Fan Fiction 7: Love&Promises 74 chap (complete)

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sowfoong
Junior Member

Posts: 78

Fan Fiction 7: Love&Promises 74 chap (complete) Nov 22, 2007 8:55:35 GMT -5

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Post by sowfoong on Nov 22, 2007 8:55:35 GMT -5

Fan Fiction 7 – Love and Promises

Chapter 1

Ancient China

The clash of the two swords echoed in the valley, the musical sound produced belied the danger of the duel as a young good looking couple fought with each other. Sparks flew from the metal blades of the swords as well from as the tension between the combatants. The young man in a silver and white suit was trying hard to not to hurt the beautiful young girl in a white and cream suit who fought with all her strength, each blow of her sword aimed to kill her opponent. Both were equally matched in skills, with the young man having the advantage of strength but the young girl made up for her lack of strength with her steely determination to win.

The young man managed to disarm the young girl with an intricate stance and held the blade of his sword against her neck. He looked into her beautiful but furious eyes and knew that he couldn’t hurt her. Without speaking he removed his sword from her neck and turned to leave when the young girl slashed his arm with the small dagger she had taken from her belt, making a deep cut to his arm. The young man turned around furiously and knocked the dagger out of her hand and tackled her to the ground. He held her in his arms and kissed her screams into silence as she fought to escape, his blood staining her clothes. In the end she could not fight her love for the young man and responded to his savage kisses passionately. She clung to him, seducing him with her passion, her irresistible beauty, her sexy curves and sweet kisses.

It was a bittersweet feeling to hold her in his arms. The young man closed his eyes to shut out the young girl’s alluring beauty and tore his lips from hers, breathing deeply as he fought for self-control, “Little Martial Arts Sister, please stop tormenting me. We cannot do this, it is wrong. We cannot be together.”

“Why can’t we be together? I know you love me, we could run away to a place where no one knows us and live as a couple,” the young girl suggested even as a light shiver of coldness gripped her heart when the young man put a distance between them and stood up.

“Don’t be naïve! We cannot be together because I have other obligations. We have to respect and abide by the rules of the society. I have to leave now, please take care of yourself,” the young man refused to look at the young girl as he walked away.

The young girl was devastated by her martial arts brother’s heartless abandonment, “Li Yat Min, you are not a man of honor, you have broken your promise to me and if you walked away from me today, I swear that I will never forgive you.”

Prince Li Yat Min continued to walk away from the young girl with determination, he felt guilty that he had broken his promise and hurt her by leaving. His heart was also breaking but outwardly he remained calm as he forced himself to walk on, afraid that he would not have the strength to leave if he looked back. He loved his martial arts sister with all his heart but he was getting married in two weeks to his fiancé whom he had been engaged to since childhood. His martial arts sister was a very beautiful but dangerous temptation that he had a hard time resisting but he was honor bound to marry his fiancé so the young man hardened his heart against his martial arts sister’s pleas and threats.

“Li Yat Min, I hate you. I don’t ever want to see you again. If I ever see you again, I will kill you!” the young girl broke down in a heap and wept bitterly. The sky suddenly darkened with stormy clouds and soon it began to rain heavily as though the heaven empathized and wept with her.

Chapter 2

The young girl, Princess Xin Jing Li had just turned sixteen was very beautiful with a petite figure, flawless complexion and big beautiful eyes that could capture the soul of a man. Princess Xin Jing Li was the only child of King Xin from the neighboring country of Xin. Princess Xin Jing Li was seven when she was sent to train in martial arts skills under the famous martial arts expert Chen Fu who was her royal father’s sworn brother.

Princess Jing Li’s martial arts brother Prince Li Yat Min was the firstborn son of King Li from the Central Plains. Prince Yat Min and his younger half-brother Prince Yat Jun began training under Chen Fu a couple of years before the arrival of Princess Jing Li. The three of them grew up together. Both Prince Yat Min and Prince Yat Jun fell in love with the beautiful Princess Jing Li. However Princess Jing Li had only eyes for Prince Yat Min.

Prince Yat Jun was very jealous of his elder half-brother but he was very cunning and hid his jealousy well. Prince Yat Jun did not dare to challenge his elder half-brother directly. Instead he would spy on Prince Yat Min and Princess Jing Li. Prince Yat Jun sent word to his royal mother, Lady Silver Leaf who was King Li’s concubine, begging for her help. Prince Yat Min’s royal mother, the Queen had passed away a couple of years ago and King Li had allowed Lady Silver Leaf to take charge of the daily lives of the royal family. Lady Silver Leaf reminded King Li that Prince Yat Min was old enough to get married and it was time for Prince Yat Min to honor his betrothal to Lady Lily.

Lady Lily was fifteen and the only daughter of General Han who was one of King Li’s generals. General Han was a very successful general and had helped King Li solved many difficult problems and as a result King Li had promised to accept Lady Lily as a mate for his firstborn, Prince Yat Min. Lady Lily was very beautiful, intelligent and talented in playing musical instruments such as the flute and Chinese zither. She was also well versed in Chinese literature and history. She was quiet, loyal and obedient so when her father told her that King Li had ordered her to be married to Prince Yat Min in a couple of weeks she had not protested. Though Lady Lily had not met with Prince Yat Min before she had heard that Prince Yat Min was very handsome, kind and honorable and they had been betrothed since childhood.

Prince Yat Min had been ordered by King Li to return to the Central Plains to marry Lady Lily. Prince Yat Min had never met Lady Lily either, though he had been told that Lady Lily was talented in playing musical instruments, very beautiful, quiet and demure, which meant that his future wife was a boring person and Prince Yat Min was dreading their wedding. Prince Yat Min had been away from the Central Plains for over ten years and he had fallen in love with his beautiful and spirited martial arts sister, Princess Jing Li. However Prince Yat Min was an honorable man and he knew that he had to honor his betrothal to Lady Lily so he had left Princess Jing Li crying in the valley and returned to the Central Plains.

The wedding preparations were almost completed by the time Prince Yat Min arrived home. Prince Yat Min did not get a chance to meet Lady Lily; his royal father had kept him busy with court matters. Prince Yat Min still missed Princess Jing Li very much and he almost confided in his father of his love for Princess Jing Li and to call off his wedding to Lady Lily. However he did not want to humiliate Lady Lily so he was determined to do the right thing and marry his fiancé.

The wedding ceremony progressed smoothly with much fanfare and Lady Lily became the future Queen of the Central Plains. Lady Lily waited in the bridal suite for her groom, she was dressed in voluptuous red silk, which was heavily embroidered and she had on numerous gold chains and rings with precious stones. She had on the traditional red silk cloth shielding her face and was sitting quietly on the bed when Prince Yat Min came into the bridal suite totally drunk, almost falling flat on his face as he stumbled towards Lady Lily. Prince Yat Min grabbed Lady Lily and clumsily planted a wet kiss on her and promptly fell over halfway onto the bed, asleep in drunken stupor.

Lady Lily took a first look at the very handsome young man who was her husband and was attracted to him. Lady Lily was aghast at her royal husband’s inconsiderate behavior and sighed but she helped him fully into bed and undressed him to make him more comfortable. She lay quietly next to him, hoping that he would soon wake up or that she would soon fall asleep. She was almost asleep when Prince Yat Min suddenly woke up, grabbed and kissed her passionately. Lady Lily quietly responded to his passion until Prince Yat Min called out Princess Jing Li’s name.

Lady Lily was furious that her groom had called out another girl’s name during their act of passion and she struggled to get away from Prince Yat Min but he was too strong to overpower or to escape from. As she fought his passionate kisses and caresses, she began to fight with her own unwilling response and attraction to Prince Yat Min. Knowing how futile it was to fight both his passionate advances and her own growing needs, she surrendered at last and spent a long and passionate night in the arms of her husband.

Prince Yat Min woke up at the break of dawn and stared at the beautiful girl sleeping quietly in his arms. Lady Lily had flawless complexion, rose bud lips and her long eyelashes casting dark shadows on her cheeks. The exquisite beauty of his wife amazed Prince Yat Min. Prince Yat Min had deliberately drunk a lot of wine the night before because he was not sure if he could perform his conjugal duties on his wedding night, with Princess Jing Li still lingering on his mind.

Prince Yat Min remembered their initial passionate lovemaking and then his bride’s sudden desperate struggles but he did not remember what brought that on and was puzzled by it. Why would his bride struggle against him? Did she love another man and had been forced to marry him? He remembered his response to her silky skin and sexy curves and his relief when she finally surrendered to his lovemaking after overcoming her initial struggles. He could not have enough of his wife and he felt his desires stirring and he tenderly kissed the sleeping beauty in his arms.

Lady Lily woke up and blushed under the sensuous gaze of her royal husband and moved to get up from the bed but Prince Yat Min detained her and began a new onslaught of her senses and she gave up her struggles after a short while. She hated her response to Prince Yat Min’s passion and his betrayal on their wedding night. She never told Prince Yat Min about his blunder. Prince Yat Min had always wondered about the slight barrier between them and felt that there was a secret part in her heart that he could not reach.

Prince Yat Min was jealous that there could be someone else in his wife’s heart; he wanted to be the only one whom she loved. He was surprised by his jealousy because he had never felt that way with Princess Jing Li, the need to be the only person in his beloved’s life and heart. He swore that he would do everything to be the only person his wife thought about when she was awake and the only person she dreamed about when she slept. The memory of Princess Jing Li faded away as he fell more deeply in love with his beautiful wife.

