by Jeremy Bai
Li Runfa shook his head. “We would be even less sure of who may or may not be an agent of the Demon Emperor. If you leave, it must be in secret, and so must your destination.”
Wang Tian looked down at the map and frowned. “The Dai Bien Forest? Apparently the Timeless Master worked out a deal with Hua Pi the Skin Dancer.”
Li Runfa shook his head again. “Hua Pi doesn’t control the entire Dai Bien Forest, only parts of it. The entire area is far too unstable. Besides, the man’s a maniac.”
“What about the lands of the Hechi?” Sunan said.
“The goat people are peaceful,” Li Runfa said, “that much is true.”
“It’s the journey I would worry most about,” Wang Tian said. “To get there, you would have to take a ship from either Yu Zhing or Qi Fao. Qi Fao is too far to the north, and Yu Zhing is essentially the seat of the empire.”
Another long silence filled the chamber.
Finally, Bao said, “What about Naqan? My Uncle Gongye is there, and it’s about as far from the Demon Emperor as you can get.”
Naqan was definitely the farthest point from the empire in terms of civilized lands. It was so far away that it wasn’t even mentioned on Wang Tian’s map.
As the moments ticked by, everyone turned to look at Li Runfa. Finally, he shrugged. “Naqan would be a good choice. But the journey would be an arduous one. It would be hard to calculate directly, but I would guess at least three months. Maybe four.”
“That’s a long trip,” Sunan said, frowning.
“What about Nangu?” Li Runfa suggested. “It’s well beyond the borders of the empire but closer than Naqan. The journey would be much shorter. Perhaps a month?”
Bao thought about it for a moment, and then nodded.
Of course, a decision like that couldn’t be made so quickly. The discussion went on late into the night and continued the following day. Eventually, a plan was finalized. Preparations were made, and a week later, the plan was carried out.
An official announcement was made in the sect that Sunan and Bao had both received enlightenment in a dream and were traveling to the lands of the Hechi to search for an ancient scripture. They set out accompanied by Wang Tian and a select group of the Eyes of the Phoenix, as well as Mao Yun and a few of the most loyal and old-time members of the sect.
However, once they reached the bottom of Zun Shan, the group split up. Wang Tian and his Eyes of the Phoenix headed west into the Jian Shu Forest and the Southern Fei River. But Sunan, Bao, Mao Yun, and their handful of companions headed south, their true destination, of course, being Nangu. They also changed out of their Dragon-Phoenix Sect garb, donning nondescript travel clothing.
They went through Heiping Valley, giving the inn where they had fought the Bone General a wide berth. They wanted to make sure their passage south was witnessed by as few eyes as possible, or perhaps none. Before long, they were in Zhe Valley.
The journey was relatively uneventful. On a few occasions, they ran into bandits or wild animals, but considering the level of their martial arts, such encounters posed little threat. Crossing the mountains into Zhe Valley took longer than expected, but after that, travel went smoothly as they followed the Zhe River directly south.
Upon reaching the southernmost reaches of Zhe Valley, the other members of the sect headed north, with Bao and Sunan continuing south via boat down the Zhe River, with only Mao Yun as their escort.
The first thing they noticed upon entering the Nangu Region was the humidity. All three of them had traveled through the jungles and swamps of the Banyan Region, but Nangu was even more lush with vegetation, and hotter. Oftentimes it was difficult to see from one bank of the river to the other because of the mists that floated about.
They quickly found that the Nangu Region was a dangerous place. All sorts of strange creatures and animals were lurking about.
At one point when passing a lagoon, Sunan pointed at a flock of pink birds. “Are those flamingos?” he asked in awe.
Bao looked over. “Indeed. Now you see where Ruan got his name.”
They all chuckled.
Eventually they abandoned any attempts to make camp on the riverbank at night. They headed down the river as quickly as possible to a city located at the mouth of the river, where it flowed out into the Yao Yun Sea. From there, they booked passage on a ship that was heading west to a smaller city that they hoped to make their final destination.
