Terms and Information for Chapter 1
Tai-yi: Is a medicinal healer that only served the royalty.
Regent - A person who is appointed to act as a head of state (ruling or not) because the rightful ruler is a minor, not present or debilitated. The Regent exists in this story because the current crown prince is not of age.
Ming Dynasty 1368-1644 A.D.
The Ming Dynasty was a great productive era; China was in a very stable economy. Armies and navies were well established, allowing China to venture out into the world to explore and liaison trade with the Europeans.
Tang Dynasty 618-907 A.D.
The Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous era for the Ancient Chinese empire; flouris.h.i.+ng culture in the form of Arts. It was a period of progress and stability.
Reincarnation
In Chinese belief, once a ‘normal’ person pa.s.ses away their soul goes towards the heavens and waits in line to have its memory erased. Some will be destined for reincarnation, but some, accordingly to their sins during their lifetime will be sent to h.e.l.l for punishment. It is believed, that the most purist beings such as priests and heroes would be offered a place in the heavens. Chinese emperors are believed to be G.o.dly beings which will rise to the sky upon death and reclaim their place in the heavens.
Sacrificial Death Burials in China it was customary to bury servants, concubines and empress when an emperor or king becomes deceased. In belief, that they shall serve him when his highness reaches the “place of heavenly” beings. Usually, they were hung and buried, or even buried alive. However, this tradition dissolved around the third century B.C.
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Feng Yu Jiu Tian
Chapter One.
Feng-ming died.
He never expected that his life would be so short.
Usually at 19 years old, one would prospect at building a life rather than having it end so prematurely. However, in his case he was fated to see a truck hurtling towards a small boy who crossed the road whilst completely oblivious to the incoming danger.
Without hesitation Feng-ming secured the child in his embrace.
The force of the truck’s impact immediately sent him up in the air, like an angel falling from grace. As the moment of his surreal air suspension pa.s.sed, all he could hear was the noise of pa.s.ser-bys running towards the pair.
At that moment, he knew he was dead.
Where do dead people go?
Once Feng-ming was separated from his physical body, he reached a void, a completely empty s.p.a.ce between the living and the dead world.
No-one could see or hear him scream. It was like he was trapped in a cold detached nightmare.
Alone and isolated, he’s morale dropped to the point of despair, but suddenly, his ears perked at what he thought was a noise.
“You should still be here? Am I right?” The voice was unfamiliar, Feng-ming couldn’t a.s.sociate it with anyone he might have known when he was alive, but this voice was clearly addressing him.
“Me?” Feng-ming answered a bit frightened. “Are you talking to me? Who are you? Are you G.o.d? Or are you also a ghost?”
The voice chuckled: “No, I’m not G.o.d nor am I a ghost. I’m standing at the door of the void.”
Feng-ming’s wisped his head around to check; out towards the far distance of his emptiness, he spotted a middle-aged man and in that man’s arms was the young boy he had risked his life to save.
The mysterious man’s mouth ever so slightly, “I’m actually a
Sorcerer, I possess supernatural abilities. To repay your kindness of saving my child’s life, I can help you gain a life again.”
“Are you for real?” Feng-ming was genuinely surprised.
“Yes.” The man nodded. “Today’s alignment between this world and another’s perfect, allowing me to open a time-s.p.a.ce portal from our world. I will find you another recently deceased body, which you can a.s.sume its ident.i.ty. Of course, I will select a corpse that is in much better condition than your own after the accident.”
“So are you saying, I have no other choice but to enter a different time and s.p.a.ce?”
“That’s correct. This is a rare opportunity. You are very fortunate to have made my acquaintance; I am your only hope in casting this portal to a different realm, where you will be able to live once more. If you were to linger in this void more than 12 hours, your soul will slowly dissipate and cease to exist.”
“Then my luck is pretty good today, I thought all dead people are reincarnated.”
“My offer only stands as you’ve fortunately died whilst rescuing my child, on a day coinciding with a rare stability between our world and another. Have you decided?”
“What is there to even think over?”
“Well then, we’ll commence.”
“Wait!”
“You have something you want to ask me?”
“If you have to find a corpse, can’t I at least make a choice?”
“What is your request?”
Feng-ming shot the middle-aged man an exasperated look.
“Of course, I’d at least want to be in the place of a good person, it would be awesome if it was a young-master.”
He paused.
“Please, don’t put my soul into a woman’s body! If I could be handsome, I’d appreciate it and I no one shorter than five feet tall would be great.”
The man let out a sigh. “I’ll try my best.”
“What do you mean by ‘try’?!”
“There are some things you can never get.”
Suddenly the man’s expression distorted in annoyance, “s.h.i.+t! The time-s.p.a.ce portal is starting to open, I need to start …”
An abrupt flash of lightning crashed into the void, blinding Feng-ming.