As days passed, the young couple grew closer as they got to know each other. They never had a courtship and after they were married, it would normally not be necessary to have a courtship. However Prince Yat Min had fallen head over heels in love with his wife and wanted to woo her. He spent all his free time with her, they talked about everything under the sun including politics and Lady Lily proved to be well versed in the intricacies of politics and even war tactics. Prince Yat Min was pleasantly surprised each day as he learned a new facet to his wife’s personality. Lady Lily was surprised by her husband’s intelligence, gentleness, his willingness to please her, his sense of humor and his playfulness. They fell more deeply in love with each other even though they sensed a reserve in each other’s demeanor. They each thought that their loved one was in love with someone else, they were afraid to confront each other regarding their past loves. They never had an honest conversation to clear the misunderstanding up.

Chapter 3

Prince Yat Jun had accompanied his half-brother home for Prince Yat Min’s wedding. Prince Yat Jun was happy that his half-brother was married and there would not be any interference when he began his serious courtship of Princess Jing Li. Prince Yat Jun went back to his Sifu Chen Fu after spending two weeks in the Central Plains.

Princess Jing Li was still there, moping around, feeling lovesick for Prince Yat Min. She was very disappointed to learn from Prince Yat Jun that Prince Yat Min had gone through with the wedding and was married to Lady Lily. She was very depressed and wept bitterly that she had lost Prince Yat Min forever.

Prince Yat Jun was very attentive and tried to comfort Princess Jing Li but she did not want to have anything to do with him. One day Princess Jing Li told her Sifu that she was going home to her royal parents. Their Sifu Chen Fu ordered Prince Yat Jun to escort her home since it was a long journey and could be dangerous for a single young girl to travel on her own.

The next day Prince Yat Jun escorted Princess Jing Li on her way home. Princess Jing Li was still depressed and had refused to talk to Prince Yat Jun. They traveled in silence and Prince Yat Jun was frustrated that he had not made any progress in his relationship with Princess Jing Li. Halfway into the journey; they planned to stay overnight in an abandoned building. Prince Yat Jun had spiked some wine with sedatives, which he offered to Princess Jing Li. Princess Jing Li, became dizzy after drinking the wine. She felt weak and was unable to fight off Prince Yat Jun when he tried to rape her. She managed to bite Prince Yat Jun and let out a weak scream when he forced a kiss on her. Prince Yat Jun then slapped Princess Jing Li hard across her face when her bite had caused a bleeding wound on his lips.

Princess Jing Li continued struggling weakly against Prince Yat Jun when a cold voice interrupted them, “Am I interrupted something?”

Prince Yat Jun looked up to see a tall handsome young man in a cobalt blue Mongolian suit standing over them. Prince Yat Jun was furious at the interruption and replied just as coldly and arrogantly, “Yes, you are. I am having some fun with my lover so leave before I changed my mind to let you go!”

Princess Jing Li was half-dazed from the blow to her face by Prince Yat Jun but she managed to whisper, “Young Hero, please help me. This man had attacked me,” as she tried to pull the edges of her torn blouse together.

The young Mongolian realized Princess Jing Li’s plight immediately and reacted swiftly, he pulled Prince Yat Jun off of Princess Jing Li. He delivered a hard blow to Prince Yat Jun’s solar plexus, knocking the breath out of Prince Yat Jun.

Prince Yat Jun staggered backwards many steps, almost falling over. He was in a rage that a foreigner had dared to hit him, “You low down dirty mongrel, how dare you lay a hand on me! Do you know who I am?”

“No, I don’t know who you are and I am not interested either. I only know that you are a scumbag who had tried to rape this young defenseless girl so I am going to teach you a lesson,” the young handsome Mongolian replied.

Soon the two men were engaged in a ferocious hand-to-hand combat. Though Prince Yat Jun fought viciously, fueled by his rage at the stranger, the young Mongolian was stronger and more adept at hand-to-hand combat. With a few blows, Prince Yat Jun was knocked unconscious.

The young Mongolian turned to Princess Jing Li who was unconscious from the sedatives. He examined her briefly for injuries, finding only bruises on her wrists and cheeks. He was relieved to find no life threatening injuries on her. He tried to wake Princess Jing Li up but she was out cold. The young Mongolian decided that he could not leave Princess Jing Li alone with Prince Yat Jun so he carried her out and put her on his horse and rode away with her. The young Mongolian was Prince Yuan Kit, the favorite son of the Great Khan of Mongolia.

Earlier on, Prince Yuan Kit was on his way back home to Mongolia after a visit with his friend in the Central Plains. He was going to seek shelter for the night in the abandoned building after a day of hard riding. He was almost at the door of the building when he became aware that it was already occupied. He was about to walk away when he heard Princess Jing Li’s weak scream. As he walked through the doorway, he was disgusted by the scene of a savage dishonorable Prince Yat Jun attacking a defenseless Princess Jing Li. His sense of chivalry kicked in and he decided to intervene.

After knocking Prince Yat Jun unconscious Prince Yuan Kit turned to the sedated Princess Jing Li and was bewitched by her alluring beauty. He felt very protective of the defenseless unconscious beauty and decided to take her with him back to Mongolia. They were almost at the border of Mongolia when Princess Jing Li finally woke up.

Chapter 4

Princess Jing Li opened her eyes to see a very handsome young man hovering by her side trying to give her some water. At first she was confused and disoriented, but after a few minutes she remembered being attacked by Prince Yat Jun when that good looking stranger interrupted Prince Yat Jun’s disgraceful act of violence and rescued her, “Young Hero, thank you for rescuing me.”

Prince Yuan Kit dismissed Princess Jing Li’s words of gratitude humbly, “Miss, it is alright. You do not have to thank me. Let me introduce myself, I am Prince Yuan Kit from Mongolia. May I know your name and how you came to be attacked by that man?”

Princess Jing Li’s eyes flashed with anger at the memory of Yat Jun’s attack on her, “I am Princess Xin Jing Li from the country of Xin. That man is Prince Li Yat Jun from the Central Plains. We were both martial arts students from Hero Chen Fu. Prince Yat Jun was supposed to escort me home to my royal parents when he offered me some spiked wine and then attempted to rape me. If it weren’t for your intervention…..”, Princess Jing Li began to cry.

Prince Yuan Kit could not bear to see Princess Jing Li’s tears and took her in his arms protectively, his muscular body absorbing her tremors and his clothes were stained with her tears. When Princess Jing Li finally calmed down and looked up at Prince Yuan Kit through her tears, she gave him a shy smile so sweet that his heart melted. Prince Yuan Kit knew that Princess Jing Li had captured his heart so completely that he vowed he would give up his life to love her and protect her from all evils. He planned to win her love with his sincerity so he suggested that it would do her good to go to Mongolia with him for a short stay and he would escort her home when she was ready to leave.

Princess Jing Li felt an affinity to Prince Yuan Kit and agreed to go with him so they continued their journey and reached the palace of the Great Khan in five days. She was welcomed by Prince Yuan Kit’s family including the Great Khan and stayed with them as a well-received guest. She did send word to her royal father that she was visiting with Prince Yuan Kit.

Prince Yuan Kit spent all his free time with Princess Jing Li showing her the beauty of Mongolian scenery, riding and hunting. Princess Jing Li was quick to pick up riding skills from Prince Yuan Kit and soon could ride well enough to keep up with him. She enjoyed the time spent with Prince Yuan Kit but in the darkness of the night when she was alone, she still cried bitter tears over Prince Yat Min. She could not forget their time together, Prince Yat Min’s smiles, his gentleness, his patience and his promise to her that he would love her forever. Though she was very angry and disappointed with Prince Yat Min that he had not kept his promise to her, she could not stop herself from loving and pining for him. Thus she was unable to fall in love with Prince Yuan Kit even though Prince Yuan Kit had tried to please her in every way.

Meanwhile in the Imperial Palace of the Central Plains Prince Yat Jun was still nursing his broken ribs and bruised face. It had been weeks since he woke up from his beating from Prince Yuan Kit to find himself alone. There were no signs of Princess Jing Li or that cowardly Mongolian who had beaten him up. Prince Yat Jun swore to take revenge on the man who had stolen Princess Jing Li from him. Prince Yat Jun went on home to the Central Plains and whined to his mother, Lady Silver Leaf that he had been bullied. He had kept away from his royal father and his half-brother Yat Min because he was afraid to tell them the truth about his injury and his attack on Princess Jing Li.

One day Prince Yat Jun ventured into his half-brother Yat Min’s part of the Imperial Palace. He was drawn to a very sad melody played on the Chinese zither and was wondering who the musician was when he looked up and saw a very beautiful young girl in the gazebo. The young girl had haunting beautiful eyes, rosebud lips and was wearing a heavily embroidered silver gown. Prince Yat Jun walked up to the girl and clapped his hands, “What a haunting melody played by a beauty!”

The young girl, Lady Lily looked up to see Prince Yat Jun who had a lewd glint in his eyes and took an instant dislike to him, she got up and turned her back to walk away from Prince Yat Jun. Prince Yat Jun had never seen Lady Lily before so he did not know that she was his half sister-in-law. Prince Yat Jun was furious to be ignored by a maid so he grabbed her arm brutally, hurting Lady Lily who let out a cry of pain.

