Dragon's Soul: An End's Beginning

by Tony Tran

  After disrobing Zhang, Ling quickly did the same to herself but after doing so a hint of red appeared on her face as she shyly tried to cover herself despite having a Hehuanjin on. Standing in front of Zhang while being nearly naked was somewhat embarrassing despite him being the man whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

  Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ling gathered up all of the courage she had and climbed onto the bed.

  While Ling was doing this a hole was poked through the white paper screen door and a golden pupil peered in from the outside. Soon after yet another hole appeared on the thin paper screen and yet another pupil peered inside.

  “I can’t see anything.” A voice sounded outside of the bridal chamber on the other side of the screen door.

  “Stop pushing.” Yet another voice sounded out.

  Hearing this Ling jumped out of the bed and grabbed her robes and with a twirl wrapped them around herself as she made her way to the door.

  “What are you three doing here?!” She yelled as she opened the door to see Yuying and Lingqi trying to look into inside. These two beauties were still dressed in their exquisite looking bridal gowns but their red veils were nowhere in sight.

  “I’m get to consolidate my marriage of course…” Lingqi replied as she took a step forward and tried to get inside Ling’s bridal chamber.

  “Me too.” Yuying added while also taking a step forward.

  “What’s this?” Ai’s voice sounded out from behind Ling. When looking back Ai could be seen holding a jade bottle in her hand.

  “Ai how’d you get in there?” Yuying asked, somewhat confused by Ai’s sudden appearance.

  Without replying Ai simply pointed her finger toward an open window and smiled as she examined the jade bottled that she had picked up from the ground.

  “Ai put that down.” Lingqi said, knowing the contents of the jade bottles. Such medicines could help sharpen the “sword” of a man who possesses something that is called Yang. But if a woman who possess something called Yin their bodies would have a different reaction and since Lingqi was not exactly sure what type of dans were in the jade bottles she didn’t know what sort of reactions might occur so it was best not to touch such things.

  However, ignoring Lingqi, Ai opened one of the jade bottles and a red colored dan the size of a pea rolled into her palm.

  “Ai absolutely don’t eat that.” Lingqi commanded.

  “Why should I listen to you?” Ai pouted as she casually tossed the dan into her mouth. Of course she was only pretending to eat that dan to see Lingqi’s reaction. She wasn’t an idiot who would just eat whatever she picked up. But she could be considered a klutz so once the dan flew into her mouth it hit her uvula and caused a gagging reaction which in turn caused the dan to be swallowed.

  “Fool! Split it out.” Lingqi yelled as she brushed Ling aside and ran to where Ai was. But she was too late because the pill had already made its way down Ai’s throat.

  In but an instant Ai’s face which was normally snow white turned bright red and an unbelievable burning sensation had spread to every single fiber of her body. Once the burning sensation had spread Ai’s sense of reason slowly faded and as it did Ai began disrobing herself trying to cool herself.

  That was when Zhang sat up atop the bed that he had been laying on and rubbed the back of his head. The ringing in his head had lessened and he did not feel dizzy anymore but once he sat up a pair of soft lips belonging to an entirely naked beauty pressed against his own lips. Since he was caught off guard Zhang fell onto his back as Ai’s body was pressed atop of his. Two soft mounds could be felt rubbing against Zhang’s skin as he laid under Ai while their lips continued to touch.

  Going with the flow Zhang’s arms wrapped around Ai as he drew her in closer. Their lips which were simply touching before now were passionately kissing. Their skin rubbing against each other transmitting warmth from one body to the next.

  Seeing this Ling tried to stop Ai but was stopped when Lingqi held onto her arm without any indication of letting go.

  “What are you doing! Let go!” Ling tried to yell but before she could have finished her sentence Lingqi’s hand pressed against Ling’s mouth and a pea sized dan was dropped into her mouth.

  “Now that I know that it doesn’t seem to cause any bad reactions we can join in on the fun.” Lingqi said with a devious smile as she forced Ling to swallowed the pea sized dan.

  “Yuying I take it you won’t want to missed out on the fun also.” Lingqi said as she tossed a jade bottle to Yuying while swallowing a red dan herself. One could say that out of the group of four beauties Lingqi was the boldest but even for her there were times of shyness. But thanks to these dans things such as modesty and shyness were no more. From the looks of Ai these things were nonexistent.

  Soon the dan’s affects kicked in and Lingqi and Ling’s faces became equally as red as Ai’s. Not long after they began disrobing also and joining the battle taking place atop the large bed.

  Yuying who was the last sober person in the room didn’t know what to do as she held the jade bottle in her hand. Well actually she knew that there was one thing she needed to do and that was to shut the door because the things happening in this room were best kept between herself, her three comrades currently waging war and her husband. Actually they couldn’t really be called her comrades but there wasn’t an exact word to call their relationship.

