Fan Fiction 4:Love and Honor 43 chap (complete)

[sowfoong]

Fan Fiction 4 – Love and Honor

Ancient China

Chapter 1

“I beg you, please spare my baby’s life. He is only an innocent baby. Please don’t hurt him,” the elegantly dressed beautiful woman pleaded with the swordsman. She went down on her knees, crying and begging for the life of her infant son.

“No, I am not going to kill your baby but I am going to take him away with me. He would be the payment that you owed me for betraying our love,” the swordsman told her hard-heartedly. “I want you to always wonder if he was still alive, if I treated him well and if you would ever see him again. I want you to suffer as much as I did when I lost you.”

“Please, he is only a baby, he is innocent. He hasn’t done anything to wrong you. If you hate me so much then kill me but please return him to his father,” the beautiful woman implored, clutching at the swordsman’s legs.

“You are willing to die so that your husband can have his heir?” the swordsman looked down at the woman whom he had loved his whole adult life, and then at the baby in his arms, a baby from his beloved and his best friend/master. It was a beautiful baby, he was very quiet and looked at the swordsman with intelligent eyes, “No, he is going to be mine. I deserve to have a child from you. You and your husband were the ones who betrayed me and this baby is the price both of you have to pay for your betrayal,” the swordsman pulled the woman away from his legs, turned and jumped out of the window, up onto the roof and was gone, leaving the woman in a crying heap on the floor, with the bodies of her four dead bodyguards scattered around her.

Eighteen years later

A very handsome noble looking young man was fighting ferociously with a middle-aged swordsman. The blades of their swords flashed in the sun as they clashed, creating a magical scene of light dance. Both men were equally skilled, the younger man lacked the experience but made up for that with his youthful agility and stamina. The younger man pressed on his advantage and soon disarmed the older man. He knelt down in front of the older man, “Father, please forgive me for my boldness.”

The older man laughed, “Son, there is no need for you to apologize. You have won fairly. The day has come that my son defeats me. Very well done.” He patted the younger man on his shoulders. Together they walked back to the house, chatting amicably.

They were having dinner, laughing at some jokes, when the middle-aged man suddenly had tears in his eyes. “Father, what is the matter? Why are you so sad?” the younger man asked his father, with concern.

The middle-aged man looked at the young man, who had grown into a very handsome man with a gorgeous irresistible smile, a younger replica of his father. He had had the young man who had been like a son to him for eighteen years. It was time to let him go back to the Central Plains to carve a place for himself in the Mo Lam, “Son, I have a story to tell you,” the middle-aged man grabbed a jug of wine and drank thirstily from it.

“A long time ago, a young orphan boy was taken into the house of a nobleman. He was treated well and worked as a stable boy. The stable boy got along very well with the young master of the house, who was the same age as the stable boy. An expert martial arts instructor was brought in to teach the young master. The stable boy was allowed to sit on the side to keep the young master company, thus the stable boy managed to learn martial arts along with the young master. The stable boy was very intelligent and hardworking and managed to practice the martial arts by himself and became an expert swordsman.

Years passed and the young master was sent to further his training in martial arts skill at a monastery many miles away. The stable boy was lonely without his young master.

One day a very beautiful young girl came to seek shelter with the noble family. She was a very sweet person and got along very well with the stable boy. A couple of years passed and they grew closer and finally fell in love with each other.

In the spring of that year the young master returned home after his martial arts training. He was interested in the young girl and had pursued her actively. When he couldn’t get the girl to love him, he raped that young girl. The stable boy was devastated when he found out that the young master had defiled his beloved. He was very angry and wanted to fight with the young master. But to his surprise, his beloved told him that she had willingly slept with the young master and was going to marry the young master.

The stable boy was furious to learn of their betrayal; that his beloved had valued money and prestige of being the wife of a noble man more than having the stable boy’s true love and devotion. The stable boy kept quiet and waited for an opportunity to take revenge. The opportunity came when he was instructed to escort his beloved (now the wife of the nobleman) and their infant son to another city to meet up with the young master. On the way the stable boy killed the other men in the entourage and took the baby from his mother. He brought the baby up as his own and taught him all the martial arts skills he possessed,” the middle-aged man paused for a long time.

The younger man grew impatient, “Father, what happened next?”

Chapter 2

“The child grew up to be an intelligent handsome young man who was a filial son to the stable boy. You were that child,” the middle-aged man revealed the secret that he had kept for eighteen years.

“The child was I? I am not your son?” the young man was shocked.

“Yes, you are not my son but I have loved you as my own. I took you away from your parents to punish them for their betrayal. I am so sorry. You have learned all that I have to teach you so it is time for you to leave for the Central Plains, you can go back to your real family,” the middle-aged man was full of regret and sadness.

“Why are you telling me all this now? Did something happen to change your mind?” the young man asked astutely.

“Son, I cannot hide anything from you, can I? The reason I am telling you now is that you are old enough to make your own choice, to know what is right or wrong. Your country needs you. I have taught you all my skills; it is up to you to go back to the Central Plains, to further your skills in Mo Lam. I want you to forgive me for taking you away from your parents,” the older man was coughing severely.

“I can understand your reason for such a drastic act. You have always treated me well and had been a father to me all these years so there wasn’t anything to forgive. Why are you telling this now, is everything all right with you?” the younger man was concerned about his father’s health.

“I am fine, my son. Please don’t worry. I want you to go back to the Central Plains soon,” the middle-aged man told the younger man.

“I don’t want to go to the Central Plains. This is my home. I want to stay here with you. If I am gone, who is going to take care of you? Unless you come with me, I am not going,” the younger man said stubbornly.

“I am ashamed to go back to face your parents. I realize now that my love for your mother was one-sided. I want you to go back to them to make up for the time lost,” the middle-aged man insisted, but he could see that the younger man was not going to listen to him so he dismissed the younger man, “I would like to be alone for a little while. You take care of yourself,” the middle-aged man had tears in his eyes.

The younger man reluctantly left the older man and went outside to sit on a bench, pondering over what his father/master had told him. Suddenly he heard a loud thud from the dining room. He rushed into the room, to find the older man slumped onto the floor. There was an open pill bottle on the floor beside him, “Father, what is wrong?” The younger man took up the open bottle and took a sniff at it. It was poison.

The older man had blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth, “Son, please forgive me. I want you to go back to your parents. Promise me that you will be a good son and honor your parents and your country. I have written you a letter to explain everything. It is in a box on my bed. I am proud of you and do not regret having you all these years. Take care of yourself,” with that the older man breathed his last breath and died in the younger man’s arms.

The younger man was sobbing uncontrollably, “Father, why did you take the poison? I would have gone to the Central Plains with you or to come back to you after visiting my parents. Why did you choose to leave me in this senseless way?”

Much later, the younger man went to his father’s bedroom and found the letter addressed to him. As he read the letter, he blanched and then his tears streamed down his cheeks and vowed to fulfill his father’s last wish. He held up the half piece of jade medallion and a waxed capsule that were in the box with the letter and put them in his pocket.

The older man was buried in a simple ceremony and the younger man packed some clothes, some money, his sword, the waxed capsule and that half piece of jade medallion and set off for the Central Plains on his prized stallion.

Chapter 3

Nearby, Princess Mei Ling was in the tent of her royal father, being called on the carpet again for disobeying him and fighting with his warriors, “You just cannot challenged my men to a fight and expected them to back down,” King Bai scolded his royal daughter.

“I didn’t expect anyone to back down from a fight. Yan was very arrogant and said that he was the best fighter in the camp so I had to challenge him to prove it. It wasn’t my fault if he was clumsy and fell while trying to slash me with his saber,” Princess Mei Ling told her royal father.

“That was not what I heard. He was trying to avoid hurting you and slipped, now he is injured and I cannot have my men injured while playing with you!” thundered King Bai.

“Alright, I will not challenge any of your men since they are worthless as opponents anyway,” Princess Mei Ling promised her royal father, not caring that she had insulted his army once again.

“You will stay away from the training fields and that is an order. Why can’t you be more feminine and do embroidery or play musical instruments?” King Bai lamented.

“Bah, what is the use of learning to sew some flowers on a cloth or play some musical instruments? I want to be able to defend myself when being attacked and to fight any enemies when they attacked us,” Princess Mei Ling told her royal father.

“But you are a girl and should behave like one. And another thing, I don’t want you near the archery field either. You have caused shame to my men and hurt their morale when you showed them that you could aim and hit the target better than anyone else. Now go back to your tent and do something more ladylike,” King Bai ordered his royal daughter.

Princess Mei Ling gave her royal father a dirty look and stormed out of the tent, muttering, “Fine, since I am not allowed to challenge any of the men, I will go for a ride on my horse, Wind.”

Princess Mei Ling was a stunning beauty with big beautiful expressive eyes, flawless complexion, a mischievous smile, a cute nose and petite figure. She just turned fifteen and was the apple of her royal father’s eye. She was the only child and was able to wrap her royal father around her little finger with her winsome smiles and also because she looked just like her late mother who was the only woman King Bai had ever loved. King Bai had not remarried after his wife’s death and a nanny had looked after Princess Mei Ling. Princess Mei Ling had learned archery, riding and fighting with swords from the best instructors who were training the soldiers in her royal father’s camp. Princess Mei Ling was very intelligent and ambitious; she could ride any horse, shoot an arrow and fight with swords better than any men in her royal father’s army with the exception of the martial arts instructors.

After saddling her horse, Princess Mei Ling rode out to the open field on a slope of the hill near her royal father’s camp, urging her horse to gallop as fast as it could. She loved the wind in her hair, the excitement and freedom of riding her spirited horse. To a stranger, it did appear that she was unable to control her horse as it galloped at breakneck speed right across the open field.

Chapter 4

A very handsome young man had been riding leisurely towards the Central Plains for the past couple of days. He was riding out of the woods when he saw a rider riding at a dangerously high speed past him. The young man thought that it was a rider who was unable to control his runaway horse because he had never seen anyone riding so recklessly so he urged his stallion to gallop towards the other rider, intending to help the other rider.

The young man’s stallion was a very fast horse and soon it caught up with the horse the other rider was on. The young man reached over to take the reins of the other horse but it veered towards another direction. Princess Mei Ling was enjoying her morning ride on her favorite horse, Wind. She was an experienced rider and she had enjoyed her ride, urging Wind to go faster. She did not notice the young man on the stallion when she shot out across the open field, enjoying the freedom and excitement. When the young man tried to reach over to grab the reins of her horse, she was made aware of his presence. She thought that the other rider was trying to attack her so she steered her horse to another direction, urging him to go faster.

The young man thought that horse was veering off wildly and tried to grab the reins before it reached the woods but once again it veered off in another direction and galloped off swiftly. The young man urged his stallion to give chase. His stallion was a full grown prized stallion while the horse belonging to Princess Mei Ling was younger and lacked the stamina and speed. Princess Mei Ling was furious that someone had tried to attack her on her royal father’s land. She was hoping that Wind would bring her into the woods where she could find a place to hide, when the young man reached over and grabbed her off her horse onto his. The young man managed to pull Princess Mei Ling onto his horse with her body lying across, face down but she wriggled desperately, trying to get away from him, “Stay still, you fool, otherwise you will fall down,” the young man warned Princess Mei Ling. When she didn’t stop her struggling, he spanked her on her derriere with his free hand.

Princess Mei Ling was outraged, no one had ever spanked her before, using her legs as leverage, she twisted and pushed herself upright and pulled out her dagger that was in her belt and slashed the young man on his hand. The young man was busy trying to control his stallion and didn’t notice what Princess Mei Ling was doing until he felt the cut on the back of his hand, he grabbed her hand that was holding the dagger, applied some pressure and the dagger flew out of her hand. The stallion had slowed down to a trot and the young man found himself staring at the most beautiful pair of eyes that were spitting fire at him. He was struck speechless by the wild furious beauty of the young girl.

Princess Mei Ling was so furious at being abducted by the young man that she struggled desperately; she struck out at the young man and both of them fell off the horse with the young man cushioning her fall. They both rolled down the slope of the hill, coming to a stop at the bottom of the hill, “Let go of me, you vagrant!” Princess Mei Ling was struggling to get away from beneath the young man who had his arms around her. His physical proximity had caused a warm feeling to overcome her, causing her to feel like she had butterflies fluttering in her stomach and created a need to press closer to the hard muscles of the young man. Princess Mei Ling became frightened at these strange feelings the young man invoked in her and struggled more desperately than before to escape from him.

The young man had his arms around Princess Mei Ling, staring at the stunning beauty, the sweet lips that promised passion, eyes spitting a fire that he would gladly burn in and her physical proximity excited him. He gave in to his impulse to taste the sweetness of her lips. He gave her a light feathery kiss at first, which deepened passionately as he felt her response, causing Princess Mei Ling to swoon.

At the first gentle touch of the young man’s lips on hers, Princess Mei Ling was outraged at his boldness and had tried to dislodge herself from him; but the young man had held her face between his hands and deepened his kiss. The sensuality of the passionate kiss both excited and frightened Princess Mei Ling. She had tried to push the young man off her but soon she found herself responding to his kiss and instead of pushing him away she had wrapped her arms around him, urging him to explore the sweetness more deeply.

They were both breathless when the young man finally lifted his lips from Princess Mei Ling’s, her eyes were drowsy with passion. The young man stroked her slightly swollen lips with his fingertip and murmured huskily, “You are the sweetest and most beautiful girl I have ever met in my life.”

Hearing him speak broke the spell Princess Mei Ling was under, she rubbed her lips with the back of her hand, “You are a rotten scoundrel, let go of me immediately. How dare you attack me in the broad daylight?”

“I did not attack you, I was trying to save you from the runaway horse and the thanks I received was to be slashed by you!” the young man was indignant, pointing to the light cut on the back of his hand which had stopped bleeding.

“You were trying to save me from my horse?” Princess Mei Ling laughed.

“You did not lose of control of your horse?” asked the young man sheepishly.

“No, I didn’t. I was enjoying my ride when you attacked me!” Princess Mei Ling accused the young man.

“I am sorry for the mistake, but if that was an example of how you ride, it wouldn’t be long before you get seriously injured. Let me help you up,” the young man offered, reluctantly releasing Princess Mei Ling.

Princess Mei Ling was reluctant to leave the warm comfort of the young man’s arms. She stared at the handsome young man with the devilish charms and irresistible smile and remembered the passion of his kisses and blushed. She refused his help, got up by herself and dusted off her clothes. She turned away from the young man and whistled for her horse. Wind came trotting towards his mistress. She got up on her horse and looked down at the young man, “What is your name?”

“I am Chu Kiu Wai, what is yours?” the young man asked of Princess Mei Ling.

“Well, Chu Kiu Wai, goodbye and hopefully we won’t ever meet again,” Princess Mei Ling steered her horse towards her royal father’s camp without telling Kiu Wai her name.

Kiu Wai stared after Princess Mei Ling as she rode off, “My little beauty, we will meet again because it is our destiny. As soon as I find my parents and fulfilled my late father’s wishes, I will come back for you,” with that vow Kiu Wai rode on towards the Central Plains.

Chapter 5

Kiu Wai rode his stallion at a leisure pace, he was still daydreaming about the mysterious stunning beauty he stole the kiss from. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever met and she haunted his dreams at night. He couldn’t forget her sweetness and her passionate response, “I am in love and if it weren’t for my late father’s wishes, I would turn this horse around to find her. I wonder who she is and why she wouldn’t tell me her name. Maybe I should hurry and take care of business so that I can go back earlier to find her,” Kiu Wai decided as he urged his stallion to gallop faster.

He was almost near the Mongolian border when he saw a young girl being chased by five rough looking men. Suddenly the young girl tripped and fell and soon the five men caught up with her. They grabbed her and tried to tear at her clothes. Kiu Wai was upset to see such shameful behavior so he rode up to them, “Let go of the girl,” Kiu Wai ordered the five men.

“Little punk, this is none of your business. If you value your life, you had better leave and go home to pick cow manure,” one of the five men taunted Kiu Wai.

Kiu Wai leaped off his stallion, before his feet even touched the ground; he used his sheathed sword to hit at the men, leaped up and then aimed kicks at them in midair. In the matter of two minutes, the five men were knocked unconscious on the ground without the blade of his sword leaving the scabbard.

The young girl was on the ground, shocked to see the five assailants unconscious within minutes. She was clutching her torn shirt as she looked fearfully at Kiu Wai.

Kiu Wai saw that she was frightened and her shoulder was exposed by the torn shirt, so he took off his other coat, draped it over her shoulders and asked gently with concern, “Miss, are you alright?”

The young pretty girl, after the initial shock stared at Kiu Wai with interest and nodded, “Thank you for saving my life, I am uninjured. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what they would have done to me,” she started to cry.

“Where is your family? I will escort you home,” Kiu Wai courteously offered. The young girl’s tears had moved him, so he smiled at her gently and offered to bring her home.

The young girl blushed at Kiu Wai’s friendliness and irresistible smile, “Thank you. I was separated from my escorts when those five thugs found me.”

Just then six soldiers showed up on their horses. The oldest of them jumped down from his horse, pointed his sword at Kiu Wai, “Get away from Princess Wei Lin, otherwise you will not live to see another sunrise.”

“No, Constable Li, this man helped to protect me from these five assailants,” the young girl explained. She was Princess Wei Lin, who was related to the royal Chinese family. She pointed to the five assailants who were still unconscious on the ground, “Kill these five men, they tried to molest me.”

Kiu Wai tried to stop them but Constable Li looked at him fiercely, warning him not to interfere. Not wanting to get into trouble with the law, Kiu Wai kept quiet but he was very upset to see the five unconscious men being slaughtered and felt guilty about his role in their deaths. If he hadn’t knocked them unconscious, they would at least have a fighting chance to defend themselves. He was not happy with that young girl either, finding her cruelty and merciless attitude disturbing. He bowed courteously to the young girl, excused himself and got on his stallion, “Goodbye, Your Royal Highness and take care.”

“Wait, what is your name? I will tell the Emperor to reward you for saving my life,” Princess Wei Lin tried to stop Kiu Wai from leaving.

“I do not need any rewards and my name is not important. I have got to go, Your Royal Highness, please take care of yourself,” Kiu Wai rode off without a backward glance.

Princess Wei Lin was upset that Kiu Wai left so abruptly, but short of embarrassing herself; she could only stared after Kiu Wai as he rode away. The princess was totally smitten with Kiu Wai’s good looks and she vowed to herself that one day she would find him and have him as her mate.

[sowfoong]

Chapter 6

Kiu Wai was walking with his stallion beside him in the streets of a border town, taking in all the hustle bustle of the town. Many stalls filled with fur clothing, colorful silk cloths, copper pots and pans, herbs, jewelry, writing utensils and much more were set up in the town square. The vendors were busy persuading potential customers to look at their wares. There was a steady stream of people strolling around. Many young girls were among them. They were giggling and staring at Kiu Wai. Kiu Wai was a polite and friendly person so he smiled at them and walked on. To his horror those giggling girls followed him wherever he went. He was wondering what was wrong when he saw a teenage boy in shabby clothes being beaten by an elegantly dressed young man.

“Master, I am sorry, please spare my life,” the shabbily dressed teenager begged the elegantly dressed young man. But the elegantly dressed young man ignored the poor teenager’s pleas and kept hitting and kicking him. Kiu Wai who had been watching the scene could not bear to see the shabbily dressed teenager being so severely beaten, jumped in to stop the elegantly dressed young man from killing the poor teenager. He used his sheathed sword to block a blow and got in between them, giving the elegantly dressed young man a courteous bow, “Please be merciful and spare this young boy’s life.”

The elegantly dressed young man was furious that someone had dared to intervene, “Who are you to interfere with my business? Do you know who I am?”

“I am Chu Kiu Wai. No, I don’t know who you are but no matter what this poor teenager had done, it wouldn’t be bad enough for such a severe beating. You could have killed him,” Kiu Wai told the elegantly dressed young man.

“Well, I don’t care who you are. The pathetic fool tried to steal my money pouch so he deserved the beating. Hmm, you must be one of his accomplice, well if you can defeat me, I will let this pathetic boy go,” the elegantly dressed young man challenged Kiu Wai arrogantly. He struck out at Kiu Wai with the fan he pulled out from his belt.

Kiu Wai was upset at the elegantly dressed young man’s arrogance and when the latter struck him first; he used his sheathed sword to block that blow. The two men fought ferociously and soon a crowd surrounded the two men, with the shabbily dressed teenager cowering at the edge of the crowd. Without unsheathing his sword, Kiu Wai used it to block the elegantly dressed young man’s blows and used his other palm to strike at his chest. The elegantly dressed young man was not agile enough to avoid that blow and was thrown ten feet away onto the ground by the force of the palm.

The elegantly dressed young man knew that Kiu Wai was a worthy opponent and his own martial arts skill was beneath Kiu Wai’s so he conceded defeat, “Brother Chu, I admit defeat. Your martial arts skills are superior to mine. I am Wu Wing Tin. I am going to let the pathetic fool go. I would like us to be friends. Let’s go for a drink in the restaurant over there.”

Kiu Wai was happy to make a new friend so he went to the restaurant with Wing Tin. The shabbily dressed teenager followed them and stood outside the restaurant instead of running away. The flock of giggling girls was still following and staring at Kiu Wai adoringly, which embarrassed him terribly. He whispered to Wing Tin, “What is the matter with those girls? They had been following me for a few blocks now.”

Wing Tin looked at the girls and then back at Kiu Wai, “I think they had fallen in love with your handsome face.”

Kiu Wai reddened slightly, “Why are they so bold? Don’t they have any shame?”

Wing Tin told the girls that Kiu Wai was not interested and that they should leave Kiu Wai alone. The young girls were very disappointed but they did go away.

After a warm hearty meal and some jokes, Kiu Wai told Wing Tin that he was going to the capital to look for his parents and Wing Tin decided to go with him as his home was in the capital. As they were leaving the restaurant, they noticed the shabbily dressed teenager squatting outside the restaurant. He begged them to take him with them as their servant. Kiu Wai was kind-hearted so he agreed, though Wing Tin was not as enthusiastic, he didn’t object; so Wing Tin and Kiu Wai with the servant, Ah Fai rode together towards the capital.

Ah Fai served Kiu Wai well, taking care of his needs along the way, including getting rid of unwanted attentions from girls who would swoon whenever Kiu Wai smiled at them. In the end, Ah Fai advised Kiu Wai not even to look at any girls.

Wing Tin complained and teased Kiu Wai about the latter’s ability to attract girls without even trying whereas he wasn’t able to attract any girls even when he was most charming and flirted openly with them. All those teasing were done good-naturedly and no one took offence.