At that precise moment Prince Yat Min walked into the garden, he had just finished his meeting with his royal father and came home early, eager to spend some time with his wife. Prince Yat Min heard Lady Lily’s cry of pain and was enraged to see his half-brother’s hands on his wife! He rushed over to them, with an intricate stance separated his wife from his half-brother, half-turned and kicked Prince Yat Jun to the floor, “How dare you disrespect me and my wife?’

Prince Yat Jun was shocked to see the fury in his half-brother’s eyes and stammered, “I, I am sorry. I did not mean any disrespect. I did not know that she is Lady Lily. My dear sister-in-law, please forgive me,” Prince Yat Jun apologized insincerely.

Prince Yat Min turned to Lady Lily and took her protectively in his arms, “Are you alright, did he hurt you?”

Lady Lily shook her head and said that she was alright but Prince Yat Min could see the tears on her cheeks and the fear in her eyes and turned to his half-brother angrily, “Don’t you dare to come near my wife ever again or I am going to kill you,” with that Prince Yat Min turned his back on Prince Yat Jun and escorted Lady Lily gently and protectively back to their living quarters.

Prince Yat Jun clenched his fists and looked hatefully at their receding backs, he was very jealous of Prince Yat Min and his luck with beautiful women, first Princess Jing Li and now this beautiful girl, Lady Lily. Prince Yat Jun was furious that he had been humiliated in front of Lady Lily and he vowed to take revenge. He just has to wait for the right time for the kill!

Last Edit: Nov 22, 2007 9:12:17 GMT -5 by sowfoong

sowfoong
Junior Member

Posts: 78

Fan Fiction 7: Love&Promises 74 chap (complete) Nov 22, 2007 8:57:52 GMT -5

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Post by sowfoong on Nov 22, 2007 8:57:52 GMT -5

Chapter 5

Life had been calm and harmonious for Prince Yat Min and Lady Lily. Contrary to what Prince Yat Min had been told, Lady Lily was not boring at all; she was very intelligent, knowledgeable and entertaining. Lady Lily was well versed in history and literature and very talented in playing the flute and Chinese zither. However the melody that she played was always sad and haunting. Prince Yat Min wondered often if his wife was unhappy because of the melody she favored but he was afraid to ask her outright. He was afraid that she would say that she was unhappy with him. He did everything he could to make her happy and spent as much time as possible with her but there was that far away look in her eyes sometimes and he longed to find out what she was dreaming about.

One day Prince Yat Min found Lady Lily bent over a bucket, being violently sick. When it happened a couple of days in a row, he was ecstatic; he held Lady Lily in his arms and twirled with her around the room. He stopped when Lady Lily protested that he would regret it if he did not stop spinning her around. He laughed and kissed her passionately, happy that he would soon have a baby and permanent bond with Lady Lily. He was more protective of Lady Lily and had more servants assigned to take care of Lady Lily until she protested that she could not breathe because she had not been given any room to breathe.

Prince Yat Min was even more attentive and affectionate to his wife during her pregnancy and treated her gently like the most precious and fragile porcelain. He would personally fed Lady Lily nutritious soup with a sthingy, which embarrassed her sometimes with his attentiveness. Prince Yat Min was very excited about their baby, it was comical to see him placed his ears over her belly, kissing and speaking gently to the yet to be born baby about all the things they were going to do together. All the palace maids giggled behind their backs and swooned over the handsome Prince Yat Min’s love and attention for his precious Lady Lily.

Prince Yat Jun was very upset and more jealous that his half-brother was going to have a child of his own. He waited impatiently for an opportunity to take his revenge on Lady Lily and his half brother.

A few months later Lady Lily gave birth to a very beautiful baby boy and everyone was happy for the young couple except Prince Yat Jun. Prince Yat Jun plotted to have Lady Lily and the baby killed but she was under heavy protection. His chance came when his half-brother was sent to the neighboring country for an assignment shortly after the birth of the royal baby. Prince Yat Min was reluctant to leave his wife and newborn son but it was his duty to obey his father so he ordered more servants and guards to protect his family while he was gone. Lady Lily bid a tearful goodbye to her husband, she did not want to be parted from him and Prince Yat Min left with a heavy heart and a solemn promise to come home as soon as his assignment was completed.

Prince Yat Jun had always been a playboy, he had affairs with most of the palace maids and one of them was Lady Lily’s personal maid and nanny to the baby. Prince Yat Jun told the maid, Siu Heung to bring the baby to him under the pretense of wanting to spend some time with his nephew alone because he longed for a baby of his own. Siu Heung was naïve and did as she was told and brought the baby to Prince Yat Jun. Prince Yat Jun took the baby out of the palace and told Siu Heung to bring a letter to Lady Lily. He told Lady Lily to come alone to the temple just outside the palace otherwise she would never see the baby again. Fearing for the life of her baby, Lady Lily managed to evade her bodyguards and sneaked out of the palace.

When Lady Lily arrived at the temple, Prince Yat Jun killed Siu Heung so that there would not be any witness to his crime. Prince Yat Jun told Lady Lily to write a letter to Prince Yat Min that she was leaving him. Prince Yat Jun threatened Lady Lily that if she did not write that letter to her husband he would kill her baby. Lady Lily had witnessed the brutal killing of Siu Heung and knew that Prince Yat Jun was serious and had no qualms in killing her or the baby so she wrote that letter as dictated; telling her husband that she was not happy with him and that she taking the baby with her and that she was leaving him.

Prince Yat Jun then forced Lady Lily into the forest and ordered his henchman to take Lady Lily further away to kill her and the baby while he brought that letter back to the palace. The henchman took Lady Lily and the baby and rode into the countryside. He was about to stab the baby when Lady Lily threw herself onto the henchman. They struggled but the henchman hit Lady Lily hard on the side of her head and she fell down unconscious. The henchman was about to kill the baby with his sword when an elderly man dressed in a Mongolian suit stopped him. They fought ferociously until the Mongolian killed the henchman by stabbing him in his heart with his saber.

The elderly Mongolian man went to examine the unconscious Lady Lily, he found no broken bones on her but there was a big gash to the side of her head. He was debating his next step when the crying baby caught his attention. The elderly man decided that he could not leave the young girl and the baby there in case more killers were sent to finish the job of killing them. He decided that he would take them home with him and carried Lady Lily and the baby to his horse. He placed them onto his horse and rode with them home to Mongolia.

When Lady Lily woke up, she was unable to remember who she was. She kept on crying quietly but she did smile when the baby was handed over to her and she breast-fed the baby. She would coo at the baby and played with him, other than that she did not speak much. The elderly Mongolian man was able to communicate with her in Chinese since he was well traveled and had many friends in the Central Plains.

The elderly man was a famous martial arts expert from Mongolia. His name was Danzhu Tillim. He had been in the service of the Great Khan until he retired. He was a widower, his wife died six years ago and he was glad of Lady Lily’s company and treated her like his granddaughter and the baby as his great grandson.

It was almost six months after they had been rescued when Lady Lily finally recovered her memory. It was a slow process. She was cautious once she remembered the danger she and her baby had been in. Even though the elderly Mongolian man had treated her like his granddaughter, she did not disclose her identity. She pretended to be slow-witted and the elderly man had left her alone. He was a wise man and knew that Lady Lily had recovered her memory but that she did not want to disclose her identity to anyone so he did not press her for information.

Chapter 6

Ten years later in Mongolia

A young handsome boy had just finished collecting some twigs and had tied them into two bundles. He carried them on his shoulders and walked along the path towards his home when he passed by a river. It was a hot day and he was sweating profusely. The sound of running water of the river beckoned him. He put the bundles of twigs by the riverbank and took off his shirt and jumped into the inviting cool water.

He was splashing happily in the river when he caught sight of the body of a young child at the bank of the river, hidden by the tall rushes. He swam over and turned the young child over, it was a young pretty girl. She was unconscious and was barely breathing. He pulled her up onto the riverbank and proceeded to press on her chest and then turned her onto her side to let the water run out of her mouth. She was still breathing weakly so he put his mouth over hers to breathe some air into her lungs. Soon the young girl spluttered chokingly but vomited the rest of the water out. She opened her eyes and saw the young boy’s lips hovering over hers. She pushed the young boy away and gave him a slap for having the audacity to kiss her, “How dare you kiss me?”

The young boy was indignant that he had been slapped for trying to help the young girl, “Who wants to kiss you? You are not pretty to look at with that scrunchy face! Look, I would not have touched you with a ten-foot pole if you hadn’t been half drowned and unresponsive when I found you. You were not breathing well so I had to breathe some air into you. You are such an ungrateful girl! Instead of thanking me for saving your life, you slapped me. Next time, I am not going to lift a finger to help you.”

The young boy stood up to storm off. The young girl started to cry as though her heart was breaking so he turned back to her impatiently, “What is wrong now?”

“I am hurting and you don’t care about me. You were going to leave me here all by myself,” she wept piteously.

The young boy sighed and dropped down to his knees, “What else can I do for you? Shall I bring you home to your family?”

“I am hurting too much. I want you to stay here with me so that I would not be alone,” the young girl demanded, a slight look of fear in her big beautiful eyes, her eyelashes spiky with her tears, her face tear stained, her cute nose was red and she looked so adorable yet vulnerable.

The young boy felt a tug to his heartstrings as he saw the frightened look in her eyes and felt a sudden intense wish to protect the young girl from harm and wipe away her fear. He shook his head slightly to clear that strange feeling that he was under the spell of that pretty girl. In a gruff voice he tried to reason with the young girl, “Look Miss, I cannot stay with you too long. I have to go home to do my chores, otherwise I would be punished by my great grandfather.”