  After closing the door and covering the two holes in the screen door that she and Lingqi made Yuying steeled herself and took one of the red dans herself but not before blowing out the candles that lit the room and tossing a blanket over the four who were atop the bed. Soon she experienced the same reaction as the other three beauties and joined the fray.

  Once Yuying joined the war Zhang found himself vastly outnumbered by the enemy and had it not been for the Underworld Heart constantly releasing streams of essence into his body then perhaps this would have been a hopeless battle. A war on four fronts was not something any man could possibly win especially when the forms from the “Notes of the Bedchamber” were put in use. However, our lone general faced the enemy bravely, with his sword he attacked each and every one of his foes. Following a series of sword lunges, Zhang would shoot volleys of arrows at his four foes.

  This sight could only be described as the battle of the century as the five clashed with each other. Beneath the warm cotton blanket this battle raged on without any clear indication of victory from either side. However, the simple fact that Zhang was fighting toe to toe with four enemies at once was a victory in its own. One could imagine the outcome of this war had Zhang been the one to receive the blessings of the red dans.

  Had his initial plans of consuming one entire bottle’s worth of dans come to fruition then the victor of this war would have been guaranteed. But of course had such a battle occurred it would have been somewhat bland and ended one sided.

  For many hours the war continued as both sides pushed forward. Hills and mounds of ample size were pressed against Zhang from all direction at times during the battle, trying to corner him but he was able to fight them back with his sword and arrows. Not even the enemy's caves were safe from Zhang’s onslaught as he shows volleys of arrows into them without hesitation or remorse. But no matter how many times Zhang plunged his sword into the enemy they who were blessed with endless stamina from the dans did not waiver.

  With all things being said and done had someone else been in the room they most likely would have been too embarrassed to watch. The stamina of the two sides in this war seemed endless compared to normal standards and could put any regular person to shame.

  So without any side being able to gain an upper hand the battle continued until the moon was no long in the sky and the sun appeared to share its warmth with the earth.

  When the battle finally reached its conclusion due to the effects of the dans wearing off and cramping kicked in the parties involved all fell into a deep slumber.

  Despite many maid
s and butlers being sent to wake the five generals no a sign of them was seen for an entire day.

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  “Your highness although we tried means possible we could not seem to get the prince and princesses to wake up and leave the bridal chamber.” A butler said to Jian Wei who was currently eating breakfast with Zhang’s and Ling’s parents.

  “Brother Jian Wei I think it’s best to let them rest some more, I bet the girls are tired from being kept up all night.” Zhou Cheng said with a smile while sipping some tea.

  “Son I pray you won the war.” Zhou Cheng thought as his eyes drifted to his wife who was sitting beside him.

  “Yea I believe we should let them rest a bit, Zhang probably had his hands full.” Zhen Ji said with a smile while sipping some tea as her vision drifted to Zhou Cheng.

  It was clear that these two were each currently rooting for different side to come out victorious from last night’s epic battle simply from the look on their faces and their gestures.

  Chapter 91: Unending War

  It was not until a few hours after noon, did Zhang finally wake up to find his arms and legs entangled while being pressed against soft objects. A clear recollection of the battle that had occurred last night put a smile on Zhang’s face as his gaze fell on each of the beautiful faces of his foes.

  The four beauties were currently laying defenselessly asleep without a care in the world. Brilliant smiles were visible on their delicate faces as they laid completely naked with the only thing providing cover being a large cotton blanket.

  “If I remember right the war last night ended in a tie so I guess we have to continue until the victor is declared. Also it seems all of the help I was supposed to get was used against me.” Zhang thought with a grin while looking at his wives.

  The battles fought last night could only be considered the beginning of a long and possibly unending series of wars that might shatter common sense.

  While Zhang was examining every delicate detail that made up the faces of his lovely wives a set of eyes slowly opened and returned Zhang’s gaze.

  “Darling you’re up early.” Lingqi said while rubbing her eyes. Had anyone else heard her words they wouldn't know what to say because noon had passed hours ago.

  “Of course I’m up early, not often does one get to gaze at four beautiful sleeping faces.” Zhang said in a whisper trying not to wake the other three sleeping beauties.

  “Is that so? Would you like a closer look?” Lingqi said in a soft voice as she was laying atop of Zhang’s left arm and leaned in for a kiss.

  “If you insist then I will oblige.” Zhang whispered as he too leaned in for a kiss.

  Despite not having strong feelings for her at first, things quickly changed thanks to Lingqi’s outgoing personality and the fact that she was the one who took the initiate in such things helped speed up their relationship.

  Like the old saying he who waits too long to strike loses the opportunity and Lingqi definitely did not wait nor did she lose any opportunities. Someone who has lost everyone learns how to hold onto what they have in their grasp.

  Soon the flames of passion ignited between Zhang and Lingqi causing something to awaken from its slumber. To be exact as Lingqi’s hand slid beneath the blanket it caused a dragon to awaken.

  It did not take long for the forms from the “Notes of the Bedchamber” to be put into play and with that the unending war was resumed.