Kiu Wai had never been to the Central Plains since he had lived his whole life in Mongolia with his late father. He was not very familiar with the customs in the Central Plains so with Wing Tin as his guide, Kiu Wai was able to adapt himself to the Chinese customs. Besides that Wing Tin was a mischievous person who enjoyed life to the fullest, amusing himself with girls, wine and gambling. Kiu Wai learned to drink with his late father and gambling from Wing Tin. As for amusing himself with the girls, Kiu Wai was afraid of the entanglements and held himself aloof in the presence of girls. Besides he could not forget the beautiful girl he had kissed. Though they weren’t exactly rushing to reach the capital as they took time to enjoy themselves, Kiu Wai kept his late father’s advice and instructions in mind, knowing that he should make haste to the capital.

Chapter 7

After five days of riding, the trio reached the capital. Wing Tin’s father was a high-ranking official in the court and Kiu Wai was invited to stay at the Wu’s mansion. Wing Tin’s father stared at Kiu Wai for a long time when they were introduced to each other. There was something very familiar about Kiu Wai but Kiu Wai assured Wing Tin’s father that he was in the capital for the first time. Kiu Wai also declined Wing Tin’s father’s offer to help locate his parents; as he preferred to do it on his own. When Wing Tin’s father went to court the next day, Wing Tin was asked to accompany him so Kiu Wai was left to wander around in the streets and explore the city on his own.

Kiu Wai was in a restaurant, having some refreshment when a couple of men at the next table were talking about a martial arts tournament being held in the Tang Mansion near the palace. The winner would be able to get a job as a security guard in the palace. That was the opportunity that Kiu Wai needed.

Kiu Wai went to the tournament and watched as the martial arts experts fought with each other in hand to hand combats and also with weapons. There was a man named Liang who was very good and he had defeated five highly skilled opponents when Kiu Wai jumped onto the competing field. Kiu Wai used his sword to fight with Liang’s twin blades. It was a ferocious fight as Kiu Wai used the martial arts skills that his late father taught him to fight with Liang.

The Emperor was in the mood to watch the competition so he strolled with his escorts towards the competing grounds when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He watched Kiu Wai used his martial arts skills to fight with Liang and blanched. Kiu Wai was able to disarm Liang and won that round. He was waiting for the next opponent when a messenger brought a message to the official presiding over the tournament. The Emperor had ordered a pause in the tournament and Kiu Wai was to be brought to the palace.

Kiu Wai was escorted into the study of the Emperor. There were many guards standing around and the Emperor had his back turned to Kiu Wai. Kiu Wai knelt down and bowed in respect. The Emperor slowly turned around and both the Emperor and Kiu Wai gasped in astonishment. It was as if both men were looking at mirror reflections of themselves, albeit the fact that Kiu Wai was much younger.

“Who are you? How do you know Chen Yik Fei’s martial arts skills?” the Emperor asked Kiu Wai.

“I am Chu Kiu Wai. Chen Yik Fei was my late father/master,” Kiu Wai answered.

“Chen Yik Fei was dead?” asked the Emperor in shock.

“Yes, my late father/master had passed away a couple of months ago. He told me to give Your Majesty a message. It had to be given in private,” Kiu Wai told the Emperor.

Despite the head of his security guards’ warning, the Emperor ordered all his guards out of the study, “What message did Chen Yik Fei tell you to give me?”

Kiu Wai gave the waxed capsule to the Emperor who then broke it open and took out a small piece of paper with something written on it. As the Emperor read the message, his face turned from white to red with fury, “Thank you for bringing me this message, I will take the necessary precautions. Did Chen Yik Fei also tell you your real identity?”

“Yes, he did. I know the sins he had committed but he had always been good to me and he would always be my father,” Kiu Wai insisted firmly.

“My royal son, don’t you want to acknowledge me as your royal father? Don’t you want to see your royal mother?” the Emperor asked Kiu Wai with a slight plead in his voice.

“I promised my late father/master to deliver his message and to see Your Majesty and Her Royal Highness, so yes, I would like to see my mother. As for acknowledging my status as your royal son, I am not sure if I fit into the palace life,” Kiu Wai told the Emperor.

The Emperor nodded in understanding, “I want you to stay but I won’t force you. Take your time to visit with us.” Then he ordered that the Queen to be brought to the study.

The Queen was escorted to the study. Kiu Wai had his back to her when she came in. When he turned around to face her, she gasped and fainted, and would have fallen to the floor had Kiu Wai not caught her in time.

Chapter 8

When the Queen regained consciousness, she was in her bed with the Emperor sitting beside her and Kiu Wai was standing next to her bed. When Kiu Wai saw that she was awake, he knelt down and bowed to her in respect, “I am sorry, Mother for not being here for you all these years and causing you to faint.”

“Are you really Kiu Wai, my royal son? Oh, thank the Heavens that you are alive and back with us. I thought that I would never see you again,” the Queen sobbed with happiness, taking Kiu Wai in her arms.

“My dear, why are you crying now that Kiu Wai is back with us,” the Emperor teased the Queen.

“I am crying for happiness. I prayed to Gods in Heaven every day that our royal son would come back to us and today my prayers are answered. My royal son, where have you been all these years?” the Queen asked with curiosity.

“My father, er,” Kiu Wai looked at the Emperor, his biological father with apprehension for his slip.

But the Emperor didn’t seem to mind, “It is alright, my royal son, that you called Chen Yik Fei father since that was what you had called him all these years.”

“My father and I lived in a tiny village in Mongolia all these years. He had treated me like his own son. He taught me all his martial arts skills. He told me to come back to the Central Plains and to ask for forgiveness on his behalf. He asked me to give you this piece of jade medallion so that you would recognize me,” Kiu Wai handed the Queen the half piece of jade medallion that had belonged to Chen Yik Fei.

The half piece of jade medallion had been broken off from the piece of jade that Chen Yik Fei had given the Queen when they were together; he had kept half of the medallion while she kept the other. The Queen had tears running down her cheeks, “I am sorry that Brother Yik Fei had passed away. So he had taken you to Mongolia? No wonder we couldn’t find you. I am glad that he had treated you well. What did he tell you about us?”

“He told me that he had taken me from you to punish you both for your betrayal,” Kiu Wai recounted what his late father/master had told him.

“We didn’t betray him. Your royal mother had always treated Chen Yik Fei as a brother. He was the one who was obsessed with your royal mother. When I came home after my martial arts training, I fell in love with your royal mother at first sight. Yes, I did actively pursue her even though I knew that Chen Yik Fei was interested in your royal mother. All is fair in love and war. He had all the time to woo your royal mother but she had treated him like a brother. Your royal mother and I fell in love with each other. That wasn’t a crime. But to Chen, it was a betrayal. He killed the four bodyguards who were doing their jobs of protecting your royal mother and took you away from us. I would think that we could call it quits,” the Emperor declared.

“Will you stay in the palace with us?” the Queen asked, with hope in her eyes.

Kiu Wai couldn’t deny his royal mother the joy of having him around so he agreed. He went back to the Wu Mansion, said his goodbyes to Wing Tin and brought Ah Fai back to the palace with him. Kiu Wai was used to the freedom of being able to come and go as he pleased so the Emperor did not place any restrictions on his movements. The Emperor had bodyguards protecting Kiu Wai discreetly though Kiu Wai always managed to elude them.

Chapter 9

Kiu Wai hated being in the palace where there are thousands of protocols to adhere to and the guards dogged every step he took and he was tired of the stress. He had always had fun with his late father/master in Mongolia. They were not rich but they had fun drinking, playing chess and practicing martial arts.

Kiu Wai had practiced martial arts on his own in the palace. His royal father, the Emperor would have practiced with him but the latter was busy with court matters so Kiu Wai was left on his own. If it weren’t for his royal mother, the Queen, Kiu Wai would have gone back to Mongolia. Kiu Wai did spend a lot of time with his royal mother chatting and enjoying each other’s company.

The Queen was unable to conceive again after giving birth to Kiu Wai and the Emperor had not taken a concubine so Kiu Wai was the heir to the throne. Kiu Wai was not sure if he wanted the job as he had always enjoyed being able to come and go as he pleased and there were too many restrictions in the palace.

His cousin, Prince Sing Fung would have been the heir had Kiu Wai not return to his royal parents. Though Prince Sing Fung was polite and friendly with Kiu Wai, it was understandable that the former would resent the return of Kiu Wai. Kiu Wai was an honest, easy-going person and had tried to get along with his cousin but he found his cousin too arrogant so Kiu Wai kept his distance.

One day, Prince Sing Fung came with his adoptive sister, Princess Wei Lin to visit with Kiu Wai. Princess Wei Lin was the girl Kiu Wai rescued at the border town, “Greetings to you, Your Royal Highness,” Princess Wei Lin was delighted and surprised to see Kiu Wai. She had been thinking about him every day since they last met. She had tried to find him but was unsuccessful. When her adoptive brother, Prince Sing Fung told her about the return of the heir, Prince Kiu Wai, she was curious about the prince so she insisted on tagging along for a visit. To her surprise the man she was looking for was the heir to the throne, Prince Kiu Wai and was standing in front of her; silently she thanked the Heavens for answering her prayers.

“Oh, how are you, Princess Wei Lin? I hope you have recovered from your ordeal,” Kiu
Wai asked courteously with a smile.

Princess Wei Lin almost swooned at Kiu Wai’s irresistible smile, she pretended to be shy and answered demurely, “I am fine, thank you, Your Royal Highness for your help and also for thinking about me.”

As soon as Kiu Wai saw the expression on Princess Wei Lin’s face, he knew he had made a mistake by being too friendly and smiling at her. He had totally forgotten the devastating effect his gorgeous smiles had on girls. It was like a curse because almost all the girls he met became smitten with him and he didn’t know how to extricate himself from their blatant invitations without hurting their feelings. “Please excuse me, I have forgotten that I have a meeting with my royal mother,” Kiu Wai almost ran out of the room.

Ah Fai, who was always at Kiu Wai’s side, attending to his needs, almost laughed at his master’s predicament, “All Your Royal Highness had to do was to dismiss them; Your Royal Highness didn’t have to run out of the room.”

“Yes, I know that I could have dismissed them but it was easier to leave than to give orders. I need some fresh air and I don’t want anyone to disturb me so tell everyone to leave me alone,” Kiu Wai ordered Ah Fai to pass his message down to the servants. Ah Fai was given the status as the crown prince’s personal servant and it was a post coveted by all the palace staff. The rest of the palace staff were anxious to make friends with Ah Fai, hoping that he would put a good word in for them when it came to rewards and promotions.

Ah Fai was fourteen, an orphan who learned to survive in the streets since his parents died three years ago. He often went hungry for days and learned to be very street smart. He was unfortunate to get caught trying to pick Wing Tin’s pocket and was severely beaten. But on the other hand he was fortunate that Kiu Wai had intervened and saved his life plus taking him in as his servant, giving him a chance to have a roof over his head and food in his belly. He was very grateful to Kiu Wai’s kindness and would do anything for his master. He was happy for Kiu Wai to find his real parents and absolutely stunned that Kiu Wai was the crown prince. Ah Fai was even more surprised and grateful that Kiu Wai took him into the palace with him. Though the temptations were there, he remained extremely loyal to Kiu Wai and guarded Kiu Wai’s interest with his life.

Princess Wei Lin wanted Kiu Wai for her husband and she was not going to give up easily despite the cool response and disinterest Kiu Wai had shown towards her. She was very spoilt, used to the adoration of young men who were interested in her but she had her eyes set on Kiu Wai so no matter how disinterested Kiu Wai was, she had persisted. She was very pretty and would wear beautiful clothes, as revealing as she possibly dared to try to impress and seduce Kiu Wai with her beauty. She would bring Kiu Wai fruits or confectionery, and used every opportunity to display her talent in playing the Chinese zither or singing. She also used every excuse possible to get near Kiu Wai, shamelessly exploited her family’s relationship with the Emperor to come to the palace daily.

In the beginning, Kiu Wai entertained her when they were alone but Ah Fai advised him to avoid Princess Wei Lin in order not to get into trouble. Kiu Wai trusted Ah Fai’s gut instincts since Ah Fai had proven to be very street smart and was seldom wrong in his advice. Kiu Wai treated Ah Fai as a friend/confidante and not as a servant. In fact Kiu Wai never acted as if he was of royal blood, he was never arrogant towards anyone and was kind and respectful to all around him so he was very well loved and respected in the palace. He took Ah Fai’s advice and allowed Ah Fai to block all visits from Princess Wei Lin. However Princess Wei Lin wouldn’t give up and it was getting exhausting trying to avoid her, which prompted Kiu Wai to leave the palace.

Chapter 10

After eluding his bodyguards, Kiu Wai breathed a sigh of relief. He took his stallion and rode a whole day before stopping for refreshments at a roadside tea-stand. Suddenly he heard sounds of fighting in the woods next to the tea-stand. His curiosity was aroused so he paid for his refreshments and led the stallion quietly into the woods. He saw four men fighting with a young girl and the young girl was soon on the losing end. His sense of chivalry prompted him to jump in to help the young girl. Using his sword, he fought with the four men till they had to jump away from the young girl, “How heroic that four of you, grown men attacked a young girl!”

“Who are you to interfere with our business? If you value your life, then stay out of this!” one of the men told Kiu Wai.

“Little twerp, give the jade Buddha back to us and we will let you go,” a second man told the young girl.

“If you can defeat me, you may have it back, otherwise it is mine,” the young girl taunted the four men.

Kiu Wai recognized that voice and turned in surprise to see that the young girl was the one from Mongolia, the one he had dreamt about nightly, “Hello, so we meet again.”

The young girl was Princess Mei Ling. She had heard about a jade Buddha being kept in the Flying Eagle Clan’s headquarters and had come to the Central Plains to get it as a birthday present for her father. She had sneaked into the clan’s headquarters the night before and had managed to steal the jade Buddha but somehow the theft was discovered and the clan members were after her. She stood there fearlessly facing her opponents when Kiu Wai called out to her. She turned and looked at Kiu Wai in surprise, “Oh, it is you again.”

“Let’s kill them both,” one of the four men ordered and they surrounded Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling. They were highly skilled fighters and every slash of their swords was aimed to kill. Kiu Wai was forced to use his sword to block their vicious blows; Princess Mei Ling was using her sword to counterattack the men. Kiu Wai pairing with Princess Mei Ling were winning over the four men when an elderly man jumped in and blocked both Kiu Wai’s and Princess Mei Ling’s swords.

“Grandmaster,” the four men greeted the elderly man with respect.

“Hmm, stand back,” the elderly man ordered the four men and they complied at once, leaving the elderly man to face the two youngsters.

“Who are you and why did you steal our clan’s treasure?” the elderly man asked Princess Mei Ling.

“It is none of your business who I am. I want that jade Buddha as a birthday present for my father, so unless you can defeat me, I am keeping it,” Princess Mei Ling declared.

The elderly man was visibly upset at Princess Mei Ling’s arrogance, he waved his sleeve and strong gush of wind was directed at Princess Mei Ling. She had to jump to the side to avoid being hit and the tree behind her was hit instead and it snapped. When Kiu Wai saw the strength of the elderly man, he knew they were in trouble. He tried to warn Princess Mei Ling but she had gathered her inner energy in both palms and pushed it towards the elderly man.

Kiu Wai knew that the strength of her inner energy was no match to that of the elderly man’s and used his sword to interrupt the flow. His hands were numb from the contact; he then threw a projectile at the elderly man and took Princess Mei Ling’s hand in his as they ran for their lives. They were running up a mountain with the five men chasing them. They were standing at the edge of a cliff when the five men caught up with them, “So little punks, next year on this day would be the anniversary of your death,” the elderly man told Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling, advancing towards them. The elderly man used his palms and aimed a blow at Princess Mei Ling, which Kiu Wai intercepted when he jumped in front of her. Kiu Wai stumbled after being struck and fell off the cliff, knocking Princess Mei Ling over with him.

[sowfoong]

Chapter 11

When Princess Mei Ling regained consciousness, she was hurting all over, her shirt was torn, her arms and legs were scratched but otherwise she had no broken bones. She was wondering how she survived that fall when she noticed many broken branches, twigs and leaves from trees and bushes scattered all over on the ground. She realized that the bushes and trees helped to break her fall; otherwise she would have been dead.

Princess Mei Ling suddenly remembered Kiu Wai who had taken the blow from the elderly man and had fallen down the mountain with her and turned around to look for him. She found Kiu Wai lying unconscious near the edge of the ledge where they had both fallen onto, that they hadn’t fallen all the way down to the foot of the mountain. She ran over to him and found that he was still alive but was seriously injured. She pulled him away from the edge of the ledge and tried to wake him up but Kiu Wai remained unconscious. Somehow Princess Mei Ling managed to pull Kiu Wai into a cave nearby, she gathered some twigs and built a fire to keep them warm.

She examined Kiu Wai and found a black palm print on his chest that showed that he was struck by the poisonous palm of the elderly man. She sealed two of his pressure points so that the poison won’t spread and sat down to think of a way to help Kiu Wai. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his skin was flush and warm, “Water, that is what he needs, now where am I going to get water?” She decided to explore the cave and found a passage leading to another cave with a fresh water lake. She scooped some water in a folded leaf to bring to Kiu Wai. However Kiu Wai was still unconscious and unable to swallow any of the water, all of it ran down his chin to his clothes.

Princess Mei Ling was trying to think of a way to get some water into Kiu Wai to keep him hydrated when an idea came into her mind. She looked at the unconscious Kiu Wai and decided that his health was more important than her modesty. She went to the lake, took a mouthful of water and rushed back to Kiu Wai. She held his head up and placed her lips on his and let the water from her mouth trickle into his. At first the water trickled back out but Princess Mei Ling kept on trying, gently coaxing him with her lips and soon, Kiu Wai began to swallow the water he took in.

Slowly Kiu Wai regained consciousness, awakened by soft lips kissing him, coaxing him to swallow the water that was in his mouth, he thought it was just one of the dreams he had of Princess Mei Ling but the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Princess Mei Ling’s face close to his as she attempted to transfer water from her mouth to his. Princess Mei Ling was so engrossed in her administration that she didn’t notice that Kiu Wai was awake. She was shocked when Kiu Wai pulled her right onto his chest and gave her a deep and passionate kiss, causing a wave of passion to pass through her body, making her feel as if her blood was on fire and her bones had melted. It was a long time before Kiu Wai released her and Princess Mei Ling blushed at the sensuality lurking in his eyes. She pushed herself away from Kiu Wai and stood up, embarrassed at her response to his kiss.

“Now that is what I called the kiss of life,” Kiu Wai teased Princess Mei Ling.

“Chu Kiu Wai, you are incorrigible! Here I thought you were dying and you had only nonsense on your mind,” Princess Mei Ling scolded.

“I wouldn’t call what I had on my mind nonsense. I dreamt about you every night since our last meeting in Mongolia. Here I thought that I would surely die from that fall off the mountain, only to be awakened by a kiss from the girl I dreamt about. I would even say that it was worthwhile falling off the mountain!” Kiu Wai continued to tease Princess Mei Ling.

Princess Mei Ling was so embarrassed and annoyed with Kiu Wai that she dropped down to her knees and pummeled on Kiu Wai’s chest, having completely forgotten that Kiu Wai was injured. Kiu Wai grabbed both of her hands, wincing slightly from her blows, “How unkind of you to hit an injured man who cannot defend himself,” Kiu Wai moaned, putting on a pitiful expression.

“I am so sorry. I had completely forgotten about your injuries. But it was your fault for teasing me!” Princess Mei Ling blamed Kiu Wai. She became serious and asked Kiu Wai with concern, “How are you feeling? Thank you for saving my life, you took that blow for me. You were hit by the poison palm technique from the elderly man. I had sealed two of your pressure points so that the poison would not spread but I don’t know what else I could do to help you expel the poison from your body.”

“Thank you for saving my life too. May I know your name?” Kiu Wai asked Princess Mei Ling.

“I am Bai Mei Ling, I didn’t do much to help you. The trees and shrubs broke our falls otherwise we would be greeting each other in Hell,” Princess Mei Ling told Kiu Wai. She didn’t reveal to him that she is a Mongolian princess. “Is there anything I can help you to expel the poison from your body?’

“No, thank you. I will have to meditate and circulate my inner energy to see if I can expel the poison from my body on my own. If I cannot do that on my own, then I may need your help but I will try to do it on my own first,” Kiu Wai sat up with the help of Princess Mei Ling. He closed his eyes, putting his palms together and concentrated on circulating his inner energy to expel the poison from his system.

Princess Mei Ling sat next to Kiu Wai and circulated her own inner energy to ease the aches and stiffness in her body, taking a peek at Kiu Wai every so often and finding herself very attracted to him.

Chapter 12

Princess Mei Ling was swimming in the lake by herself, having fun and splashing water with her hands and legs. She had her face turned upwards when she saw the light shining into the cave from an opening in the roof of the cave. That would be one way out of the cave she thought and continued to look at the walls of the cave. Suddenly she discovered some words were carved on the walls of the cave. She got out of the lake to have a closer look at the words. It was the instructions for a martial arts technique known as The Lovers Sword Technique. There was another one called Supreme Moonlight Internal Energy Technique, which was a technique to increase a person’s inner energy.

Princess Mei Ling was very excited about her discovery and ran back to tell Kiu Wai but she found him sprawled on the ground. Kiu Wai was unconscious with blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth. “ Oh Dear Heavens, Kiu Wai please wake up.” She took his pulse, it was erratic so she moved Kiu Wai up to a sitting position and sat behind him and started to transfer her inner energy to him. Soon Kiu Wai regained consciousness though he was still very weak. Princess Mei Ling laid him back down, frowning at his paleness, “How are you feeling now?”

“I felt like I am burning inside,” Kiu Wai was sweating profusely, clutching his chest.

“You have to cool down. Come with me,” Princess Mei Ling supported Kiu Wai and walked him to the lake. She got Kiu Wai to submerge himself in the lake. She read him the words from the Supreme Moonlight Internal Energy Technique that were carved on the walls of the cave. Kiu Wai concentrated on her instructions and practiced the technique to increase his inner energy. The light from the moon was reflected on the surface of the lake; Kiu Wai absorbed the passive energy from the moon while he practiced the Supreme Moonlight Internal Energy Technique as instructed. He found his inner energy increased tremendously by using that technique.

During the time he was practicing the Supreme Moonlight Internal Energy Technique to improve and increase his inner energy, Princess Mei Ling would sit at the edge of the lake. Whenever he paused for a rest, she would feed him wild berries that were growing outside the cave and attended to his needs. As his inner energy increased, the poison from his body was expelled slowly out of his system; soon he reached the highest level of inner energy.

One evening Kiu Wai yelled out that he was having cramps, so Princess Mei Ling dove into the lake and swam to him, intending to help him. But as soon as she reached him, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a soul searing passionate kiss that left her breathless. He laughed at her annoyance and twirled with her in his arms around in the lake, and told her that the poison had been fully expelled from his body. They were both very happy and laughingly splashed water at each other.

