Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Epic Tale : Twin Sword ❯ Old Truths ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4

Old Truths

 

 

Act 1

 

The interment ceremony of Yang Hu Jin the fifth prince of Zhou was held on the next day. The whole of Yang family attend at the ceremony. The main lady, the consorts, all of the princes and princess were dressed in white cloths. Bowed toward the memorial they burned hiolos and prayed for the lord. Behind their raw, also gave a pray, were nobles, attendants, emperor's replacements, and guests.

 

“Lady Xiu Juan, princess of Yang has arrived,” announcement made from the guard outside the chamber.

 

All of the attendance gave their attentions to the princess who was walking gracefully toward the memorial platform. They stared with disbelieve at her. The hearsay they had was Yang Xiu Juan saw with her own eyes her father's death. When the guards found her, although without physical damage, she was in high tremor and could not say a word. Who would expect, now, the princess could present at the ceremony.

 

Xiu Juan's beautiful face looked pale. Both of her eyes were too much of having tears. She kneeled before the memorial, burn hiolos and bowed. At the time, her memory of last night incident recalled.

 

She remembered when her father's sword fell down to the ground. Loosing his power, her father also fell to his knees as he stared at the silver haired young man. The opponent stood still in front of him, pierced icily with his red eyes.

 

“It is about the time you pay your debt, old man.” White Devil drew sword at his neckline but was stopped by Xiu Juan's cry. “No!” He eyed the princess in silence.

 

“Please.... I beg you. Spare my father. I... I will do anything to save his life,” she begged.

 

“What are you speaking, Xiu Juan?!” Yang Hu Jin protested his daughter but she didn't obey. Shed for tears, she cried, “You may take my life or do anything to me as long as you free my father...”

 

“Xiu Juan!!”

 

The young man smiled, “That's a very interesting offer, princess.” His smile disappeared then. “Unfortunately, you are dealing with the wrong person. This Yang Hu Jin should pay the debt with his own head.”

 

“Pay the debt....” Yang Hu Jin laughed in irony. “In my whole life, I own to no one but She. I should have known that this time would come. Well, then...shall we?”

 

The Devil smiled. With no more words, he moved his sword and slashed Yang Hu Jin's neck.

 

Once more, Xiu Juan bowed to her father's memorial. Her eyes fixed on her father's memorial. Deep in her heart, she swore that she, Yang Xiu Juan, would get his father's revenge by her own hands.

 

 

Act 2

 

Shuhao sat at Yang fortress' main courtyard. He sighed. He was very tired of the interment held today. At last, the ceremony finished when the sun set down. Almost all of the people who presented already leaved the fortress.

 

Recalled his memory of last night incident, a pang of regret filled his heart. The White Devil made it to kill Yang Hu Jin easily with no one's knowledge but Yang Xiu Juan, including him and his uncle. When they arrived at the park outside Yang Hu Jin's study room, the lord was already dead. His daughter, Yang Xiu Juan, was also founded at that place. She was unable to move and in a great shock. It seemed that the princess saw her father's death by her own eyes.

 

He disliked the lord but his death was far from his expectation. He regretted the murder for he wasn't able to prevent it. If he and his uncle were not too busy with their quarrel, this might not happen; the devil could not break into the fortress that easy.

 

“It looks like a meeting will be made between those five.”

 

Shuhao awoke from his thought. He looked at Li Qiao who just said the words, “What?”

 

Her forefinger pointed at five kangouw superiors stood before the fortress' main hall. Lu Shen was one of them. “Them.”

 

He followed her direction. Who are those four?”

 

“They were the rest,” she answered.

 

“Huh?”

 

“The swordman Wu An from west region, the head of Hu Clan Li Cheung, the head of Wu Clan north region Yu Liang, and the seventh prince of Zhou Shen Lok who command the south capitol,” Li Qiao made an explanation. “All four of them were involved in Silver Sword incident twenty years a go.”

 

Shuhao grasped. “That means they were White Devil's next target?” Li Qiao smiled at his state. She answered, “That is why they were gathering at this place today.”

 

As she finished the words, they saw Yang Xiu Juan approached the main hall. When she arrived, her guests greeted her politely. They had a little chat before they entered the hall to start their meeting.

 

Shuhao and Li Qiao stared each other. There was a silence agreement between the two; they must join the meeting although without invitation. Nodded in agreement, Li Qiao was the first who made a move. She jumped up to the main hall's top. Shuhao followed her without hesitation.

 

 

Act 3

 

“So it is right that Silver Sword was discovered?” Yu Liang was the one who gave the first statement after Lu Shen finished his report.

 

“And, now, it is in the hand of White Devil,” Wu An continued. He sighed. “After missing in such a long time, when it reappears, it was possessed by another one. And that one is hunting our life one by one.” An ironic laugh leaved his lips. “Such an irony; it is.”

 

Lu Shen nodded. “For now, there are only four of twelve remain. Your time is getting thin.”

 

“Is this White Devil's identity had already revealed?” Shen Lok asked Lu Shen.

 

“Not yet. That is why it was needed to make this meeting.”

