when he brought me to attend the various ceremonies in Ren Xue Cheng, he would carry me high above his head and told all the sorcerers, swordsmen and astrologers, “This is my daughter, the best musician from the family.” I leant down to my father’s head and I saw the smile on his face. A whistling wind blew across the grand hall, my hair and robe spread out in the air and I saw the faces of those around me, they were smiling at me but I would always think of Chi Mo’s face. I wanted to know whether those tiny petals have fallen onto his long eyelashes or not.
Everytime when I left the palace for Ren Xue Cheng, my brother, Chi Mo, would always stand at the gate to send me off, he would always lean down and tell me, “Die Che, I’ll wait for you to come back.”
When I left the palace, I would always turn back to look at my brother, watching his robe flew in the wind, seeing his soft smile was as if the starlight that was guarding the city gate, so blurry yet light. Around us, tiny snowflakes continued hitting the black city wall, just like a tragic yet gentle suicide.
And everytime when I came back, I would always see Chi Mo sitting on the highest city wall to wait for me, he would have his zither on his knees, his long slender fingers would start running across the chords creating melodious music. Those flying birds would always hover above his head, their feather came rustling down, I saw my quiet and impressive-looking brother, I always wanted to cry.
When Chi Mo and I grew up and left snow fog forest, we have never go back since then. Chi Mo has no longer bring me to the end of the woods to see those birds flying through the shadows of those tall trees. But occasionally we would stand at the highest wall of the palace, watching the other side of the ice sea.
My brother’s eyes would always feel the stinging pain from the wind, but he would insist not to close his eyes until they started tearing. I asked why didn’t he close his eye and he turned to reply me, “Why can those birds fly freely in the sky while I have to be so weak in the wind?”
I looked at my brother, not knowing how to answer him, but he smiled in a blink of eyes, he said, “Die Che, don’t need to think, some things do not have an answer to it.” With that, he smiled at me, the smile that filled with the scent of flower.
Chi Mo always asked me, “Die Che, do you know what is on the other side of Ice Sea?”
I told him father had once told me before, the fire tribe was living at the other side of the Ice Sea, it was the evil race.
Chi Mo always looked at the other side of Ice Sea for a long time and not saying a word, his back was against me, I couldn’t see his eyes, but I could imagine, his eyes were definitely filled with the shadows of the flying birds in the sky.
The wind at the sea was always strong, everytime my brother would ask me, “Die Che, are you cold?” Then he would walk over and untie his robe, enveloping me into his embrace, I could smell the scent of blooming flowers. I knew the spirits of the flowers have started to dance.”
Chi Mo was the only male musician that was of the same level as me, none of my other brothers had passed the musician test; it’s almost a fact that there barely has any male musician in the history of the music sorcery tribe, so the time when I saw Chi Mo wearing the musician’s beautiful black robe that has gold trimming, I felt so faintly blissful, so slow and vague yet very touching.
But I could still hear my father sighing behind my back, and when I turned around, I saw a drop of tear rolling down from the corner of my father’s eyes, this was the first time I saw my father cry.
My brother never liked to talk to people since he was a kid, he’s always stay in one place by himself, quiet and ordinary.
This was a sentence that he always said to me, “Die Che, do you want to leave with me?”
At that time I didn’t understand his meaning, then I asked him, “Leave? Chi Mo, do you mean we leave the palace of the music sorcery tribe?”
Chi mo looked at me, his eyes looked sad like a panic sunset, he came over and grabbed my shoulders, leaning down to look at me. “Die Che, I want to take you with me, we can go to the other side of Ice Sea, we can leave this place, will you come with me?”
I looked at Chi Mo’s face; the painful look on his face was like a deep scratch.
I said, “Ge, I will go to wherever you want me to go.”
Then Chi Mo rested his head on my shoulder, he didn’t cry out loud, but I could feel his tear flowing down my neck drop after drop, I didn’t know the tear of our tribal people could be so hot to the extent that it almost burnt me.
