Ch.22 Wielder of the Berserk Sword

“… Yue-Er, that’s a death offence.”

Luo Yue quietly pulled out something from her robe and placed it on the table. It was the Token of Immortality.

He stared at the national treasure he had bestowed upon her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “Did you just threaten this Emperor?”

“It’s not a threat.” There was a rare look of mischief on the God of War’s face.

He shook his head with a small chortle. “Fine, fine. A good move, then.”

She took another sip of the soup and licked her lips, the added sugar just to her liking. Then, she took the bowl in her hand and downed everything in one shot. The bowl was placed back on the table with a light thud as she wiped her lips. “There, do you feel more at ease now?”

“Yue-Er, nourishment soups are meant to be drunk slowly to warm up your body. They are not wines…-” He paused, and then leaned forward, “speaking of which, why do I smell alcohol on you?”

Luo Yue cursed in her head and made sure that the porcelain cup under her sleeves could not be seen. “The soldiers were having a drinking party. The smell must’ve stuck onto me.”

“You didn’t drink a lot, did you?”

“Of course not.” Luo Yue didn’t even pause to think. “You said I shouldn’t drink more than 2 jars a day.”

“Cups. I said 2 cups, Yue-Er.” The Emperor returned to his table, assuming that she must have misspoken.

Luo Yue looked at the jars of wine hidden behind the pots of flowers outside the window. “Right, 2… cups.”

“I will announce my appointment of Zong-Er as the crown prince in tomorrow’s morning court.” His words caught her by surprise. Not because she could be bothered about who, out of the princes, would become the next Emperor but because the current Emperor was still only in his late thirties. It was too early to be appointing his successor. He seemed to have caught the uneasiness in her eyes. “What are you thinking about, I’m just taking precautions.”

“You promised you would never leave me alone. A man’s word is his honour, that’s also what you taught me,” she said stubbornly. It felt like he was keeping something from her, and she did not like this feeling one bit. She added, “I will follow wherever you go.”

He looked at her creased brows and then shook his head in defeat. “You’re already at a marriageable age and you’re still acting spoilt. Even Zong-Er has a son now. I really wish that you will find someone and settle down. What will you do when I’m no longer around?”

“Stop saying such inauspicious stuff.” It was perhaps only Luo Yue in this entire Kingdom who would dare use such a tone with the Emperor. She stood up, feeling an unusual ire in her heart. She really did not like him touching on this topic so unrelentingly. She strode towards him, gripping his right hand and knocking it lightly on the wooden table 3 times.

He couldn’t find the heart to laugh when she was looking this serious. “What was that for?”

“Knocking on wood.” She saw that he was holding back his laughter and her frown deepened. “The old granny at the tavern said it prevents bad omens.”

“And since when did our Yue-Er start believing in superstitions?” He patted the cushion beside him before gently pulling her down.

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” she muttered and then looked at him sincerely. “The war has ceased, and the court is stable. The entire kingdom is enjoying peace. You will live a long life too.”

“If Yue-Er says so,” he gave her a smile. A fleeting hesitation flashed through his eyes, but his mouth still parted after a while. “Yue-Er, won’t you promise me one thing?”

“Mn.” She nodded. There was no need to hear the rest of his words. After all, when had she ever refused his request? Her collection of tokens being the only exception.

He wanted to shake his head in exasperation when he saw her unwavering eyes. Really, what will she do after he is gone? He flicked her forehead, “you should at least listen first before answering.”

“You wouldn’t hurt me,” she spoke with certainty.

There was no retort for that one, so he merely sighed again. Luo Yue might be quiet in nature, but god was she an eloquent one.

“Then promise me, don’t believe in such superstitions anymore. No matter what you hear in the future, just remember, there is no need to pay them any heed. “

It was not a hard request. However, it was also not the kind of request he would ask for. As though there was another layer of meaning behind his every word, she found him acting a little out of character tonight. But as she had said so herself, he would never hurt her, and so she nodded again.

Feeling a weight off his shoulders, the Emperor pulled down his sleeves to further cover the roots of near-bursting purple veins that had started to dye his left arm a ghastly sight. There were a lot of things he had kept from her, ever since the day he picked up this little beast of a girl. Yet, not once in the decade that they had known each other had he been able to reveal even one of those secrets. He only hoped she can hear his heartfelt words when he goes. ‘Don’t believe in the Cursed Prophecy.’

“Is he the person you’ve been looking for?” Luo Yue’s question broke him from his trance. He followed her gaze towards the painting on his table.

The man in the painting was holding a giant sword in one hand, one end of his lips hooked into a confident smirk. The glint in those golden eyes made him look all the more dangerous.

“Going by the title Wielder of the Berserk Sword, the Jianghu has been bustling with his rumours for a long time now. He was strong enough to have been acknowledged by the few masters of the Jianghu. His movements were always unpredictable, so no one has ever caught sight of his trail. Until recently… I happened to receive a secret letter that he has been staying at the Capital for a few months now. And more surprisingly… he has sold the Berserk Sword.”