After a couple of hours, they were both tired and Kiu Wai carried Princess Mei Ling in his arms back to dry ground. They were both soaking wet and Kiu Wai’s eyes darkened with passion on seeing Princess Mei Ling’s every curve that was revealed by the wet transparent clothes she wore. He laid her down, joining her on the ground and took her in his arms once more. He planted feathery kisses on her lips, which soon deepened passionately. She was so sweet in her response that he felt his self-control slipping. He lifted his head and looked deeply into her eyes as he fought to control his arousing desires and passions.

Almost swooning from his passionate kisses, Princess Mei Ling felt like she was drowning in the intense sensual gaze of Kiu Wai’s compelling eyes. Wordlessly she answered the unspoken question in his eyes by pressing herself closer to him, molding her every curve to his masculine body. They were intimate for the first time, discovering the joys, passion and sensuality together, riding waves after waves of passion that shook them to the core of their souls. As their passion spiraled down, they were both breathless from their earth-shaking experience but happy to belong to each other. Exhausted, they lay entwined in each other’s arms, kissing each other softly and gently till they both fell asleep.

When Princess Mei Ling woke up, she found that she was alone. She looked around and saw Kiu Wai standing by the lake and looking at the words carved on the wall. Kiu Wai turned around when he heard the sounds of Princess Mei Ling’s movements, walked back to her and greeted, “Good morning, my beautiful wife.”

“You are shameless, who is your wife? I haven’t agreed to marry you.” Princess Mei Ling told Kiu Wai.

“After last night, in my eyes we were already husband and wife. Whether you agreed or not, you are mine and will have to stay with me forever because I am not going to let you go,” Kiu Wai declared possessively. “But I think we should pray to Heaven and Earth first to make it official and then when we leave this place, we can get permission from our parents to have the wedding ceremony.”

They both knelt down together and prayed to Heaven and Earth; they swore to love each other till the end of eternity.

Chapter 13

Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling were standing in front of the words that were carved on the wall of the cave, “Mei Ling, don’t you think it would be a great idea for both of us to practice The Lovers Sword Technique?”

“Yes, I think it is a great idea. I want to go back to the Flying Eagle clan and fight with the elderly man. With our present martial arts skills, we won’t be able to defeat him but if we learned this sword technique, we have a good chance of defeating him and getting our revenge,” Princess Mei Ling was enthusiastic. She was young and had always loved a challenge and to defeat the elderly man had been her goal ever since they lost to him. Now she has the chance to learn a superior sword fighting technique, thus she was real gung ho about it.

However Kiu Wai had always been a kind-hearted and peace-loving man. He had practiced the martial arts skills with his father in Mongolia and had promised to further his skills but it had always been his intention to help the poor and weak with his martial arts skills. Revenge had never been on his mind, which was the reason he could so readily forgive Chen for taking him away from his parents. “I would like to learn this sword technique because I promised my late father/master to learn new martial arts skills and improve on what I had learned when I am in Mo Lam. This sword technique sounds very promising, no one could bully us if we learned and perfected this technique. I don’t want to take revenge on anyone. I am fine now. We shouldn’t be using our martial arts skills to challenge people to fights, it is for defending ourselves and helping others who are weak.” Kiu Wai decided.

Though Princess Mei Ling didn’t understand why challenging a person to fights was wrong, she agreed to abide by Kiu Wai’s decision not to take revenge on the elderly man. She was totally in love with Kiu Wai. He had been very gentle, loving and patient with her. He still teased her unmercifully at times and she would get so annoyed with his sense of playfulness and pouted but they would always reconcile after the lovers’ spat with passionate kisses that curled her toes and made her blushed to the roots of her hair. She was happy to be with Kiu Wai and had learned to be less impulsive.

As for Kiu Wai, he was hopelessly in love with Princess Mei Ling. He fell in love with her beauty, her innocence, her laughter, her impulsiveness and even her annoyance and anger. She looked so cute when she pouted, with her eyes flashing with fury when he had played pranks on her that he sometimes teased her deliberately just to see that startling beauty and experienced the glorious reconciliations. Yes, Kiu Wai was also very happy to be with Princess Mei Ling.

Both of them had lost their swords when they fell down the mountain so they each used a tree branch to practice the stances of The Lovers Sword Technique. The branches weren’t the best weapons to use to practice but they weren’t discouraged and pressed on with learning the techniques, making slow progress.

One day, Princess Mei Ling was chasing Kiu Wai around the cave because he once again had incurred her wrath by teasing her, “Chu Kiu Wai, wait till I get my hands on you. You will be sorry for ever making fun of my nose!” Princess Mei Ling tripped on a stone and fell against the wall of the cave. She moaned as if she was hurt.

Kiu Wai came running back to see if she was injured. “Got you!” Princess Mei Ling used her fingers to immobilize Kiu Wai by pressing on his pressure points. She was trying to decide how she was going to punish Kiu Wai when she saw his chest heaving with laughter and that he was able to unseal his sealed pressure points. She was surprised and yet proud of Kiu Wai’s ability.

Kiu Wai had his arms around her and started to tickle her, “Now what other tricks do you have up your sleeves?”

“Stop! I, I give up. I don’t have any more ideas to outwit you,” Princess Mei Ling laughed. She was on the ground with Kiu Wai straddling her when she turned her head and saw an odd looking stone hidden in the recess of the wall, “Kiu Wai, look, what an odd looking stone,” Princess Mei Ling pointed out that stone to Kiu Wai.

Kiu Wai got up and went to have a closer look at that particular stone.

Chapter 14

When Kiu Wai tried to pry the stone out of the wall, he triggered the mechanism and a part of the wall moved revealing an opening in the wall leading to another cave. Both Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling walked cautiously into the cave. It was small but clean. They found a skeleton lying beside a couple of wooden chests full of precious stones and gold nuggets. Clothing and colorful silk cloths were found in another chest. There were suits for men and women. Princess Mei Ling was excited about the clothes. She was tired of wearing her old torn suit. She picked a beautiful embroidered suit in pink, rushed into the other cave to change.

Kiu Wai dug into the rest of the chests. He found a pair of swords; the words Hero were engraved on the blade of one of the swords while the words Beauty were engraved on the blade of the other sword, “Hmm, Mei Ling and I could use these swords to practice The Lovers Sword Technique.” He dug deeper and found a couple of manuals on the art of healing with herbs and one on war tactics. There was also a letter written by a man named Mok Sing Lam.

Mok Sing Lam was the leader of the much-feared Earth Moon cult; he disappeared from Mo Lam decades ago. After his disappearance the cult disbanded for lack of an efficient leader. Mok wrote that he had kept the manual on war tactics after helping an injured Chinese general who later died. Mok had created The Lovers Sword Technique and had practiced it with his martial arts sister, Ling Po Sum. Ling was the one who wrote the manuals on the art of healing with herbs. Mok had promised Ling to retire from the evil cult so when they found the caves in the mountain, they secretly made it their home. However not long after they perfected The Lovers Sword Technique, Ling died. Mok became a recluse and stayed in the caves until his death.

Mok wrote in the letter that whoever found the caves and their treasures would be his heir and must promise to do good for the common folks to atone for the sins on Mok’s behalf. The cult leader’s letter touched Kiu Wai. He knelt down in front of the skeleton, bowed deeply and vowed to carry out Mok’s wishes.

Just then Princess Mei Ling came back into the cave wearing the pretty new pink suit. She had her hair arranged beautifully with some of the bejeweled hairpins she found in the chest. “Kiu Wai, how do I look?” Princess Mei Ling asked Kiu Wai as she twirled around, parading her new outfit.

“Wow, you are stunningly beautiful in that outfit,” Kiu Wai praised her beauty, “But then you have always looked beautiful to me even when you were wearing rags!”

“Hah, since when did you learn to smooth talk like that? ….. Oh, these swords were beautifully crafted by blacksmiths who were experts in weaponry,” Princess Mei Ling observed as she picked the swords up to examine them.

“Since when were you such an expert in swords craftsmanship?” Kiu Wai teased Princess Mei Ling gently.

“One of my martial arts instructors was an expert in weaponry and he taught me a lot about weapons,” Princess Mei Ling explained seriously. She continued, “I learned from the best instructors in Mongolia, don’t ever doubt that. My nanny could tell you the horror stories of my days as a Tomboy. Instead of learning to embroider and play musical instruments, I learned to fight alongside with the men from my royal father’s army.”

“Royal father? Are you related to the Mongolian royalty?” Kiu Wai asked Princess Mei Ling curiously.

“I am Princess Mei Ling. My royal father is in charge of the Mongolian army,” Princess Mei Ling explained. “Hmm, maybe the next time you crossed me, I will insist on being treated as a Princess and make you scrape and bow to me,” she teased Kiu Wai.

Kiu Wai was shocked to learn that Princess Mei Ling was a Mongolian princess. Though he had lived in Mongolia his whole life, he was a Chinese prince and owed his loyalty to his royal father, the Emperor. The Mongolians were planning to attack China, with the aid of traitors in the court. The message in that waxed capsule was a secret message from the Mongolian traitor to his Chinese counterpart, which Kiu Wai’s late father, Chen Yik Fei had intercepted. Chen had insisted Kiu Wai go back to the Central Plains and deliver that message to the Emperor and that Kiu Wai help his biological father and country in case of a war. Now Kiu Wai is in love with a Mongolian princess and has been living together with her as husband and wife. What a dilemma! Kiu Wai decided not to reveal his true identity to Princess Mei Ling until he finds out where her loyalty lies.

Chapter 15

Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling were both efficient fighting with swords so they made fast progress with The Lovers Sword Technique using their new swords. The Lovers Sword Technique was a sword fighting technique for a couple fighting harmoniously, each protecting and defending their partner but also attacking their opponents in smooth coordinated stances. The stances were intricate and graceful. Both Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling were young and good-looking and it was a beautiful sight to see the lovely couple’s graceful movements with their swordplay. Each of their stances, though graceful was also lethal and when the technique was perfected, they would be invincible in Mo Lam.

Weeks passed and they had learned all the stances from The Lovers Sword Technique though they were far from being perfect. Both of them were getting restless and wanted to leave the caves. They looked for a way down the mountain but it seemed that there were only passages leading to the caves. Both of them looked everywhere for a secret passage but they couldn’t find any way down the steep mountain except to climb down, which was very dangerous.

“There had to be a way out since Mok Sing Lam wanted his heir to go back into Mo Lam to help the poor and weak,” Kiu Wai reasoned.

“Kiu Wai, come and look what I have found,” Princess Mei Ling yelled from the cave where all the treasures were kept. Princess Mei Ling had been digging into the chest to choose a new outfit and she dug to the bottom of the chest and found a map drawn at the bottom of the chest.

Kiu Wai ran to her and studied the map, “Hey, it looked like a map showing the secret passages. Seems there was one in the lake. Let’s go and check it out,” Kiu Wai was happy with her discovery. They took some gold nuggets, their swords and went to the lake.

They both dove into the lake and discovered an underground passage at the edge of the lake under the water surface. They swam along the passage and found themselves coming up in a small stream in another big cave with sunlight streaming in from the cave’s opening. They walked out of the cave to find themselves near a forest that was on a gentle slope. They followed the slope and came to the bottom of the mountain.

“We have made it,” they hugged each other ecstatically. They rested in the forest till their clothes were dry and then they set off to see where they were. They had been in the caves for three months and were dying to get a warm meal.

They came to a tea stand by the roadside outside the forest and got some refreshments. The keeper of the tea stand told them that they were near the town, Lung Sing that was fifty miles from the capital. They reached Lung Sing town towards the evening, ordered a huge meal and some wine. With their bellies full, they were ready for a soft warm bed.

Now that they were in civilization, Kiu Wai felt that it would be inappropriate to share a room with Princess Mei Ling. Her feelings were hurt and she felt insecure about Kiu Wai’s feelings for her especially there were a couple of girls in the restaurant who were staring at him adoringly. She didn’t say much and went to her room, which was next to Kiu Wai’s. She slept poorly that night; she missed the warmth and comfort of lying next to Kiu Wai who had always had his arms around her. The next morning, Princess Mei Ling was still in a bad mood when she found Kiu Wai sitting alone in the restaurant.

Kiu Wai had not wakened Princess Mei Ling because he thought she needed the sleep. He had slept poorly that night because he missed having Princess Mei Ling’s soft body next to his, the cuddling and the gentle kisses they shared. At the crack of dawn he came downstairs for some tea and was contemplating his next course of action when Princess Mei Ling came to sit at his table.

[sowfoong]

Chapter 16

“Good morning,” Kiu Wai greeted Princess Mei Ling. “Did you sleep well?” he asked courteously.

“Good morning. No, I did not sleep well last night. I missed having you next to me,” Princess Mei Ling said impulsively.

“I missed you too. However now that we are in civilization, we do have to keep a respectable distance since we are not officially married according to the Chinese custom,” Kiu Wai explained.

Princess Mei Ling couldn’t understand the Chinese customs but she decided to let the matter slide for the moment and asked Kiu Wai instead, “What are we going to do today?”

“I thought we could traveled around and see the world a bit before we go back to see my parents. They live in the capital.” Kiu Wai told Princess Mei Ling. He longed to take her in his arms to reassure her of his love but he resisted that urge. They were in a public setting and they had to observe certain customs.

They were finishing their meal when the couple of girls from last evening came down to the restaurant and were staring at Kiu Wai unashamedly with invitation in their eyes. Princess Mei Ling was furious when Kiu Wai nodded to them politely which encouraged them further. Princess Mei Ling didn’t know she was jealous, she was furious with Kiu Wai and the two girls so she got up and approached the girls, “Why were you staring at us?”

“We were not staring at you, it is the man you were with whom we are interested in,” one of the girls told Princess Mei Ling boldly.

Princess Mei Ling used her sheathed sword to make a swipe at the cups and bowls on the table and everything fell down onto the floor, making a loud noise. Everyone in the restaurant looked up at the commotion, “Keep your eyes away from him, otherwise I will give you a reason to be sorry about,” Princess Mei Ling warned the two girls.

One of the girls stood up and used her palm to strike at Princess Mei Ling. That was reason enough for Princess Mei Ling to fight with the two girls. They both used their swords to stab at Princess Mei Ling who used her sword to block their swords and soon a melee ensued with the three girls fighting ferociously. Kiu Wai attempted to intervene but Princess Mei Ling was furious with him as well as the two girls and used her palm to hit at Kiu Wai, warning him to stay out of their fight. The three girls then jumped out of the window of the restaurant to fight in the street.

The two girls were highly skilled and fought well, matching their stances to defend and attack together. Princess Mei Ling was also very skilled in fighting with the sword but her fury caused her to be less careful and was soon on the losing end. Kiu Wai saw that Princess Mei Ling was in danger and jumped in to help. But Princess Mei Ling pushed him away and gathered her inner energy to strike at the girls when one of them threw a dart at her. Kiu Wai tried to intercept the dart but it pierced into Princess Mei Ling’s upper arm. She stumbled and Kiu Wai took her in his arms, he used his inner energy to strike at the two girls, throwing them ten feet away onto the ground. He carried Princess Mei Ling and using his lightness martial arts skill, jumped up onto the roof of the restaurant and ran on the roofs and soon disappeared from view.

Kiu Wai carried Princess Mei Ling out of the town till they came to an abandoned temple. He put Princess Mei Ling down and examined her arm. She was unconscious and the wound on her arm was swollen and purple, with blood that was almost black in color seeping out. The dart was poisoned. Kiu Wai sealed her pressure points to prevent the poison from spreading before he removed the poisoned dart. He then proceeded to suck the poisoned blood out of her wound. Soon, Kiu Wai was happy to see that the blood seeping out of her wound was red instead of black. He wrapped her wound and held her in his arms.

Now that she was out of danger, Kiu Wai sighed with relief. He felt the muscles in his heart relaxing and his racing pulse slowing down. He looked at Princess Mei Ling who was still very pale and unconscious and made a promise to himself that he was going to do everything in his power to protect her better in the future. He couldn’t bear to see her hurt and he felt the pain when she was injured. He knew that Princess Mei Ling was jealous of the two girls and it was his fault for even nodding at them. He had forgotten completely that girls had always been smitten with him if he showed them even the slightest interest and it had always been a nuisance to get rid of them. It was something his friend, Wing Tin used to tease him with, that he was able to attract girls without even trying, which he had dismissed casually; but now that he has Princess Mei Ling at his side, he has to be more careful. He could not allow anyone to hurt her, she was his to love and protect; he decided to make their relationship official as soon as possible.

Princess Mei Ling slowly regained consciousness and gave Kiu Wai a weak smile; “Thank you for saving my life. I should have listened to you.”

“No it was my fault, I should have protected you better. I have decided to take you back to the capital to meet my parents as soon as you are well enough to travel. Then we will go to your parents and asked them to give us their permission and blessing for us to get married.”

Chapter 17

Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling stayed at the abandoned temple for a couple of days. Kiu Wai took great care of Princess Mei Ling while she was recuperating. He seldom strayed from her side, getting fresh herbs to put on her wound and transferring his inner energy to her to aid her recovery. The couple grew closer as Kiu Wai swore his undying love for Princess Mei Ling and her sense of insecurity dispersed in his love and care.

When Princess Mei Ling was well enough to travel, they went on towards the capital. There weren’t further incidents as Kiu Wai deliberately ignored other girls and stared down any young men who might show an interest in Princess Mei Ling. It surprised Kiu Wai that he would feel so possessive of Princess Mei Ling and that he felt jealous when other men showed interest in Princess Mei Ling. He couldn’t wait till Princess Mei Ling was officially his wife.

They were a couple of miles from the capital and were having some refreshments in a restaurant when Wing Tin showed up. He came over to greet them with a bow of respect to Kiu Wai, “Greetings to you, Your Royal Highness,” and waited to be introduced to Princess Mei Ling.

Princess Mei Ling turned to Kiu Wai in surprise, “You are related to the Chinese royalty? From your fluency in Mongolian, I thought you were part Mongolian.”

“Yes, I am Prince Chu Kiu Wai. I had lived in Mongolia all my life and had recently found my real parents,” Kiu Wai explained, silently cursing Wing Tin for revealing his identity to Princess Mei Ling before he had a chance to prepare her for it.

“Er, may I introduce myself, I am Wu Wing Tin, and you are?” Wing Tin asked Princess Mei Ling. He hadn’t heard from Kiu Wai for months and he was curious about the identity of the stunning beauty with Kiu Wai.

“This is Mei Ling,” Kiu Wai introduced Princess Mei Ling to Wing Tin without using her formal title. “We are on our way to the palace. We will see you soon,” Kiu Wai dismissed Wing Tin abruptly.

Wing Tin looked at Kiu Wai in surprise but did not dare to ask further questions when he saw Kiu Wai’s fierce look and possessive stance towards Princess Mei Ling. He bowed respectfully to them and then left the restaurant.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you are a Chinese prince and why did you not tell your friend that I am a Mongolian princess? Are you ashamed of me?” Princess Mei Ling asked Kiu Wai with a hurt and puzzled expression.

“Of course not, why would I be ashamed of you? You are the only one for me and I am going to marry you as soon as I get permission from my parents and yours. However, I would like to explain the reason why I did not reveal my identity or tell my friend your true identity. I am not sure how you would take it that I am a Chinese Prince and you are a Mongolian Princess. There is trouble brewing between Mongolia and China and I am not sure how well the Chinese citizens accept Mongolians, I don’t want any harm to come to you,” Kiu Wai inarticulately tried to explain the situation.

“What has that got to do with us? I thought we loved each other and were a couple,” Princess Mei Ling asked Kiu Wai. Princess Mei Ling was beginning not to like coming to the capital, in fact ever since they left the cave in the mountain; their relationship seemed to have cooled down. She couldn’t understand why they have to keep a distance from each other; she just wanted to be with Kiu Wai.

Chapter 18

The Queen was extremely happy to see Kiu Wai, she was worried that he had left the palace forever without saying goodbye. Kiu Wai decided not to introduce Princess Mei Ling as a Mongolian princess because he was afraid that she would be taken hostage and used as a pawn for negotiations should the war starts so he introduced Princess Mei Ling without using her title. The Queen was very courteous but curious about young stunning Mongolian beauty her royal son brought home. She noted the possessive stance Kiu Wai showed towards Princess Mei Ling and wondered about their relationship.

Princess Wei Lin was with the Queen when Kiu Wai came in with Princess Mei Ling. Princess Wei Lin took one look at Princess Mei Ling and her heart sunk, “This young girl is a stunning beauty and she is going to be a serious competitor for Kiu Wai’s affections,” as she noted the intimate glances Princess Mei Ling shared with Kiu Wai and the possessive stance Kiu Wai showed towards Princess Mei Ling. She decided that Princess Mei Ling had to be eliminated as soon as possible; she was happy to find out that Princess Mei Ling was a Mongolian commoner.

The ladies went into the gardens to have refreshments and a chat while Kiu Wai went to the study to see his royal father. Princess Mei Ling was shown to a guest room to rest after having tea with the Queen and Princess Wei Lin. She found Kiu Wai’s royal mother a beautiful and sweet lady but she had a weird feeling about Princess Wei Lin. She noted hostility in Princess Wei Lin’s eyes and the unnatural smile she had plastered on her face. Princess Mei Ling also had wondered at the reason why Kiu Wai did not disclose her identity as a princess but she trusted Kiu Wai so she did not make any objections. Altogether she found herself feeling uneasy as she rested in her room and wishing that Kiu Wai were with her.

Kiu Wai sat down with his royal parents to tell them about his adventures the past couple of months away from the palace. Before he could tell them about his relationship with Princess Mei Ling, the Queen told him that the Emperor’s brother-in-law had asked to let his adoptive daughter, Princess Wei Lin marry Kiu Wai and they had agreed to the match.

Kiu Wai was shocked that his royal parents would arrange for him to marry Princess Wei Lin without consulting him. Princess Wei Lin was the girl he rescued at the border town and he met her again when she came with her adoptive brother, Prince Sing Fung to visit him. Kiu Wai found both of them arrogant and though Princess Wei Lin was a stunning beauty, he was unable to be friendly and natural with her. Her persistence in chasing after him was the reason he left the palace, “Mother, how could you arranged for me to marry Princess Wei Lin without consulting my wishes?”

“I thought you would be happy with this match, Princess Wei Lin is very beautiful and you got along very well with her,” the Queen tried to explain. Kiu Wai’s royal parents thought that by having Kiu Wai married to someone close to the royal family would keep him with them.

“I am sorry, I cannot marry Princess Wei Lin. I do not love her. I am in love with Mei Ling and intend to marry her,” Kiu Wai declared firmly.

“But she is Mongolian. How long have you known her? Does she love you or is she a spy, pretending to love you in order to get our military secrets to help her country?” the Queen questioned Princess Mei Ling’s loyalty.

Princess Wei Lin had planted seeds of doubts in the Queen’s mind about Princess Mei Ling’s loyalty when she was alone with the Queen after the three ladies had refreshments in the gardens earlier that day. Princess Wei Lin was extremely jealous of Princess Mei Ling and was afraid that Kiu Wai’s royal parents would accept Princess Mei Ling as Kiu Wai’s mate, so she slyly pointed out to the Queen that with the impending war between Mongolia and China, any Mongolian could be a spy and enemy and to be treated with suspicion.

