CHINESE ARYA STARK meets THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
*A Wattpad Featured story*
When everyone wears a mask, who do you trust?
In the unforgiving empire of Erden where the Imperials reign supreme, Sarna is a slave. After escaping the brothel where a m...
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"The Jade Emperor sent an entire Heavenly army to kill Yang Jian's family and trapped his mother underneath the Peach Blossom Mountain. Secretly saved by a Sky Marshal who aged them from younglings into adults, Yang Jian and his sister went out in search of the Lotus Lantern, a relic said to be created by the All Mother herself, to avenge their father's death and free their mother."
ErLang Shen and San ShengMu—The Lotus Latern
CHAPTER NINE
A rustle in the bushes made me leap back.
"Who's there?" I said.
There was another rustle. This time, it was closer. A white cat leaped out of the bush and stared at me with his one blue eye.
"Pooj?"
I thought he was lost to me forever, but here he was, healthy and alive. What was he doing in the Forest of a Thousand Faces?
Pooj mewed and slunk behind another bush. Then, he popped back and eyed me.
"You want me to follow you?"
He repeated his movements—one leap into the bush and then back in front of me.
As silly as it felt, I followed Pooj. He led me past bushes and trees, down a winding pathway that wasn't there before. The path unfolded like the paper cranes Biyu and I used to make when we first joined the theater and needed something to occupy the time as we travelled.
As I ventured deeper, I lost count of the number of turns we took, the amount of rocks and trees we passed. The path stretched on and on; an eternity molded in the shape of rocks and earth. I held my breath as I continued making my way down the path. It seemed endless—one stone appearing in front of the other. When I looked back, the path vanished, covered by tall grass and trees.
My heart thudded against my ribcage, the sound of blood crashing through my head loud in my ears. The twisted boughs of trees covered up most of the sunlight, and whatever that was left slithered through the cracks like silver cobwebs. There was serenity to the forest, but at the same time, it made the hair stand up at the back of my neck. It was silent—too silent in fact.
Quiet. Quiet. Quiet.
The word was an echo in my head, repeating itself. Finally, I saw the silhouette of a person standing at the end of the neverending path. The person was tall with slender shoulders, dark hair cascading down his shoulders, a faint smile on his lips.
He looked so familiar, like a whisper of memory. Pooj mewled, shimmied up to the person, and stood at his feet.