“Why? Isn’t it something he would treasure?”

“There are rumours that the Wielder of the Berserk Sword has a sister who is ill. To pay for her medicines, perhaps. Also, he has been hunting wanted criminals around the Capital for the bounty prize.” The Emperor paused. He knew how it feels to see a loved one suffering. He knew the desperation that comes with being at one’s wits' end, only able to stay at the side-line like a spectator watching a losing match. “I’m thinking of recruiting him. Our Northern Army could use a person like him. In return, I’ll send the royal physician to take care of his sister. What do you think?”

Luo Yue, on the other hand, did not understand. “Why would a prideful person like him willingly be tied down for his sister? Why sacrifice himself?”

“Because that’s what brothers do.”

“My brother did not.” Luo Yue’s eyes narrowed at the figure in the painting. He looked so confident, so radiant and so free. Why would he cut off his own wings? She was so focussed, trying to figure the painted male out, that she did not see the smile slipping away from the Emperor’s face. Her words had been spoken nonchalantly like she always did, as though she didn’t know that tearing at the wounds in her heart was supposed to hurt. It pained him.

“Yue-Er, you are not alone anymore. Your shackles have already been cut. So, don’t let your footsteps remain in the past.”

“My shackles have already been cut…” she muttered those words under her breath, trying to convince herself. And yet, they both knew, indeed, the shackles on her legs then had long been cut. But what about the rusting ones around her heart? The ones that she could only momentarily forget about in his presence? Unable to get a jar of wine in her hands, she poured them both some tea instead.

He did not push her any further, gently swerving the topic back to the more light-hearted one. “You’ve always found the Jianghu interesting. Why don’t I leave the talks with the Wielder of the Berserk Sword to you?”

She took another look at the painting again and then nodded. “Okay.”

__

{Present}

‘You are not alone anymore.’

Despite having said that, shortly after that night, the Emperor of the North passed away. The God of War disappeared from the public eyes and so, the matter of recruiting the Wielder of the Berserk Sword was naturally forgotten as well. Until one day, the newly appointed Emperor, Xuan Zong, found the painting in his late father’s study room.

Luo Yue looked up, noticed that Wu Zhe Yan had already made himself comfortable with her wine. The image of the young man on the painting was from a long time ago but it collided a little with the General in front of her. She half-heartedly tested, “Wielder of the Berserk Sword?”

Who would have thought that Wu Zhe Yan’s head would actually shoot up, looking genuinely surprised? It had almost been 5 years since he last heard of this title and a part of him was immediately brought back to those nostalgic days. He leaned back and looked out of the window, muttering softly to himself, “to think there’d be someone who still knows that name.”

That completely answered her doubt. For the first time, she took a good look at the man in front of her, her impression of him tilting just a little. Xiao Liu’s words returned back to her mind. To have come this far in just 5 years, as always, ‘That person’ had been right. He really turned out to be an asset to the North. And if he had been willing to go that far for his sister, then, he might not be as much of a bastard as she had thought…

She had completely missed the timing so someone else from the Imperial Court must had successfully brought him to their side instead.

She recalled Wu Zhe Yan’s detestation towards the Imperial Court from his previous words. “Were you threatened to enter the Imperial Hounds Army?”

There was a pause; he had not expected such a question from her. The Imperial Hounds Army might strike fear in the people, but it was also a position that promised utmost authority. Most people would have given up anything to be in that position. And yet, here she was, posting a question akin to asking if he had been threatened by the Emperor. It would have sounded ridiculous in anyone’s ears, but Wu Zhe Yan was different. Perhaps, it was because she knew that that she was asking. Wu Zhe Yan craved freedom. He craved a place away from all the conspiracies and sly schemes in the Imperial Court. Still, how can he call it a threat, when he had been the one to make that offer? If he didn’t know better, he would have thought she was worrying over him.

“No, I entered willingly.” He downed the cup of wine in his hand before looking at her, a coy smirk appearing on his face. “Little lynx, you’ve been asking all the questions since the start. Now, it’s my turn to ask.”

It was only when she heard that did Luo Yue realise that indeed, it had been her inquiries all this while. Which was surprising considering her disinterest in almost everything and everyone. She shut her mouth and reached for the cup in his hands.

“What’s your name?” he purposely dodged those pale and slender fingers, lips hooked in that annoying smile. “Don’t tell me it’s She Li. I want to know your real name. Or the name you used in the Jianghu.”

He seemed to have misunderstood her identity, but she didn’t bother to correct him as well. Her hand changed its target and grabbed the wine jar nearby instead. She drank directly from it, her tone provoking, “and what makes General Wu think that he is worthy of knowing this one’s name?”