In the forty fourth year of the Yuan dynasty, Rong Tian ascended the throne and claimed the title of the official ruler of Xi Rei. The newly appointed King optioned to retain the name bestowed upon him by the late King Rong. As a sign of respect and gratitude for the man who raised him. Rong Tian’s rightful title from then onwards was the King of Xi Rei.
Feng Ming was also promoted to a new title, King Ming.
In the past, countless countries placed Rong Tian under observation as a man of interest. He was certainly a formidable force to be reckoned with、more so now with his rightful rise in rank as the leader of Xi Rei.
The brave and tactful new master of Xi Rei was undoubtedly causing ripples amongst the eleven warring countries across the lands. Naturally he posed a threat to them all.
For political gain and favor, presents and treasures flowed in steadily from numerous countries after they caught word of Rong Tian’s ascension.
Even the tiny country of Yong Yin that bordered north of Xi Rei sent their oldest Prince, Yong Yi to personally congratulate the new King..
Even the enigmatic country of Li sent an envoy to pay their respects. The chosen messenger was Ruo Yan’s sister, Miao Guang.
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The soldiers were out and about in force and the streets in the capital were immaculate. The fresh spring atmosphere that accompanies the month of March was quickly settling into Xi Rei.
The envoy from Li finally arrived to their foreign destination after an arduous and long journey. When they arrived in the capital they were escorted to the palace where Rong Tian gave them a warm reception. .
Feng Ming remained a resident of the Crowned Prince’s quarters.
“Tell me, what did Ruo Yan’s sister bring as a gift?” his eyes lit with excitement.
“There wasn’t anything special, just a box.”
“That simple?” Feng Ming slumped back in disappointment.
“The two of you hold the titles of legendary heroes, shouldn’t he at least send something more interesting....” he muttered unsatisfied.
Rong Tian chuckled softly and delivered a piece of peeled fruit to his lover’s mouth.
“He and I would never be able to co-exist. Would he be capable of sending me anything of use?”
“Was there anything inside the box?” the young man’s curious nature was not completely quenched.
“A black pill, dark as the eyes of death was inside.” Rong Tian’s face changed slightly for a moment with the thought. Shaking off the image he coaxed his lover, “if it was something worthy of your attention I would have brought it to you already.”
Feng Ming nodded his head feeling that it no longer mattered.
Chiu Lan served her master a cup of hot tea. As she handed the steaming up carefully to the young man she giggled lightly and whispered.
“King Ming why not ask King Rong if Princess Miao Guang is beautiful or not?”
“That’s right!” he exclaimed in a hushed voice before bolting over to tug at Rong Tian’s sleeves.
“Is the Princess beautiful?” he prompted.
“No. ” Rong Tian replied bluntly.
His large eyes blinked, “Why did Ruo Yan send his own sister to Xi Rei?”
“I’m not Ruo Yan so I don’t have a clue to what his intentions are. Perhaps there was no one else available to leave the country.”
The King reached over and gave Feng Ming’s cheek a couple of pats.
“The weather is fine today, we can go for a ride.” He offered.
“Yes!” he replied with no delay. .
In the shadows a conspiracy was brewing and closing in silently on its target.
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White cloud galloped like the wind brushing over the fresh green grass of the field that surrounded the palace. Feng Ming cheered the animal on, and the young man’s riding skills had improved tremendously. Rong Tian felt assured enough to permit his lover to ride his favorite steed alone.
The King’s eyes followed the young man before him riding wildly in laps. Although the King’s face sported a smile, it was a hardened mask. Under his carefree expression there was an eerie dark cloud. The arrival of Li’s envoy was ominous.
Rong Tian had summoned the party earlier that day, and now his thoughts trailed over to his meeting with the Princess.
“Li’s Miao Guang is here as a substitute her dearest King, whom wishes you prosperity and fortune.”
In the main hall, Miao Guang was adorning the costumes from her country. She gave her salutations to the King with no sense of rush.
“The Princess has traveled from afar, thank you for your troubles.” He spoke with a standard formality.
“It is my pleasure to be able to see the renowned King of Xi Rei with my own eyes.”