“I have known her long enough. She is not a spy. She had saved my life and we had been through a lot of hardships,” Kiu Wai defended Princess Mei Ling, “We had prayed to Heaven and Earth, and she is the only girl I am going to marry.”

“I cannot allow you to marry her, you are the heir to the throne, we cannot have a Mongolian commoner as the future queen,” the Emperor told Kiu Wai.

“Then I must decline your offer of making me the heir to the throne. I love Mei Ling and I am going to marry her, with or without your permission,” with that Kiu Wai stormed out of the study, leaving his royal parents speechless.

Later that night, Princess Mei Ling had a surprise visit from Princess Wei Lin. As soon as Princess Wei Lin was in the room, she accused Princess Mei Ling of being a gold digger who was out for money and used her beauty to seduce Kiu Wai and set out to trap Kiu Wai to marry her. Princess Wei Lin coldly told Princess Mei Ling that Kiu Wai was engaged to her when they had a quarrel and he left the palace. But now that he is back, they would be getting married soon and that the Emperor would never allow a Mongolian to marry his royal son, the heir to the Chinese throne so Princess Mei Ling should just forget about her plans. Furthermore, Mongolia and China were at the brink of a war and Mongolian spies weren’t welcomed in the palace. In addition to that Princess Wei Lin made Princess Mei Ling feel guilty by telling her that her involvement with Kiu Wai would harm his future because the Chinese citizens would resent a foreigner and enemy as Queen when Kiu Wai became Emperor.

Princess Mei Ling didn’t even had a chance to defend herself, she was so shocked to hear that Kiu Wai was engaged to be married to Princess Wei Lin and that she had been lied to by Kiu Wai. Princess Mei Ling was young and inexperienced, though she was impulsive and spoiled at times, she was very loyal, honest and straightforward so it never occurred to her that Princess Wei Lin was lying and manipulating her. She cried bitterly after Princess Wei Lin left and decided to leave the palace.

After leaving his royal parents, Kiu Wai resisted the urge to visit Princess Mei Ling in the guest room until he had a chance to calm down. He grabbed a huge jug of wine and proceeded to get drunk. It was late in the morning the next day when he woke up with a splitting headache. After washing up, he went to see Princess Mei Ling in her guest room. However she was nowhere to be found. He was puzzled about that and asked his servant Ah Fai if he knew where Princess Mei Ling was. Ah Fai reluctantly told Kiu Wai that he saw Princess Mei Ling sneaked out of the palace late in the night.

Kiu Wai was shocked and could not believe that Princess Mei Ling had left without saying goodbye. He was going to go out to find her when Ah Fai told him that it was useless. Princess Mei Ling had left in the night after she had a talk with Princess Wei Lin. He had overheard Princess Wei Lin telling Princess Mei Ling about Kiu Wai’s impending marriage to her and that the Emperor would never allow the heir to the Chinese throne to marry a Mongolian commoner. He had seen Princess Mei Ling crying in her room and then seen her sneaked out of the palace later that night.

Chapter 19

Kiu Wai tried to chase after Princess Mei Ling but the Emperor had ordered him be put under house arrest and guarded at all times. Kiu Wai was frustrated because he couldn’t get out of the palace. He thrashed his room and got drunk daily. He refused to eat or talk to his royal parents. His royal parents were very worried about his health.

Princess Wei Lin tried to comfort Kiu Wai but she made Kiu Wai more upset with her presence. Kiu Wai couldn’t stand the sight of her. He blamed her for causing Princess Mei Ling to leave the palace. Although Kiu Wai was normally a very patient and polite man who showed chivalry towards the fairer sex, he was extremely rude to Princess Wei Lin that caused her to run home crying. Kiu Wai ordered Ah Fai not to allow Princess Wei Lin to come to his private rooms, which Ah Fai gleefully obeyed.

Ah Fai had disliked Princess Wei Lin who had looked down at him with disdain because he was a lowly servant. On the other hand he loved Princess Mei Ling who had treated him with respect. Ah Fai had loved Princess Mei Ling at first sight and he had sensed the love between his master and the stunning beauty. He was upset with Princess Wei Lin for the hurtful things she said to Princess Mei Ling, causing Princess Mei Ling to run away.

Kiu Wai missed Princess Mei Ling very much and had been miserable since she left. He couldn’t eat or sleep and fell into a deep depression. She held his heart and his happiness in her hands and that he felt lost without her. He had fallen so deeply and desperately in love with her that he realized he couldn’t live without her. He had to get her back at all costs and he hoped that he wouldn’t be too late. But as each day passed by, he was getting more depressed and missed Princess Mei Ling more and more. He thought he would go crazy because he was unable to leave the palace.

One day, Ah Fai told Kiu Wai about a plan for him to leave the palace. Ah Fai had made many friends among the guards and they all loved gambling. Ah Fai would invite them to games of dice to pass the time and they were all very happy for a chance to win some quick money. That night Ah Fai put some sedating drugs into the wine and invited his friends to play dice again. As the night progressed, they were all sedated including Ah Fai. Kiu Wai used that opportunity to escape from the palace.

Kiu Wai made haste to be as far away from the palace as possible, afraid that his royal father would send someone to take him back to the palace before he had a chance to find Princess Mei Ling. He got himself a horse and rode a full day before he took a break. He traveled at night and hid in abandoned buildings during the day to rest. He reasoned that Princess Mei Ling had gone home to her family in Mongolia so he rode towards the town where he had first met her.

Kiu Wai found Princess Mei Ling’s camp after searching for a couple of days. He had disguised himself as a Mongolian soldier and searched for Princess Mei Ling without arousing any suspicion. He had seen Princess Mei Ling’s father from afar but there was no signs of Princess Mei Ling in the camp. He was very disappointed, wondering if he had made a mistake and that Princess Mei Ling was still in the Central Plains when he spotted her riding back towards the camp. He found the location of her tent and waited for nightfall to go to her.

Kiu Wai crept stealthily towards her tent when it was dark. A couple of soldiers were patrolling near her tent. He was about to sneak into her tent when he saw a handsome young Mongolian man standing with Princess Mei Ling in front of her tent, “Yi Bao, what are you doing here?” Princess Mei Ling asked with annoyance.

“What is the matter? Why are you so cold towards me ever since you came home?” the young Mongolian man asked. He was Prince Yi Bao, one of the Khan’s favorite nephews. He had been interested in Princess Mei Ling for as long as he could remember and they had gotten along well. He managed to persuade Princess Mei Ling’s father to allow him to pursue her, hoping for her to agree to marry him. Princess Mei Ling’s father did not want to force his only daughter to marry against her will so Prince Yi Bao was determined to persuade her that he was the best man for her.

“There is nothing wrong. I don’t have to give you a reason for anything,” Just then, Princess Mei Ling spotted Kiu Wai hiding in the shadows. Without betraying the fact that she was aware of Kiu Wai’s presence, she put on the sweetest smile for Prince Yi Bao, put her hands on him and pretended to be jealous, “If you must know why I was so moody, it was because of you. I saw you with Heung Heung the other day and you were very affectionate with her.”

Prince Yi Bao was happy to hear the jealousy in Princess Mei Ling’s voice, “Mei Ling, you don’t have to be jealous. My heart belonged only to you,” he leaned forward to try to place a kiss on Princess Mei Ling, which she was quick to avert her face. Just then a soldier came to deliver a message to Prince Yi Bao that his father wanted to see him at his tent. Prince Yi Bao then left for his meeting with his father after giving Princess Mei Ling a bow.

When Kiu Wai saw the intimacy displayed by Princess Mei Ling with Prince Yi Bao, he was extremely jealous. Kiu Wai almost revealed himself because he wanted to break Prince Yi Bao’s neck for the latter’s attempt to touch Princess Mei Ling whom Kiu Wai considered as his wife. Kiu Wai debated with himself if he should strangle Princess Mei Ling for her lack of loyalty to their love or to kidnap her and make love to her till she could only think about him and no one else. So right after Prince Yi Bao left Princess Mei Ling, Kiu Wai stepped out from the shadows, and without any pleasantries, asked Princess Mei Ling furiously and jealously, “So is that man your new lover? Is he the reason you left me in such a hurry?”

Princess Mei Ling was just as furious, “It is none of your business what I do. Just go away,” with that she turned to go back into her tent.

Kiu Wai grabbed her arm, “Oh no, you are not walking away from me.” He pulled her into his arms, immobilized her by sealing her pressure points and carried her away with him without anyone in the camp noticing their departure.

[sowfoong]

Chapter 20

Kiu Wai carried Princess Mei Ling to his horse, which he had left in the woods a mile from the camp. He put her on the horse, got up behind her and urged the horse to go as fast it could, away from the camp. He stopped when they were many miles from the camp. He got Princess Mei Ling off the horse and unsealed her pressure points and was greeted by her furious blows. Princess Mei Ling used every stance she knew in hand-to-hand combat to fight with Kiu Wai, kicks and blows, which he deflected easily. At last her fury abated and he took her in his arms and let her cry till she was exhausted. When her heart-breaking sobs slowed to hiccups, she tried to push away from him but he would not let her go instead he held her tight to his chest, murmuring words of comfort and love, “Are you ready to talk to me?”

“There is nothing to talk about. I don’t want to see you ever again. Just take me back to my royal father’s camp,” Princess Mei Ling insisted.

“We are not going anywhere until we have our talk,” Kiu Wai insisted just as stubbornly.
“I want to know why you left without even saying goodbye. Did you come back for that man in the camp? Is he your new lover?” he asked jealously.

“Don’t you dare try to accuse me of having a lover! Did you forget to tell me that you have a fiancé and that you would be getting married to her when you took me to the palace? Was I supposed to be your concubine?” Princess Mei Ling asked furiously.

“I am very sorry about that. My royal parents had arranged the engagement without consulting me. I told them that I could not marry Princess Wei Lin because I love you and you are the only girl I am going to marry. I told my royal parents that they should get someone else to be their heir if they were not going to accept you as my wife,” Kiu Wai tried to reason with Princess Mei Ling.

“What makes you think that I would still want to be your wife?” Princess Mei Ling asked Kiu Wai in a serious tone.

“You don’t want to be my wife?” Kiu Wai was shocked to hear the serious tone in her voice.

“No, I don’t. I had been thinking a lot about us on my way home. I had wondered why you never told me your identity until you were forced to when Wing Tin addressed you by your title. Now I realize that you didn’t trust me. You doubted my loyalty. I guess that was also the reason why you didn’t introduce me to your family by my title. You were ashamed of me!” Princess Mei Ling accused Kiu Wai.

“No, that is not true. I would never be ashamed of you, I love you,” Kiu Wai told Princess Mei Ling passionately.

“You weren’t there when Princess Wei Lin called me a gold-digger, that I set out to trap you to marry me. She said that as a Mongolian I wasn’t good enough for the heir to the Chinese throne and that if we did get together, I would cause you to lose respect from your people,” Princess Mei Ling recounted her conversation with Princess Wei Lin.

“I am sorry that you had that talk with Princess Wei Lin, she had been hounding me for weeks which was the reason I had left the palace in the first place. You don’t have to listen to her nonsense,” Kiu Wai tried to explain, but as he looked at Princess Mei Ling’s serious and determined expression, he realized that Princess Mei Ling was not going to listen to his explanation and had made up her mind to break up with him. She was very calm when she recounted her conversation with Princess Wei Lin so she had put a lot of thoughts into the matter when she made that decision. The thought of losing her caused him to panic and feel a tight strangling grip on his heart.

“Princess Wei Lin was right, she is a Chinese princess, and is more suitable to be your queen. I am a Mongolian and I will always be loyal to my father and my people. Go back to her and let me go,” with that Princess Mei Ling turned her back on Kiu Wai and started to run back towards the camp.

“No, I cannot let you go,” Kiu Wai chased after her and soon caught up with her. He took her in his arms, “I cannot let you go,” he repeated, with tears streaming down his cheeks. “I love you so much and I want you to stay forever with me. If you leave me, I don’t think I can go on living. The past few weeks without you had been a living hell for me, I felt so lost, so miserable and so lonely. Please say that you will stay with me,” Kiu Wai begged Princess Mei Ling.

“Please don’t make this harder for me, I want the best for you. I would only be a burden to you; you have a bright future and would be a great monarch for your country. Just forget about me,” Princess Mei Ling sobbed uncontrollably in his arms.

“I cannot forget about you, and I don’t want to. I love you more than life itself. I have told you that I don’t want to be heir to the throne if I cannot have you at my side. You are the most important person in my life and the only one who can make me happy and feel complete. I love you with all my heart and if you still love me, you wouldn’t want to leave me,” Kiu Wai pleaded with Princess Mei Ling.

“I love you and I will always love you, but what will become of us? As you have said before, there is trouble brewing between our two countries. We would become enemies,” Princess Mei Ling asked, frightened as she thought about the bleak future.

“We don’t have to become enemies. We can go away to a remote place to live. We don’t have to get involved with the troubles at all,” Kiu Wai suggested.

“Would you really be willing to give up the throne for me?” Princess Mei Ling asked.

“Yes, I am willing to give up my life for you, so giving up the throne is easy. To become an emperor had never been important to me. I love you very much, without you life would be meaningless to me. Promise me that you would never leave me again,” Kiu Wai pressed Princess Mei Ling tightly to his chest.

“I promise. I love you with all my heart. It had not been easy for me to leave you but I thought it was for the best,” Princess Mei Ling was glad to be with Kiu Wai again. The smile she gave Kiu Wai was radiant, like the burst of sunrays after a storm, and it melted his heart. The passionate kiss they shared chased away any lingering doubts of the love they have for each other.

Chapter 21

It had been three months since Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling left Mongolia to live in a remote Chinese village near the caves in the mountain where they found those treasures. They kept themselves busy practicing the Lovers Sword Technique everyday and they were almost perfect in using it. They lived in harmony, happy to be with each other, they enjoyed practicing the sword technique, challenging each other at times, chasing each other playfully using their lightness martial arts skills and ended each day with passionate love spent in each other’s arms.

One day, Princess Mei Ling found Kiu Wai sitting by the river, looking pensive, “Kiu Wai, is there something on your mind?’

“No, I am alright, I haven’t caught any fish yet for dinner,” Kiu Wai tried to divert her attention to something else.

“Are you worried about the news, Mr. Tam told us this morning about the possible attack on the Central Plains,” Princess Mei Ling asked astutely.

“Yes, I am worried about the war, I don’t want either army to lose any men or the citizens in either country to lose their lives. There is so much poverty and sufferings and I…….” Kiu Wai stopped in mid-sentence. He felt guilty about not doing anything to help his country while it was on the brink of a war. But he had promised Princess Mei Ling that they would stay out of the whole thing and he intended to keep his promise to her. But it weighed heavily on his conscience that he stood by while the citizens in the country were suffering. He wished he could do something for them.

“Would it be possible to stop the war from taking place?’ Princess Mei Ling asked.

“It would take a miracle for both sides to step back, I feel so sorry for the ordinary country folks. They were the ones to suffer the most,” Kiu Wai sighed. “Let’s eat vegetables today, I don’t think I can catch any fish in time for dinner,” he changed the subject.

They walked back to their wooden house that Kiu Wai built. It was small but clean. Kiu Wai had always wondered that Princess Mei Ling didn’t shy away from doing housework since she was used to having servants waiting on her. He still teased her about her cooking skills but he ate everything she cooked no matter how terrible they tasted. But her cooking skills had improved tremendously since she received cooking lessons from Madam Tam. He knew she made great efforts to please him and he appreciated everything she did. She had made a huge sacrifice, giving up the life of luxury as a princess to live with him and he loved her more than ever. If not for the impending war issue, he would be totally content with his life.

Princess Mei Ling was happy to be with Kiu Wai, she loved him with her whole heart. It did not bother her to leave behind the life of luxury she was used to as a princess to lead a simple life with Kiu Wai. As long as she was with him, she was happy. There were a lot of adjustments to be made, for one thing she didn’t know how to cook. She learned through trials and errors and before she served each meal, she would say a prayer that they wouldn’t get sick from food poisoning. From the tiny twitch in Kiu Wai’s face, she knew when a dish was bad but he always ate everything she cooked without complaints. And she loved him more for it. She had matured a lot and had learned to be less impulsive.

That night both of them were restless and were tossing and turning in bed, both were preoccupied with thoughts about the war. Kiu Wai got up quietly and went to sit by the river to ponder. Princess Mei Ling knew that Kiu Wai was worried about his countrymen and had not asked to help because of his promise to her. She was trying to think of a plan to solve the problem.

The next morning they decided to go into town a couple of miles away from their village as there was a fair going on. The town was busy with vendors selling colorful silk cloths, puppets made of dough, writing utensils, copper pots and pans, porcelain, pottery, antiques, grocery, eggs, live chickens, pet turtles, herbs, jewelry and much more. There were street artists plying their trade, acrobatic shows by men and monkeys, fortune-tellers and much more. Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling were having a good time. Suddenly they saw Wing Tin and Ah Fai walking towards them. There wasn’t enough time to hide, so Kiu Wai decided to greet them, “Wing Tin, Ah Fai, what are you two doing here in this small town so far away from the capital?”

“Your …..” Both Wing Tin and Ah Fai were about to bow to Kiu Wai when he stopped them, “Just call me Kiu Wai.”

“Kiu Wai, it has been a very long time since we last saw you. Greetings to you, Miss Mei Ling,” Wing Tin acknowledged Princess Mei Ling’s presence.

“It is Madam Chu,” Kiu Wai corrected Wing Tin.

“Let’s go somewhere quiet for a drink,” Kiu Wai invited Wing Tin and Ah Fai back to their house in the village. The four of them walked back to house that Kiu Wai built.

Wing Tin was surprised at the simplicity of their living conditions and their lives, “So this is where you two had been living? No wonder we couldn’t find you. Ah Fai and I had been traveling all over the country the past couple of months trying to find you two. We thought you two might have gone to Mongolia to live.”

“Is there a reason for your urgency to find us?” Kiu Wai asked.

“Yes, we need your help to try to stop the war,” Wing Tin told Kiu Wai but looked deliberately at Princess Mei Ling.

“Mei Ling is my wife, so everything that needed to be said can be said in front of her because I tell her everything. We do not have secrets between us,” Kiu Wai told Wing Tin with a slight warning in his voice to respect Princess Mei Ling. “We both wished there was something we could do to stop the war,” Kiu Wai added.

Chapter 22

They discussed the ways to stop the war, talking late into the night. Wing Tin and Ah Fai slept on the floor when Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling retired to their bedroom. When Kiu Wai woke up in the morning, he was alone. He didn’t think much about it, walked out of the bedroom to greet the two men who were rubbing the sand off their eyes, stretching and yawning. “Good Morning, did you managed to sleep at all?” Kiu Wai asked them courteously. The two men nodded and got up.

“I wonder where Mei Ling is,” Kiu Wai walked out of the house and saw his neighbor, Madam Tam getting some water from the well.

“Good morning,” Madam Tam greeted Kiu Wai with a smile. “I am surprised you are still here. I saw Mei Ling getting out of the house in the middle of the night and I thought you would be with her.”

“Mei Ling left in the night?” Kiu Wai asked Madam Tam in surprise.

“Yes, I saw her when I went to the outhouse last night. I thought it was odd that she was fully dressed, carrying her sword when she ran out of the house,” Madam Tam told Kiu Wai.

Kiu Wai blanched at her words, he turned and went back into the house and true enough, Princess Mei Ling’s sword was gone, “Where did she go?” Kiu Wai was worried about her. Wing Tin and Ah Fai sensed that something was wrong when Kiu Wai had his sword in his hand and was about to rush out of the house.

“What is the matter? Where are you rushing off to?” Wing Tin asked.

“Mei Ling is gone, she left late last night when we went to sleep. I have to find her,” Kiu Wai replied and turned to leave the house, when Wing Tin put his hand out to stop him.

“Wait, where are you going to look for her? Did she said anything about leaving at all?” Wing Tin asked.

“No, she didn’t say anything to me. But she was worried about the impending war just as I was,” Kiu Wai was impatient to leave.

“Don’t you think it is odd that she would leave in the middle of the night without telling you and right after our discussion on war tactics last night?” Wing Tin asked.

“Are you trying to imply that Mei Ling would betray me after all that we had been through and used her knowledge to help her father?” Kiu Wai asked Wing Tin angrily.

“I think it is possible. After all she is Mongolian and would be loyal to her father and her people. She would do anything to help them,” Wing Tin reasoned.

“I don’t believe that she would betray me. She is not like that,” Kiu Wai refused to accept the possibility that Princess Mei Ling had left him to help her father. After much persuasion from Wing Tin, Kiu Wai calmed down and they discussed further plans and made arrangements to go back to the palace. Kiu Wai asked Madam Tam to let Princess Mei Ling know that he had gone back to his parents and that Princess Mei Ling should join him there. Kiu Wai then left with Wing Tin and Ah Fai for the trip to the capital.

They were half way to the capital when Kiu Wai told Wing Tin and Ah Fai to ride on without him, that he had forgotten something important and needed to retrieve it. He told Wing Tin to tell the Emperor that he would be back as soon as possible. Wing Tin reluctantly went on towards the capital with Ah Fai. He was curious about Kiu Wai’s secrecy but didn’t dare to disobey Kiu Wai.

Kiu Wai rode swiftly back to the mountains where he found those treasures. He found his way back to the secret cave and retrieved that manual on war tactics that Mok Sing Lam left in one of the chests. Mok got the manual from an injured Chinese general he had saved. The general died from his injuries and Mok had kept the manual. The manual contained comprehensive military war tactics on defense and attacks. That manual would help the Chinese military be more prepared when the war starts.

Kiu Wai walked to the lake and sat down by the edge. He could see images of Princess Mei Ling everywhere, her beautiful eyes, her impish grins, the fire and fury in her eyes, and the expressions of annoyance and also mischief. He could hear her sweet voice and her laughter. He remembered their first kiss in Mongolia, the sweetness of her kiss when she attempted to revive him after their fall, the passion when they made love for the first time and the countless times after. He could not believe that Princess Mei Ling would betray him but he remembered her words, “I am a Mongolian and I will always be loyal to my father and my people.”

“Oh, Mei Ling, why did you leave me without any explanation? Didn’t our love and I mean anything to you at all? We had been through so much, how could you go against me and help your father, that we would become adversaries?” Kiu Wai wept and had tears streaming down his face. He sat there for a long time. At last he got up and left the caves, with his fists clenched, determination on his face and vowed that he would do his best to help his royal father and his country to win the war.

Chapter 23

After leaving the house, Princess Mei Ling got herself a horse and rode swiftly back to Mongolia. Her royal father was very happy to see her but scolded her for her absence, “Where have you been all these months? I sent my men to the Central Plains to look for you but they were unsuccessful. It was as if the earth had swallowed you!”