Chi Mo whispered to me, “Die Che, I don’t want you to go anywhere, you should live happily in the music sorcery palace and become the new king for the tribe. Don’t forget you are father’s most beloved daughter.”
The snowbird flew past hurriedly; crying came one after another, it was hoarse wound appearing one after another.
When I was 190 years old, my father has officially announced that I have become the next king of the music sorcery tribe. That day at the open palace, my father’s voice was exceptionally loud and his voice lingered around the palace for a long long time. I stood at the centre of the grand hall when the win from an unknown direction started blowing my hair, covering my eyes. I wanted to see Chi Mo’s smile, then I wouldn’t feel so flustered, but I could only see Chi Mo’s smile vaguely from the gap of my messy hair. I could only see his white teeth and straight brows, like a torn sunrise smile hiding behind the water vapour. But I still managed to calm down suddenly, because I smelled the scent of blooming flower around me.
At the end of the ceremony, I saw the king of the Snow Empire; he came to attend the ceremony. He was just like my father, tall and mighty, but he has an inviolable aura of divine glory around him. He walked and stopped before me, smiling. “Die Che, I know you are your father’s most beloved daughter, I give you this zither, give me your palm.”
When I held my palm our, I felt a sudden pain at the tips of all my ten fingers, then the pain disappeared in the moment. I looked up at the king and he smiled at me, saying. “Die Che, try your spiritual power.”
When I read the spell, I saw ten flashing green chords emitted from both of my hands, then it enveloped the entire grand hall in a moment. And when I plucked the chord gently, I heard a melody that I had never heard before.
The king sat on his high throne and smiled at me, saying. “From today onwards, this zither shall be named Huan Die Qin.”
Then the rest of my tribal people and I knelt down, I heard the worship and prayer my people have towards the king.
But when the king walked out of the hall, he stopped suddenly before my brother, Chi Mo. Chi Mo was kneeling on the ground with his head hanging low, not saying anything.
I saw the sudden change in the king’s expression; his eyes have countless of swirling snow, he turned around to look at my father. I saw the horror on my father’s face; an icy blue murderous aura could be seen on the king’s face, and I felt a heavy pressure smothered on my body. This was when I realized how insurmountable was the king’s power.
I heard my father’s hoarse voice, saying lowly. “My king, I know what to do.”
I watched the king left the hall; wind filled his phoenix robe, flying lightly like a heron’s wings. The time when he left the grand hall, my brother fell onto the palace ground suddenly, his eyes were closed, his hair scattered down his robe and glistening white blood kept gushing out from his mouth.
Father came over and carried him up, then left the hall. When he was at the door, he turned to me. “Die Che, from now onwards, you are the king of music sorcery tribe, you carries the fate of the entire tribe.”
After father left, everyone also left. I was the only one left at the centre of the hall, not knowing where should I go. I looked up at the high dome, tearing streaming down like rain.
From that day onwards, I have never seen my brother, Chi Mo, anymore.
From that day my brother left me onwards, I kept having the same endless dream, in the dream it’s full of Chi Mo’s smile, he was standing high up on the city wall in his white robe, imposing. He was waiting for me to come home, countless of flying birds gathered and dispersed in the sky just like those ever-changing clouds, feathers falling down, cherry blossom flowers blossoming, my brother’s robe flying in the wind. My brother was playing the zither, his fingers were dry yet agile, his music was broken and bright, like tearing sunrise. I always heard my brother talking to me, telling me his longing for a desperate, broken and selfless love. At the end of the dream, those dancing cherry blossom flowers turned red in a moment, fresh red like the sun melted in the water turning into the light and colour of an illusion. Then everything disappeared, my brother’s smile appeared and disappeared within the dissipating mist.
I always asked my father where did Chi Mo go, was he alright, why didn’t he come and see me.