“I don’t care. I want you to stay with me, otherwise I am going to cry till my eyeballs fall out,” the young girl threatened.

The young boy sighed at the young girl’s unreasonable demands, “That is ridiculous, your eyeballs won’t fall out from crying. I want you to stand up so that I can walk you home to your parents.”

“I told you that I am hurting too much. I don’t want to stand up or walk. I want you to carry me home,” the young girl insisted.

The young boy sighed again but just to shut the young girl up, he bent down and carried her in his arms all the way to the palace where she lived. He was panting and sweating again by the time they neared the palace. “Well Miss, I am not going any further. I don’t want to get into trouble. Just yell out loud and you will get help from the palace guards over there,” with that he turned and left the young girl at the gazebo right outside the palace gates.

The next day, the young girl came with her father Prince Yuan Kit to the young boy’s house to thank him for saving her life. When Prince Yuan Kit was young he had trained under the elderly Mongolian martial arts expert, Danzhu Tillim who was the young boy’s adopted great grandfather. Prince Yuan Kit wanted to reward the young boy for saving his daughter’s life but Danzhu Tillim would not accept any rewards from Prince Yuan Kit. Prince Yuan Kit took a liking to the young boy and told his Sifu that he wanted to take the young boy with him back to the palace. Danzhu Tillim was reluctant but had no choice but to let the young boy go with Prince Yuan Kit to the palace. After they left, Danzhu Tillim had to comfort the distressed Lady Lily who had been told that Prince Yuan Kit had taken her son into the palace.

The next day the young boy sneaked out from the palace and returned to his great grandfather and his mother. He refused to stay in the palace. Though Prince Yuan Kit sent one of his generals to bring the young boy back to the palace, the young boy had refused to leave with him so Prince Yuan Kit had relented and allowed the young boy to stay with his great grandfather and his mother in their old house.

The young girl came almost daily to visit the young boy, she brought food and clothes for the family but her gifts had not been accepted. But she came nevertheless to play with the young boy, dogging his footsteps. They were always together because the young boy gave up trying to dissuade her from following him. Being a boy he considered the young girl to be a nuisance but soon he got so used to having her around that he would miss her when she failed to visit even for a day.

Chapter 7

Danzhu Tillim was in a rage; a messenger had just come from the palace informing him that his great grandson had been held there because he had been caught trying to steal an invaluable jade horse statue and in the process the statue had been broken. Lady Lily became hysterical when they were informed that her son had been held, crying that they were going to kill her son. Danzhu Tillim promised to beg for pardon from Prince Yuan Kit so he trekked the distance to the palace.

After a long wait Prince Yuan Kit came out to the great hall to greet his Sifu, “Greetings to you Sifu. I am sorry to have kept you waiting but I just came back from a meeting with my royal father. He was very angry that his jade horse statue was broken. I did manage to calm him down and promised to punish your great grandson. Now that you are here, do you have any suggestions?”

“If you trust me, I will take the young rascal home and will punish him accordingly. I promise you that the young rascal will not give you any problems ever again,” Danzhu Tillim told his student.

Prince Yuan Kit ordered Danzhu Tillim’s great grandson to be brought out and handed over to Danzhu Tillim and the two left the palace. Prince Yuan Kit went back to his private quarters to see his wife scolding his daughter, “Mei Ling, you are never to see that young thief again. He is a good for nothing and a thief. He is a bad influence on you. Your royal father had released him to his great grandfather and you are not to go to their house ever again,” she ordered.

“Father, please help me. Mother said that I am not allowed to see Kiu Wai ever again,” Princess Mei Ling turned to Prince Yuan Kit, big fat tears rolling down her chubby cheeks.

“Your mother is right. That young boy Kiu Wai is no good. You should stay away from him. I have been generous today. I have pardoned and released him to my Sifu’s custody because he had saved your life but he did have a bad influence on you. I don’t want you to see him either,” Prince Yuan Kit ordered.

“But Father, Kiu Wai did not steal anything. It was I who had stolen the jade horse and Kiu Wai was trying to get it from me to return it to its proper place and it was dropped accidentally and broken in the process. It wasn’t his fault; it was mine. If Kiu Wai was to be punished for a crime he didn’t commit, then I should also be punished for a crime that I did commit,” Princess Mei Ling argued.

“You will be punished later when I think of a suitable punishment. Now go to your room and repent,” Prince Yuan Kit was surprised that his daughter had defended Kiu Wai so selflessly. He knew that his daughter had been spoiled by both his wife and himself and she had always been a little self-centered. Kiu Wai must have meant a lot to her if she was willing to protect him from punishment by admitting to her own wrongdoings. He had better keep an eye on the two children; their fondness for each other might cause trouble in the future.

When Princess Mei Ling was forbidden to visit Kiu Wai she had pouted, sulked and cried but her father had remained firm about keeping Kiu Wai away from her. Princess Mei Ling had refused to get out of her room or even out of her bed. She refused to eat, and drank only enough water to keep herself hydrated. She had lost a lot of weight and her royal parents were worried about her. One day Princess Mei Ling became very ill, and fell into unconsciousness. During the periods when she was semi-conscious, she kept crying and calling for her friend Kiu Wai. None of the physicians who came to see her was able to find a cure for her.

The Great Khan came one day to visit his favorite grandchild. His attention was caught by Kiu Wai’s name so he asked Prince Yuan Kit who the person was that Princess Mei Ling kept calling in her dreams. Prince Yuan Kit told his royal father about Kiu Wai. The Great Khan ordered that Kiu Wai to be brought to the palace.

Kiu Wai was escorted into the room. He was very worried when he saw Princess Mei Ling looking deadly pale on her bed. Forgetting where he was for a moment, he ran to her bed and grabbed her hand in his, “Mei Ling, what is wrong with you? Are you in any pain? Please tell me and I will try to get something to help ease your pain. Please wake up. It is beautiful outside. The flowers are in full bloom and there are millions of butterflies in the meadows. I promise to catch many more butterflies for your collection, please wake up,” Kiu Wai had tears in his eyes as he talked to Princess Mei Ling.

Princess Mei Ling remained unconscious but Kiu Wai did not give up. He knelt by her bed and kept on talking to her, whispering in her ears that he had missed her. He promised her that he would never fight with her ever again if she wakes up. He held her hands tightly, with tears streaming down his face as he prayed for her recovery silently.

Soon her eyelids fluttered and her eyes opened. She touched Kiu Wai on his cheek and whispered, “Kiu Wai, please help me. My parents won’t let me see you. I am so lonely without you. Please stay here with me,” she begged, tears rolling down her cheeks.

The Great Khan saw the touching scene and felt something tugged his heartstrings. He turned to Prince Yuan Kit, “Why did you keep the two children apart? Don’t you realize that they hurt when they were separated? From now on, let them be together,” ordered the Great Khan as he turned and walked out of the room. Prince Yuan Kit shrugged his shoulders and told Kiu Wai that he may visit Princess Mei Ling as often as he wished and Princess Mei Ling could visit Kiu Wai as often as she wanted when she was well again. The two children were very happy and gave each other a hug.

When Princess Mei Ling had fully recovered from her illness, she asked her royal father to allow her to train in martial arts under Danzhu Tillim so that she could spend time with Kiu Wai. Prince Yuan Kit saw no harm in Princess Mei Ling’s request so he agreed to allow her to train in martial arts together with Kiu Wai. Danzhu Tillim took Princess Mei Ling under his wing and Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling became martial arts brother and sister. They practiced martial arts skills together everyday at Danzhu Tillim’s house.

Chapter 8

Kiu Wai’s great grandfather started training Kiu Wai in martial arts when he was five years old. Kiu Wai had to run many miles a day to build up his stamina, he learnt to fish and hunt for deer, rabbits and pheasants. He had to swim and hold his breath underwater for very long periods of time. Kiu Wai’s great grandfather was a stern taskmaster and Kiu Wai suffered many beatings when he failed to master the stances he had been taught. Kiu Wai knew that his great grandfather loved him very much so despite of the hardship he had to endure everyday to become a martial arts expert he never complained and worked very hard to please his great grandfather. He excelled in hunting and lightness martial arts by the time he was ten. He was tall, handsome with a gorgeous smile and had a good physique from the hard training. He was also intelligent, well mannered and respectful to his elders and everyone in his village loved him.

The family was poor but self-sufficient. They grew their own vegetables, raise their own chickens and Kiu Wai hunted and fished for extra food supply. He was a filial son and great grandson and did everything he could to provide for his family even though he was only ten years old. His great grandfather did not discourage Kiu Wai in his efforts even though Kiu Wai was still a child. Danzhu Tillim was happy to see that Kiu Wai was honest, hardworking, responsible and filial at such a young age. He was relieved knowing that when he dies, Lady Lily had someone to take care of her.

Lady Lily had partially confided in Danzhu Tillim that they had come from a powerful family but had been betrayed; that they were still in danger. She never told Danzhu Tillim the complete story and Danzhu Tillim had never pressed her for more information. Danzhu Tillim had grown to love Lady Lily and Kiu Wai as if they were his own family. Knowing that they were in danger had worried him so he started training Kiu Wai in martial arts as soon as Kiu Wai could walk and understand instructions. Danzhu Tillim was extremely strict with Kiu Wai in his training regimen because he was determined to train Kiu Wai to become a martial arts expert.