“Did you miss me? Please don’t scold, I was having fun in the Central Plains and I just forgot to send word to you that I was doing fine.” Princess Mei Ling tried to charm her way out of her royal father’s anger.

“Oh course, I missed you. Please don’t run off again without telling me. Prince Yi Bao had been asking about you everyday,” King Bai told his daughter giving her a big hug. Just then a messenger came to tell King Bai that the Khan would like to speak to him so he left Princess Mei Ling to rest after her journey.

King Bai was busy preparing for the war and didn’t have much time to monitor Princess Mei Ling’s activities. Princess Mei Ling got along well with the soldiers in her royal father’s camp and no one thought much about her wandering around. She had her ears opened and caught gossips among the soldiers and found out that King Terkit who was in charge of protecting the border had been recruiting many martial arts experts and building up power of his own.

Princess Mei Ling had been around martial arts experts, warriors and generals all her life so she was familiar with war tactics. The martial arts instructor who had taught her about weaponry, General Sito had always treated Princess Mei Ling as his daughter. He was a gruff old man who had a surly expression on his face all the time. Princess Mei Ling was the only one able to charm a smile out of him. One day Princess Mei Ling went to visit with him.

General Sito had just came home from a meeting with King Terkit and was very upset about King Terkit. He threw his helmet right across the room, “That stubborn old man. He was going to work with that Chinese traitor dog, Minister Au Yeung.”

Princess Mei Ling’s ears perked up but she ran to General Sito to give him a big hug, “Uncle Sito, why are you so upset? Don’t you want me to visit with you?”

“Little Imp, you know that I have always loved to have you around,” General Sito managed a broad smile for Princess Mei Ling. “So where have you been. I heard that King Bai was extremely upset and worried about you wandering around in the Central Plains.”

Princess Mei Ling gave General Sito a hug, “Uncle Sito, I was having fun in the Central Plains. I met many martial arts experts and you know I love to learn new martial arts skills so I made friends with them. I heard about the impending war so I came back to see if I can help. What are the chances of us winning over the Chinese?”

“My dear, I really don’t know. We have the fast horses, which the Chinese needed but we lacked the iron ore to make weapons. King Terkit made a deal with that Chinese dog, Minister Au Yeung to exchange our horses for their iron ore. But even if we had enough of iron ore, we may not be able to make enough weapons in time to fight with them.”

“Uncle Sito, what can we do to strengthen our military power? I heard from gossips that King Terkit had recruited many martial arts experts and building up his power. He was such a patriotic man, looking out for the Khan’s interests,” Princess Mei Ling praised King Terkit.

“My dear child, King Terkit was not a patriotic man, he wasn’t looking out for the interest of the Khan; he had ulterior motives. Personally I think King Terkit was planning to overthrow the Khan but we couldn’t find any evidence and the Khan didn’t want to do anything to King Terkit with the impending war with the Chinese,” General Sito explained patiently.

“Why must the war take place? Wouldn’t it be better to have peace between Mongolia and the Central Plains?” Princess Mei Ling asked General Sito.

“There had always been little arguments between the two countries but recently the Chinese Emperor accused the Khan of killing the ambassador the Emperor sent to make peace with the Khan. While it was true that the ambassador was killed, but the Khan had nothing to do with the killing. It was some Chinese dressed as Mongolians who killed that ambassador and framed the Mongolians for the assassination. Insults were exchanged and both leaders would not back down so the situation was volatile and the war could start any time soon. The way things deteriorated was highly suspicious. Someone didn’t want Mongolia to make peace with the Chinese. We just couldn’t figure out who was the mastermind. We are praying hard for both sides to practice restraint,” General Sito ended the explanation with a sigh.

Princess Mei Ling absorbed all these information with an innocent look on her face but the wheels in her mind were turning on high gear. Something was definitely suspicious. If the war started, many people would be killed. Who would benefit from such a situation? Not the Khan, because the ordinary Mongolians would prefer peace. But the war would destabilize the Khan’s power and position and someone who had wanted the Khan’s position would definitely benefit from the chaos.

Princess Mei Ling chatted with General Sito a little longer and then went back to her tent. She was tossing and turning over in her bed, pondering on how she should proceed with her information. She wished Kiu Wai were with her. She missed Kiu Wai so much, they had not been apart for so many days and she longed to have Kiu Wai hold her in his arms, telling her that everything was all right. She wondered if Kiu Wai missed her at all, if he would understand why she had to leave in such a hurry. In the back of her mind she wondered if she had made a mistake by not confiding in Kiu Wai before she left in such a hurry. She knew that Kiu Wai would not allow her to come back to Mongolia on this mission because it was so dangerous. But for Kiu Wai, for their love and the people of both countries she knew that it would be worth the risk. She hoped that Kiu Wai would understand. She fell asleep plagued by vivid nightmares of Kiu Wai turning his back on her and calling her a traitor.

[sowfoong]

Chapter 24

Kiu Wai had just finished discussing war tactics with his royal father and the rest of the generals and was walking towards his quarters when Princess Wei Lin stopped him, “Good Evening, Your Royal Highness.”

Kiu Wai gave her an unsmiling nod and walked on without answering her. The Queen happened to be nearby and saw the exchange. She followed Kiu Wai to his room and asked with concern, “My Royal Son, are you alright?”

“I am fine, thank you for asking,” Kiu Wai answered politely without a smile.

“Are you sure you are alright? You seemed so different since you came home. I haven’t seen you smile once,” the Queen remarked.

“What is there to smile about? We are at the brink of a war,” Kiu Wai replied off-handedly.

“I thought that a wedding would help to chase away the gloom and bad luck our country is having now. I have to get in touch with the Emperor’s brother-in-law to discuss your wedding with Princess Wei Lin,” the Queen told Kiu Wai.

Kiu Wai looked at his royal mother incredulously, “Are you still thinking of going ahead with that engagement between Princess Wei Lin and me? If you are, you can forget about it. I do not have the time or the mood to think about marriage, certainly not to Princess Wei Lin. I have already told you that I don’t love her. I am not going to marry her, not now not ever. Please forget this crazy idea.”

“But my royal son, you have to get married sometime, Princess Wei Lin loves you very much. She had been pining for you ever since you ran off. She is your betrothed and you should show her some love,” the Queen insisted.

“My royal mother, I am sorry but I don’t know how to tell you more plainly. I was not consulted about this engagement and I am not going to be forced to honor it either. I do not love Princess Wei Lin; in fact I cannot stand the sight of her. I am in love with Mei Ling, forever and always, till the end of my days. I have come back to help my royal father with the impending war, not to be persuaded to get married to Princess Wei Lin. Please do not bring up this subject again,” Kiu Wai told his royal mother firmly.

“You cannot possibly love Mei Ling. There is no denying that she is extremely beautiful, but she is a Mongolian and our enemy. If you love each other so much, where is she now? How is it that she is not with you now?” the Queen questioned.

Kiu Wai was unable to give her an answer, he looked at his royal mother with so much pain and sadness in his eyes, that she was shocked, “Oh Dear Heavens, you really loved Mei Ling with all your heart, don’t you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Please leave me alone, I need to rest,” Kiu Wai dismissed his royal mother. After the Queen left, Kiu Wai sat in his room, lost in thoughts. From his pained expression and the sad and dejected posture, Ah Fai sensed that his master was missing Princess Mei Ling and suffering from her defection. He wished he could do something but he was just as helpless.

Kiu Wai missed Princess Mei Ling more and more as each day passed, he couldn’t eat or sleep and had to work hard to muster the energy to take part in the discussion of war tactics with his royal father and the rest of the generals. Ever since Princess Mei Ling left him, Kiu Wai was afraid to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Princess Mei Ling standing with her royal father and the Mongolian troops ready to battle with him and the Chinese troops. If he did manage to fall asleep from exhaustion he would wake up in the middle of the night bathed in sweat. He couldn’t believe that Princess Mei Ling would betray their love and him but as days passed by he had to accept the fact that Princess Mei Ling had gone against him and went back to help her father and her people.

Kiu Wai couldn’t sleep after the Queen’s visit and talk about his engagement with Princess Wei Lin. As always he got dressed and sneaked out of the palace and wondered around the quiet deserted streets in the capital. Kiu Wai was walking past the mansion from Minister Au Yeung when he saw a small slender masked figure in black clothing jumping down from the walls of the mansion onto the streets. “An intruder,” thought Kiu Wai and chased after that person who was sprinting away swiftly.

Chapter 25

Soon Kiu Wai caught up with the dark clad intruder, he jumped in front of the intruder, blocking his way, “Who are you and what do you want with Minister Au Yeung?”

The intruder looked at Kiu Wai in surprise but kept silent, looking for a way to escape.

Kiu Wai got impatient when he received no answer from the intruder and moved to grab at the intruder. The intruder moved to the side, and started to use his lightness martial arts skill to escape. Kiu Wai gave chase and soon overtook the intruder. He made another grab at the intruder but the intruder evaded him again. On the third attempt, Kiu Wai managed to grab the intruder’s shoulders but the intruder used his palm to hit at Kiu Wai and soon they started fighting. Kiu Wai did not want to kill the intruder so he did not use his full strength when he fought with the intruder, even so the intruder’s martial arts skill could not compare to Kiu Wai’s. They had their arms locked at one point and when Kiu Wai looked into the intruder’s eyes, he was shocked.

It was Princess Mei Ling! He let go of her and she sprinted away without saying a word. He was going to give chase but there were guards running towards him so he stopped them from chasing after the intruder and sent them back to guard the mansion. After the guards left, Kiu Wai looked for Princess Mei Ling but she was too far away. He went back to the palace with a heavy heart.

Princess Mei Ling was breathless by the time she stopped at an abandoned temple to rest. That was a narrow escape. She didn’t expect to encounter Kiu Wai and was so shocked that she almost called out his name. She wondered if he recognized her. What was he doing patrolling the streets? He was supposed to be sleeping in his warm bed! She was lucky to escape, she hadn’t completed her mission and she could not let him stop her in any way otherwise all her plans would have been destroyed.

After finding out that Minister Au Yeung was the Chinese traitor, Princess Mei Ling came secretly to the Central Plains and arrived at the capital to find evidence of the Minister’s treachery. She managed to sneak into the Au Yeung Mansion and found a secret missive sent to Minister Au Yeung from King Terkit, promising him the position of prime minister when King Terkit conquered China and become Emperor. She had to take the evidence back to the Khan so that he could punish King Terkit and maybe make peace with the Chinese Emperor.

Princess Mei Ling hurried to her horse, which she had hidden in the forest a couple of miles from the capital and rode off swiftly back to Mongolia. She went to General Sito’s house as soon as she reached Mongolia in the middle of the night. She woke General Sito up when she crept into his room with the secret missive. The General was very surprised but pleased with the evidence that she brought to him, though he did scolded her for risking her life to get it.

General Sito went to the Khan and gave him the evidence, which Princess Mei Ling obtained. They decided to keep quiet about the whole thing until they could gather more evidence. The Khan began investigating King Terkit secretly. He found out that King Terkit had recruited many martial arts experts and building up a strong army of his own. The Khan decided to approach the matter more cautiously.

Princess Mei Ling went home to her bed, happy to have accomplished her mission and dreamt of an early meeting with Kiu Wai. She wished she had the time to talk to Kiu Wai and explained her actions to him but she was afraid of being caught by Minister Au Yeung’s men and the evidence destroyed so she had to run away as fast as she could. Well soon she would see Kiu Wai again and there would still be plenty of time for explanation and she was sure that Kiu Wai would be as proud of her as she was of herself.

Kiu Wai was still in shock when he went back to his room in the palace. He was very disappointed and very hurt that Princess Mei Ling was undermining and spying on the Chinese to strengthen the Khan’s power. How could she do that to him, to their love and to his country? But after he calmed down Kiu Wai wondered what Princess Mei Ling was doing in the Au Yeung Mansion.

The next morning when Kiu Wai was alone with his royal father, the Emperor, he asked about Minister Au Yeung discreetly. His royal father told him about the waxed capsule that Kiu Wai had delivered to him, when they first met. It contained a secret message from King Terkit to an unknown addressee in the Chinese court about working together. The Emperor suspected Minister Au Yeung but he couldn’t find any proof. He had the Minister under surveillance and he did hear about the intruder the night before and was wondering about it.

The Emperor held an early court every day where all the Ministers had to attend. Minister Au Yeung was absent that morning and sent word that he was taken ill. No one took further notice. Ah Fai came later into Kiu Wai’s room, snickering about Minister Au Yeung’s plight. He caught some gossip that an intruder had shaved half of Minister Au Yeung’s eyebrow while he was asleep. That was the reason he couldn’t attend the morning court.

Kiu Wai had a slight smile as he thought that would be just the kind of prank Princess Mei Ling would pull. The longer Kiu Wai thought about it, he realized that there had to be something else going on because Princess Mei Ling wouldn’t pull such a prank if she were a spy. What did she want from Minister Au Yeung? Kiu Wai thought it would be a good idea to investigate the matter further. In his heart he knew that he would use any excuse to see Princess Mei Ling again, he missed her so much. Even though he thought that she was working against him, he could not stop himself from loving and thinking about her.

Chapter 26

Minister Au Yeung was very worried about his own safety. An intruder had come into his room in the middle of the night without being noticed and had shaved off half of his eyebrow. That was a clear warning to him that the intruder could kill him easily had the intruder wished him dead. His plan to work with King Terkit to overthrow the Emperor and seize power for himself was getting too dangerous. Minister Au Yeung was a coward who had no loyalty to anyone but himself, which was the reason he could betray the Emperor without feeling guilty. He wondered who had sent the intruder. When Minister Au Yeung discovered the secret missive from King Terkit was missing, he became even more worried. Someone knew of his alliance with King Terkit and he had to form a plan soon. Minister Au Yeung decided to throw his lot in with King Terkit. When the Emperor discovered his betrayal, his whole family would be executed. Minister Au Yeung decided to write a secret missive to King Terkit to ask for advice and sent his best servant to deliver the message.

Kiu Wai sneaked out of the palace and rode swiftly to Mongolia after making the decision to find out more about Princess Mei Ling and her mission. He did leave word with Ah Fai to let Wing Tin know if he was needed back in the palace and to instruct Wing Tin to get word to him in Mongolia. Kiu Wai found the Mongolian army in preparations for the war. The Mongolian generals were very disciplined and their troops were training hard daily and the morale was high among the troops. Kiu Wai managed to disguise himself as a soldier and blend in with the rest of the troops in King Bai’s army. However he was unable to locate Princess Mei Ling. According to the troops, Princess Mei Ling had disappeared again and King Bai was very upset with her.

One night Kiu Wai saw Princess Mei Ling coming out of King Bai’s tent and he wondered when she came back. He was about to approach her when he saw her veering off towards the woods. “Maybe she was going for a clandestine meeting with her lover,” thought Kiu Wai jealously. He followed her secretly. He saw an older man in a general’s attire waiting for Princess Mei Ling in the woods.

Princess Mei Ling ran to the older man and gave him a hug. Princess Mei Ling gave the older man a piece of paper and they were looking at it and then whispering together. The older man seemed to be protesting about something Princess Mei Ling said and Princess Mei Ling turned her back to the older man, stomped her feet and pouted. “Look, it is too dangerous and I cannot not allow you to go on this mission,” the older man told Princess Mei Ling. “At least let me get someone to help you,” he added.

“I don’t need any help. I work better by myself and I don’t need to baby-sit any of the inefficient men you decided to force on me!” Princess Mei Ling told the older man firmly and continued, “If you insist on forcing me to take someone with me, I am not going to tell you any of my plans in the future.”

“Alright, I won’t force you to take anyone with you but promise me to be careful. It is a very dangerous mission and you shouldn’t be the one to risk your life,” the older man cautioned.

“I promise to be careful. I am the best person to do the job, since I know the Chinese capital well and I am an expert on stealth. I have got to go now,” Princess Mei Ling gave the older man a hug and ran off.

The older man looked at Princess Mei Ling’s disappearing figure and sighed, “God be with you, my child.” He walked off in the other direction.

After the older man was gone, Kiu Wai came out of the shadows and ran after Princess Mei Ling. He caught up with her a mile away where she had hidden her horse. She was about to get onto her horse when she saw Kiu Wai and asked in surprise, “What are you doing here?”

Chapter 27

Kiu Wai stared at Princess Mei Ling, he noted that she was more beautiful than he remembered and longed to take her in his arms but he suppressed that urge. He needed to know the truth from her. “I was looking for you. You had been gone for a month and I was worried about you. I decided to come to Mongolia to see if you were alright. Why did you come back to Mongolia? Were you helping your father to fight against me and my people?” Kiu Wai asked Princess Mei Ling without letting her know that he was aware of her activities in the Chinese capital.

“I came back to find out if I can do anything to help stop the war. If you could go back to the capital to help your royal father then I should be able to come back to Mongolia to help my royal father,” Princess Mei Ling was upset that Kiu Wai basically accused her of betraying him. She had envisioned their meeting to be full of love; instead they were standing far away from each other, in disagreement. She noted that Kiu Wai had lost some weight and had an odd unfathomable expression in his eyes and wondered what he was thinking.

“I thought we had an agreement to stay out of the whole trouble,” Kiu Wai reminded Princess Mei Ling patiently.

“Yes, that was before Wing Tin came to ask you to join him in the fight against Mongolia. You broke the deal by agreeing to help your royal father,” Princess Mei Ling said accusingly. She was upset that Kiu Wai was fighting with her instead of taking her in his arms and she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She averted her face because she did not want Kiu Wai to see the tears in her eyes. She prepared to get on her horse, but Kiu Wai moved swiftly to her side, prevented her from getting onto her horse and took her in his arms. He lifted her face with his finger gently and saw her eyes brimming with tears and the sight of her sadness and distress tugged at his heartstrings, “Why?”

“I, I had to do something to help. I couldn’t let my people get hurt in the war,” Princess Mei Ling sobbed into his chest and then struggled to be released from his arms but Kiu Wai held her tight. He wouldn’t and couldn’t let her go; even as he thought that she was working against him, he still loved her deeply and wanted her. He bent his head to hers and kissed her passionately, desperately allowing his pent-up feelings of love, passion, sadness, longing and frustrations free rein. He missed her so much and it felt so good to have her in his arms again; in that instant they were on neutral ground and the only thing that mattered was that they loved each other.

At first, Princess Mei Ling struggled against Kiu Wai. She was still upset with him and she was not going to let him off the hook with a kiss but soon she was caught in the maelstrom of his passion. She sensed his need of her and she answered with her own desperate need of him, of his assurance that he still loved her and they kissed each other with so much passion and hunger that it shocked them. They both surrendered themselves to their undeniable love and passion for each other; the needs and hunger that only the other could assuage.

Kiu Wai carried Princess Mei Ling further into the woods and lowered her onto the grass. They made love with savage intensity and a wild passion, desperately trying to forget that they were on opposite sides of the fence, that they are now adversaries. They both shuddered with the intensity of the climax of their love, hugging each other tightly afraid to let each other go. They didn’t speak afterwards but showed their love for each other with soft gentle kisses and loving caresses. They savored the warmth and closeness of the one they loved, wishing that they could remain forever together and fell asleep from exhaustion in each other’s arms.

Kiu Wai woke up with a start to find himself alone. Princess Mei Ling had left the woods with her horse. He tidied himself, retrieved his horse and rode swiftly towards the Central Plains, hoping to catch up with Princess Mei Ling.

Chapter 28

Five weeks had passed since Kiu Wai had last seen Princess Mei Ling. He couldn’t find any trace of Princess Mei Ling in the capital; he thought that was where she was heading. He was very disappointed that Princess Mei Ling continued to go against him and his country after their last passionate encounter. Kiu Wai had been busy with his royal father and the rest of the generals. He reported to them that he had found the Mongolian army ready for battle and that their generals were efficient and disciplined. Unless a miracle happened, the war was inevitable.

One day the Emperor wanted to go to a temple to pray for good luck and peace. The temple was located about ten miles from the capital city. Many of his ministers went with him. Kiu Wai was supposed to go with them but at the last minute he decided to ride his horse instead. Kiu Wai was enjoying the freedom of riding across the plains and stopped at a river for a sip of water in addition to giving his horse a rest and drink. He heard the sound of a horse galloping at high speed and turned around just in time to see a rider speeding past him on a horse.

Kiu Wai was curious about the rider’s urgency so he got up on his horse to give chase. He spotted the rider far ahead of him so he slowed down in order not to alert the rider of his presence. He saw the rider got off the horse and ran into the woods. Kiu Wai left his horse near some bushes and used his lightness martial arts skill to chase after that person. He spotted that person with a bow and an arrow in his hand, hiding in the tree. He knew that something was wrong because that road beside the woods was the one the Emperor would use to return to the palace. Kiu Wai assumed that person was an assassin waiting to kill the Emperor. He could see the Emperor’s entourage in the distance. He sprinted forward to disarm the assassin when he recognized the person was Princess Mei Ling who was disguised as a man. He was disappointed and furious that Princess Mei Ling would attempt to kill his royal father.

He let out a cry just as the arrow cleared the bow and Princess Mei Ling turned around in surprise. Princess Mei Ling turned away from Kiu Wai without speaking and when she saw that her arrow had missed the mark, she was furious. Princess Mei Ling had been in the Central Plains for many weeks and had found out finally that an assassin was sent by Minister Au Yeung to kill the Emperor on that day so she had waited for the perfect moment to kill that assassin. She was an excellent markswoman and had never missed her target. She had been so good in her marksmanship that King Bai had her banned from the archery fields because she had caused the soldiers to feel shame. She was upset to have missed her target because Kiu Wai had startled her just as she let go of the arrow. She jumped down from the tree and was about to run after the assassin when Kiu Wai grabbed her by her shoulders, “Let me go, I have to kill him otherwise he will escape.”

Kiu Wai was furious that Princess Mei Ling admitted to attempting to kill his royal father and started to engage her in a hand-to-hand combat. Although Kiu Wai did not use any lethal stances to hurt her, Princess Mei Ling’s martial arts skills could not compare to that of Kiu Wai’s and she was unable to disengage herself from the fight to escape. She was furious with Kiu Wai for ruining her plans and used all her strength to fight with him. Kiu Wai used an intricate stance to grab her left hand, pulled her to him as he twisted her arm and used his fingers to seal her pressure points.

They glared at each other furiously, “How could you attempt to kill my royal father? Where is your sense of filial respect for your father-in-law?” Kiu Wai wanted to strangle Princess Mei Ling for her disloyalty.

“The Emperor is not my father-in-law. Your royal parents had never acknowledged me as their daughter-in-law so I do not owe them anything. Let me go,” Princess Mei Ling tried to unseal her pressure points but was unsuccessful. She was furious with Kiu Wai for ruining her plans and giving the real assassin an opportunity to escape.