The Princess was about sixteen years old and her appearance had nothing on the Third Princess. However her status was much more important – she was the only sister of the King of Li, Ruo Yan.
Rong Tian issued her a cold smile, “Lately how has your King faired?”
“My royal brother is well, thanks King Rong for the concern.”
The thought of the mysterious poison that dwelled inside Feng Ming infuriated Rong Tian. There was nothing else he wanted to do than to destroy Ruo Yan. However, seeing that the man had sent his only sister to pass on his greetings the King knew better than to lose his grace.
Instead he forced a grin through his gritted teeth and asked, “Princess has traveled countless days to represent King Ruo, what extravagant gift is in store for me?”
The girl smiled slyly, “My brother informed me that King Rong would be able to easily guess what the gift is.”
“Oh?” Rong Tian’s smile diminished and his heart constricted.
“King Ruo must forgive me as I can’t speculate what grand gift he has in store for me, so if the Princess will do me the honor.”
Miao Guang lifted her head and analyzed the King’s expression, her own face revealing dimples.
“Why the rush, perhaps King Rong has taken a guess.” She reached into the folds of her clothing and produced a small copper trinket box. She handed the container to an attendant who then passed it to the King.
He didn’t hesitate to open it, surprisingly a lone lack pill sat nestled inside.
Without furthering the formal exchange, he invited the Princess to enter a private room so that he could get straight to the point.
“What is the purpose of the King’s gift?”
The young lady smiled, “My brother’s intention eludes me, who is to know how my brother thinks?”
She was amused by Rong Tian’s cold and serious expression and she laughed like a naive girl.
“However, this time I can take a guess or two at my brother’s notions.”
“Princess if you may.”
“King Ming’s intelligence and resourcefulness is unparalleled in our world, however, I heard that he recently became infected with a mysterious disease.”
“A mysterious illness? It appears whom ever your brother comes in contact with contracts an illness.” He snorted.
“My brother appreciates people with abilities and potential, of course he could not bear to let young King Ming slip away from the human realm. He must have ordered me to present King Rong with a lifesaving cure.”
Rong Tian demonstrated his suspicion, “Why is King Ruo offering such a gesture of kind-heartedness?”
“My brother’s intentions are always good.” Miao Guang’s eyes lit up with pride.
“However, the medicine would only be a temporary measure to alleviate symptoms. If you want King Ming to fully recover, I am afraid he will have to journey to Li. My brother would personally oversee and tailor medicine to help King Ming..”
Ruo Yan’s scheme was finally revealed.
Rong Tian gritted his teeth, his eyes flashed furiously, “Hand over Feng Ming, don’t even dream about it!”
The Princess clicked her tongue.
“I have long heard about King Rong’s extraordinary insight and experience. Who would have thought King Rong would show Miao Guang such a scary expression?”
She didn’t even bat her eyelids and it was obvious that Ruo Yan had meticulously walked her through his plans. Without a sense of fear, she shook her head, “If King Rong is unwilling to part with King Ming there are other ways to circumvent the problem. King Rong please lend me an ear.”
With no reservations she gracefully approached the King and whispered...
“Rong Tian! Rong Tian!!” The sound of Feng Ming’s energetic voice interrupted the King’s train of thought. He looked up and found Feng Ming and White Cloud hurtling towards him. In no time the two were directly in his path. Feng Ming did not slow down and suddenly decided to pull off an acrobatic stunt. He laughed as he dismounted by flipping off White cloud and promptly landed on top of Rong Tian. The King caught the young man but the momentum of his impact sent the pair rolling a few times.
“Be careful!” the King scolded.
Feng Ming’s contagious laughter rang in the field.
They finally collected themselves and sat up.
“How many times have I warned you not to mess about, or else I will forbid you to ride again!” Rong Tian growled looking at his lover with concern.
“Are you hurt?”
“No! Not even a scratch!” Feng Ming grinned.
“I really want to hit you...” Rong Tian glared at him, his hand reached to dislodge the weeds that were caught in Feng Ming’s hair.
White Cloud also calmed down, and slowly paced back to idle next to the pair. His silky tail swinging side to side as he obediently grazed.