CHAPTER 16, THE RAINY DAY
"My queen, I think the new spies will take too long getting the Jade Ring back. They still might be shocked with such responsibility which is a burden." Gan Xin bowed before Feng An Xin the Queen of Wei Zhuang.
Saying the statement, Gan Xin had been having butterflies inside the stomach. Ever since he was sent to Ming Yun Brick, he had always feared the Queen. Knowing what she can or will do without even looking at the bigger picture.
"What do you have in mind, Gan Xin?" the queen questioned, with such an interested vocal.
"Allow me to go to Hei An Guang myself. I'm willing to help them get back the Jade Ring," He knelt. His face was painted with determination. "I guarantee to get her back"
The Queen exchanged her view towards the previous generation of the royal spies with their new outfit and identity as the most experienced people about Hei An Guang. "Gentlemen, what do you have to say about this?"
"My Queen, I'm sure our daughters are willing to listen to Gan Xin as their leaders" Li Zhi Jian bowed, agreed.
"I think it's a good idea to let Gan Xin guide the new royal spies at Hei An Guang" Wang Kuan stood forward. "But the Jade Ring is currently having a hatred on Wei Zhuang. So it's better to have him to said that he's from another kingdom. He can have senior Chen Zuo Li help him"
"Gan Xin, you can start packing for your trip to Hei An Guang soon." the queen directed.
"Thank you, my Queen" he bowed.
--
"Where are you going?!" Gan Xie Le burst out crying of dissatisfaction. "Xin Er, didn't you promise me? Why are you leaving?"
They were at the border of Wei Zhuang where Gan Xin was giving farewell to his family. The royals were also there to send him off.
"Mother," he jumped off the horse and confront her, persuading. "I'll come back as soon as I find the Jade Ring. Please forgive me for being unfilial!" he knelt, having his palm on each other bowing.
Gan Xie Le hugged her son, that was kneeling. "Xin Er,"
She cried.
"Let him go," a matured feminine voice echoed as a beautiful tall and slim lady appeared out of the thin air.
"Pretty fairy," Gan Xin called as soon as he noticed the figure.
"Young boy, it's been a while." She bowed a little. "Gan Xie Le, you should let him go. We've made a deal, Gan Xin has to find the Jade Ring and he will be the one returning her back to our Wei Zhuang"
The fairies were the guard of Wei Zhuang. Their predictions were to be obeyed because they know what's best for Wei Zhuang.
Gan Xie Le slowly released her son from the hug, wiping her tears and immediately carved a smile.
"Our Xin Er is so awesome, he can definitely do it" she pats his head, fixing his clothes. "Go on,"
"I'll come back, mother" Gan Xin got on the horse, smiling. "Wish me luck, father"
Gan Luo Yi nodded, smiling with pride.
"GO!" Gan Xin whipped the horse, marching to Hei An Guang all by himself.
The day marks the Crown Princesses' long-awaited 16th birthday. It was raining lightly which made the atmosphere cold and sorrowful.
"Where is Jing Nu?" She inquired, laying her head on the table inside her room. "Hmm, there's no one here."
"Maybe sixteen really is an unlucky number," Wei An Ge confessed, staring at her reflection on the glossy table. "Should have listened to The King"
She talked to the reflection, disappointed.
"Shouldn't they be here? I told them already." Her eyes turned teary and red, covering her body with a thick blanket on the bed. "I'll go make myself a cake,"
She walked out of the room to the kitchen like a huge rolled cake. "Cake, cake, cake"
She sang, reaching for flour, egg, milk. While mixing the mixture she started laughing as tears fall to her cheeks. "Huh, I'm a crown princess but had to make my own cake."
She wiped it with the blanket covering her head.
"Wait, I never even had a cake or party for my birthday. Shouldn't be dramatic, right?" she cheered herself up. A thunder suddenly struck with a loud noise.
"Wargh," she slightly jumped causing the bag of flour to fall off the counter. "You're right, I've done so much for people but I came up with nothing-"
"Achoo," she sneezed, covering her mucuous with the blanket. "I should bring this cake to grandmother and Zhi Qi"
With a red nose, she finally finished making 10 pieces of small dark brown rounded cakes with red bean and chocolate filling.
"Let's go," she whipped the silver horse as she marched out of the castle to the Central City with a hooded coat to cover her head from the light rain.
The city was busy and crowded as usual even when it's raining. The sound of people cheering for the street performers and the screaming of the busy sellers slightly lightened up her mood.
"Young lady, buy grapes" a familiar figure reached her, smiling with a few teeth left. Wei An Ge looked down from the horse she's on, smiling at the same old man with specks of dirt smothered all over his face.
