Blue Phoenix

He rose early the following day, and the rays of sunlight shone in through the open window to Hui Yue’s room. As soon as the sunshine appeared, the young man stopped his training and stood up stretching his stiff body after sitting still for the entire night. He had a full schedule to follow today, but no matter what it was impossible for him to get rid of the feeling of being watched. He felt this presence ever since the previous day, and he could not help but wonder whether it was just his paranoia, or if the prince had sent an expert, stronger than both Hui Yue and Lan Feng to keep an eye on them. Such an expert would not be easy to locate, but if anyone within the Taiyang Kingdom could produce such an outstanding individual, it would indeed be the third prince.

‘You can do nothing about it,’ Lan Feng said with a sigh. ‘All you can do is being extra careful when you talk with your friends and when going to the Black Lion.’ The bird also felt as if he was being watched, but this could be due to the two’s shared emotions. It could just be that Lan Feng was just feeling impression from Hui Yue’s mind.

Closing his eyes as he stretched a little more and thought about this sneaky observer, Hui Yue came to the conclusion that Lan Feng was right, and as of now nothing could be done but to mind one’s words. Moving through the mansion, the presence did not vanish; instead, the further away from his room he was the more it increased. Now he was almost certain someone was watching over him.

While Hui Yue walked through the rooms, he looked around, and suddenly it hit him that he had not seen Sha Yun around recently. Sha Yun used to hang all over him. Either clinging to his arm or coiling her tail around him, never letting him move on his own, but oddly, after having returned from being away for a couple of years Sha Yun’s personality seemed to have changed completely. She no longer did everything in her power to follow him around. She was not in need of always having him within sight, nor did she try to force herself onto him. Thinking about it maybe she was intentionally avoiding him. Hui Yue was uncertain why she was acting this way though. “Perhaps she got hurt when I greeted Wang Ju Long,” He mused to himself, but he knew that although he had never expressed his emotions so clearly before, Sha Yun had never been unaware of whom he truly loved. Despite this, she kept fighting for her chance to be with him. Now though, she had seemingly given up.

Not only was she hiding from Hui Yue, she was never really at home either. Looking at the room belonging to Sha Yun, he found that he did not even know why she was not home. She had told him nothing. She just vanishes from his sight, and the young man had been alone for so long that he had not really thought about why he hadn’t seen her. He had not thought about her odd behavior before this morning.

“I better try and speak with her next time I see her,” He mumbled to himself with a furrowed brow. “I feel bad for not loving her, but I can’t really change my emotions,” He continued but although he knew it was not possible, deep within his heart was aching. Especially because he knew exactly how hard it was to live with unrequited love. He had experienced it for himself.

“I will try speaking with her then if she wishes to be left alone, I’ll give her some space.” He said to himself and nodded his head. Although he was not in love with Sha Yun, he truly valued her friendship. If she needed some time alone to get past him, then he would step back, but he still wanted to hear it from her own lips. He was worried about what was preoccupying her time.

Reaching the kitchen, Hui Yue got a portion of congee from the chef before he moved towards the dining hall where he sat down and started eating his breakfast. Usually, he did not eat breakfast but this morning he felt that he would probably need extra energy. He would need the energy to speak with Wang Ju Long, Deng Wu, Gao Yan, and not be too troubled by the feeling of being watched. He took a long time eating breakfast, and as he was eating Deng Wu soon joined him in the dining hall. When he entered, he also got some congee and a smile played on his face when he saw Hui Yue.

“Now here is a face I don’t see here often,” He said laughing as he sat down. “I have looked into the techniques we discussed last time, and I have to admit that to be able to do that, leaves me truly astonished. A cultivator would have to split their mind multiple times. They would have to shatter their own soul and place a tiny speck of it in each corpse.” He continued, his eyes filled with astonishment and reverence. Hui Yue could not help but feel grateful that the older friend of his did not name any names. Although Gao Yan did not know An He, it was a completely different story whether or not the third prince knew about him.

“That sounds good.” Hui Yue started as he nodded his head. “Keep looking into it, I am certain that it will be beneficial for you as well,” He said and Deng Wu’s face turned serious as he too nodded. “It has already helped me in the way I control soul shadows. I can currently split my mind three ways, but to do more than that I need a higher rank. I am completely incapable of shattering my soul. To shatter my soul, I would need at least the strength of a Saint.” Deng Wu’s eyes were gleaming with excitement as he spoke about the techniques he had been examining.