The Nangu Region was inhabited by a race of people who called themselves the Kithiri, and they worshipped the wind god, Gushan. For the most part, they looked just like the people to the north, except that they had skin the color of bronze and spoke many strange languages and dialects, most of which were grouped under the general classification of the Singh language.
“I studied a bit of Classical Singh as a child,” Bao said, “but have forgotten most of it.”
Although Bao, Sunan, and Mao Yun stuck out a bit, the Kithiri were used to travelers and didn’t pay them much heed.
After many days of travel along the southern coast of the continent, they reached their final destination, the city of Sunharee Machalee, which in the Classical Singh language that the locals spoke meant “golden fish.” It was built on the shores of a bay of the same name, and though it was a small city by the standards of the empire, it was large for Nangu.
They spent a bit of time in the city, where they found a guide named Vihaan, who spoke the Daoyun language they were used to using. With Vihaan’s help, they learned a bit more about the local culture, and then, considering how cheap things were here compared to the empire, they spent a bit of money to purchase some land south of the city. They had brought an entire case of gold taels with them, ensuring that money would not be a problem during their time away from the empire, at least not for many years to come.
Over the course of the following week, Mao Yun and Sunan built a small cabin there overlooking the bay. Behind the cabin, they tilled a bit of land, where they planted some grains and vegetables. They also bought a few pigs and chickens, some fishing equipment, including a small boat, as well as various household items like a stove, quilts and blankets, and other things.
When the work was done, Bao and Sunan looked at their new home, and they were happy.
For Bao, there was something fresh and romantic to it all. She had been raised in the finery of a noble clan, in one of the most advanced and richest cities in the world. To her, a little cabin overlooking a bay, with a vegetable garden in the back and a rooster to wake them up in the morning, was like something from a story.
For Sunan, it reminded him of home. As he stood there, his arm wrapped around Bao’s shoulder, he thought of his own childhood and the countless times he’d collected eggs from the chickens in the mornings or wrestled with the pigs on cool spring evenings. Bao couldn’t tell because she wasn’t looking at his face, but tears had actually welled up in his eyes.
Mao Yun left the next day.
“I’ll be back in six months,” he said. “You’ll need help when the baby comes.”
Bao blushed. “I’m sure the Kithiri midwives will be fine, Mao Yun. You don’t need to come all the way back to—”
“You can’t stop me!” he interrupted with a grin. “Take care, you two.”
With that, he headed back north to the Banyan.
For years, Bao and Sunan had been up to their necks in either danger, intrigue, mystery, or martial arts.
But now, things were different. The pace of life slowed down, and everything was simple. They would wake with the sun to tend to the garden and the animals, and then go fishing in the afternoon. In the evenings, they would sit in front of the cabin and drink the local spiced tea as they watched the sun set over the waters of the Bay of Sunharee Machalee.
They made a few friends in the city, including a local fisherman named Lawat, who it turned out had a bit of a talent for qi cultivation, which was a rarity this far south. Lawat agreed to teach them Classical Singh in exchange for some less
ons about qi manipulation.
Soon, Bao’s belly began to swell, but that didn’t stop her from helping with the daily tasks of life.
Time began to speed by.
In their third month in Nangu, they asked Lawat to take them to the best midwife in the city. She was a kindly woman, typical of the Kithiri, albeit somewhat plumper than the average citizen. She felt Bao’s pulse at her wrist, rubbed her belly, and finally did a few other tests. For the most part, the methods used by Kithiri midwives seemed similar to those used in the north.
When she was finished, the midwife said something in Classical Singh that neither Bao nor Sunan could understand. “Aap judava bachon ko janam denge.”
Bao responded in her own heavily accented Classical Singh. “No understand?”
The midwife smiled. Pointing at Bao’s belly, she replied with a few words of Daoyun. “Baby is two.” She held up two fingers on her right hand. “Two baby.”