An onslaught of roaring wind within the darkness deafened his ears, his whole existence was enveloped by this paranormal force.
Powerless to resist the strange energy, Feng-ming’s soul was consumed within the next rush of hollowing wind, which proceeded to accelerate to a storm.
“AAAA-ARGH! AH! ARGHHH…!!!” Feng-ming’s screams were m.u.f.fled as he was taken up into the eye of the portal.
His soul was ripped apart.
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The Kingdom of Xi-re, the Residence of the Royal Palace
Within the grandest hall in the Prince’s quarters, the royal servant ladies were all looking ghastly pale.
Something was wrong with the Prince.
A rush of Imperial Tai-yi came and went; their expressions appearing grim with the next and eventually all their eyes echoed helplessness.
Everyone was un-eased; their hands trembled with each action.
The Prince was dead, and everyone who has served him will be buried along side his highness.
“Prince!”
Wept the servants and guards.
“Oh, Your highness, our Prince!!”
Mournful cries perforated into the tension filled air in the Prince’s quarters.
Everyone’s heart was suspended in despair.
“Quickly! Go inform the Regent King, that his Royal Highness…Royal Highness is…”
The teeth of the old chief Tai-yi chattered nervously, as he called for messengers to relay the devastating news, which by now had spread like wildfire.
A line of Imperial Tai-yi’s had formed outside the bed chamber, after failing to revive their Crowned Prince.
Each man’s expression was more sorrowful than the next, their heads downcast antic.i.p.ating the horrific punishment to be enforced upon the servants, once the Regent King unleashes his displeasure for their incompetence.
The likely cost would be their heads.
Everyone was at the mercy of the Regent King.
Being buried alive, everyone here was to be buried alive.
People all around were disheartened.
Several servant girls were so shocked from their impending fate to the point of fainting in the corridors.
The Palace was thrown into a complete havoc!
Then suddenly, an ecstatic voice exclaimed:
“The Prince…the Prince looks like he is waking up! Imperial Tai-yi! Tai-yi!”
The Chief Imperial Healer scuttled into the Royal patient’s room, a small entourage of court officials, high ranked officers and the servants flooded in.
All were in deep concern and disbelief of the sudden miracle. The wise Tai-yi proceeded to check the Prince’s vitals. Upon seeing his expression relax, a beacon of hope was lit, and the forlorn faces of the Prince’s subjects quickly eased.
Not long after, one of the Prince’s personal guards rushed out in joy, bellowing on top of his lungs to announce:
“The Prince is finally awake! The Prince is awake!!”
To herald the good news, everyone in ear-shot cheered for joy celebrating that their Prince did not perish by a final slumber.
Feng-ming grimaced, his lips down-turned to the piercing headache that greeted his awakening.
Voices were bombarding him.
His eyes were heavy, and barely able to open.
“Prince?”
“ Prince?”” Queried concerned numerous voices.
Where did I end up?
Many people around him persistently called out to him as if urging him to return to them, as soon as his eyes fluttered open he was met with the alarmed gaze of an elderly old man.
Behind, the greyed hair man was a couple of pretty maidens hovering over the man’s shoulders.
What’s with these periodic looking costumes?
As his eyes slowly adjusted to the new-found lights and sights, he was no longer shy to look around him.
He pursed his lips in discomfort, readying himself to ask:
“Where is this place?”
Everyone around gasped, completely sh.e.l.l-shocked.
Their eyes met in a certain communal fear, before an answer was issued to their Highness.
“Your royal highness?” The old man asked cautiously. “What are you asking?”
Feng-ming blinked his eyes, and quickly re-surveyed his surroundings.
Oh yes! That’s right!
Feng-ming reminded himself that he has entered someone else’s body. According to that man it should be a dead person’s body. If he wasn’t told this earlier and woke up to such a scene, he’d probably think he was insane.
“I said…” Feng-ming turned his head around, a little apprehensive.
“Am I a Prince? A Prince of which country?”
Is this the Tang dynasty or the Ming dynasty? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter considering being a Prince sure beats being a civilian, actually this might turn out pretty cool.
“Of the Xi-re Kingdom, your highness.”
Xi-re? What is that?
Feng-ming frowned but nodded and started to nonchalantly play along, pretending as if he understood.
“Oh, Xi-re, Of course, I know.”
He closed his eyes for a moment to collect his thoughts, he felt a slight disturbance by a presence along side his bedside. Three young ladies had humbly kneeled next to his side, onlooking the Prince as he rested.
When Feng-ming pa.s.sed through the portal, it left him with excruciating aches and strain on his mind.
The newly founded Prince dismissed his subjects so he could rest in peace. The only people left in his bedchamber were his close personal servants girls ordered to watch over him.
For while after the small gathering had disbanded, Feng-ming remained restless.
He tried to sleep again but struggled.
Growing tired of the effort, his eyes flashed opened. He beckoned the closest maiden.