Kiu Wai could hear the soldiers approaching. They were looking for the person who had shot that arrow at the Emperor. Kiu Wai didn’t want Princess Mei Ling to be caught so he unsealed her pressure points, “I am very disappointed in you. I never dreamed you would be so vicious to want to kill my royal father. I will let you go today but I don’t want to see you ever again. Our relationship is over.”

Princess Mei Ling looked at Kiu Wai incredulously, aghast at his cruel words, “I hate you, Chu Kiu Wai. I don’t want to see you again either,” she averted her face to prevent him from seeing her tears and ran to her horse and rode swiftly away.

Kiu Wai saw Princess Mei Ling’s tears before she could turn her face and he felt sorry to have spoken so harshly to her. He wanted to take her in his arms, apologize and tell her that everything was going to be fine but he suppressed that urge. Princess Mei Ling had openly declared war on his family and he could not forgive her for attempting to kill his royal father. He had to let her go. Just then the soldiers reached him and were going to chase after Princess Mei Ling but Kiu Wai stopped them and sent them back to protect the Emperor. After the soldiers left, Kiu Wai turned to look into the distance at Princess Mei Ling and felt like a piece of his heart had been ripped out. He lamented at the cruel twist of fate that had turned Princess Mei Ling into his enemy. He had tears in his eyes and took some time to compose himself before going to greet his royal father.

[sowfoong]

Chapter 29

Princess Mei Ling had been feeling nauseous for a couple of mornings since she last met with Kiu Wai. At first she thought she had eaten something that didn’t agree with her stomach but in addition to feeling nauseous, lethargy and irritability had set in. Something else had been missing and she had thought that the stress she was under had caused that but when she put all the symptoms together she knew that she was pregnant with Kiu Wai’s child. The child must have been conceived on that fateful night in Mongolia, conceived in the midst of the maelstrom of their passion, Princess Mei Ling blushed when she thought about that night she had spent with Kiu Wai.

Princess Mei Ling debated with herself if she should let Kiu Wai know about her pregnancy and decided against it. She remembered Kiu Wai’s harsh words and swore she wouldn’t use the child to hold onto Kiu Wai. Princess Mei Ling decided on going back to Mongolia. She had not been able to find anything new about the assassin and it was no longer safe to stay in the Central Plains, especially she is now with child.

Princess Mei Ling stopped by a roadside tea-stand for some refreshment after riding at a moderate pace since she left the capital. She was still feeling nauseous and physically weak so she decided to take it easy instead of riding hard to reach Mongolia. There were a couple of men, dressed in farmer clothes sitting at the next table, laughing at some jokes. Princess Mei Ling didn’t pay much attention to them. She ordered a pot of tea and some steamed buns. After taking a couple of sips from the tea, she felt very dizzy and knew right away she was in a trap and that the tea was poisoned. As she tried to get up from the chair, she felt the whole earth swayed and had to clutch at the table for support.

The two men laughed evilly and approached Princess Mei Ling, “Ah, Miss Mei Ling. So you fell for our tricks.”

“Who are you? What do you want with me?’ Princess Mei Ling put on a brave front, trying not to let the men sense the fear in her heart. She knew that she was in no shape to fight anyone and she was worried not so much about herself but the child she was carrying.

“You don’t have to know who we are. It is enough for us to know that we caught the right person and able to claim the huge reward for your capture,” one of the men informed her.

The other man approached Princess Mei Ling with a lewd grin to his face, reached out to touch Princess Mei Ling. Princess Mei Ling knocked his hand away and was rewarded by a slap across her face that made her stumble, “You little vixen! Before we turned you over for our reward, I am going to have some fun with you.”

Princess Mei Ling blanched slightly at his words. The other man stopped his companion from touching Princess Mei Ling further, “Stop, our orders were to deliver her as soon as we caught her. I think our master wanted some fun with her and he might be upset to find the goods spoiled. Let’s just tie her up and be on our way.”

The other man reluctantly moved away from Princess Mei Ling and they tied her hands up, threw over onto her horse and got up behind her and urged the horse to gallop towards the direction from which she came, towards the Chinese capital. Princess Mei Ling was unable to offer any resistance because of the sedating effects of the poison in the tea. They rode back to the capital and stopped in front of the prison. They pushed Princess Mei Ling into the building where she was guided by a dozen of prison guards.

A hour later, Prince Sing Fung came down the steps and laughed, “Ah, Miss Mei Ling, I hope you like your accommodation.”

“Prince Sing Fung, what do you want with me? We hardly knew each other,” Princess Mei Ling asked.

“Ah Miss Mei Ling, don’t worry, we will get to know each other very well soon,” with that Prince Sing Fung reached out to touch Princess Mei Ling on her face.

Princess Mei Ling spat onto Prince Sing Fung’s face and earned a slap from him, which knocked her down. “Little vixen, I will have my revenge soon.” Lock her up and keep her guarded at all times. No one was to have access to her,” Prince Sing Fung ordered, with that he left the prison.

Chapter 30

Prince Sing Fung went home and thought about how he could use Princess Mei Ling to destroy Kiu Wai. Prince Sing Fung was very angry with Kiu Wai for coming back to his real parents, the Emperor and the Queen. Prince Sing Fung had been groomed to be the heir to the throne for many years once it was known that the Queen was unable to conceive again and the Emperor had refused to have a concubine to bear him any children. Prince Sing Fung was polite and respectful to Kiu Wai when they met but in his heart he hated Kiu Wai. Prince Sing Fung did not dare to publicly oppose Kiu Wai’s authority but he had planned to get rid of Kiu Wai somehow.

Prince Sing Fung was with the Emperor’s entourage when Princess Mei Ling tried to kill that assassin. He saw Kiu Wai’s interaction with Princess Mei Ling and that Kiu Wai had allowed Princess Mei Ling to escape. He knew then that Princess Mei Ling was the key to Kiu Wai’s downfall. Prince Sing Fung had used all his resources to hunt for Princess Mei Ling and that roadside tea-stand was one of the traps he prepared and he was rewarded with Princess Mei Ling’s capture so he was very pleased with himself.

“You looked very pleased with yourself. What are you grinning about?” Princess Wei Lin asked when she saw her adoptive brother looking very pleased with himself.

“Yes, I am extremely pleased with myself. I have finally found the bait to bring about Prince Kiu Wai’s downfall,” Prince Sing Fung couldn’t resist boasting to Princess Wei Lin.

“Oh, tell me more about your brilliant plan,” Princess Wei Lin encouraged Prince Sing Fung.

“I have captured that Mongolian girl, Mei Ling and had her locked up in the prison. She would be the key to my plans. I am going to the Emperor and tell him that I have captured the assassin who had tried to kill him the other day. At the same time, I am going to let Prince Kiu Wai know that Mei Ling was imprisoned. I am sure that Prince Kiu Wai would attempt to rescue that girl. The Emperor would find out that his royal son had tried to rescue his assassin and the Emperor would be so angry and disinherit Prince Kiu Wai and I would be reinstated as heir to the throne,” Prince Sing Fung confided his plans in Princess Wei Lin.

Princess Wei Lin smiled sweetly but didn’t offer any input. After she left Prince Sing Fung, Princess Wei Lin had plans of her own. She hated Princess Mei Ling. She knew that Kiu Wai had refused to marry her because of Princess Mei Ling. Princess Wei Lin had wanted to kill Princess Mei Ling for a long time but she didn’t have the opportunity. Now, Prince Sing Fung has served Princess Mei Ling on a platter to her and Princess Wei Lin was extremely pleased. She was going to kill Princess Mei Ling before Kiu Wai could rescue her. Once Princess Mei Ling is dead, Kiu Wai would turn to her for comfort; yes she would get Kiu Wai as her mate at long last.

Princess Wei Lin was on her way to the prison when Wing Tin intercepted her politely, “Good Day to you, Princess Wei Lin. Where are you heading to on your own? Please let me escort Your Royal Highness.” Ah Fai had just found out from his friends in the prison that Princess Mei Ling was captured. He was on his way back to the palace when he saw Wing Tin, so he told Wing Tin about the capture of Princess Mei Ling.

Thus Wing Tin was on his way to the prison to keep an eye on Princess Mei Ling until Kiu Wai could be informed. When he saw Princess Wei Lin heading the same way, he was very worried because he knew that Princess Wei Lin would not hesitate to harm Princess Mei Ling. He was trying to stall Princess Wei Lin. Wing Tin whispered to Ah Fai, “Go and get Prince Kiu Wai. I fear that Princesss Wei Lin is going to harm Miss Mei Ling. I cannot hold her off too long. Hurry!”

Ah Fai knew the urgency and sped off towards the palace hoping to catch Kiu Wai before Kiu Wai leaves to meet with the Emperor and the rest of the generals. Ah Fai was lucky, Kiu Wai was on his way out the door when Ah Fai almost ran into him on his way in. “I am so glad to have caught Your Royal Highness in time. I just heard that Miss Mei Ling had been captured and was being held in the prison. Princess Wei Lin was on her way to the prison to interrogate her and Master Wing Tin feared that he might not be able to stop Princess Wei Lin from hurting Miss Mei Ling,” Ah Fai reported breathlessly and panting. Ah Fai had run all the way from the prison without stopping, anxious to get a hold of Kiu Wai so that Kiu Wai could rescue Princess Mei Ling.

“What did you say? Mei Ling had been captured and imprisoned?” Kiu Wai asked incredulously. Before Ah Fai could give him an answer, Kiu Wai rushed out of the room and ran to the prison, hoping he wouldn’t be too late to rescue Princess Mei Ling and that she was not injured or tortured. He ran along the streets, pushing over people or anything that stood in his way in his hurry to reach the prison as fast as he could.

Kiu Wai had missed Princess Mei Ling terribly and wished he could take back those harsh words he had thrown at her. Kiu Wai had tried to find Princess Mei Ling to apologize to her, that he didn’t mean what he said that day but he couldn’t find her anywhere; he thought she had gone back to Mongolia. He was furious that someone had caught Princess Mei Ling like a criminal and thrown her into prison! He hoped that Princess Mei Ling was not mistreated. But when he reached the prison and looked through the windows, he saw the vicious kick that Princess Wei Lin gave Princess Mei Ling. He was in a rage as he rushed down the steps just in time to see Princess Wei Lin holding a saber, ready to slash at Princess Mei Ling’s neck.

Chapter 31

Princess Mei Ling was lying on the floor of the prison; she was weak and sedated by the tea she had drunk. Princess Wei Lin came down the steps and smirked with glee; at last she had a chance to get rid of her rival, “Prince Sing Fung was right, you are indeed a pretty bait and Prince Kiu Wai is going to fall into the trap when he comes to rescue you.”

“So Prince Sing Fung wanted to use me as a bait for Prince Kiu Wai? I hate to disappoint Prince Sing Fung, but Prince Kiu Wai and I are no longer together, in fact he hates me. He isn’t going to risk his life to save me,” Princess Mei Ling told Princess Wei Lin.

“That is what you think, Mei Ling. I know for a fact that Prince Kiu Wai had been trying to find you but as he was kept busy with the Emperor, he wasn’t able to search for you himself and he didn’t dare to trust anyone else to look for you. And you know why? It is because he was afraid that you would be promptly executed for the attempt on the Emperor’s life,” Princess Wei Lin told Princess Mei Ling.

“I didn’t attempt to kill the Emperor.” Princess Mei Ling denied. She was happy to hear that Kiu Wai still cared enough to try to look for her. She had thought that it was over between them because of Kiu Wai’s harsh words to her and had been depressed ever since. “I should have told Kiu Wai my plans; there wouldn’t be such a misunderstanding between us,” Princess Mei Ling thought with regret.

“Don’t bother denying it. Prince Sing Fung saw Prince Kiu Wai’s interaction with you that day and that Prince Kiu Wai had allowed you to escape. Prince Sing Fung knew then that you were the key to Prince Kiu Wai’s downfall. Prince Sing Fung is going to tell the Emperor about your capture and at the same time let Prince Kiu Wai know about it too. Prince Kiu Wai will come to rescue you. The Emperor would disinherit Prince Kiu Wai when his Majesty knew that his royal son went against his Majesty and rescued his Majesty’s assassin and Mongolian spy. Then Prince Sing Fung would rightfully be reinstated as the heir to the throne. But my plan is to kill you first before Prince Kiu Wai arrived so that he would not pine for you. I hate you, and I want you dead,” with that Princess Wei Lin gave Princess Mei Ling a vicious kick in her abdomen and Princess Mei Ling fainted from the pain.

“Kill her,” Princess Wei Lin ordered the guards.

“Stop, we need her alive,” Wing Tin who had come down the steps behind her stopped the guards from killing Princess Mei Ling.

Princess Wei Lin was furious that Wing Tin had dared to override her command. When the guards did not kill Princess Mei Ling as she had ordered, Princess Wei Lin snatched a saber from one of the guards and approached Princess Mei Ling. Wing Tin moved to protect Princess Mei Ling but Princess Wei Lin pushed him to the side. As Princess Wei Lin’s saber slashed down towards Princess Mei Ling’s neck, a pebble hit her hand and it went numb and she dropped the saber. Princess Wei Lin turned around to see who had dared to stop her when she met with a furious Kiu Wai as he jumped down the steps.

Kiu Wai had arrived just in time to stop Princess Wei Lin from killing Princess Mei Ling. He pushed Princess Wei Lin and the guards aside and knelt down anxiously beside Princess Mei Ling and examined her for injuries. Kiu Wai was relieved that Princess Mei Ling had no broken bones but there were bruises on her face and she was unconscious. Her wrists were tied up and marks remained when he untied her. Kiu Wai felt a sharp pain to his chest when he saw Princess Mei Ling injured, defenseless and pale; he held her tightly to his chest, with tears in his eyes.

“Who had ordered Mei Ling to be captured and held in the prison?” Kiu Wai asked furiously, “And who gave you permission to kick Mei Ling or to kill her?” Kiu Wai turned his fury towards Princess Wei Lin.

“Prince Sing Fung ordered this girl to be captured and held in prison. He saw Your Royal Highness’ interaction with this girl after she tried to kill the Emperor and Your Royal Highness had allowed her to escape. Your Royal Highness was blinded by your obsession with her. The Emperor would be pleased to have this girl captured,” Princess Wei Lin told Kiu Wai. “As for killing this girl, she is a nothing but a Mongolian spy and an assassin. Any loyal subject of the Emperor should kill her on sight and I will be the first one to finish her off,” with that Princess Wei Lin moved to pick up the saber.

Kiu Wai kicked the saber away, sprung up and grabbed Princess Wei Lin by her throat, “I have never hit a woman in my life but I am very tempted to this very minute,” Kiu Wai glared at Princess Wei Lin and then shove her away, “Mei Ling is not an assassin. You were jealous of Mei Ling and that was the reason you wanted her dead. If she were to be captured for the Emperor, why would you want to kill her before presenting her to my royal father? As for Prince Sing Fung, I had never wanted to fight with him to be the heir to the throne. All I have ever wanted was to find Mei Ling and to lead a peaceful quiet life with her. I never had a reason to hate Prince Sing Fung but he crossed the line and made a deadly mistake trying to get at me by hurting Mei Ling. Both of you should stay away from Mei Ling and me and to pray that Mei Ling recovers. If she doesn’t, I am coming for both of you.”

Chapter 32

Kiu Wai carried Princess Mei Ling in his arms and walked up the steps. No one dared to stop Kiu Wai though Princess Wei Lin screamed for the guards to kill Princess Mei Ling, that there would be a huge reward for her capture or death. But none of the guards dared to hinder Kiu Wai in any way as they knew that until the Emperor disinherited Kiu Wai, he was still the heir to the throne, in addition to that Wing Tin walked behind Kiu Wai to protect him. Kiu Wai left without a backward glance. He put Princess Mei Ling on a horse and rode with her away from the prison.

They stopped beside a river and Kiu Wai laid Princess Mei Ling gently down on the grass. Kiu Wai tried to give Princess Mei Ling some water to drink. When Princess Mei Ling woke up, she had severe abdominal cramps and bled profusely, “My baby,” Princess Mei Ling whispered brokenly and fainted in Kiu Wai’s arms again.

Kiu Wai was shocked and blanched as he realized that Princess Mei Ling had been pregnant with his child, which she miscarried as a result of the violent blow to her abdomen when Princess Wei Lin kicked her viciously. Princess Mei Ling lapsed in and out of consciousness during the whole ordeal. Kiu Wai held her tightly in his arms, tears rolling down his cheeks, wishing he could take away her pain. After Princess Mei Ling had stopped bleeding, Kiu Wai cleaned her up and passed his internal energy to help her recuperate.

Kiu Wai felt sick and was stricken with guilt when he thought of Princess Mei Ling being pregnant with his child, alone in a foreign country and he should have taken care of her and protected her but instead he had sent her away with his harsh words. He had failed in his duty as a husband and father and had allowed her to be captured and mistreated by Princess Wei Lin. He grieved for his unborn child and he was angry with himself for being a fool and for not having any faith in Princess Mei Ling.

After they parted, Kiu Wai had time to calm down and he no longer believed that Princess Mei Ling would attempt to kill his royal father and that he made a mistake in accusing her of a crime she didn’t commit. He had tried to look for her but he couldn’t find any trace of her and had thought that she had gone back to Mongolia. He regretted fighting with Princess Mei Ling and chasing her away with his harsh words and she was injured and his heart ached for her and the loss of their child. He prayed that she would recover and forgive him.

Kiu Wai took Princess Mei Ling back to the mountains where they found those treasures. Princess Mei Ling was very ill for many days; she was delirious as she talked in her tortured sleep while Kiu Wai nursed her back to health. Through Princess Mei Ling’s wild rambling Kiu Wai found out that Princess Mei Ling left him to go back to Mongolia to find a peaceful solution to stop the war. He found out about Princess Mei Ling’s plan to frighten Minister Au Yeung into showing his hand by shaving half of his eyebrow after securing the secret missive from King Terkit and delivering the evidence to the Khan. He also found out that Princess Mei Ling discovered King Terkit’s plan to assassinate the Chinese Emperor and she had aimed the arrow at the assassin and not at the Emperor but because of Kiu Wai’s interference, the assassin had escaped. Kiu Wai felt very guilty for doubting Princess Mei Ling’s loyalty.

Kiu Wai had passed his internal energy daily to Princess Mei Ling to help her recuperate. After a week, Princess Mei Ling regained full consciousness, she stared at Kiu Wai blankly without speaking, “Mei Ling, please forgive me. I am so sorry for doubting your loyalty; I should have more faith in you. I didn’t know about your plans; that you had wanted to help to bring peace to both countries. I treated you with distrust and caused you to be injured. I didn’t know that you were pregnant and you lost our child because I was not there to protect both of you.”

Princess Mei Ling wept quietly for the loss of their child but she would not speak to Kiu Wai despite Kiu Wai’s pleas for forgiveness. She continued to stare at Kiu Wai as if he were a stranger. Kiu Wai didn’t know what else he could do to make Princess Mei Ling forgive him. Kiu Wai was sitting by the lake one day when Princess Mei Ling walked towards him, “I am going back to Mongolia. I do not want to see you ever again. Please respect my wishes,” with that Princess Mei Ling dove into the lake and found the way out of the caves.

Kiu Wai did not try to stop Princess Mei Ling from leaving. He felt so guilty about her whole ordeal and that he had no right to stop her from leaving him. He sat for a very long time by the lake, lost in thoughts about his life with Princess Mei Ling, the loss of their child, a future without her and surrendered himself to grief.

[sowfoong]

Chapter 33

Much later Kiu Wai left the mountain, went back to the palace and informed his royal father that Princess Mei Ling was the one who had saved his royal father’s life by shooting at the assassin. Though she had missed the target, the assassin was still frightened and ran away. He told his royal father about the treachery of Minister Au Yeung and that the assassin was sent by Minister Au Yeung and plotted by both Minister Au Yeung and King Terkit and the Khan had nothing to do with the plot. He also told his royal father about Princess Mei Ling’s plans and roles to help bring peace for both countries. Kiu Wai persuaded his royal father to make peace with the Khan. Prince Sing Fung had failed to convince the Emperor that Kiu Wai was a traitor and in the end had left the palace before Kiu Wai returned because Princess Wei Lin had told him about Kiu Wai’s threat to kill him.

Minister Au Yeung and his whole family were caught as they tried to escape into Mongolia and executed for treason. An intensive investigation was conducted and many of Minister Au Yeung’s cronies and their families were executed or banished from the kingdom. Wing Tin was given the position of a member of the court for his contribution and loyalty to the royal family.

As for Princess Wei Lin, she did try to talk to Kiu Wai when he came back. Kiu Wai stared at her blankly without speaking but when she tried to stop him from walking away from her, something in him snapped. He grabbed her by her throat, almost choking her, “Don’t you dare to touch me or talk to me ever again. You are despicable. You mistreated Mei Ling and killed our child with your vicious spiteful jealousy and cruelty. I am never going to forgive you. I am going to spare your miserable life today and you had better go as far away as possible because the next time I see you, I will kill you along with Prince Sing Fung.”

Princess Wei Lin blanched at Kiu Wai’s words and she did leave the capital after that, never to be seen again. The Queen happened to overhear their verbal exchange and was shocked at the bitterness, coldness, violence and hate in Kiu Wai’s voice because Kiu Wai was the most gentle, patient and kind-hearted person she had ever known. She didn’t realize that Kiu Wai had been in an intimate relationship with Princess Mei Ling and that Princess Mei Ling had been pregnant. The Queen regretted doubting Princess Mei Ling’s integrity and mourned for the loss of the child. She could understand Kiu Wai’s pain because she had lost Kiu Wai to Chen when he was a baby. She could only hope and pray that Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling would reconcile and be a couple again. She knew that was the only way Kiu Wai would find happiness again.

Kiu Wai volunteered to go as emissary to Mongolia to negotiate for a peace treaty between the two countries. He grew up in Mongolia, knew their customs, spoke the language fluently and he had set his heart on fulfilling Princess Mei Ling’s wish for peace for both countries. He felt so guilty that he had wronged Princess Mei Ling, had indirectly caused harm to her and the loss of their child. He wanted to make amends. The Emperor was reluctant to send Kiu Wai to Mongolia because Kiu Wai was his heir and the Emperor didn’t want anything to happen to Kiu Wai. However Kiu Wai was insistent about being sent as emissary so the Emperor finally gave in to Kiu Wai’s wishes. Kiu Wai took Wing Tin, Ah Fai and a small troop of soldiers with him.

Though it was an official trip, Kiu Wai didn’t want to stop at any major towns for receptions by local authorities that could cause any delays. Instead Kiu Wai had hurried his entourage along. They were at the border town where King Terkit had the authority and power when Kiu Wai’s entourage was attacked by a large group of bandits. From the martial arts skills of the bandits, Kiu Wai knew that they were not ordinary bandits out to rob innocent helpless folks but expert martial arts fighters hired to kill them. Kiu Wai’s entourage was outnumbered but they fought bravely and fiercely.