"Crazy uncle, we meet again. Would you like a cake I made?" She offered, already handing him the one with chocolate filling. "It's my sixteenth birthday today"
Enlarging his eyes, he excitedly takes the cake. "Sixteen? aiya, miss. still young." he took a bite, giving advice. "Don't be sad, you have more birthdays to celebrate with the right people, don't worry okay?"
"How do you know-"
"Your mucus tells me you were crying, hahaha" he walked away, laughing. "Good cake, good cake!"
Wei An Ge turned her head down, playing with the horse's hair. "yeah, I have more birthdays soon. It's not mucus, it's the rain"
She denied, sniffing back all of the liquid inside her nose and slapping her cheeks, cheering her dear self.
"SISTER!" A squeaky voice surprised her and the horse. "I ALSO WANT A CAKE!"
"Chen Zhi Qi, you almost killed me" She patted her chest, calming herself.
"Hehehe" Zhi Qi opened his palms, asking for the cake. He blinked multiple times, pouting.
"You and your pretty eyes. What filling do you want?" She got down from the horse, walking with him as the other hands held the silver horse.
"All!"
Wei An Ge laughed as Zhi Qi guide them to their house. They passed through the crowds and a forest to see a large cottage in it.
"Grandma!" both of them rushed through the entrance door.
With an opened arm, the old grandma welcomed them. "Happy birthday, little girl"
"You're the first to wish me, grandma," she bowed "thank you"
"have you found your mother's book?"
"What?"
"aiya girl, didn't I tell you to let the plants cascade to your present?" the grandma nagged. "This is how young people are like these days-"
"Sister, what have you done?" the innocent Chen Zhi Qi covered his ears, blocking the old grandma's voice.
"Haha" Wei An Ge laughed, putting her face on her palm, focusing on the grandma."How do I actually do it, grandma?"
"aiya, you can do it now." the grandma pushed her outside "open your ugly glove and follow my hand movement."
Wei An Ge nodded, understood as she was following the elder.
The hand movement was that they opened their arms wide, and acted as if they were rolling a large ball. Nothing happened at first but after a few seconds, fern green dust followed her fingers.
"And SHOOT!" The grandma pointed to the sky, smiling.
"SHOOT!" The dust flew upwards and burst out, coloring the tears of rain into a beautiful fern color. An arrow covered in cascaded plants flew in front of her. It was floating.
"What now?" she tried holding the arrow but it faded. A few seconds later reappeared in the same figure.
"Follow it to the palace"
Wei An Ge nodded, agreed with a smile of excitement.
"Palace? Sister is a princess?" Zhi Qi asked, pulling her dress downwards. "wow, no wonder the cakes taste so good"
"Come and visit me if you want more. We'll make it together, okay?" She knelt to the little boy's height, smiling.
"I only want to eat, sister"
"That won't do, Zhi Qi"
"Alright, we'll come to visit your kitchen soon" he wiped his eyes, sleepy. "SISTER, THE ARROW ALREADY FLEW AWAY. GO CHASE IT!"
She smiled, getting on her silver horse chasing the flying arrow. "See you soon!"
The arrow flew through the crowd, puncturing some of the people's heads. But they did not react to it.
"Interesting," she marched. They finally reached the palace's gate.
"Where are the guards?" She inquired, starting to feel anxious. She jumped off the silver horse, running to the Garden of Cure inside of the King's room as guided by the arrow.
"Here?" The arrows disappeared out of the thin air. "Okay, let's see"
Each roll of drawings was searched inside of the shelf. There was the same roll of plants drawing until one chased her attention.
It was a very old and vintage small notebook. Some of the pages were crumbly, some were burnt and torn.
" FOUND IT! She jumped in excitement already going through the old pages.
"Secret of jade, yu mi mi" she read the first page. The journal was small and old. Some of the paper edges were burnt some were torn or something spilled on them. "I'll study this later,"
The journal was placed inside her clothe's sleeve. After a few attempts of catching breath, she rushed out of the room.
Suddenly, just before she was stepping outside the door, The King's figure appeared. But it wasn't only him. Bodyguards were pointing their spears at him and their facial was intense. As the King walked a step the guards followed, still circling him.
"Your Majesty!" She called, anxious. Instantly, she ran towards the scene. "What happened?"
"Crown Princess, The King is guilty out of a charge" one of the guards replied, pasting his attention on the king's movement.
"WHAT CHARGE? HE'S THE KING OF THIS KINGDOM!"
"He poisoned the crown princess. that is already a crime" the guard explained. "He also grows illegal plants in the form of magical drawing"
Wei An Ge froze as the King was taken away by the guards, slowly walking last her.
She was too stunned to react and just let dear self-being be soaked in the cold rain.