Kiu Wai’s mother, Lady Lily waited up for Kiu Wai to come home every day from his training, which did not end until late in the night without any concession being made for storms, rain, snow, sleets, the hottest sun or the harshest weather conditions. Kiu Wai started his days early tilling the fields, planting vegetables and watering them so that his mother would not have to do the strenuous chore. After working in the fields he would go on to train in martial arts till late at night because he had to train for at least ten hours a day no matter when or how he started his day. Kiu Wai was exhausted when he arrived home but Lady Lily always had a bowl of hot soup ready for him and talked with him about his day pampering him with gentle motherly love.

Despite the old worn garments Lady Lily still looked extremely beautiful and there was a quiet gracefulness and elegance in her movements. Kiu Wai had asked his mother once about his father but she became very sad and had tears streaming down her face that he did not press her for an answer. Kiu Wai adored his beautiful mother and vowed that he would protect her with his life. Lady Lily had taught Kiu Wai to read, write and everything she knew about Chinese history and literature. She also taught Kiu Wai to play the flute and the Chinese zither including all her favorite sad melodies. Kiu Wai grew up to be well read and refined. Lady Lily gently guided Kiu Wai through the different stages of his life and taught him to be honorable. Despite the harsh life he had led, Kiu Wai was still able to show patience, gentleness and love to those he cared about.

sowfoong
Junior Member

Posts: 78

Fan Fiction 7: Love&Promises 74 chap (complete) Nov 22, 2007 9:00:49 GMT -5

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Post by sowfoong on Nov 22, 2007 9:00:49 GMT -5

Chapter 9

Kiu Wai was ten years old and Princess Mei Ling was seven when they first met. Kiu Wai had been kept busy with his martial arts training and working in the fields and did not have much contact to their neighbors or their children. He had been swimming happily in the river, one of the rare moments he was doing something fun and enjoyable when he found Princess Mei Ling. His first instinct was to save the life of a human being; he was not pleased to receive a slap from Princess Mei Ling for his efforts. That Princess Mei Ling was spoiled and demanding did not endear her to him. In his opinion, she was trouble and a nuisance. He was surprised to find out that Mei Ling was a princess when she came the next day with Prince Yuan Kit to thank him.

Princess Mei Ling was very pretty and adorable with big mesmerizing eyes framed by long dark eyelashes. She had always a cheeky grin on her face, a cute nose and flawless complexion. She was a sweet but spoiled and mischievous girl. She was the only child and was extremely spoiled by her royal parents. She was also the only girl among the Great Khan’s many grandchildren and his favorite grandchild. When she could not get anything from her royal parents she would go to her royal grandfather. Princess Mei Ling had the Great Khan wrapped around her little fingers and he could not deny her anything.

Even though numerous servants surrounded Princess Mei Ling she did not have a playmate. The rest of the Great Khan’s grandchildren were all males and much older than Princess Mei Ling. They were not interested in playing with Princess Mei Ling except to tease her or play tricks on her. Her royal parents had also been very protective of her so adults had always surrounded her. Princess Mei Ling had never been unkind to her servants but she had caused them to get into a lot of trouble with her mischief and escapades

One day she had sneaked out of the palace unnoticed and played by the riverbank. She was trying to pick some flowers at the edge of the river when she lost her balance and fell into the river. She was swept down the river by its swift current. She managed to hang onto a branch floating in the river and then struggled towards the riverbank. She was exhausted by the time she reached the riverbank and fainted when Kiu Wai found her.

When Princess Mei Ling met Kiu Wai she felt an affinity to him and was drawn to tall good-looking boy. She decided that she wanted Kiu Wai as a playmate and she was determined to make him play with her even though he was sullen and had ignored her most of the time.

Kiu Wai was used to being alone. Though Kiu Wai was drawn to Princess Mei Ling’s mischievous grins and bubbly personality he respected their difference in status. Kiu Wai did his best to dissuade Princess Mei Ling from dogging his footsteps. He tried to ignore her but Princess Mei Ling was not someone to be ignored. She talked non-stop and was curious about everything he did. Kiu Wai had always been kind, patient and gentle. He could not bear to see the hurt in her expressive eyes when he deliberately ignored her and the sight of her tears brought pain to his heart. It was as if she had captured his heart and soul. Princess Mei Ling’s determination wore down Kiu Wai’s guard over his heart against the spoiled little princess. He softened towards her and after the initial reluctance he enjoyed Princess Mei Ling’s chatter and company. They became good friends and were inseparable.

The deep feelings that they had for each other had been revealed when they were forcibly separated and unable to see each other. Both of them had suffered from the separation, it was as if they had lost their soul mate. Kiu Wai had been forbidden to see Princess Mei Ling or go near the palace for getting into trouble. He had to go without sleep or rest for five straight days training in martial arts as a punishment and was very withdrawn after that. He missed Princess Mei Ling’s company and her endless chatter and had suffered from their separation. Princess Mei Ling had become very ill and was unconscious for many days with episodes of delirium. It was not until after the Great Khan had ordered Kiu Wai to be brought to the palace to see Princess Mei Ling that she finally woke up to Kiu Wai’s voice and touch. After that incident the two children were allowed to be together without further interference.

Kiu Wai never went back to the palace even though he was invited. Princess Mei Ling began her martial arts training under Danzhu Tillim so she spent most of her time at their house. Danzhu Tillim had a rule that his students were to be treated equally and there was no difference in the students’ status. Just like her royal father when he was training with Danzhu Tillim, Princess Mei Ling was not treated as a royalty and she received her punishments when she broke the rules.

Chapter 10

Eight years later

A very beautiful young girl in a pink and silver silk suit was riding at a breakneck pace across the meadows on her beautiful purebred black stallion. A very handsome young man with noble features and a gorgeous smile who wore a blue cotton suit followed her on his horse hoping to catch up with the girl but his horse was not purebred and was slower, “Mei Ling, slow down or you are going to get hurt when you fall.”

“I won’t fall. You were just trying to trick me to slow down so that you could win the race. I am not falling for it,” Princess Mei Ling laughed mischievously, her sweet voice rang like music as she urged her horse to gallop faster.

“I admit defeat, my horse is not as fast as yours. Let’s stop this race. I don’t want you to get hurt…..Mei Ling, look out!” Kiu Wai yelled his warning, his heart almost jumped out of his mouth when he saw Princess Mei Ling tried to stop her horse unsuccessfully at the very edge of the cliff and fell over. Kiu Wai leapt off his horse and used his lightness martial arts skills to jump over to where Princess Mei Ling had disappeared. He looked over the edge of the cliff and saw Princess Mei Ling clinging to some rocks on the side of the cliff about twenty feet down.

“Mei Ling, are you alright? Hang on tight, I am coming down to get you,” Kiu Wai told Princess Mei Ling calmly. Outwardly Kiu Wai put on a brave face in order not to alarm Princess Mei Ling but inwardly Kiu Wai was frightened for her. It was a long way to the bottom and if he was unable to rescue her, she would fall to her death.

“Kiu Wai, please don’t come down. It is too dangerous. I will try to climb up myself,” Princess Mei Ling was scared herself but she was afraid that Kiu Wai would hurt himself trying to rescue her.

“Mei Ling, stay where you are. Don’t move. Just hang on tight. I am coming down for you,” Kiu Wai ordered her firmly as he climbed down the steep cliff. He was only a couple of feet away from Princess Mei Ling when she lost her grip on the stones and started to fall. Kiu Wai managed to grab a hold of Princess Mei Ling’s hand pulling her to his side but the stone that he was holding onto loosened and they both fell down the cliff, some loosened rocks hit them on their heads, knocking both of them unconscious.

When Kiu Wai regained consciousness, he found that both of them were lying among a big bush that grew at the side of the cliff. He had scratches all over his arms and legs, his clothes were torn but he had no broken bones. Princess Mei Ling was lying next to him, their limbs were entangled and she was unconscious. There was a lump on her forehead and some dried blood from the wound near the hairline. Kiu Wai looked down to see how far they were from the bottom and found that it was a seventy-five foot drop. Kiu Wai tried to wake Princess Mei Ling up but was unsuccessful. He used one of Princess Mei Ling’s decorative belts and tied her to him around the waist with the belt.

Kiu Wai cautiously crawled out from bush with Princess Mei Ling tied to his waist. He wrapped his arms around the unconscious Princess Mei Ling and leapt from the bush. As soon as they had made a safe clearance from the bushes, he flipped over, somersaulting his way down the cliff. It was very dangerous but Kiu Wai had no choice. He had tied Princess Mei Ling to him so that she would not come loose from him as he used his lightness martial arts skills to somersault his way down. Kiu Wai managed to break the forceful impact of a direct fall that could kill them by somersaulting. They landed luckily on a huge bush and were not seriously injured.

Kiu Wai untied Princess Mei Ling from his body and crawled out from the bush and then put her down on to a grassy area. He examined her for any injuries and found that she had no broken bones. He was worried that she had not regained consciousness and thought she had a concussion. He looked around and discovered that they were in a valley. It was cold and hazy with the rays of the sun barely shining through. Kiu Wai decided to find a shelter for the two of them because he had a weird feeling that they were being watched. He carried Princess Mei Ling into the cave that he had found and placed her on the dry ground. He started a fire with a few twigs that he had collected, not noticing the person who was watching his every move from a bush fifty feet away.

Chapter 11

It had been two days since Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling landed in the valley. Kiu Wai had transferred his internal energy to Princess Mei Ling daily but she had remained unconscious and Kiu Wai was very worried about her. As he explored his surroundings, he found a small lake inside the cave with fresh water and fish. There were bushes with wild berries and fragrant flowers growing around the cave. As Kiu Wai wandered further away from the cave he found wild yams and herbs.

