LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

Oh, Brat! You"ll know how wrong you are only after you have children on your own! How I wish I could see you then! But I cannot...

"Hey brat, one another thing... You are forbidden to attend my funeral", he said bending forward and placing his hand on her head.

Xing who had tried not to cry in front of him could not hold her tears anymore and her lips trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks like summer shower on a flower petal, "Why? Oldman? You think I"m...", she even started sobbing.

"Brat", he stopped her from talking, "Just remember me like this... This big Oldman who always likes you and your tea... The Oldman who"d treat you like his personal tea maid... The Great General who you admire, the one you saw in that battle who obliterated his enemies with his broadsword... Not some lifeless corpse inside a coffin... Okay? Can you do me this favour? ", he asked and Xing could see his sharp eyes focusing on her were red glistening with tears.

" Oldman... ", Xing didn"t know what to say. The proud Oldman she ways knew is pleading with her. The one who didn"t even let his emotions falter when his family was in great danger is now looking at her for answers.

She hugged his legs again and cried out loud. She knew this Oldman would leave her but why is this hurting this much even when he is here? And what"s with his unholy request?

She knew it would be all kinda of wrong if as a Huang daughter and as the Empress, if she didn"t attend the funeral of the Great General of the Wind Kingdom. One of the valient warriors the empire has ever seen. Selfish Oldman! So what if I see his lifeless body? What pride is he going to lose after he dies?

"Stupid Oldman.... Selfish Oldman...", she cursed in between her sobs.

Lord Zhong kissed her head and she pushed him away, "Get away, you selfish, cunning Oldman!", she shouted.

Lord Zhong just calmly patted her head until she calmed down.

"This is better", he thought. He remembered how Shengli mentioned that she is not good with deaths and how she almost drowned when her mother died. Although he is not comparable to her mother, Lord Zhong knew she"d be deeply saddened by his departure and with everything on her mind lately he didn"t want to add more worries for her.

Xing who was crying realised why he said this too. Surely she"ll be saddened hearing the news of his death but seeing him lying motionless.... She remembered seeing her mother"s motionless, cold body and a chill ran through her spine... She definitely cannot go through that again...

In the end who is the one who is selfish? Xing mocked herself.

"I agree", she said, "But...", she didn"t know what to say more, "Die at least a week after",she wiped her face in Lord Zhong"s robes as if it was a natural thing to do.

"Why? ", Lord Zhong asked as if what she said made sense, as if anyone can decide when to die.

"Come on, Oldman! Your son just got married. And if you die now, won"t he have to mourn for his father for three months and they cannot consummate their marriage at that time? How much of a blockhead are you?", she hit him in the leg.

Lord Zhong didn"t know whether to laugh or cry with this adorable brat acting like a fool in front of him.

" You know what, don"t die this month either,... I know the war with the tribals will start this month. If you die now, a month of mourning will be announced in the Kingdom and we cannot go to war in that time. So die after the war ends", tears were still streaming down from her eyes and she wiped it in her sleeves. In no way did she looked like that elegant Empress he saw standing beside the Empress in the day of the Coronation.

Lord Zhong pulled out his handkerchief and gave it to her, " The tribals.... Will they act this soon?", he asked. There were no indication of their troops gathering till now. So how is she sure of it?

"The smugglers smuggling food products from the Earth Kingdom have reduced while no efforts were made to stop them by us. The Quingze river dried up suddenly and our food product yeild have greatly reduced this year. The tribals are blocking our sources for food, even from the smugglers and the G.o.ds are on their side helping them. If they lay siege with the help of our neighbouring countries, our entire kingdom possibly will die of food and water shortage unless we defeat them and find new food resources",Xing told what she had gathered from reading the memorials these days.

"It"ll be fine!", Lord Zhong spoke after a long silence. She is not wrong. "There will be always a way!". It felt like he was convincing himself rather than a.s.suring her.

"Oldman! Should we avoid this war and give in to the tribes demand?", she asked.

"What are you blabbering, brat?... Of course not! We should fight for our lands with the last breath we have and spilling the last drop of our blood... Giving in to their demands...? Never... Not even in your dreams!", Lord Zhong suddenly became so energetic as expected by Xing.

" The court... "

" Those bunch of gritless recreants can go back to their mother"s womb to be safe! We cannot give a single foot of our land to others", Lord Zhong phrased his words with thoughts not to speak uncouthly in front of a younger one.

Xing laughed seeing the Oldman in high spirits. As expected, once a soldier, always a soldier.