Hui Yue still felt as though he was being observed, but he hoped that whoever it was needed to stay at a specific distance and therefore they would be incapable of hearing the words spoken. If word got back to the third prince and he understood what and why Deng Wu was experimenting on, then it was quite likely that the two surviving scions of the Deng and the Wang families would suddenly be listed as traitors, and the prince, himself, would want them dead. He had already crossed the two cultivators, but to see them gain considerable strength was something he would never allow.

Eating his congee, the young man was quiet for some time. He was wondering what he should say or do, and finally after finishing the food, he decided to speak with Deng Wu about what was weighing heavily on his mind.

“I went to visit the third prince yesterday,” He said quietly, so quiet that although Deng Wu’s eyes widened, the older man did nothing out of the norm. “How did it go?” He asked instead, his voice stifled with emotion. His eyes turned slightly red, but he stayed seated still and took a deep breath to calm himself. He guessed that something was out of the ordinary.

“I had a long talk with him about our lives. About what adventurers we both had experienced, and about what it is like to be a prince of a country. He spoke about how he had no other options than follow the law and abide by its rules. Therefore he was forced to take the actions he did against yours and Wang Ju Long’s families. It was unavoidable as traitors are to be killed is what he said.” Hui Yue said quietly. His words were said with a low voice and serious eyes. Deng Wu understood from the behavior of his younger friend that something was off, so instead of speaking what he would have liked to say, he was quiet instead waiting for Hui Yue to continue.

“I have been invited to go visit his highness once more,” Hui Yue continued. “I might go to hear some more about the laws of this country and hear about his worrisome task of ordering the beheadings of the many people who were not part of the rebellion at all.” Hui Yue continued. He said the words calmly, but he was using a very low voice hoping that what he thought he was sensing was nothing but his paranoia.

“That reminds me, do you know what Sha Yun is doing?” He asked after a long pause. This time, his voice was back to its normal level. This change caused Deng Wu to look at him with a crooked eyebrow, “No.” He said. “I do not know where she is. I thought that you would know though. She used to cling onto you like a piece of clothing, draping herself on you whenever she got the chance,” He said thoughtfully before he frowned. “Do you think something is wrong with her?” He asked worriedly. Sha Yun was one of his best friends. The two had traveled together for many years, and although he was not as important to her as Hui Yue, he still considered her his martial sister someone who he trusted one hundred percent.

“I don’t know,” Hui Yue sighed once again. “I will look after her and try to speak with her next the time I see her, but I have no clue what she is doing.” He said with a shrug. “I am sure that if she had real problems she would come to us though,” He continued. “She knows that although I do not love her like I love Wang Ju Long, I still care greatly about her. I would never let anything happen to her. I am sure she knows that.” Hui Yue said with a sigh, and Deng Wu nodded.

“About you and Wang Ju Long,” He asked mischievously. “When are you going to take the next step? Her emotions are quite clear after her reaction from when you returned,” A grin spread on his face. This was something Hui Yue had not seen for a long while, and the young friend felt a smile creep onto his own face while he looked at Deng Wu. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I want too, but I don’t really think that she is ready,” He sighed. “She is still doing everything possible to avoid me. She lives in this house, but the times I have seen her can be counted on one hand, and whenever she sees me, she rushes away as if I were Yanluo himself.” Hui Yue sighed deeply, and a comfortable silence descended upon them. After waiting for some time, Hui Yue tapped the table with his thumb, and a smile once more appeared on his lips. “How is it going with you and Rong Xing?” He asked smugly. “You cannot say that I’m slow if nothing has happened between the two of you yet,” He grinned, and his friend threw his arms into the air as he shook his head. “That woman is more stubborn than a tree! She refuses my advances, and she keeps telling me that she has no time for anything other than her studies.” He sighed. Both men looked at one another and started to laugh out loud. Neither of them had any success with their love life, but both would keep fighting for the women of their dreams. “Life is never as simple as we wish it to be,” Hui Yue sighed, and Deng Wu could not help but smile knowingly as he nodded his head. Both men leaned back in their chairs, and once more a comfortable silence enveloped the two.