  However, unlike last night Zhang clearly held the upper hand. Without the aid of the red dans or her allies, Lingqi was at a loss against Zhang’s sword.

  But it was not before one of Lingqi’s allies awoke and joined the fray. Now two of the four beauties were locked in an epic battle against Zhang. Be it the Flying Dragon, the Tiger’s Walk, the Jumping Monkey, the Mating Cicadas, or even Mounting Turtle all of their knowledge of the “Notes of the Bedchamber” were put into play.

  Thankfully the Underworld Heart inside Zhang’s chest was still granting him it’s power, allowing him to fight toe to toe with Lingqi and Yuying.

  Unlike Zhang the same could not be said for Lingqi who had already fought a dozen rounds alone before being joined by Yuying. By now it was evident that her strength was wavering because she could be seen laying atop the bed and panting. For now, she could not be considered a part of the battle any longer.

  That was when the heavens blessed Yuying with an ally to fill in Lingqi’s position. Ai who was woken up by the unceasing war cries jumped also into the battle. Yuying tried to tame Zhang’s sword with her hand but in return all she received was a volley of arrows and soon she too joined the ranks of the fallen with Lingqi, as she laid atop the bed panting. It did not take long for Ai to joined them too in defeat leaving only Ling left.

  “No mercy and no surrender.” Zhang though as he looked at the last of his foes and her fallen comrades.

  Ling who was awoken from her deep slumber had been ambushed and taken by surprise without a moment’s warning, without a chance at victory. But as he was about to end the war of a lifetime a thought suddenly sprang into Zhang and the more he thought about it the more the thought stuck.

  In truth he did not actually wish for the war to end, what fun was that? A war in the bedchamber that has resulted in a clear victor is not something that Zhang wanted because when a victor was decided the losing side would have submitted and where was the fun in that?

  So Zhang decided that today’s battle will end in a draw by finishing off his final foe and then pretending that he was sapped of strength and laid in bed panting also with two beauties on each of his sides.

  “Brother you seem tired?” Yuying teased while she tried to catch her breath but at the same time looking at Zhang who was taking heavy breaths.

  “The four of you got me.” Zhang said with a grin as his arms snaked out and encompassed two beauties in each hand.

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  The sun was but a few hours away from setting as the second bedchamber war came to an end. Maids and butlers were hurriedly putting together a lavish feast that was put out on display in the main hall of the mansion. Jian Wei had invited many of those who had attended the wedding to join him once more to celebrate the creation of the Aurora Kingdom. Although he had announced its creation yesterday, the Aurora Kingdom would officially be formed the day after Zhang’s wedding.

  As the guests filed into the mansion once more, Zhang and the four beauties also left their warzone and arrived dressed in clothes fitting the occasion. Zhang was dressed in nearly transparent armor made from the scales of the Mirage Viper that had been slain in Green Clover City. Yuying was wearing a long white gown that draped the ground that she walked past with an exquisite looking chrysanthemum brooch adorning her hair. Ling had worn a light pink dress that also draped the ground where she went with a silver five leafed king bloom hairpin hanging from her hair. Ai appeared with a long red gown while a golden necklace in the shape of a rose hung from her neck. Lingqi came dressed in a light violet dress with a pair of earrings with flowers dangling from them.

  Many of the guests who had never seen the four beauties before were knocked into a daze, if one met these four when they did not have make up or weren’t dressed well they were still capable of making the person in question speechless. But today these four were glowing with beauty, one could call this the charm of a married woman because now that they were married no one could ever hope for a sliver of a chance of obtaining them. This of course added to their allure, as an old saying goes “what one cannot have the more one wishes to possess it.”

  “One could only compare the beauty of these four with that of flowers or the beauty of nature that the heavens themselves has granted us with.” One man said as he watched Zhang and the four beauties enter the hall.

  Once the tables inside the main hall and the tables outside were filled the feast began. Dancers, singers, and musicians once mor
e appeared to add to the festive mood. Food was brought to every table without end.

  Many people wished to use this opportunity to befriend Zhang or get a closer look at the four flowers around him however the deterrent around him and the four flowers was too great.

  A group of war hardened generals and warriors had surrounded their young lord and unintentionally created a wall around him.

  Gan Ning could be seen with a jug of wine once more as he tried to get Zhang to drink with him. These two men had practically become partners in crime thanks to their common goal of obtaining treasures. While Gan Ning was doing this, Guan Yu could be seen walking up to Zhang and saying something but quickly left after being reprimanded by Lingqi as she hugged one of Zhang’s arms.

  This of course was a clear indication that she wasn’t going to let anyone bully her husband even if it was Guan Yu who was doing what he thought was in her best interest. Not long after the feast began, maids who served Zhang’s mother and Ling’s mother, Zhen Ji and Xue Qingren arrived at Zhang’s table. These maids had come under orders from their masters to ask the four flowers to come to the table where Zhen Ji and Xue Qingren were sitting to have a mother and daughter chat.