Kiu Wai was busy fighting with two men when he felt someone trying to attack him from behind. Before he could turn around to engage that attacker, the latter fell down onto the ground with an arrow in the back of his head. Kiu Wai looked up to see Princess Mei Ling halfway up on a hill with a bow in her hand. Princess Mei Ling had shot the attacker with her excellent marksmanship otherwise Kiu Wai could have been seriously injured. There were a large number of soldiers with her and General Sito. The older general whom Kiu Wai had seen before with Princess Mei Ling was General Sito. He led the troops down to help Kiu Wai’s men. Soon the rest of the bandits were killed and the leader of the bandit was captured. He told Kiu Wai and General Sito that they were sent by King Terkit to kill Kiu Wai because King Terkit didn’t want Kiu Wai to negotiate peace for the two countries.

While the injured soldiers were given medical help and the leader of the bandits taken away, Kiu Wai looked up to see Princess Mei Ling walking slowly back up the hills. Kiu Wai used his lightness martial arts skills to chase after her and soon caught up with her as she walked into the woods where her horse was kept. Kiu Wai noted that Princess Mei Ling had lost some weight though she was more beautiful than ever. He hesitated to greet her but did managed, “How are you doing, Mei Ling? Thank you for saving my life.”

Princess Mei Ling looked at Kiu Wai without revealing her feelings, “I am doing fine, Prince Kiu Wai. It was my duty to protect Your Royal Highness. Your Royal Highness came to Mongolia to negotiate peace between our two countries. I could not allow anyone with ulterior motives to disrupt the peace negotiation before it even started.”

Kiu Wai was very hurt and disappointed with Princess Mei Ling’s answer, “Is that all that I am to you, Prince Chu Kiu Wai, the emissary here in Mongolia to negotiate peace?”

Chapter 34

Princess Mei Ling looked at Kiu Wai, noted that he had lost a lot of weight and the sad expression in his eyes told her that he had suffered from their break-up but she had suffered just as much. It took all of her willpower not to throw herself into his arms because she had missed him so much. Then she remembered that it was Kiu Wai’s distrust, accusations and cruel words to her that led to their breakup. Princess Mei Ling has always had total trust in Kiu Wai and had never questioned his loyalty to her, which accounted for her deep resentment and disappointment at Kiu Wai’s lack of faith in her.

Somehow Princess Mei Ling was angry with Kiu Wai for not being there for her and their unborn child, totally disregarding the fact that Kiu Wai was unaware of her pregnancy. Her resolve hardened, “It was my duty as a loyal subject of Mongolia to see to Your Royal Highness’ safe arrival to meet the Khan. I have to go now; General Sito will be taking over to escort Your Royal Highness the rest of the way,” with that Princess Mei Ling turned to get on her horse.

Kiu Wai grabbed Princess Mei Ling’s arm and pulled her to him, “I refused to believe that you do not have any feelings left for me,” with that he bent his head to kiss her. At first Princess Mei Ling struggled to get away but soon she responded to his kisses with as much fervor as always. She was helpless with her response to Kiu Wai’s touch and his kisses, he always had that ability to make her respond to him despite her resolution not to. Princess Mei Ling knew that she would always love Kiu Wai with all her heart; he was the only one who held her heart and happiness in his hands but he was also the only one who could hurt her just as much because of her love for him. She was afraid to trust Kiu Wai not to hurt her again so she summoned her last will power and pulled away from him, “Please let me go.”

Kiu Wai noted the tears in her eyes, “I cannot let you go, I love you and I missed you so much. From your response you still care for me. Please come back to me.”

“Yes, I love you and I will always love you. But I do not want to be with you. I cannot trust you not to hurt me again. I am still grieving for the loss of our baby. Every time I see you, I think of the baby. If you loved me, you would respect my wishes and leave me alone,” Princess Mei Ling ran to her horse and rode away swiftly.

Kiu Wai stood there for a long time, staring after Princess Mei Ling as she rode off in the distance. “Are you alright, Your Royal Highness?” Ah Fai asked Kiu Wai. Ah Fai came up the hills to look for his master and had witnessed that exchange between Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling. Kiu Wai gave Ah Fai a sad nod and went back to his troops to be on his way to see the Khan.

The rest of the journey proceeded without any complications or incidents. King Terkit and his family were taken into custody after a ferocious fight. King Terkit was killed while trying to escape and the rest of his family were executed for treason. The Khan had welcomed Kiu Wai and his entourage with warmth and friendliness. The Khan had heard about the attempt on Kiu Wai and his entourage’s lives and apologized profusely. The Khan found Kiu Wai to be extremely respectful, diplomatic and pleasant. The Khan knew that Kiu Wai grew up in Mongolia and was familiar with their customs and they had an affinity for each other. The peace negotiation went smoothly. Both parties felt guilty in some ways; they made compromises and were anxious to make peace. The peace treaty was signed and both sides agreed to abide by it and Kiu Wai’s mission was accomplished smoothly and with satisfaction.

Kiu Wai went to Chen Yik Fei’s grave to pay his respects. He had completed his mission according to Chen’s wishes and a feeling of melancholy overcame him. So much had happened since Chen’s death and Kiu Wai sobbed his grief as he told his late father/sifu about his professional accomplishments as well as his failures in his personal life. Kiu Wai did not return to the Central Plains immediately after the peace treaty was signed, he sent Wing Tin back to the Emperor to update the Emperor of the success of the peace negotiation. Kiu Wai made several attempts to see Princess Mei Ling but she remained steadfast and refused to meet with him.

Chapter 35

Kiu Wai was sitting moodily in the room, thinking about Princess Mei Ling and their breakup, when Ah Fai came running in panting, “Prince Kiu Wai, I have some bad news for Your Royal Highness.”

Kiu Wai looked up, not showing much interest, “What other bad news do you have for me.”

Ah Fai hesitated when he saw his master’s unhappy face. They had been staying in this small inn for a couple of weeks. He knew about Kiu Wai’s fight with Princess Mei Ling that they broke up and Kiu Wai had been depressed ever since. He had wondered why they were still staying at the inn but he guessed Kiu Wai was reluctant to leave because he was hoping for a chance of reconciliation with Princess Mei Ling. But the news he heard just now would send his master into a deeper depression.

Kiu Wai looked at Ah Fai impatiently, “Well, what is the bad news you have for me.”

“Princess Mei Ling is getting married today to Prince Yi Bao,” Ah Fai blurted out.

“What did you say?” Kiu Wai blanched and felt sick when he heard the news. He felt the room spinning crazily and if he had not been sitting down he would have fallen. “Princess Mei Ling is getting married today?” Kiu Wai asked incredulously, in shock.

“Yes, I heard people talking about it when I was in the town square. It is going to be held tonight at King Danzhu’s palace. I heard that the Khan is going to be there,” Ah Fai looked at his master worriedly. He knew that the news would break his master’s heart. He knew that Kiu Wai was desperately in love with Princess Mei Ling and Kiu Wai had attempted to see Princess Mei Ling many times but she had refused to see him. Ah Fai sensed that Princess Mei Ling was still in love with his master but she was deeply hurt by Kiu Wai and couldn’t forgive him. He wished he could help but he didn’t know how and now it is too late or is it?

After the initial shock, Kiu Wai pulled himself together. He was not going to let Princess Mei Ling marry anyone else without a fight. She was his wife, though they did not have their formal wedding ceremony, they had prayed to Heaven and Earth and in his eyes, they were married. She belonged to him, he’ll be ed if he let some snot-nosed Prince Yi Bao take away what was his. Kiu Wai had been in a state of apathy, feeling sorry for himself since Princess Mei Ling broke up with him but the shocking news that she was getting married to Prince Yi Bao galvanized him into action; he was going to stop the wedding!

Kiu Wai grabbed his sword and made to rush out of the room when Ah Fai stopped him, “Your Royal Highness, where are you going?”

“I am going to stop the wedding,” Kiu Wai was determined to claim back what was his, Princess Mei Ling.

“Your Royal Highness, it is too dangerous. Your Royal Highness should not go to King Danzhu’s palace alone, they wouldn’t hesitate to harm Your Royal Highness. Please wait till Your Royal Highness get some help,” Ah Fai tried to stop Kiu Wai from rushing over to King Danzhu’s palace. Though there was a peace treaty in place, the hostility between Mongolia and the Central Plains was still very much present.

“I do not need any help to stop the wedding. Princess Mei Ling is my wife and I am going to get her back or die trying. I am not afraid of getting killed. Without Princess Mei Ling at my side, life had become meaningless to me. I want you to give this note to my royal father. I have written that it was my choice to try to stop the wedding and that if I get killed, he should not do anything to break the peace. I do not want the rest of the country folks to suffer because of my actions. This is a personal matter. You take care of yourself,” Kiu Wai left the room with determination on his face.

Ah Fai looked at his master’s receding back worriedly. He worshipped Kiu Wai who had been extremely kind to him. Ah Fai prayed that his master would be successful in his quest and come safely home with Princess Mei Ling.

Kiu Wai rode swiftly towards King Danzhu’s palace, which was a couple of hours’ ride from the town he was in. He was getting impatient, hoping he would not be too late to stop the wedding. He didn’t know what he would do if he lost Princess Mei Ling forever. Since they broke up, he had been so miserable, depressed and lost. He knew that he had wronged Princess Mei Ling terribly and he could understand why she was so angry with him. He had made several attempts to see her but she had refused to meet with him. He had not press the issue, giving her some time to calm down and hoping that she would eventually forgive him but he realized it had been a mistake not to be more aggressive in his approach and now it may be too late.

Chapter 36

Princess Mei Ling was in her heavily embroidered wedding gown, her hair beautifully arranged with decorative bejeweled pins, looking absolutely stunning. She had a smile on her face but no one knew that she was dying inside. Since her break-up with Kiu Wai Princess Mei Ling had been miserable, depressed and lost. She knew that it would be hard to break up with Kiu Wai but she had never imagined how much she would miss him. As each day passed, she missed him more and more; there were days when she felt that she couldn’t breathe because she needed to see him so much. When she was with Kiu Wai, everything sparkled and looked so much more beautiful, even the simple life she had led with Kiu Wai was better than a life of luxury in the palace and the hardships they encountered were easier to overcome because they were together. Ever since they were apart, her days were so dark and gloomy; she found no joy and lost interest in things that had been her passion or had mattered to her. Some days she found it hard to get up to face the day.

Prince Yi Bao had been there for her every day and attempted to cheer her up. Prince Yi Bao had been her childhood friend. They did get along very well but she had treated him as a brother while Prince Yi Bao had more romantic feelings for her. After she met Kiu Wai, her relationship with Prince Yi Bao was more distant. She had been annoyed at Prince Yi Bao’s visits with her and his attempts to be friends with her and had been very unkind to Prince Yi Bao; she had brushed him off and had yelled at him for just being there.

However Prince Yi Bao had persisted, had endured all the unkind things Princess Mei Ling said to him. Prince Yi Bao had loved Princess Mei Ling since they were childhood playmates. He was an eligible bachelor and could have his pick of girls but he fell in love with Princess Mei Ling and despite her coldness towards him, he was determined to have her for his wife. Prince Yi Bao went to the Khan and told him about his love for Princess Mei Ling and begged the Khan to put in a good word for him. The Khan loved Prince Yi Bao who was his favorite nephew and he regarded Princess Mei Ling highly ever since Princess Mei Ling had contributed to bring about the peace accord. So when Prince Yi Bao requested the Khan to give permission for him to marry Princess Mei Ling, the Khan had ordered King Bai to allow the union between Princess Mei Ling and Prince Yi Bao to take place.

King Bai did not dare to disobey the Khan so he ordered Princess Mei Ling to prepare herself to be married to Prince Yi Bao. Normally Princess Mei Ling would have fought the orders but since her break-up with Kiu Wai; she didn’t care about anything. Her life was in a limbo so she let the wedding preparations take place and today is her wedding day. She was beautifully dressed in an intricately embroidered wedding gown and being escorted to the hall of the palace of King Danzhu. Musicians were playing the wedding music, as guests were gathered in the hall. Tables were overloaded with all kinds of meats, desserts and fruits. The Khan was sitting on the throne, looking very pleased with himself. King Danzhu and King Bai were sitting below the Khan, next to each other.

Prince Yi Bao was in his wedding finery, looking very handsome and very happy. Prince Yi Bao was grateful that the Khan had arranged for Princess Mei Ling to marry him. He knew that Princess Mei Ling didn’t love him as a lover but they had gotten along very well and he hoped that in time Princess Mei Ling would fall in love with him. He was willing to put up with everything to make her happy and prove to her that he loved her with his whole heart and soul. He hoped that someday she would be moved by his love and devotion and returned his love.

Prince Yi Bao and Princess Mei Ling met at the entrance of the hall and walked together towards the Khan and both their fathers. The mistress of the ceremony was calling them to bow to the Khan when there was a shout, “Stop the ceremony!” Everyone turned around in surprise and saw a very handsome young man rushing into the hall. It was Kiu Wai.

Chapter 37

The guards were at Kiu Wai’s heels and moved to stand in front of him, blocking his way. Kiu Wai gathered his inner energy in his palms and pushed towards the people blocking his way and they were forced to move aside.

“Prince Kiu Wai?” Prince Yi Bao asked furiously. “How dare you come to disrupt our wedding ceremony!”

Kiu Wai ignored Prince Yi Bao as he stopped beside Princess Mei Ling and looked at her with love, longing and sadness. He then turned away from her and walked forward towards the Khan. The guards had their sabers out ready to kill Kiu Wai if he dared to harm the Khan. “Greetings to you, the Great Khan,” Kiu Wai bowed deeply to show his respect.

The Khan recognized Kiu Wai from their last meeting, “Ah, Prince Chu Kiu Wai. What brings you here today? We are having the wedding ceremony between Prince Yi Bao and Princess Mei Ling, I am not sure if you were invited.”

“No, the Great Khan, I am not invited. I am here to stop the wedding ceremony. Princess Mei Ling may not marry Prince Yi Bao. Princess Mei Ling is my wife, we had prayed to Heaven and Earth so she is mine. I have come to claim back my wife,” Kiu Wai declared firmly, boldly but with respect to the Khan.

“Princess Mei Ling is your wife? How absurd!” Prince Yi Bao laughed.

Kiu Wai did not acknowledge Prince Yi Bao but looked straight at the Khan. The Khan turned to look at Princess Mei Ling, “Princess Mei Ling, are you married to Prince Kiu Wai?”

When Kiu Wai rushed into the hall, Princess Mei Ling was shocked and happy to see him. She looked at him, noted his loss of weight, his slightly disheveled appearance and the sadness in his eyes. It hurt her to see that he had suffered but she had suffered as well from their break-up. Then she remembered the pain Kiu Wai had caused her with his distrust and the loss of their baby. She made a vow to herself then not to trust or love Kiu Wai again and her resolve returned. Princess Mei Ling was silent for a long time, and then she denied, “No, I am not married to Prince Kiu Wai. I would like him to leave.”

Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling were not married according to the Chinese customs with witnesses or permission and blessings from their parents/monarch so Princess Mei Ling was not incorrect to say that she was not married to Kiu Wai. But in Kiu Wai’s eyes, they were married even though the ceremony had not taken place because they had prayed to Heaven and Earth.

The Khan sensed the tension between Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling and was curious about their relationship. The Khan regarded Kiu Wai highly for his contribution to the peace treaty and as the heir to the Chinese throne; Kiu Wai would be treated with respect. But Kiu Wai was wrong to disrupt the wedding ceremony, “Prince Kiu Wai, I am sorry but I think it is better for you to leave.”

“With all due respect, I am not leaving without Princess Mei Ling. She belongs to me and I am not going to let anyone stop me from taking her away with me,” Kiu Wai remained defiant. Kiu Wai turned to Prince Yi Bao at last, “The only way you can get Princess Mei Ling is over my dead body, and I hereby challenge you to fight with me.”

The Khan looked at Kiu Wai with admiration. Though he was slightly miffed at Kiu Wai’s open defiance he admired Kiu Wai’s resolve to fight to win Princess Mei Ling back. No one knew that when the Khan was young, he fell in love with a Chinese peasant girl. Due to the girl’s poor background, the Khan’s father had forbidden him to marry her. The Khan had bowed to the pressure and gave the girl up but he never forgot his first and only love. The Khan had regretted that he had not been brave enough to fight for his love. No one would have guessed that the Khan was romantic at heart with his ruthless handling of court affairs but he did have a soft spot for the young lovers.

The Khan was an astute man, he sensed that Princess Mei Ling was lying, that she was in a relationship with Kiu Wai, that she is still in love with Kiu Wai but for whatever reason she was upset with Kiu Wai and they broke up. Now Kiu Wai is here to fight for his love and the Khan secretly cheered for Kiu Wai to succeed. However the Khan was a prudent man, he didn’t want any retribution from the Chinese Emperor if Kiu Wai gets killed. “Prince Kiu Wai, do you really want to fight till death to get Princess Mei Ling back? Is Princess Mei Ling really worth risking your life for? I do not want any dispute between our two countries if you get killed today,” the Khan cautioned.

“The Great Khan, I have left a message for my royal father not to pursue the matter if I get killed. This is a personal quest for my happiness and has nothing to do with my country. Yes, Princess Mei Ling is worth risking my life for. I love her with all my heart. But I had hurt her badly and she wouldn’t forgive me. Without her my life had become meaningless, there was no joy, no satisfaction at any achievements and I would rather die fighting for our love than to go on living without her,” Kiu Wai was determined and clear in his decision to challenge Prince Yi Bao to a fight.

“You forgot one thing in your foolish quest, Prince Kiu Wai. Princess Mei Ling doesn’t love you anymore. She had agreed to marry me. Since it is our wedding day, I will be generous and spare your life. Leave while you can,” Prince Yi Bao ordered.

Kiu Wai turned towards Princess Mei Ling, “Mei Ling, I want you to look at me in the eyes and tell me that you do not love me.” But Princess Mei Ling averted her face with tears rolling down her cheeks without answering Kiu Wai. She was deeply touched by Kiu Wai resolve to fight to get her back and was torn between her love for Kiu Wai and her decision to move on with her life. She was unwilling to show Kiu Wai her love for him because she was afraid that he would disappoint and hurt her again.

On seeing Princess Mei Ling’s tears, Kiu Wai stepped up to take her in his arms but Prince Yi Bao stopped him, “Don’t you dare to touch her, she is going to be my wife!”
The moment Prince Yi Bao moved to grab Princess Mei Ling Kiu Wai saw red. Kiu Wai was furious that Prince Yi Bao had dared to touch Princess Mei Ling who belonged to him. Kiu Wai gave Prince Yi Bao a shove and Prince Yi Bao was pushed a dozen steps away and almost lost his balance. Seeing his royal son being shoved, King Danzhu ordered his men to capture Kiu Wai.

[sowfoong]

Chapter 38

Kiu Wai took Princess Mei Ling in his arms and moved her to a safe place, gave her a light kiss and murmured, “I am sorry for hurting you. I hope that one day you have it in your heart to forgive me. I love you and I will always love you. Goodbye and take care of yourself,” with that Kiu Wai jumped towards Prince Yi Bao.

The way Kiu Wai said his farewell made Princess Mei Ling feel very sad and alarmed. She had a sense of foreboding, it was as if Kiu Wai had said a final goodbye to her, that Kiu Wai had planned to get himself killed. The thought of a future without Kiu Wai; never seeing him again, never having him hold her in his arms again and never having him kiss her ever again caused Princess Mei Ling to panic; she felt the hall was spinning around her and had a sharp pain in her chest. Suddenly the reality hit her, she realized that despite the pain Kiu Wai had caused her, she was still in love with Kiu Wai and she would always love Kiu Wai and if he died, she wouldn’t have a reason to go on living either. She made an attempt to stop Kiu Wai from fighting with the men but he had jumped back to the other fighters.

King Danzhu’s men surrounded Kiu Wai. Kiu Wai had reached the highest level in internal energy with the Supreme Moonlight Internal Energy technique and he was very skilled in using his sword. He didn’t want to kill any of the guards, so he used his fingers and sealed the pressure points of any of the guards who came too near to him and soon they were all immobilized. Kiu Wai challenged Prince Yi Bao, “Use your sword, I challenge you to a fight till death because you can only get Princess Mei Ling over my dead body.”

Prince Yi Bao, threw off his wedding robe, and caught the sword that his royal father threw at him. Prince Yi Bao unsheathed his sword and stabbed Kiu Wai with it; Kiu Wai blocked the blow and aimed his own sword at Prince Yi Bao’s abdomen. Prince Yi Bao jumped to the side to avoid the sword. Prince Yi Bao’s martial arts skill couldn’t compare with that of Kiu Wai’s and soon he could only jumped around to avoid Kiu Wai’s sword. King Danzhu saw that his royal son was losing the fight, so he motioned one of his top fighters, Umtak to relieve Prince Yi Bao.

Umtak was a top martial arts expert. He jumped in between Kiu Wai and Prince Yi Bao and used his curved saber to block a blow from Kiu Wai’s sword. Yi Bao jumped away, glad to be relieved. Umtak made a series of swift slashes with his curved saber at Kiu Wai, which Kiu Wai blocked adroitly. Umtak was surprised at Kiu Wai’s skill in swordplay. He had underestimated Kiu Wai’s skill so he made a stronger effort to defeat Kiu Wai but no matter what stance he used to slash at Kiu Wai, Kiu Wai was able to deflect the blow, soon Kiu Wai was using his skills to stab at Umtak instead of just defending himself and deflecting Umtak’s curved saber. Kiu Wai made a stabbing motion with his sword to aim Umtak’s midsection, which Umtak tried to protect with his curved saber but was tricked by Kiu Wai when Kiu Wai brought his sword up, knocked Umtak’s curved saber away and placed his sword at Umtak’s neck instead.

Four of King Danzhu’s martial arts experts jumped in together to help Umtak. One used a curved saber, one used twin swords, one used a set of swords with two curved ends and the last one used two short spears. They all attacked Kiu Wai at once and soon they were fighting ferociously. King Danzhu was nodding with satisfaction. He hated Kiu Wai for ruining his royal son’s wedding ceremony and made them a laughing stock.

The Khan was watching the fight with great interest. He knew of Umtak’s skills with the curved saber and was surprised to see his defeat at Kiu Wai’s hands. Kiu Wai was still a very young man and had reached such a high level of martial arts skills and the Khan was very impressed by his skills. The rest of the spectators could only gape in awe.

Kiu Wai had been using his late father, Chen Yik Fei’s sword techniques to fight with his opponents and even with the combined skills of the four martial arts experts they weren’t able to win against Kiu Wai. Kiu Wai held his own ground and they were frustrated with Kiu Wai’s agility and skills. They threw away their weapons and gathered their internal energy in their palms and aimed their strength at Kiu Wai. When the Khan saw the bold move the four martial arts experts made to kill Kiu Wai, he was shocked and worried for Kiu Wai. Kiu Wai threw his sword at a beam in the ceiling and it got stuck there. He then gathered his own internal energy and pushed it towards the four martial arts experts, the internal energies of the five men clashed midway and the whole hall shook and cracks appeared in the pillars supporting the roof. The four martial arts experts were thrown across the hall against the walls and were seriously injured.