My father would always stay silent; he would just point at the flying snowbirds in the sky and said. “Die Che, you see those birds, so carefree.”
Suddenly I remembered the past, Chi Mo brought me to the snow fog forest to see the shadows of the flying birds, watching the shadows of the trees fell into his eyes that turned into creepily black. But time flew past so quickly and a hundred over years had passed.
Thunders rumbled across the sky, just like the pounding drums resounded throughout the entire Snow Empire.
Chi Mo died at the age of 200 years old, that’s also then year when I became the king of my tribe at the age of 190.
I was the one who killed my brother, my beloved Chi Mo gege, the brother that has the scent of blooming flower, the brother that doted me the most, the brother who would say “As long as Die Che is around, I will not be lonely anymore.”.
One month after the disappearance of my brother, I had a dream, in the dream Chi Mo was locked underneath an altar, so dark and damp, he was being nailed on a wall, his head hanging low and his hair was covering his handsome face. I couldn’t see his face but I knew my brother must be very painful.
I went to look for my father, then my father told me about my brother’s stuff. My father’s narration was slow and illusory, just like a vague dream with clear feelings and when I woke up from the dream, I was already in tear.
My father told me Chi Mo’s mother was the woman that he loved the most; his mother has fire red pupil and flaming red long hair because she was from the Fire Tribe. The time when father married her, she possessed the face of a woman from the Ice Tribe, but when she was 200 years old that time, her hair and eyes turned fiery red all of a sudden.
Chi Mo’s mother gave birth to Chi Mo for the sake of my father, and the time when Chi Mo was born, she used the ice sword to cut open her stomach and countless of sparkling fire rolled down to the floor; Chi Mo appeared within the flame, looking so serene. Then the flames were put out gradually, Chi Mo’s hair and pupils changed back to the same colour as my father, but father knew the time when Chi Mo turned 200, he would revert back to the look of the Fire Tribe.
That day when the king walked past Chi Mo, he discovered that Chi Mo was the descendant of the Fire Tribe, so he instructed my father to make Chi Mo disappear, and to use the cruel punishment. So my brother was being nailed on the wall by five ice swords for fourteen days, and then letting him bleed to death slowly.
When I heard that, my tear couldn’t stop flowing down and I thought of my brother’s thin body.
I’ve finally got to see Chi Mo at the underground dark room underneath the altar; he was being nailed on the thick basalt walls with several ice swords, red blood was trickling down his pierced chest, spreading onto the icy floor. I saw his hair and pupils had become bright red like the flame.
I went to his feet and he leant forward to look at me, his hair was covering his face; he didn’t show any pain or resentment on his face, still so calm and grateful.
He said to me, “Die Che, you’ve already known everything right?”
I looked into his red eyes and nodded. “Yes, I know, xiao gege.”
He said, “Die Che, don’t be sad. I’ve never hated father but I liked you more. I’m already very lucky to be able to come to this world. Please take care of father and everyone in the tribe.”
The time when I went there, the third ice sword pierced through his chest, I could hear the sound of the bloody flesh, heavy like viscous magma gurgling down.
I saw his brows knitting tightly together and it made my heart hurt.
Chi Mo looked at me and said, “Die Che, don’t be sad. There’re still two more icicles. Then I will be able to sleep.”
“Gege, why must the king be so cruel to you? I don’t approve.” I said.
Then I walked over and summoned the sword, piercing it through his throat.
Chi Mo lowered his head; his hair covering my face and his tear fell onto my eyes. I heard his raspy voice in his throat and he said. “Die Che, why are you so silly? Why did you break the Code?”
I replied, “Ge, how can I see you suffer like this?”
Chi Mo’s blood streamed down the ice sword and then towards my robe, dying my entire music sorcery robe.
Because I went against the king’s punishment order by killing Chi Mo, the king was furious with me. When I looked into my father’s eyes, I could only see sorrow and pity, I walked over to hug him and wrinkles on his face spread like fast-growing vines.
