With an early start, Pyua, the boys, and I headed off to the golden gates at the foot of the mountain to head home. It isn't a long trip by horse or carriage, but by foot, we will probably only get there by night at the latest. However, once we got there, a golden carriage was shining in the light beside the gates. Oh no, when did he get here?
"Here we go again." I sighed. Laying in the driver's seat was a young man, dressed in a collared brocade, with a whip in hand and his legs crossed, looking as lively as usual.
"Cousins, crown prince, and princess!" The young man cheered as he saw us. ugh! Qi Rong is the oldest of our two cousins. He dashed our way like a mad man. His younger sister was sick and couldn't sit with the rest of our family, so she was forced to watch from a window in a nearby building. It's a common cold, and she refused to let anyone else get sick. Though depressed, I told her I could play what happened through mother's memories as if she were really there. Qi Ying is a sweet heart like this. He and his sister have a lot of time to slack off, so it's normal to see him here like this instead of studying. He skipped over and cried, "My patience has finally paid off!"
"Did Qi Rong grow taller again? How did you know I was returning to the palace today?" Xie Lian grinned and ruffled his hair, while he laughed through his words. I just placed a half-hearted grin on my face. Both mother and father know I don't get along with Qi Rong with many of his actions and the way he goes about things.
"I didn't. I just waited, and knew you'd have to come out sooner or later. I refuse to believe you wouldn't." he giggled as Xie Lian was done ruffling his hair.
"You're quite free, aren't you?" Xie Lian said hopelessly, "Are you studying properly? What about sword practice? If mother asks me to test your studies again, I won't help you."
"Nevermind all that! Look at my new carriage! Cousin Crown Prince, come and board it, ride my carriage back to the palace!" he jumped up and down after giving a few blinks and shifted his gaze for a moment towards me. He tucked away the whip under his belt and took both hands that belonged to my brother and me.
"You're driving?" Xie Lian asked.
"huh?!" I nearly shrieked as he pulled us towards the carriage. I looked back at the four behind us. I sent pleading eyes their way, and all of them walked to us. almost jogging.
Qi Rong's face dropped immediately. He let go of us after nudging us towards the carriage. He took out the whip from his belt and cracked it aiming for the four of them. "I asked cousin Crown Prince and cousin crown princess to get on, but I didn't say you four, too. Think I'd let low lives touch my golden coach? Get the hell outta here!"
"Qi Rong!" Xie Lian barked while i just looked to them with a panicked face.
"Xiao Jing. we are not getting on without them." I spoke to him with a cold tone. I took Xie Lian's hand and was practically dragging him down the path leading towards the palace. Seeing Xie Lian and i about to walk away, he painfully and begrudgingly called after us and consented the four "shitty low lives" to board his precious golden coach. i latched onto my older brother as a safety net. Before long, we had made the decision completely. He drove like a madman. The number of bumps and tumbles nearly knocked me onto Feng Xing and Mu Qing's laps! It wasn't long before I grabbed Pyua and Haoyu and threw myself out of the carriage door, summoning my wings to fly the rest of the way to the palace while checking on everyone who was nearly run down along the way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We finally stopped at the palace, and I could clearly see welts on both Mu Qing and Feng Xin's hands. I set Haoyu and Pyua on their feet as I huffed from the exhaustion of stopping and flying and stopping and flying continuously the entire way here. Qi Rong adjusted himself and said proudly, with a foot on the white horses behind, "What do you think, cousin Crown Prince? cousin crown princess? I drive pretty well, right!"
"I'm going to tell Father and Mother to confiscate your coach." Xie Lian said as he got off the coach. while glaring at him so hard, you would think I wanted to kill him. and a big part of me did.
"WHAT!" i headed in with almost a run. The two I carried with me followed closely, pale as the undead. I didn't meet these two until a few years ago. Pyua was hired after I was nearly assassinated when I was thirteen. Haoyu was taken in at my request when he found me at fourteen, when I had fought off some idiots bullying him. He saw how tattered my dress was and mended it completely. Not a single sight was out of place, and you couldn't even tell it was ever torn. Both of them, like Feng Xin, are used to the beauty of the place Xie Lian and I call home. Looking at the shimmering stones, paintings, and many designs on the walls and hallways is a chore I will never get over. The palace isn't all gold, jade, and smooth white stone. This place is moulded to combine the beauties of Xianle and it's treasury. I snuck a glance at Mu Qing, knowing he wasn't used to this, and low and behold, he was admiring everything. I turned ahead and was anxious to see mother. It has been two months since Xie Lian and I visited. Heading towards the Qi Feng manor, I began to quicken my steps, becoming more and more eager to see her. Before I knew it, I was sprinting down the hallways with everyone trying to keep up. The closer we were, the bigger my smile and the faster my steps. The doors came into sight. Every time we come to visit, mother is the first person I greet. The doors were nearly beside me when I slid to a stop. I took a few breaths before knocking on the wall as I entered. Mother was leaning on a small tea table, testing brews. Her eyes were bright, and her arms stretched out once she saw me. I smiled with my teeth as I walked up to her and took her hands in mine.
"Finally willing to come home to see mom?" she asked as Xie Lian came in panting with Qi Rong behind him. He laughed as he walked toward us. I let go of mother's left hand and left room for my brother. He took her hand with a smile. The other four were standing outside the room.
"Didn't we just visit two months ago?" he asked making me shake my head knowing where this conversation will go.
"What a heartless child. Even Rong-Er knew to keep an old woman like me company but here you are sounding all self-righteous when you haven't come home for two months." she grumbled.
"Mother is right, brother, though it can't be helped when it comes to cultivation." I told him with a smile. "And who dares call Mother old? She appears as young as our generation. right brother?"
Xie Lian laughed as he replied. "sister is right, no one of the right mind could ever say that."
mother laughed as she looked between us. Yes, we are nearing our twenty-year-old point, but our mother looks as young as the both of us. a true beauty, if I do say so myself. She spoke again with light admonishment:
"Flatterers, the both of you." I looked at the table beside me, as did Xie Lian. That small, jagged cup was emitting a strange smell. My brother walked around me and asked curiously as he lifted the cup.
"what is this?"
"Don't drink it! You can't drink that!" mother warned as i looked to her.
YOU ARE READING
heaven officials blessing: Long ai edited
Action*continuation of the previous book* Xie Lian has confirmed that the bewitching youth San Lang is actually Hua Cheng, one of the Four Calamities and a supreme ghost despised by all heavenly officials. Xie Mei Mei has acompanied him along with Yoko Ko...
