The rain gradually stopped outside and the gray-painted skies now turned into cerulean blue.
Li was awakened by the sound of chirping birds and stretched her arms up. She rubbed her eyes with her hands and found the strange ragged man staring at her.
"What do you think you're doing mister?" She shouted as red pangs showed on her face as if she was blushing.
"Do you wear underwear under that?" The man pointed at her breastplate.
Li blushed with anger and yelled "Why you.... son of a!" She was about to hit him with her sword when...
"The path leading to our destination is now safe and clear. We don't need our energy wasted into pointless things like that Lieutenant." Xian grabbed his sword and made his way outside the cabin with Yue.
"Look!" Yue pointed at the giant jade crystal floating from far away. "It looks like it's coming from that mountain." he added.
"That's our cue. Let's go." Xian rode at his horse. Li and Yue also followed him. The man laughed and said "It's impossible to get there. Many men tried and failed greatly retrieving that big treasure. If you're after it then you all must be crazy enough to die." He scoffed.
Yue removed the cloth cover from his staff. The staff glowed bright as he raised it up high.
"It is not about treasure we're up to. It's about reclaiming my kingdom." Yue's prowess showed that even birds and other animals came outside the forest beside the trail.
"The power of the jade phoenix. So it wasn't a myth." The man said.
"As of what lieutenant and I had witnessed yesterday, the jade phoenix wasn't just a something made up. It actually exists."
Li looked at the man with a mean look on her eyes.
"Tell me what may I be of service?" The man asked. Since he is now facing the king, he thought to himself that maybe his life wasn't worthless at all.
"I have spent 5 years inside that cabin with nothing to do but just hunt, eat and survive everyday. My soul thirsts for adventure." The man pleaded. Yue turned back on him and got off his horse. He lifted his staff and placed it's jade tip on the man's shoulder.
"I dub ye now as one of my loyalist. Now tell me, what may your name be?"
The man stood up and put his right hand with his clenched fist to his chest. "I am at your service, your highness. Ya Xu is my name but if your highness prefers, I can be called Xu."
Yue smiled at him and went back to his horse. "Now, where were we? Ah yes. Do you see that big jade over there Xu?" He pointed with his staff.
"Yes, your majesty."
"I want you to scout us a safe trail where we can reach that area."
"Certainly, my lord."
Xu rode his horse and ran deep to the forest. Since the trail was cut off by trees that obstructed the path, then Xu had no choice than running deep into the forest hoping to clear a path for his master.
After a short while, Xu returned back with minor wounds on his body.
"Sire! There's trouble! I have encountered a bandit as I reached the Jade! He plans to ste the jade!" He shouted.
Xian with an annoyed look on his face gritted his teeth. "If I may ask my Lord, I will go and fight that bandit that Xu talks of."
Yue scratched his head. "I guess it can't be helped." Yue gestured his staff pointing to the jade. "You may go."
Xian rode his horse fast and got deep in the forest.
His hunches tells him that there maybe someone following him. As he got closer to the jade, he feels like he was being watched.
To prove his theory, he slowly pulled out his sword and swung it to his back. A man covered in black cloak flew in front of him and pulled out jade daggers.
Their blades crossed each other. Clinks and clanks echoed throughout the forest along with the sound of birds and crickets.
It seems like the blades are in harmony. Beautiful yet deadly.
Xian looked closely at his enemy. The daggers are made by pure jade however, one thing that concerns him more is that the jade dagger was carved with a dragon in it.
He thought to himself that perhaps his sister's warning might be true and that he is destined to die today, or tomorrow, or the next day.
"Who are you?" Xian asked the cloaked man.
The man just stared at him. His are the thing that's just visible through his clothing, nothing more. Everything is covered in black. The man spoke nothing and withdrawn his sword.
He jumped fast and then disappeared in a blink of an eye.
Xian sheathed his sword back and returned to where Yue, Xu and Li are waiting.
When he had arrived, he found Li treating Xu's wounds. Yue was already waiting for him at the entrance of the forest.
"What happened?" Yue asked.
"The bandit. It seems like he already knew that you would go to where the jade is. Someone might be plotting to kill you." Xian replied.
"You know, if I were you, you shouldn't worry about feeble things like that."
Yes. He almost forgot that Yue was affected by the curse of immortality when he inherited the throne so there maybe nothing for him to worry about.
"The bandit had already fled. Ready or not, we'll get going." Xian flung the whip of his horse and returned back to the forest. Xu, Li and Yue also got on their horses and went with Xian.
Xian noticed something odd so he pulled his horse over and let Yue and the others go ahead.
He got off his horse and picked up something that had been stuck at a branch of a tree. It was a hair. A lock of black hair hung on the tree.
Xian determined that it was not of men's hair since it smelled like a flower that's in full bloom in summer.
A woman's hair. He took the lock of hair with a smile on his face and put it inside his bag.
He caught up with Yue and the others at the foot of the mountain.
Yue closed his eyes and raised his staff upwards. The giant jade disappeared and took form of a giant phoenix in it's place.
"Who dares call the mighty Jade Phoenix?" The giant bird spoke.
Yue struck his staff on the ground and knelt before him. "It is I, Yue. Your great great descendant, seeks your power."
The giant bird hovered above Yue. "To what purpose you should need my power?"
"My kingdom, your people... They are all opressed by your rival, the people of the dragon's blade."
The giant bird laughed. "Oh, young one, the Dragon was never been my rival. We are made by the same creator. His people are the one who changed. If I lend you my power, then must you remind his people to change? Will you must, child?"
Yue raised his head. "Of what should I remind them?"
"Remind them of the purpose of their existence. The purpose to which the spirit is stronger than the mind."
"But I don't understand." Yue exclaimed.
"You will understand it later son. For now, I will lend you my power but note, my power is not of great strength to defeat thy enemy. You must find four more jade phoenixes to take full command of your power."
The jade phoenix then flew inside his chest but unlike the first time when he inherited his father's, it doesn't hurt like before. Yue's eyes glowed in bright green and returned to normal afterwards.
"Your highness." Xian ran to help up Yue but Yue already got up from his feet.
"I know where to find the next one." with short breath, Yue used his staff to walk straight. The map has been already engraved into his mind.