Among them, Li was the one who awakened first. She rubbed her eyes trying to get rid of her blurry eyesight. She got out of the inn where they were all staying since all of the other members of her party were asleep. She wasn't sure but her eyesight wasn't this blurry. Then she realized that a thick fog has covered most of the area outside the inn. The whole town looks like a ghost town early in the morning.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. She heard rapid footsteps charging towards her. Her eyes grew.
From the thick mist, her eyes have met a stranger and it seems like it's running at her direction. She unsheathed her sword and by all might, she swung it upward.
She might have sliced the stranger off but when the mist had cleared, a familiar face had shown.
"Hey watch where you're swinging that thing! You could've killed somebody!" Xian emerged from the thick fog and scolded her.
"I'm sorry! I didn't thought it was you! What the heck. Where have you been yesterday?" She replied with a sorry yet guilty face.
"I was... ehem..." Xian cleared his throat. "I was looking for the girl." He showed a wide smile. Li wasn't impressed.
"Looking for the girl huh. You're chasing girls right now? IN AN IMPORTANT MISSION? You know what? I could've been the GENERAL, But even so, Wei Yue was your childhood friend!!" She angrily shouted.
"Umm... Pardon? Do you know Wei Yue?" A little girl hiding from Xian's back stepped in front of her.
Li looked at the little girl. She was just about the age of her little sister.
"What business do you have with Wei Yue?" Li asked.
"Wei Yue. I have a bone to pick with him I guess." The little girl replied shrugging her arms.
"If I may ask, one last time... What business do you have with our highness?" Li's hands slowly moved to unsheath her sword but...
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Yue came outside the inn and Li bowed and excused herself. The little girl presented herself in front of his majesty. Hanging from her neck was a shiny jade amulet. One look, and Yue was certain that the girl that they were looking for is now right in front of them.
"We need the power of the jade phoenix. I have a kingdom to rebuild." Yue said firmly.
The girl looked up to him and said. "If you will prove that you are worthy enough to have my power, then I will lend you the power of the second Jade phoenix." replied.
The girl brought out the backpack that she was carrying and inside them were five cans made of gold, tungsten, bronze, aluminum and silver.
She laid it all to the ground and said. "The power of the Jade phoenix is inside on one of this cans. You may shake, hear or touch the cans but under no circumstances you open the cans. Choose wisely." She smiled and sat across the cans.
Yue knelt on the ground and examined the gold can first. He shook the can, nothing was inside, he put his ears at the side of the can, he can hear the ocean.
After a while he took the silver can, he shook it and he can hear pebble-like things inside it. He put his ears and he can hear the whole jungle in it.
The tungsten can has a different feel to it. He shook it and he can hear thunderclaps. He put his ears and he can hear the rain. "What an unusual can." He said.
"If I were you, I won't be fooled by ridiculous the sounds are..." She laughed softly. "The sparrow and the crow, born from the same blood but differ from each other." She added.
Yue shook all the cans, every other can sounds like nature in any other way not until he shook and heard the last can.
When he shook the last can, he can hear people's cries and anguish. When he put his ears into it, he can hear people shouting. He pictured something out from the things he heard from the last can. His falling kingdom, the war that's coming, bloodshed and gore.
He took the last can and then opened it. A glowing phoenix flew out and looked at him with sad eyes.
"I am the Jade phoenix of sorrow. I will lend you my power since you have completed my test."
"Why does the can sound awfully bitter? Does this bitterness perhaps been caused by us?"
"Yes. War is not the answer. I will lend you my power but please. If you may, please just make war the last of your solution to this problem. I have enough of people crying and suffering because of these wars."
"Yes I promise." Wei Yue answered the phoenix with all his heart. The Jade Phoenix of sorrow then flew and entered his jade crest. As the power flowed on his veins, he saw his people and his kingdom in peace and harmony but yet, amidst the peaceful vision, a vile and disturbing premonition suddenly disrupted his mind.
He can see his kingdom falling apart and darkness succumbing his kingdom. An army led by a fearsome warlord approaches.
"My lord, are you feeling alright?" Xian Hua couldn't help feeling worried for his majesty as tears flowed from Wei Yue's eyes.
"General Hua, if I die on this journey... I want you to take over my throne and bring glory again to the Wei Empire."
Wei Yue kneeled in front of Wei Yue and pledged his sword to him. "As you wish my Lord, the sun may die on the west but it rises on the east."
He had risen once again and helped Wei Yue up his knees.
"The prophecy forebodes something tragic. Love is a powerful thing but it is a curse to you, General..."
Hearing this from the young girl, General Hua seems confused. He never had serious love interests nor tied to any woman in his life.
"Don't you worry, kiddo. I am not tied to any woman so you can kiss the prophetic curse goodbye." He jokingly replied to the young girl.
The girl laughed softly and said...
"If you say so, General but who knows, time will only pass but the prophecy told, is real and inevitable. If I were you, I suggest you watch your back."
After she said this, she disappeared leaving only a trail of fog on her way.
"What is that?" Wei Yue said as they felt foot falls from afar. The thread of the feet sounded like armored soldiers so Xian Hua immediately commanded Li An and Wei Yue to find a place to hide.
They ran off to an alleyway but it was a dead end. Just as Xian Hua was about to lose hope, a woman appeared in front of them. She held his hand and gestured them all to be quiet.
She led them to the dead end of the alleway and unsheathed her jade daggers. She presented them at the wall and unworldly scriptures unraveled itself to them. The dead end opened up to be some sort of a tunnel leading down below.
They all entered inside and safely avoided the army from outside.
"Who exactly are you?" Xian Hua asked the mystery woman whom she called herself "Luo Na"
"I am Luo Na. Follow me and live. My brother wants you all killed."