"I"ll win this war for you, Oldman!", she promised him. He may not be able to partic.i.p.ate in the war but she knew his soul won"t rest easy if they casually give those lands he had fought decades to protect, back to the tribals. She knew the civil officials will lean on the side of diplomacy and will push to give those lands back to the tribals without a fight.

That won"t be good! With the new emperor being enthroned and if the first order of business he does is give away the lands under him just like that, it would be a greater blow to their reputation as it would be a show of cowardice.

Xing stayed in the Zhong Manor for some more time with Lady Zhong and Seiren and then left for the palace. Lord Zhong reminded her once more in front of his family not to attend his funeral so as to make his wish known to his family and also that no one would blame her in the future.

__________

Three days after the wedding, in the study filled with various collections of tea sets, a st.u.r.dy Oldman with a lantern by his side as he tried to clear out his speculations that raised due to his curiosity. Lord Zhong who was checking the genealogy records of his family found an interesting thing. He was surprised to know that Xing had blood ties to the Zhong family and so he had pulled the records of her mother"s family using his influence and he"s been checking it in the past days.

"Could his be what I think it is? It will change everything we know", he murmured and decided to write it to the one he addresses as "Brat". She"ll figure it out! But if my speculation is right....

Oh! How wrong was I about her!

As he finished writing and sealed the letter, the lantern light flickered and Lord Zhong gripped his sword tight, "Who"s there?" he asked but he could not see anyone and he unsheathed his sword.

The entire study fell into an eerie silence and everything darkened out as if a spell was put around the study.

"Come on out", he bellowed, fearless as the warrior he is.

*Whooosh*

A gust of wind blew and closed all the windows and doors in the study and Lord Zhong felt someone standing behind him in the dimlit room..

He turned to see a man fully covered in crimson clothing exuding the aura of an imposing predator. Even though he was slightly shorter than him, his domineering aura made Lord Zhong want to kneel in front of him.

" Who are you?", Lord Zhong asked. For some reason, his sword felt incredibly heavy for him to lift and he dropped it to the ground. This is the first time he had dropped his sword and that too even before the fight started. He felt really weak in front of this crimson clothed man.

" Are you that brat"s Master Yuan... ? You are, aren"t you? ", Lord Zhong asked but that man didn"t answer and went to the table and got that sealed letter.

So he is the one that brat calls Master Yuan!

"She cannot know about this now...", Master Yuan"s voice, cold and arrogant echoed in the room spreading a chill inside the study as he burnt the letter. The tea sets inside made a clattering notice as the man spoke as if there was an earthquake.

So my speculations are right!

"Can I see your face?", Lord Zhong asked.

The man looked at Lord Zhong and the burning letter brightened his face. Lord Zhong looked at the mask over that man"s face and stumbled back a bit, "No way! There is no way!" he could feel his throat tighten by the pressure emitted from that man and his eyes widened with disbelief as the beautiful lips of Master Yuan curved to a smile.

"I"ll show you my face if you promise to die today. I know she loves you a lot and for her I"m giving you a choice", he spoke and with every syllable he spoke, Lord Zhong felt like his heart race.

What a majestic aura!

Lord Zhong thought for a moment, he is a dead man walking anyway, might as well see that man"s face. Who else would have this privilege?

"I agree, with reverence! ",Lord Zhong said.

Master Yuan asked Lord Zhong to come close to him and he then removed the mask.

"HA... Ha... Ha... How magnificent! How marvellous!", Lord Zhong laughed in joy.

"You really are..."

Before he finished, Master Yuan stuffed a pill inside Lord Zhong"s mouth and he almost choked.

Immediately after consuming the pill Lord Zhong felt his eyes dimming and his heart began to beat faster and he went and sat in his chair behind the table.

" You Zhongs did well in doing what we asked of you... Our debts are payed by her when she saved your family", Master Yuan spoke in the same imposing tone but there was a slight grat.i.tude in his voice as he patted Lord Zhong"s back.

"Of.... Course... It is our... pleasure serving, your..." before he finished Lord Zhong lost his strength and his head dropped towards the table.

Master Yuan held Lord Zhong"s head before it hit the table and placed it gently on the table.

"Rest well! Zhong Yingjie, be free of all worries of this world!", he muttered as Lord Zhong breathed his last breath with a smile in his face.

And so the greatest warrior and the man who protected the Southern Borders of the Wind kingdom for years died on his own accord at the hands of the mysterious man who held many secrets of his own.