Kiu Wai was thrown a couple of steps backwards though he remained standing. He was also injured and was trying to circulate his inner energy to counteract the injury when Prince Yi Bao used the opportunity and jumped forward to attack Kiu Wai. At that precise moment Kiu Wai was very vulnerable because he was still circulating his internal energy and couldn’t stop otherwise he would have suffered a serious injury from fire deviation.

Chapter 39

Princess Mei Ling watched the fights between Kiu Wai and Prince Yi Bao, with Kiu Wai’s martial arts skills far superior to Prince Yi Bao’s and she almost laughed at Prince Yi Bao’s pathetic attempts in the beginning to try to hurt Kiu Wai and then his helplessness in defending himself. When Umtak jumped in, she was worried for Kiu Wai’s safety because she knew of Umtak’s proficiency in fighting with his curved saber. She was surprised and yet very pleased that Kiu Wai managed to defeat Umtak. When the four martial arts experts jumped in together to attack Kiu Wai, she was ready to jump in to help Kiu Wai but as the fight progressed, she could see that Kiu Wai managed to hold his ground and was secretly cheering him on. But when she saw the desperate move the four martial arts experts used to try to kill Kiu Wai, she tried to jump in to stop the fight but she was shaken by the force generated by the five men’s internal energy and had to take many steps back. The rest of the spectators too were thrown back many paces, except those who were sitting.

When Princess Mei Ling’s disturbed nerves calmed down, she was surprised to see Kiu Wai still standing, but when she looked closer she knew he was injured and was trying to circulate his internal energy to control his injury. She was furious to see Prince Yi Bao attempting to kill Kiu Wai at his most vulnerable moment. In that crucial moment she snatched a sword from one of the spectators and jumped in; just in time to block the sword Prince Yi Bao used to stab Kiu Wai.

“What are you doing?” Prince Yi Bao asked Princess Mei Ling, upset to lose the chance to kill his rival.

“You are despicable! When you couldn’t win over Kiu Wai, you allowed your subordinates to fight for you. Then you attack Kiu Wai when he was injured and most vulnerable. Besides being a loser, you are a coward. You make me sick!” Princess Mei Ling yelled at Prince Yi Bao furiously.

“How dare you protect Prince Kiu Wai? He is our enemy and you are my wife,” Prince Yi Bao couldn’t believe that Princess Mei Ling would go against him in public like that.

“I am not your wife, I will never be your wife. I don’t love you. I could tolerate you in the past but your action today is despicable, I do not want a coward to be my husband. The wedding is off,” with that Princess Mei Ling threw off her wedding headgear and her wedding robe.

Prince Yi Bao was furious to be insulted in public by his wife-to-be. He moved to slap Princess Mei Ling, but Kiu Wai caught his hand. Kiu Wai had just finished circulating his internal energy and opened his eyes to see Prince Yi Bao attempting to hit Princess Mei Ling and caught Prince Yi Bao’s hand, twisted and broke Prince Yi Bao’s wrist. Prince Yi Bao went down on his knees in pain, clutching his broken wrist.

King Danzhu was furious and ordered the rest of his men to kill Kiu Wai. But the Khan stopped him with, “Stop! I give the orders here. Prince Kiu Wai had won the fights fairly and no one is to hurt or stop him from leaving here.” The Khan had watched the fights closely and he had utmost admiration for Kiu Wai who had won fairly over all the top martial arts experts. The Khan was upset at Prince Yi Bao’s sneaky attempt to kill Kiu Wai when the latter was injured. He agreed with Princess Mei Ling’s assessment of Prince Yi Bao and he was ashamed of Prince Yi Bao’s cowardly actions.

“Are you alright?” Princess Mei Ling asked Kiu Wai with concern.

“I am fine, thank you for your concern,” Kiu Wai looked at Princess Mei Ling. He noted that she had thrown off her wedding headgear and her wedding robe. He didn’t know that Princess Mei Ling had called off the wedding or that she had saved his life because he was busy circulating his internal energy and wasn’t aware of his surroundings at that time.

“Oh, Kiu Wai, I am so glad that you are alright,” Princess Mei Ling was so relieved that Kiu Wai was not seriously injured that she threw herself into his arms, hugging him and crying.

Kiu Wai hugged Princess Mei Ling tightly, glad to have her in his arms again, “Please don’t cry. I don’t want to see you crying ever again. I want to apologize for all the hurt and pain I had caused you with my distrust and action. Will you forgive me and come with me?”

“There is nothing to forgive. It wasn’t your fault, I should have been angry with Princess Wei Lin instead of making you pay for the loss. I was too proud to admit that I was wrong to blame you for everything that had happened. I want to apologize for making you suffer because of our break-up,” Princess Mei Ling impulsively gave Kiu Wai a passionate kiss. Kiu Wai responded just as passionately hugging her tightly, oblivious to his surroundings or their shocked but amused spectators; he didn’t care about anything else, Princess Mei Ling had forgiven him and they would be together again.

The Khan nodded approvingly, “Well, Prince Kiu Wai, congratulations. It seemed that your quest for happiness was successful. Princess Mei Ling has forgiven you. You may take her with you when you go.”

Chapter 40

Kiu Wai turned to bow at the Khan, “Thank you, the Great Khan. I hope you will grant me a favor. I would like to ask your permission to marry Princess Mei Ling. I want to marry Princess Mei Ling today and I would like you to be our witness.”

The Khan was beaming with happiness, “Yes, I am glad to oblige. You two are made for each other.”

“The Great Khan, what about Prince Yi Bao? Prince Kiu Wai broke my royal son’s wrist and are you going to let our enemy marry one of our princesses?” King Danzhu protested.

“Prince Kiu Wai is not our enemy. He played a crucial role in bringing about the peace treaty. He won the fights fairly over all your top martial experts. I am proud of him. Princess Mei Ling and Prince Kiu Wai are in love with each other, and it is time for them to make their relationship official. I am happy to be their witness,” the Khan told King Danzhu with a slight warning in his voice for King Danzhu not to interfere.

Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling both knelt in front of the Khan and King Bai. The wedding ceremony proceeded without a hitch and they prayed to Heaven and Earth again and were officially married. They got up and turned to leave when there was an eerie laughter rumbling in the distance, everyone stopped in their tracks.

“HahaaaaaHahaaaaa,” two men somersaulted into the hall. One of them was that elderly man from the Flying Eagle Clan whereas the other an elderly Mongolian priest. From the volume of their rumbling laughter, they had extremely high internal energy.

The Khan knew the late King Terit had recruited the Mongolian priest and the elderly Chinese man was the leader of the Flying Eagle Clan who had served the Chinese traitor Minister Au Yeung. The Khan sensed that the two of them came with ill intents, asked, “What do you two traitors want?”

“We have come to send you to Hell,” the Mongolian priest told the Khan. On hearing that, both King Bai and King Danzhu ordered their men to protect the Khan. All the guards stood in front of the Khan, forming a shield. The Mongolian priest waved the sleeve of his robe and a strong gush of wind was created, hitting the men and most of them fell down, injured. King Bai and King Danzhu swallowed their fear on seeing such powerful strength from the Mongolian priest.

Only the Khan remained calm, “Your master was a traitor to the Mongolians and he died a pathetic death. You would be joining him soon.”

The Mongolian priest was furious and gathered his internal energy to push towards the Khan. Kiu Wai jumped in between the Khan and the Mongolian priest and intercepted that blow by using his own internal energy to meet the Mongolian priest head on. Both of them were pushed back a couple of steps. Kiu Wai who was still injured from his fight with the four martial arts experts was hit hard and struggled to circulate his internal energy and calm his disturbed nerves.

Princess Mei Ling moved to stand in front of Kiu Wai to prevent any further attacks by the Mongolian priest.

The elderly Chinese man was surprised to see Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling, “So you two are still alive? I thought both of you had long gone to meet the King of Hell.”

Princess Mei Ling looked at the elderly Chinese man with disdain, “You will meet the King of Hell long before we do. You should be ashamed of yourself. You betrayed your country to line your pocket with money.”

The elderly Chinese man was furious with Princess Mei Ling and he was about to attack Princess Mei Ling when the Mongolian priest stopped him. “Mr. Yi, it is not becoming for the leader of the Flying Eagle clan to fight with a girl who was barely out of her diapers.”

When the Mongolian priest was pushed back by Kiu Wai’s internal energy, he looked at Kiu Wai with respect. The Mongolian priest had pride in his internal energy. He was the best martial arts expert in Mongolia and had never lost a fight with anyone. He was shocked to encounter such high internal energy from a man as young as Kiu Wai, “Young man, who are you? Who is your master/sifu?”

Kiu Wai had just finished circulating his internal energy bowed to the Mongolian priest in respect, “I am Prince Chu Kiu Wai and my master was Chen Yik Fei.”

“Chen Yik Fei was your master?” both the Mongolian priest and the elderly Chinese man asked in surprise. They both knew of Chen Yik Fei who was well known for his eccentricity and his skills in fighting with his sword. No one had dared to mess with Chen who had shown no mercy when he killed. They were slightly taken aback to encounter Chen’s student who was the heir to the Chinese throne.

“Yes, Chen Yik Fei was my master/father, he passed away many months ago. I would like for you two Elders to make peace with the Great Khan so that people from both Mongolia and the Central Plains would enjoy peace,” Kiu Wai told them respectfully.

The Mongolian priest looked at Kiu Wai approvingly. He liked Kiu Wai’s show of politeness and respect so he said, “Young man, we have to avenge our masters’ deaths. If you could defeat us both, we will call it quits.”

“Alright, I will accept the challenge but please show some mercy, I would like to learn from both of you Elders,” Kiu Wai told them with modesty and respect.

Everyone in the hall moved to the side, waiting to see the great fight ahead. Princess Mei Ling wanted to stay with Kiu Wai but he told her to stand aside with the others. Kiu Wai jumped up to retrieve his sword from the beam in the ceiling.

Chapter 41

Kiu Wai faced the Mongolian priest and the elderly Chinese man bravely. Normally his internal energy could match those of the two men but he was injured in his fight with the four martial arts experts so he was at a disadvantage. Even though he had no confidence of winning against the two martial arts experts, he had to do his best to defeat them. He had to protect the Khan because that was the only way to ensure peace between their two countries.

The elderly Chinese man thought that they could defeat Kiu Wai easily since he had defeated Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling once when he pushed them off the mountain. Besides his high internal energy, he was very skilled with his sword. He made the first move and stabbed Kiu Wai in his upper chest; Kiu Wai moved his body to the right and deflected the elderly Chinese man’s sword and with a backstroke slashed at the elderly Chinese man. The Chinese man was taken by surprise and could barely avoided Kiu Wai’s sword. The elderly Chinese man felt a cold sweat running down his spine. He had totally underestimated Kiu Wai’s skill.

The Mongolian priest jumped forward to attack Kiu Wai with his iron staff. Kiu Wai jumped to the side and gathered his strength and moved to use his late father, Chen’s sword technique to fight with the two men. The three men fought ferociously, the Mongolian priest and the elderly Chinese man attacked Kiu Wai without respite and soon Kiu Wai was at the losing end since he hadn’t recovered from his injury or regained his strength fully.

When Princess Mei Ling saw that Kiu Wai was in danger; she jumped into the fighting field. Despite Kiu Wai’s warning, Princess Mei Ling attacked the two men fearlessly causing them to move back. “Kiu Wai, the Lovers Sword technique,” Princess Mei Ling called to Kiu Wai. They both moved into position to start using the Lovers Sword technique. When Mok Sing Lam created the Lovers Sword technique, he was living with his martial arts sister, Ling in seclusion until Ling’s death and didn’t leave the mountain caves. No one in the Mo Lam had seen this sword technique.

When Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling used the Lovers Sword technique to fight with the Mongolian priest and the elderly Chinese man, the two men had no idea how to counteract Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling’s attacks. They were puzzled at the intricacy of the Lovers Sword technique, every time they tried to attack Kiu Wai or Princess Mei Ling, the young couple would protect and defend each other and attacked them with smooth but lethal stances. With an intricate stance, Princess Mei Ling disarmed the elderly Chinese man whereas Kiu Wai knocked the Mongolian priest’s staff away and pushed him backwards with his internal energy.

Both the Mongolian priest and the elderly Chinese man blanched at their defeat at the hands of the young couple. They were shocked to be disarmed by Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling. They knew that if they continued, they would lose more pathetically, so they gracefully admitted defeat, “Well done, Prince Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling, well done. We admit defeat, the saying that the sea waves yet to come are stronger is so true. You two are going to be a force to be reckoned with. May we know what sword techniques you two were using?”

“Thank you, Elders for being merciful and letting us win this round. We had learned a great deal from you two Elders. This sword technique is known as The Lovers Sword Technique and was created by Mok Sing Lam,” Kiu Wai explained humbly.

“Oh, we have learned something new today. Yes, the Lovers Sword Technique was truly a wonderful, one of a kind sword technique. You two have won fairly. As agreed, we will no longer bother the Great Khan and the debt was paid in full. Prince Kiu Wai, you are a remarkable young man and I can foresee a great future for you, you will be a great monarch. You two take care of each other. Till we meet again,” the Mongolian priest and the elderly Chinese man somersaulted away, laughing.

The Khan stood up and came down towards Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling, “Thank you for your help in defeating those two men. I am forever in your debt. I promise to uphold my end of the peace treaty and will not disturb the peace.”

“Thank you, the Great Khan. It was my duty to protect you. I had lived in Mongolia all my life and I do owe some of my loyalty to you, Great Khan. I am anxious to leave with Princess Mei Ling to begin our journey of marital life. We haven’t decided where we would be, but if the Great Khan needed any help in the future, send the word out and we will come,” with that Kiu Wai took Princess Mei Ling protectively in his arms to lead her away.

They did stop in front of King Bai for Princess Mei Ling to bid a tearful farewell to her royal father, they promised to come back often to visit with him. Then Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling got onto their horses and rode away.

[sowfoong]

Chapter 42

Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling went to Chen Yik Fei’s grave to pay their respects to Chen. Princess Mei Ling knelt down in front of the grave and bowed respectfully to her late father-in-law, thanking him for bringing up a loyal, loving and kind-hearted man. Kiu Wai laughed at her words of praise and said that Chen had to be looking out for him in heaven and happy for him to have such a beautiful and perfect wife. Princess Mei Ling blushed at his words but was happy to hear his praise.

Kiu Wai took Princess Mei Ling to Chen’s house and carried her over the threshold into the living room. Though the house was unoccupied, no one had dared to destroy or steal anything. They cleaned the place up together, with Princess Mei Ling by his side; Kiu Wai was less sad about his memories. Kiu Wai was standing in the garden that night, looking at the moon pensively. Princess Mei Ling knew that he was thinking about his life with Chen. She approached him quietly to give him a hug, Kiu Wai returned her hug, drawing her close to his chest, “Look at the full moon, it is so beautiful. I never thought I would be able to appreciate the beauty of the moon or to find any happiness again. I remembered the last time I was here after the peace negotiations and it was also a night with a full moon, but I wasn’t been able to appreciate the beauty. But now with you at my side, the moon looks so beautiful and bright and I feel the peace and that I am home.”

Princess Mei Ling turned her face up to his and smiled, “I never knew you were so sentimental.”

“I guess I am a sentimental person. The past few months had been very eventful, I had spent the best time of my life with you, learned some incredible martial arts, learned to be a diplomat and negotiate peace. But I had also experienced the worse time of my life, when I thought that I had lost you forever,” Kiu Wai shudder involuntarily and hugged Princess Mei Ling so tightly as though he wanted to absorb her into his body.

“It was unfortunate but our love grew stronger because of the hardship we experienced. I love you more than ever. When I was away from you, I felt part of me was dying. Sometimes I felt that I was unable to breathe because I needed you so much but I was stubborn and hurt both of us because of that. I am so sorry, will you forgive me?” Princess Mei Ling was remorseful and showed her maturity in admitting her mistakes.

“I will forgive you but there is a price to it. I want a kiss for each minute we were apart and you may start paying for it now,” in an instant, Kiu Wai changed from being pensive to being playful and bent his head to plant little kisses all over Princess Mei Ling’s face, with her giggling at his playful kisses. But when his lips reached hers, Kiu Wai lifted his face slightly to look deeply into Princess Mei Ling’s eyes. He saw laughter, happiness, love and adoration shining from her eyes, and then as he bent his head again, he felt as if he was being pulled into the magnetic pools of her eyes as they darkened with passion and desires. No longer could he be playful or hold off his rising passion and desires, the tip of his tongue traced the outline of her lips and slipped in to explore the heavenly sweetness within. They were both breathless when he finally lifted his head from hers.

Kiu Wai carried Princess Mei Ling back into the house and lay down with her on his old bed. She was so sweet and beautiful with flawless silky skin, her soft feminine curves luring him to lose himself in her embrace. He gathered her in his arms and proceeded to make passionate love to her. As his fingers and lips caressed her skin, she felt a warm sensation and a desperate need in her that only he could satisfy; she moaned her desires urging him to take her to the soaring heights of passion and he didn’t disappoint her. With the light from the full moon shining into the room through the unadorned open windows, the sounds of a soft breeze sighing and the crickets chirping in the distance providing nature’s music of romance, the young lovers enjoyed their first lovemaking as a married couple. Much later they lay exhausted and satisfied in each other’s arms, basking in the afterglow of their passion, kissing each other softly and tenderly till they drifted off to a sweet dreamless sleep.

They stayed a couple of days at Chen’s house and Kiu Wai showed Princess Mei Ling his childhood haunts, where he learned and trained his martial arts skills, did hunting, fishing and swimming. Like two naughty children, they spent their time having fun chasing the deer and wild rabbits to see who could catch them barehanded first. Though Kiu Wai’s internal energy was higher than that of Princess Mei Ling’s and swifter in his lightness martial arts skills, Princess Mei Ling was more agile and full of tricks so they were equally matched in their games. They spent their days carefree, full of laughter and mischief and their nights full of burning desires, endless passion and tender lovemaking.

But one day Kiu Wai decided to take Princess Mei Ling back to his royal parents to have them acknowledged his bride as their daughter-in-law. They decided to go back to the Central Plains so they rode leisurely side by side, enjoying the scenery on the way. They reached the open pastures where they first met, both smiled with fond memories of their first kiss. Princess Mei Ling teased Kiu Wai for being a ruffian who stole kisses from young innocent maidens, an allegation, which Kiu Wai vehemently denied.

“I didn’t steal kisses from just any young innocent maidens. Your irresistible beauty had me bewitched and caused me to lose my head momentarily and I never regretted kissing you. You were the first and only girl whom I had kissed and no other girls could tempt me after tasting your sweetness,” Kiu Wai declared and Princess Mei Ling blushed crimson red at his words, she had to get used to his straight forward declaration of love and passion in front of anyone, which he often did without feeling any embarrassment.

Chapter 43

As Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling reached the more populated areas, they walked with their horses through the towns. Kiu Wai was very protective of Princess Mei Ling and it showed in the possessive way he guided her around. People would stop to stare at the young strikingly good-looking couple but Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling were oblivious to their stares. They were in a world of their own, had eyes only for each other; talking and laughing with each other. Everyone could tell that Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling were totally in love with each other and most of them would sigh with envy.

Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling paid a visit to Madam Tam who greeted them happily with open arms. Kiu Wai told Madam Tam that Princess Mei Ling’s culinary skills were the best and he enjoyed her cooking very much. Princess Mei Ling pinched Kiu Wai for telling such a lie but Kiu Wai insisted that anything she had cooked was the best because of the love she put into her cooking. Madam Tam was very happy to see the affection and love they had for each other. They didn’t reveal their identities to Madam Tam but did thank her profusely for the help they received from her. They gave Madam Tam some money and the house that Kiu Wai built and continued their journey to the capital.

They met Ah Fai in the city square as soon as they reached the capital. Kiu Wai had sent Ah Fai back to the Central Plains after winning over the Mongolian Priest and the elderly Chinese man from the Flying Eagle Clan. Kiu Wai had wanted time alone with Princess Mei Ling. Ah Fai had been given a lot of freedom roaming the streets since Kiu Wai was not in residence in the palace. “Your Royal Highnesses how are both of you?” Ah Fai greeted them happily.

Kiu Wai was happy to see Ah Fai and gave him a pat on the shoulder, “Is everything alright with you? Is Wing Tin still around?”

“Yes, Master Wing Tin was promoted to be a high ranking court official ever since he brought back the good news of the successful peace negotiation. He should be in the Wu Mansion. Are you going back to the Palace? The Emperor and the Queen would be so happy to see you both,” Ah Fai ran ahead of them to announce their arrival proudly.

Kiu Wai and Princess Mei Ling were shown into the Emperor’s study where the Emperor and the Queen waited for them. Both of them were greeted with love and courtesy. The Emperor thanked Princess Mei Ling for her contribution to the peace negotiation and for saving his life. Later Kiu Wai went with his royal father to his private rooms to talk about Kiu Wai’s stay in Mongolia. The Queen took Princess Mei Ling to the gardens where they sat down for a chat and some tea. The Queen apologized to Princess Mei Ling for doubting her loyalty to Kiu Wai. The Queen was very grateful for the things Princess Mei Ling had done to bring about peace between Mongolia and the Central Plains. The Queen was also very grateful that Princess Mei Ling was back together with Kiu Wai, as she knew that Kiu Wai had been miserable and depressed without Princess Mei Ling.

Princess Mei Ling and Kiu Wai were married one more time according to the Chinese customs and swore their loyalty to the Chinese Emperor. They stayed for a couple of months in the Palace but Kiu Wai was not happy with all the restrictions that still applied to him as the heir to the throne. Princess Mei Ling was more flexible as she was used to living in a palace and she wanted to please Kiu Wai’s royal parents by staying. However their restlessness grew and one night they sneaked out of the palace and stole two horses and rode towards Mongolia. Kiu Wai did leave a note telling his royal parents not to worry about them as they needed some freedom and time alone and that they would come back to visit often.

In the spring of the following year, cries of a newborn echoed through the small wooden house in a remote village in Mongolia. A few minutes later another wave of cries joined the first to form a choir. The midwife came out of the house, congratulating the handsome young master of the house, “Master Kiu Wai, congratulations. Madam Chu had given birth to a set of twins, a boy and a girl.”

Kiu Wai rushed into the room, knelt down beside his tired but smiling wife, Princess Mei Ling, “I am so glad you are fine. I was so worried about your health.”

“I am fine, so please don’t worry about me. Did you see the babies? We have a pair of twins and they are perfect in every way,” Princess Mei Ling was very proud and enthusiastic about their babies.

“Yes, they are, almost as perfect as my lovely wife,” Kiu Wai took Princess Mei Ling in his arms and give her a passionate kiss.

THE END.