Kiu Wai had a good knowledge of herbs because Danzhu Tillim had insisted that they had to be self-sufficient and the ability to cure common illness was one of the things Kiu Wai had to master. Kiu Wai tried to give some herbal tea made from the herbs to Princess Mei Ling but she was unable to swallow. Kiu Wai was at the end of his wits because he knew that Princess Mei Ling would die soon if she does not regain consciousness.

One day Kiu Wai came back from his search for different herbs to find an old man with wild untidy grey hair hovering over Princess Mei Ling. Afraid that the stranger was going to harm Princess Mei Ling; Kiu Wai leapt forward and attacked the stranger.

The old man turned around and used his palm to hit Kiu Wai throwing Kiu Wai thirty feet into a bush. “Little Rascal, how dare you attacked me?” the old man asked furiously in a low guttural voice. He was odd looking, half of his face grotesque and distorted, one eye was missing, that cheek was sunken as though the bones were smashed on that side of his face and his nose was crooked. The other cheek was smooth and the remaining eye glinted with a hint of craziness.

Kiu Wai crawled out of the bush. When he saw the grotesque appearance of the old man, he was even more afraid for Princess Mei Ling’s safety. He jumped forward, ready to attack the old man again when the latter held up one hand to signal for Kiu Wai to stop. “If you don’t stop trying to attack me, I will smash the head of this beautiful girl,” the old man warned Kiu Wai, stopping Kiu Wai in his tracks.

“Elder Hero, we do not know you. Why were you trying to harm Mei Ling?” Kiu Wai asked, fearful for Princess Mei Ling’s life but knew that the odd looking man’s martial arts skills were extremely high and he would not be able to win over the stranger to rescue her.

The old man frowned at Kiu Wai, “Who are you and what were you two youngsters doing in this valley?”

“My name is Li Kiu Wai and this is Princess Mei Ling. We had an accident and fell down the cliff and landed in this valley,” Kiu Wai told the old man.

“Accident or fate? I have not had any contact to another human being for about forty years,” the old man talked to himself. When Kiu Wai took a step to approach the old man, he held up a hand to stop Kiu Wai again, “I am serious, if you take one more step forward, I am going to kill this pretty girl so if you don’t want her to die, you will do as I say.”

“Elderly Hero, what do you want me to do? I will do anything, just don’t hurt her,” Kiu Wai promised.

The old man looked Kiu Wai over. He liked the good-looking young man with noble features and a sturdy physique, “I want you to acknowledge me as your Sifu. I want you to be my student and learn everything I have to teach you.”

“You want me to be your student?” Kiu Wai asked astonished at the old man’s demands. He continued, “Why? I already have a Sifu so I cannot acknowledge you as my Sifu.”

“Your martial arts skills were below par, so how can you be proud of your Sifu? If you acknowledged me as your Sifu and learned everything I have to teach you, you can take over the martial arts world,” the old man insulted Kiu Wai’s great grandfather in the process.

Kiu Wai was very upset, “Please don’t insult my Sifu. He is a good man and had been very kind to my mother and I.”

“Who is your Sifu? Just because he is a good man doesn’t mean he is a great martial arts expert. I am the best! Don’t you want to be the best martial arts expert in the world?” the old man asked Kiu Wai.

“My Sifu is my great grandfather Danzhu Tillim. I don’t have any interest in conquering the world. I had trained in martial arts because my great grandfather wanted me to otherwise I am just as happy not to know any martial arts,” Kiu Wai told the old man.

“Danzhu Tillim? Your Sifu is Danzhu Tillim? Then you must become my student whether you want to or not,” the old man was agitated on hearing that Kiu Wai’s Sifu was Danzhu Tillim.

Kiu Wai was curious about the old man’s strange behavior, “That is ridiculous! You cannot force me to be your student.”

Chapter 12

“Yes, I can. I have given this pretty girl a poisonous pill. She needs the daily antidote that only I can provide. If you don’t train under my instructions, she will die slowly and painfully,” the old man told a very shocked Kiu Wai.

At that very moment Princess Mei Ling opened her eyes and moan weakly, “Kiu Wai, where are you? I am hurting. Help me, Kiu Wai…” She clutched at her abdomen and cried in pain.

The old man stepped aside as Kiu Wai ran towards Princess Mei Ling and knelt at her side. He took her hands gently in his, upset to see the pain in her eyes, “Mei Ling, I am here. You don’t have to be afraid. I promise that I will get something to ease your pain.”

Kiu Wai looked up resentfully at the old man, “Elderly Hero, please give Mei Ling something to ease her pain.”

“I will, as soon as you acknowledge me as your Sifu and promise to train under my instructions,” the old man was adamant.

Kiu Wai looked at Princess Mei Ling’s tear stained face as she cried in pain, feeling helpless and trapped. He had to help her so he turned to the old man, “I accept your offer. I will acknowledge you as my Sifu and to train under your instructions. Please give Mei Ling something to help ease her pain.”

“I know you will come around to my way of thinking. Now kneel down and bow to me three times and formally acknowledge me as your Sifu and renounce Danzhu Tillim as your Sifu,” the old man ordered.

Kiu Wai looked up at the old man, “That wasn’t the deal. I cannot renounce my great grandfather as my Sifu. I can only acknowledge you as my Sifu along with my great grandfather. If you cannot accept that, then you will have to kill me because I will not be a traitor to my family.”

The old man looked at Kiu Wai, he liked Kiu Wai’s loyalty to his Sifu. He knew that Kiu Wai was very reluctant to accept another man as his Sifu and had only made the compromise because of that pretty girl. Seeing the determination on Kiu Wai’s face, the old man decided not to push Kiu Wai so he agreed.

The initiation ceremony was completed quickly as Kiu Wai knelt and bowed deeply to the old man, his head touching the ground three times, formally acknowledging the old man as his Sifu. Kiu Wai was shocked to learn that the old man was Lin Yik Fei nicknamed “The Handsome Swordsman”, the man feared by all the martial arts experts in the Mo Lam.

About forty years ago, there was a very handsome swordsman active in the Mo Lam. His level of martial arts was so high that no one was able to defeat him in any of the challenges and duels that he had initiated. He would go to all the different leading martial arts schools and to both the evil and righteous clans to challenge the leaders to duels and he had always been the winner. He had never killed anyone but the martial arts experts were angry to lose face in the Mo Lam because they couldn’t win against him. That swordsman was Lin Yik Fei.

Lin Yik Fei was very handsome and all the women had swooned at the sight of his handsome face. Young girls, married women and even old spinsters would turn to giggling fools when they saw him. They did everything to attract his attention but he was not interested in any of them. He was only interested in martial arts and duels.

One day Lin Yik Fei disappeared from the Mo Lam, never to be heard of again. No one knew where Lin Yik Fei was but they were glad that he was not around to challenge anyone else to duels. There was calm in the Mo Lam and Lin Yik Fei became a legend because he had remained invincible till he mysteriously disappeared.

Danzhu Tillim had many friends in the Mo Lam and had told Kiu Wai about the intrigues in the Mo Lam, the different clans and martial arts schools. He told Kiu Wai that a very handsome man came to Mongolia one day about forty years ago and had passed out from drinking in front of his house. Danzhu Tillim helped the man into the house and let the stranger stayed overnight. The stranger was Lin Yik Fei, he was reluctantly grateful to Danzhu Tillim for letting him stay overnight. They became drinking companions. Lin Yik Fei had been very depressed and had lamented over a girl. Lin Yik Fei never told Danzhu Tillim the identity of the girl but it must have been an unusual beauty to turn Lin Yik Fei’s head since he was well known for not having any interest in girls. One day Lin Yik Fei disappeared without saying goodbye to Danzhu Tillim.

Kiu Wai was shocked that the odd looking man was the legendary Lin Yik Fei and that famous martial arts expert was going to be his Sifu. Lin Yik Fei kept his promise and gave Princess Mei Ling a pill to ease her pain and she slept quietly after that. Lin Yik Fei left them alone for the night and told Kiu Wai that he would be starting his training early in the morning. Kiu Wai stayed by Princess Mei Ling’s side and she woke up a few times, clutching his hand tightly, begging Kiu Wai to hold her and to keep her safe. Kiu Wai held her in his arms protectively. He shuddered at the thought of losing her and swore that he would do anything to have her well again. He did not regret acknowledging Lin Yik Fei as his Sifu because it was worth the sacrifice to save Mei Ling’s life. He kissed her tenderly and slowly dozed off, relieved that Princess Mei Ling had regained consciousness and was safe in his arms.

Chapter 71

The next morning the young couple questioned the head priestess about the strange woman in the courtyard. The priestess told them that no one knows the identity of the woman. A couple of young nuns had found her many years ago at the foot of a hill in a town many miles from the temple. She was badly injured. They brought her back to the temple and nursed her back to health. It seemed that she had suffered from amnesia and was unable to tell them anything about herself. She had not spoken a word to anyone and had remained silent throughout her stay. She was very depressed and would either cry all day in her room or she would kneel down to pray at the altar for hours. She was also very shy or maybe she did not want anyone to recognize her because she would always wear a veil in the presence of strangers. She had no visitors and had not contacted any family members throughout her stay. The priestess decided to give the poor woman shelter and she had remained in the temple all these years. She helped with cooking and cleaning to pay for her keep.