 

Li Cheung smirked at Lu Shen's words. He pierced at him. “You don't have to pretend, Lu Shen. All of us know exactly who behind this murders.”

 

“I don't understand your words.”

 

“He has the Silver Sword in his hand and hunt down each superior who involved in accident happened twenty years a go. I bet, the White Devil has a particular connection with Chen Cao,” Li Cheung argued.

 

Again, Lu Shen asked, “What are you trying to say?”

 

Wu An, replaced Li Cheung, answered Lu Shen, “Ye Xue.”

 

Outside the hall, on its top, Shuhao grasped, “...mother.” Li Qiao was aware of his words. She looked the young man with interest, “So it is true.”

 

Wu An continued, “You were saying that the White Devil has Silver Sword and possess Yin Jing, were you not? Every one in kangouw knows that Ye Xue was the only one who achieved that skill from Chen Cao. Eighteen years a go, she disappeared in the same time with disappearance of Chen Cao's twin swords.” He looked at Lu Shen. “My...my... Lu Shen, do you really think that it was only a coincident? It has a great possibility that White Devil is Ye Xue's blood or disciple.”

 

Suddenly, Lu Shen let out a small laugh, mocking the theory mentioned. “What nonsense is you're talking about?”

 

Li Cheung looked in puzzle. “What you're laughing at?”

 

His laugh stopped, switched with a sad smile. “Ye Xue did not disappear eighteen years a go. She died.... in Hainan... in front of me.”

 

All of them but Lu Shen itself shocked with the news. They all silenced, stared Lu Shen with disbelieve, asking for an explanation. Lu Shen took a deep breath and continued his words.

 

“It is true that Ye Xue has a son but it is not the White Devil. All this time, you know him as Lu Shuhao, my ward.”

 

“So it is true,” was Xiu Juan's comment.

 

Yu Liang gave his confrontation about this issue, “Do you have evidence about this? How could we know that you are not saying nonsense to save Ye Xue's name for she was your colleague?”

 

Lu Shen answered, “It was true that one of Chen Cao's twin swords was in her hand but not the Silver Sword.”

 

Li Qiao's eyes widened. Her rosy lips parted and said quietly, “....the Black Sword.”

 

“All this time, the Black Sword is in your hand?” Shen Lok said.

 

“What kind of ploy it is, Lu Shen? Your status as Chen Cao's colleague does not make you deserved the sword,” Wu An protested.

 

“None of us deserve the sword, all of you nor me. I keep the sword not for myself.” Lu Shen replied icily.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Lu Shen silenced for a while at the lord's question, considering the truth he was going to reveal. He answered carefully, “Ye Xue's son is Chen Cao's blood.”

 

 

Act 4

 

The revelation of Shuhao's identity done by Lu Shen silenced the fortress main hall. The fact, indeed, shocked all the audiences. They could not say a word for a moment, occupied by their own mind of thinking about the truth in their silences.

 

On the top of the hall, Shuhao deeply set his face down. Both of his eyes wide opened. His face was pale with no expression. His uncle's words said a moment a go still lingered, kept repeating inside his head continuously. He was the son of Chen Cao the legendary swordman in kangouw. What kind of joke is this? The name, which supposed to be carved on the memorial, was Chen Cao? The surname, which he supposed to be had, was Chen?

 

Giving her full attention at Shuhao, Li Qiao knew exactly that the young man next to her was in great distress. Both of her foretelling skill and history knowledge already mentioned this possibility but she never truly thought that it was a truth. Lu Shuhao... No. Chen Shuhao is Chen Cao's only blood. She knew this for sure, now.

 

“Do you ever know the name of She?” at last, Xiu Juan broke the silence. All her guests paid attention to her question. “Before his death, my father mentioned this name of She. Perhaps it is clue, which will lead us to the White Devil.”

 

It was another silence for a moment. Shen Lok was the first who answer her question, “I hardly hear the name.” He stood up from his seat. “Princess, gentlemen, unfortunately I can follow no more of the discussion. There are businesses waiting for me at the capitol. I shall retrieve myself.”

 

Li Cheung also stood up. “I, too, am very sorry my Lady. I have to leave now.” He looked at Lu Shen. “Master Lu, about the matter of your ward, I doubt the truth of your words. We should discuss about this later.”

 

As Lord Shen and Li Cheung went suddenly, the rests followed them. All of them leaved the meeting for reasons. Xiu Juan and Lu Shen could do nothing but walked them to the main hall's gate.

 

“They know something but prefer to silence,” Lu Shen said. “What exactly happened twenty years a go?”

 

“It doesn't matter if they say no word. I, Xiu Juan, have my own way to find the White Devil.” As she said that, she leaved the main hall. When she met Shuhao, she stopped her steps for a while to greet the young man, “Young Master Chen.” Did not wait for the reply, she continued her walk.

 

Shuhao did not answer her greeting. He even hardly heard or saw the princess. His attention pointed entirely to his uncle. Both his green eyes stared at Lu Shen, demanding for an explanation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Epic Tale : Twin Sword