“Twins?” Bao exclaimed in Daoyun. She quickly switched back to Classical Sing. “Me, two baby?”
The midwife nodded. “Judava. Two baby. Boy, boy? Boy, girl? Girl, girl?” She shrugged. “Judava.”
“Twins…” Bao said, taking a deep breath. She looked over at Sunan. “We need to think of more names!”
Chapter 79: Growing Up
True to his word, Mao Yun returned six months later. Since the cabin had no extra room for him, he pitched a tent behind the garden.
By this time, Bao’s belly was so large she had trouble walking normally.
It turned out that Mao Yun was the most nervous of the three of them about what was to come. Bao was more excited than anything, and Sunan was simply jumpy with anticipation.
Mao Yun brought the latest news of what was happening in the empire. The raids from the Yangu Plains had turned into a full-fledged invasion, forcing the Demon Emperor to send most of his armies north to protect the recently completed Grand Canal that connected the Chezou and Fei Rivers.
The majority of the fighting was focused around the Bay of Yu. Qi Fao had been sacked, and last Mao Yun had heard, the Yangu tribesmen and Chai Yun barbarians were pressing south toward Nansun.
Because of the unrest in the north, the resistance led by the Timeless Master was gaining traction. Martial artists in all the major cities had created secret societies devoted to the overthrowing of the local governments, and more broadly, the empire itself. Of course, that included numerous members of the Dragon-Phoenix Sect.
On the eighth day of the ninth lunar month, they called for the midwife to come from the city. After all of the months of practice with the language, both Sunan and Bao could speak Singh conversationally and had no trouble communicating with her.
The following day, on the ninth, Bao gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. In the traditional culture of Qi Xien, it was the custom to call upon astrologers to help with the naming of newly born children, but being so far from home, there were no astrologers who spoke Daoyun, and when it came to profound matters like astrology, neither Bao nor Sunan were qualified to discuss them in a foreign language.
But, as Mao Yun had mentioned to Sunan years before, they were no longer normal members of society.
So Sunan and Bao came up with their own names. Their son was Fan Jinlong, and their daughter, Fan Chunfeng. Their given names came from Classical Fei and literally meant “golden dragon” and “pure phoenix.”
Everything went smoothly, and according to the midwife, the two babies were exceptionally strong.
Bao recovered quickly, and she and Sunan soon fell into the same type of routine that most new parents did—catering to the children and dealing with lack of sleep.
Thankfully, Mao Yun was there to help. For the most part, he took over the responsibility of caring for the livestock and crops, as well as the fishing.
Six months went by in a blur. Eventually the babies fell into a pattern of sleep, and Sunan resumed his previous duties. Mao Yun said his farewells and promised to come back in another six months.
Even at six months of age, the two babies were already showing their personalities. Fan Jinlong seemed like his mother, somewhat feisty and always looking for something new to amuse himself. They took to calling him Little Dragon. As for Fan Chunfeng, she took after her father. She seemed fascinated by everything around her and would always take the time to thoroughly study anything she got her hands on, mostly by chewing on it. Her parents began calling her Little Phoenix.
Time marched on. For Sunan and Bao, the things that had been so important in the past, the matters which had once been their passions in life, slowly began to slip into the backs of their minds. The seething hatred they had for the Demon Emperor became distant. Sunan still thought about his childhood, but it was more with reminiscence than with the bitter grief and rage that had gripped his heart for so long since that fateful summer night. Bao never forgot Geng Long or the nightmares she had endured in Yu Zhing, but now her focus in life was her children.
Although neither of them forgot the oaths they had sworn years before to bring an end to the Demon Emperor, the joy of watching Little Dragon and Little Phoenix grow was the most important thing in life now. In their little corner of the world, separated from all the chaos of the empire, their life was a simple one.
As promised, Mao Yun returned just in time for the babies’ first birthday. He brought gifts and news.