Princess Mei Ling became more curious and was determined to find out more about the strange woman. She persuaded Kiu Wai that she was still hurting and needed more time for her ankle to heal. Kiu Wai looked at Princess Mei Ling thoughtfully. He knew his wife’s tendency to be challenged by mysteries and knew that Princess Mei Ling was using her injury as an excuse to stay longer in the temple to solve the mystery. He agreed to stay a couple more days at the temple, which pleased Princess Mei Ling tremendously. Princess Mei Ling slipped away from Kiu Wai that afternoon and walked around in the temple. She found the older woman sitting on the steps in the courtyard of the temple weeping silently. She was still wearing a veil and did not look up upon Princess Mei Ling’s arrival. Princess Mei Ling sat down quietly beside the older woman.

The older woman continued to ignore Princess Mei Ling. Princess Mei Ling sat quietly besides the older woman for half an hour and then got up to walk out of the courtyard to view the scenery of the wild beauty of the mountain where the temple was situated. After some time Princess Mei Ling decided to join Kiu Wai in their room when she discovered that the jade medallion that her Sifu had given her as a wedding gift was missing. She was sure that she had it in her belt because she had always kept it there since her Sifu gave it to her. She looked around the back of the temple and could not find it. She walked back into the temple’s courtyard to look for it. The older woman had left.

When Princess Mei Ling could not find that medallion, she was very upset. She was crawling around in the bushes of the courtyard when Kiu Wai came upon her, “Mei Ling, what are you doing?”

“I am looking for the medallion that Sifu had given me for our wedding. I have lost it and I could not find it anywhere!” Princess Mei Ling told him with tears in her eyes.

Kiu Wai started to help look for the medallion, which he knew held a lot of sentiments for Princess Mei Ling. Unfortunately they were unable to locate the missing medallion and Princess Mei Ling was very upset about her carelessness. Suddenly she thought about the old woman with a veil and decided to go and ask her if she had seen the missing jade medallion. Kiu Wai could not stop her from rushing off.

Princess Mei Ling was stopped by one of the nuns as she made to go to the restricted area of the temple. She protested when the young nun stopped her. While she was trying to reason with the nun the woman with the veil came out of her room, “Madam, I am sorry for the interrupting your rest but I would like to know if you have seen a jade medallion. It was a wedding gift from my Sifu.”

The woman with the veil came forward and handed the jade medallion back to Princess Mei Ling silently. Princess Mei Ling was about to thank the woman when she looked at the medallion more carefully. She looked up at the mysterious woman who had turned to walk back to her quarters. Princess Mei Ling did not say anything further and walked deep in her thoughts back to her room.

“Did you find your medallion?” Kiu Wai asked Princess Mei Ling as she walked into their room. Princess Mei Ling nodded absentmindedly. Kiu Wai was curious about his wife’s odd silence but did not pursue the matter further. They talked about the upcoming festival that would be celebrated in the temple.

Later in the night Kiu Wai was about to go to bed when Princess Mei Ling turned to him suddenly, “Kiu Wai, let’s go to Mongolia right now.”

Kiu Wai was surprised, “It is dark, let’s wait till dawn and we can have an early start. It will help to rest your ankle for one more night before embarking on the long journey.”

“I am fine, I don’t need any more rest. I really want to go to Mongolia as soon as possible,” Princess Mei Ling insisted.

Knowing his wife’s temperament, Kiu Wai decided to do as Princess Mei Ling requested. Had he refused, Princess Mei Ling would probably leave for Mongolia without him. He did not press Princess Mei Ling for an explanation. They thanked the Head Priestess for the hospitality and hurried on their way. Kiu Wai was surprised that Princess Mei Ling had insisted on using their Lightness Martial Arts skills all the way to Mongolia with only a couple of minutes of rest in between. He was wondering about the urgency of their trip but Princess Mei Ling remained quiet and thoughtful throughout the trip. They finally reached Mongolia after two days. Instead of going to Danzhu Tillim’s hut as planned, Princess Mei Ling insisted on going to see their Sifu Lin Yik Fei.

Chapter 72

Lin Yik Fei was surprised to see his students. He had been invited to their wedding but had declined to attend. Kiu Wai knew that Princess Mei Ling had wanted to see their Sifu for a reason and he wanted her to have a chance to speak with their Sifu in private. So after some small talk Kiu Wai excused himself by saying that he was tired and went to the cave that the young couple had shared during their previous stay. Princess Mei Ling accompanied Lin Yik Fei to his cave. She handed him the jade medallion. Lin Yik Fei was surprised but as he looked at the jade medallion more carefully, his tears welled up in his remaining eye. Lin Yik Fei stroked the jade medallion gently and held it to his chest, silent tears rolled down his cheek. He then patted Princess Mei Ling on her shoulders gratefully and walked into his cave with the jade medallion still clutched to his chest. It started to rain as Princess Mei Ling ran to join Kiu Wai in their cave.

Kiu Wai lay on the straws that were strewn on the floor by the wall of the cave. He had built a small fire in middle of the cave and stared into the dancing flames thoughtfully. It was cozy and warm inside the cave. He looked up when Princess Mei Ling entered the cave and raised his eyebrow at her with a question in his eyes. His eyes took in her feminine curves outlined by her wet clothes that hugged her sexy petite figure. Princess Mei Ling dropped down to her knees besides Kiu Wai, shivering slightly from the cold. She bent down and hugged him tightly, making wet stains on his clothes. She gave him a deep passionate kiss and then rested her head on his shoulder, “Thank you.”

Kiu Wai pulled Princess Mei Ling down beside him and complained, “I am not sure why you thanked me. I wish you wouldn’t be so secretive.”

Princess Mei Ling put her forefinger on Kiu Wai’s lips, “Shhh, I will explain everything to you later.” She molded herself to Kiu Wai’s muscular body, seducing him with her sexy feminine curves and soft kisses.

Kiu Wai pulled Princess Mei Ling closer as he enjoyed her tantalizing caresses. He tightened his hold on her and pressed his lips on her soft ones. Light feathery kisses turned firm and persuasive as Kiu Wai began a serious onslaught on her senses. Slightly calloused fingers slipped urgently into her wet shirt as they danced seductively on her flawless silky skin, making her nerve ends tingled with excitement.

Princess Mei Ling pressed her lips to his throat as her small hands slipped into his shirt, caressing his bare skin as he groaned his desires. Kiu Wai tipped her head back so that he could look into her mesmerizing eyes. Her eyes darkened with passion, inviting him to take possession of her, body and soul.

Kiu Wai could not longer withhold his desires, his patience was wearing out as he untied Princess Mei Ling’s belt and slipped her shirt off. Her feminine sexy curves lured him to lose self-control. His fingers and lips paid homage to every inch of her silky skin and her sweet feminine scent tantalized his senses to the point of intoxication. His white teeth nibbled on her curves playfully and the tip of his tongue left trails of fire that consumed her soul. His fingers discovered all her secret erogenous zones that she was not aware of having, causing her to shiver involuntarily and uncontrollably from the sweet sensation.

Princess Mei Ling pulled Kiu Wai’s shirt off impatiently and sighed with bliss as his muscular chest brushed her feminine curves. She pressed herself closer breathing in his masculine scent and felt his desires rising. Her inexperienced caresses drove him almost insane with pleasure when he stilled her restless fingers. He pressed his lips possessively over hers, absorbing her soft cry of surprise as he initiated her to the exquisite pleasures of passion.

With the soft rhythm of the rain splashing steadily on the ground outside accompanied by the flickering flame of the fire as it danced on the wall of the cave, the young couple embarked on their first journey of passion. Princess Mei Ling felt helpless as she was caught up in the whirlwind of their passion as they rode waves after waves of erotic sensation. Her slim lower limbs tangled with his muscular ones sensuously as she held onto Kiu Wai tightly, slightly frightened of the new experience. She tried to surge through the turbulent tunnel of excitement when an explosion of bright lights blinded her as they both reached the climax together. Their hearts were beating erratically and both were breathless with wonder from their incredible earth-shaking experience.

With gentle kisses and soft caresses, Kiu Wai guided Princess Mei Ling slowly back to earth. He smiled at the bemused expression on her face as she blushed at her wanton response to his passion. His eyes worshipped her soft body; his manly pride took in the sheen of afterglow, which lingered on her skin that bore the marks of his possession. He whispered teasingly into her ears as she blushed with shyness. She tried to move out of his embrace but he would not release her. Instead he began another onslaught of her senses and she gave up her weak struggles, eager to please him and eager to experience again the mind-blowing pleasures that only he could provide.

Towards dawn the young couple finally fell asleep in each other’s arms, exhausted but satiated from the hours of endless passion. Lin Yik Fei came to their cave and stood outside for a couple of minutes. When the exhausted young lovers did not stir from their sleep, Lin Yik Fei did not disturb them. He wrote a message in the wet ground just outside of their cave and then left the valley.

Chapter 73

The veiled woman was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard of the temple. She looked up at the silver moon and sighed. Scenes after scenes of her past flickered in her mind as she remembered the precious moments she shared with her lover. Silent tears rolled down her unlined cheeks as she thought about the mistakes she had made in her life, the devastation she had caused herself and in the lives of her family. It had been almost forty years since she had last seen her lover and yet she was unable to forget him. She felt ashamed of her betrayal of her family but she could not stop loving the man who had stolen her heart from the very first moment she had set her eyes on him. She had knelt for hours daily in front of the altar to pray for forgiveness for her sins. She wanted to confide in someone of her sins but she had remained steadfast in her vow of silence all these years. She wished that she could see the man whom she loved with all the heart just once more before she dies.