He said, “What are you going to do?”
I said, “Father, I’ve prepared not to be the king of the music sorcery tribe anymore. I will leave this palace and find a place to retreat, spending the rest of my life there.”
My father didn’t say anything; I only heard the cry of the flying bird in the sky. I looked up and remembered those falling grey feathers and the eyes of Chi Mo, a flash of sadness, attractive and alluring.
The time when I was preparing to leave the palace, I met a lady at the bottom of the huge city wall. She told me her name was Yuan Ji and she asked me whether I was willing to see if my feelings towards Chi Mo could touch the heart of the wall of sigh. I turned around to see the palace of my tribe, feeling it was so insignificant like a crystal garden.
Yuan Ji said, “That’s right. It is a crystal garden.”
I turned away suddenly and asked her. “How did you know what I’m thinking about?”
Yuan Ji didn’t answer me. She said, “I know you are a musician with strong spiritual power, are you willing to take a look at the legendary wall of sigh?”
I lowered my head and thought about it. I’ve realized there’s nothing in Ren Xue Cheng that I couldn’t bear to part with and so I nodded.
The moment when I nodded, I saw countless of flowers blooming in the surrounding air, countless of flower spirits. That wasn’t an illusion because I saw Yuan Ji’s finger moving and the magic she used.
The time when I left Ren Xue Cheng, my mind has numerous pictures emerging out, I saw my brother standing in the middle of the snow smiling down at me; I saw the shadows of the flying birds in his eyes like the colour of the night sky, the disillusionment in his eyes; I saw Chi Mo standing at the city gate waiting for me to come back and his eyes sparkled like the stars in the sky, the colour of the flower spirits running around his robe; I saw my brother sitting on the highest city wall playing his zither waiting for me to come home with wind blowing his hair and his robe was always so clean and elegant; I saw my brother being nailed on the wall, his tear falling onto my face and also his blue robe, the big water stains on his robe were like blooming lotuses…
—
Thunder rumbled behind my back, it was so loud as if the entire city has collapsed.
I looked up and smelled the scent of flowers blooming everywhere. The spirits of the flowers.
Xiao gege, xiao gege, my beloved Chi Mo has finally disappeared before my eyes.
“Ge, please forgive me. I have to leave, leave this troubled palace, leave this illusion city that buried my happy times. Perhaps at the end of the sky, I would see your soul and that time, please smile at me, just like the bright smile that torn the sun, so that I could end my crying with a smile, and then let me hear you sing freely.”
—
Because Xing Gui has been sleeping, so we couldn’t hit the road to continue with our journey. Because ahead of us was the territory of the North Guardian, Xing Zhou’s territory; without Xing Gui, every step we took was an unpredictable purgatory.
Zong Tian Xuan Wu shrine was at the highest point of a snow mountain; we could still see it just by standing at the territory of the South Guardian, that white majestic palace was like the sharpest three spines sword stretching towards the pale blue sky, so strange yet gorgeous. During those few nights when Xing Gui was sleeping deeply, we could see the stars above Zong Tian shrine, they were changing their positions in accordance to a very strange trajectory. Occasionally the shrine would emit a dazzling white light and they would form a huge hexagram when the white lights shone onto the dark sky. It was like the mark on the middle of both Xing Jiu and Xing Gui’s eyebrows.
Xing Gui woke up suddenly three days after her coma, but she went back to sleep instantly, in the moment when she was awake, white blood kept gushing out from her mouth and she grabbed Huang Tuo’s robe with a painful expression, saying, “Bring me… back… to…. Po Tian… Shrine…” Then she slipped back to sleep, never woke up again.
Once we brought Xing Gui back to the ruined Po Tian Shrine, she began to wake up, still feeling weak like all her spiritual power was being drained. Huang Tuo kept her within the white enchantment, and then Xing Gui started to get better day by day.
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