Everything north of the Chezou River had been taken by the Yangu and Chai Yun, and their new allies, a race of barbaric giants from far to the north called the juren. According to the reports Mao Yun had read, the juren had four arms, gray skin, and white hair and were savage in ways that surpassed anything that existed in Qi Xien. As for how the Yangu and Chai Yun hordes had convinced them to join the fight against the Demon Emperor, it was hard to say.
In fact, most people had no idea why the hordes were invading to begin with. The Timeless Master had reached out to their leaders with an offer of alliance but was completely ignored.
In addition to the invasion, the Timeless Master’s resistance was growing in momentum, ensuring that the Demon Emperor was feeling pressure on all fronts. Things were not going well for his empire.
Around the time that Bao and Sunan had first fled south, there had been a flurry of activity as agents of the Demon Emperor searched for them. However, with more pressing matters of concern for the empire, the death sentence that had been issued against them was gradually pushed aside to become a thing of the past.
Mao Yun stayed for a month and then left. This time, he didn’t return for another year, for the children’s second birthday. The news was not as exciting this time. The war was at a deadlock, with the forces of the Demon Emperor holding the Chezou River against the invaders.
In one interesting bit of news, Daolu had been occupied but mostly left untouched, including the Heavenly Meat Palace. In fact, the invaders apparently enjoyed the fare there, and as a result, the restaurant had doubled in size.
By now, Little Dragon and Little Phoenix could walk, and they were already beginning to say a few words. To Mao Yun’s delight, Sunan and Bao had also begun to train them in the fundamentals of martial arts, and the children loved wrestling with their Uncle Mao.
As the children grew older, life grew easier. The relatively remote location in which they lived was a perfect place for meditation, so after the initial two years of raising twins on their own, Sunan and Bao finally got back to their routines of training. And of course, since Little Dragon and Little Phoenix had been building a foundation almost from the moment they were born, they also joined in.
Most martial artists back in the empire would have been shocked to learn that by their third birthday, both children had already made their first breakthrough in qi cultivation. As for Sunan and Bao, they also began to progress again, edging closer to the profound master level.
Mao Yun returned for their third birthday, of course, to bring news and gifts. The Demon Emperor’s forces had undertaken a major offensive, re
capturing Daolu and Nansun and pushing the invaders back north toward Qi Fao and the Bay of Yu.
Three-year-old Little Dragon and Little Phoenix were turning into skilled fighters for their age, and by teaming up, managed to force their Uncle Mao to use a real countering technique during one of their “wrestling matches.” Mao Yun was completely taken aback for a moment, but then he roared with laughter.
“Excellent kung fu!” he declared.
Shortly after Mao Yun left, both Bao and Sunan made breakthroughs, reaching the profound master level. The qi flows within their bodies became clearer, and they came to an understanding of how karma connected to them with the world at large.
It was during the same year that Lawat made his sixth breakthrough. Both Bao and Sunan were very excited to have a skilled combatant with whom to spar. Of course, they made fairly frequent trips into the city for the sake of the children, who soon made friends with the local children. Because of the environment, both Little Dragon and Little Phoenix were completely fluent in the local Singh dialect as well as Daoyun, which they used at home.
The years whizzed by.
Because of the large amount of gold they had brought with them from the north, and the fact that they could live almost completely off the land, there was no need for anyone in the family to work at any specific trade or occupation.
Other than family chores, they spent their time devoted to the martial arts.
Every year, Mao Yun would return for the children’s birthday and to bring news. By the children’s fifth birthday, they had made two breakthroughs, which was around the time that they demanded their parents stop calling them by their nicknames in public. Furthermore, because both Sunan and Bao had long since taken to using only their given names, the children did the same. From then on, they were Jinlong and Chunfeng. By the children’s tenth birthday, they had each made four breakthroughs and were just as skilled as Sunan had been back in his days of platform fighting in Daolu.
After ten years of living in Nansun, both Bao and Sunan had progressed quite a bit. Sunan had reached his tenth breakthrough, and Bao was right behind with nine.