Suddenly the veiled woman’s ears perked up. Strands of sad melody from a flute broke the silence of the night. The veiled woman lifted her head, with hope in her eyes. She wrung her hands together nervously, trying to decide her next course of action. She had hesitated a moment too long as a man whose face was hidden behind a painted mask walked towards her. He continued to play those soulful sad melodies on his wooden flute. The veiled woman turned to run back into the temple but the man with the mask stopped her. He handed her a jade medallion that was returned to him a few days ago.

The veiled woman blanched when she saw the jade medallion. It was the medallion that her lover had given her years ago. A couple of weeks ago she had found a medallion in the courtyard of the temple. It was almost identical to the one that she owned except it had a crack in it. She recognized it as the one that belonged to her lover. She had deliberately substituted that medallion, which she had found with the one that she owned. She hoped that her lover would somehow get the secret message that she was alive and was thinking of him. She had wanted the chance to see her lover one more time.

However she was afraid of her feelings and the hold her lover still held over her heart when he was finally standing in front of her. She shook her head in denial and continued on her way back into the temple. The masked man stood in her path, “Please don’t go. I am sorry that I have wronged you in the past. Please say that you will forgive me.”

The veiled woman was torn in her feelings, she wanted to stay with the masked man but she knew that it would be a sin for her to do so. She wished that fate had not been so cruel to them. It was too late, dozens of years too late. She shook her head and choked back her tears silently as she moved to walk around the masked man.

The masked man raised his right palm to smash it on his head. Upon seeing the drastic response by the masked man to her silence, the veiled woman threw herself into the arms of the masked man, sobbing with grief, “Please don’t.”

The masked man gathered the veiled woman in his arms, “Please say that you will forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive. You did not do anything wrong. Fate had not been kind to us. Now it is too late,” the veiled woman sobbed into his chest.

“It is not too late for us. Please come with me. We can go to a secluded place to live the rest of our lives in peace,” the masked man tried to persuade the veiled woman.

“No, it would be a sin. I am married to another man,” the veiled woman protested.

“Your husband had died of a heart attack two days ago. I heard the news on my way here,” the masked man informed the veiled woman who was shocked by the news.

The veiled woman knelt down and wept. She felt guilty that she had failed in her duties as a wife and had deserted her husband. The masked man shook his head slightly at his lover’s sorrow, “Your husband had set you free years ago. Our daughter told me about her adoptive father’s love for you. He sensed your sorrow and despair, as you felt obligated to stay with him out of duty. He knew that you loved another man and could not love him with all your heart. After you disappeared, he had tried to look for you. When he could not find you, he was very sad but he wanted you to be happy. He loved our daughter very much and had treated her very well as his own. When our daughter was old enough to understand about relationships he told her about us. He told her that if she ever saw you, she was to let you know that he had released you from the wedding vows. He loved you so much that he wanted you to be free and happy.”

“I feel so guilty that I had failed him. He had been very good to me throughout my stay with him. I would like to go to his grave to pay my respects,” the veiled woman told the masked man. “I would like you to accompany me,” she requested. The masked man nodded his head in acquiescence. The old couple walked away from the temple.

The veiled woman told the masked man that she had missed him very much and that she had tried to climb to the top of a hill one day to ask the wind to carry her message of love to him. However she had lost her balance and fell when she was halfway up the hill. She had rolled down the hill and was severely injured. The nuns from the temple rescued her and nursed her back to health. She had amnesia in the first few years after they rescued her and was unable to tell them anything about her identity or life. When she finally could remember everything she was too ashamed to talk about her life. She took a vow of silence and the nuns did not pressed her for any information. The head priestess took her in and she had stayed with them all those years. She had prayed for forgiveness for her sins daily, trying to forget about him but she was unsuccessful.

The veiled woman told the masked man that she thought of him daily and cried herself to sleep nightly. Several nights ago she happened to hear the sad melodies played by a handsome young man in the courtyard of the temple. The handsome young man had a beautiful young girl with him. The sad melodies were that ones that the veiled woman had composed herself, which she used to play for her lover. She suspected a connection between the young man and her past life.

Later when she found the jade medallion that belonged to her lover in the young girl’s possession, it confirmed her suspicion of the young couple’s connection to her lover. She had deliberately given her own medallion to the young girl and hoped that the young girl would pass the message on to her lover that she was alive and that she thought of him daily.

The masked man told the veiled woman that he had gone back to the Central Plains to look for her when he first heard about her disappearance but had not been successful. He had drunk heavily and one day had fallen off a cliff in his drunken state. He had broken many bones and it took him a year to recover. He had decided to stay in the remote valley where he had landed. It was fate that the young couple had fallen down the same cliff and landed in the remote valley. He had taken them under his tutelage as his students. He loved the young couple dearly and had given his jade medallion to the young girl as his wedding present to her. The masked man told the veiled lady that when his student returned the medallion to him, he recognized it as the one that belonged to her. His own medallion had a crack in it from his accident. He understood the secret message and had left Mongolia to look for her immediately.

Chapter 74

When the old couple reached the grave of the veiled woman’s late husband, they both knelt down in respect. The veiled woman took off her veil, revealing a very beautiful woman in her fifties. She had flawless delicate complexion and the most mesmerizing soulful eyes. She looked almost identical to Lady Lily. She was Sung Li Lien, Lady Lily’s mother whom everyone assumed to be dead.

The masked man took off his mask, revealing a once handsome man whose face was disfigured. It was Lin Yik Fei. He looked at Madam Li Lien nervously, not sure if she would faint from shock at his grotesque appearance. Madam Li Lien took his face lovingly in both her hands, “Yik Fei, you must have suffered a lot of pain in the accident. I am sorry that I wasn’t there to take care of you when you were injured and in pain.”

“It is alright. Maybe it was to pay for the sins I had committed. I am glad that you are not repulsed by my ugly appearance,” Lin Yik Fei told Madam Li Lien with relief.

“It was not your appearance that made me fall for you. It was your strength and your love for me. Beauty will fade with age but true love will survive the test of time,” Madam Li Lien reassured Lin Yik Fei. After paying their respects to the late General Han, they walked away from the grave. Madam Li Lien went back to the temple and had a talk with the head priestess. She said her goodbyes to all the nuns and thanked them for sheltering and taking care of her. Then Lin Yik Fei took Madam Li Lien back to the remote valley in Mongolia.

Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling welcomed their Sifu and Madam Li Lien home. The young couple had stayed on to wait for their return. Madam Li Lien was grateful to Princess Mei Ling for catching on to the secret message she was trying to convey and that Lin Yik Fei had received the message. Madam Li Lien liked the spirited, mischievous, pretty young girl very much. As for Kiu Wai, Madam Li Lien was proud to have such a loyal, handsome young man as her grandson. Kiu Wai told Madam Li Lien as much as he could about Lady Lily. Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling stayed in the remote valley for another week and then left. The young couple promised to come back for visits. Kiu Wai sent a message to his parents informing them that they had found Madam Li Lien and that she was with their Sifu.

Lin Yik Fei and Madam Li Lien lived peacefully in the valley. They were happy to be together after so many years of separation. Prince Yat Min brought Lady Lily one day secretly to visit her parents. It was a tearful yet joyous reunion for Lady Lily and her parents. Prince Yat Min and Lady Lily promised Lin Yik Fei and Madam Li Lien to keep their secret because the older couple wanted to live a quiet life and avoid any scandals.

Epilogue

One year later, cries of a newborn resounded in the small hut that belonged to Danzhu Tillim. Madam Butterfly came out of the hut, “Congratulations, Prince Kiu Wai. Princess Mei Ling had given birth to a very beautiful baby boy.”

Kiu Wai ran into the room where his tired wife was holding their newborn son. Princess Mei Ling looked at Kiu Wai with a mischievous smile on her face, “He is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. One day he is going to be even more handsome than his father.”

Kiu Wai gave his cheeky wife a playful tweak to her cute nose, “Yes, he is the most beautiful baby in the world. He has inherited the beauty of his mother.” The young couple laughed, they were happy to have a healthy beautiful son.

After Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling left the Chinese capital for Mongolia, Madam Butterfly had stayed on in the Chinese palace long enough to cure the Chinese Emperor of his poison before returning to Mongolia. When she received news that Princess Mei Ling would be giving birth soon, she had come to stay at the hut with the young couple. She had helped to deliver the baby and had stayed on with them to help with taking care of the baby.

A couple of days after the baby was born, Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling were playing with their son when Madam Butterfly came into the hut to announce the arrival of both Kiu Wai’s and Princess Mei Ling’s parents. The young couple went out of the hut with the baby in Princess Mei Ling’s arms to greet their parents. They were happy to see their parents talking amicably with each other. Princess Jing Li and Lady Lily came forward to gush over their new grandson. Kiu Wai walked towards Prince Yat Min and Prince Yuan Kit who were chatting animatedly and laughing under a tree. Kiu Wai was happy to see the two former rivals so friendly with each other.

Suddenly sounds of joyous music could be heard. Everyone looked up with surprise and curiosity. It was Madam Li Lien and Lin Yik Fei! The old couple walked towards them and was playing a duet of joyous music on their flutes to welcome their great grandson. It was indeed a heart-warming sight as the huge family gathered around in happiness and harmony.

THE END