Verse VIII: Ardous Paths
(c) HiImFebby

"She's burning," Yan Zhi retrieved her hands from Lu Li's forehead.

"I'll get you all out of here, soon," Lixin reassured the children and the other people he rescued, especially the two who belong to the Eastern Palace.

"Your Highness," one of the Eastern Palace's servants held the Crown Prince's hand. "I am glad you are alive." then tears started flowing from his eyes.

Lixin tapped the hand of the young servant, "I am glad you are alive too."

While they are busy checking on each other, voices from outside the thin walls distracted the Crown Prince and made the children tremble in fear.

"Go! Search the entire place!" one black hooded guard shouted, seeming like those people are not that far away from their hiding place.

"Shì!" the other guards replied in unison and their footsteps were heard everywhere.

Lixin hushed the children along with the two servants with him. The terrifying tension around the place is suffocating. Young Lu Li's body began shaking as the infection quickly spread into her little body.

Footsteps approached them closer but it was halted. A loud noise of falling wood sticks made Lixin look into the small spy hole.

There, he saw Wu Cheng, water dripping from the tip of his robes and fighting against three guards at a time.

He bravely swung his swords to slash his enemies. He did hit one of the three guards in the neck slicing down to the body. The dead body left a thud when the head hit a large boulder sitting beside the pavement.

One guard caught his neck to strangle him, Xiao Cheng struggled for air. He was still recovering from the incident earlier in the river.

The guard from his back gripped his neck tighter which made Xiao Cheng writhe in pain. The other one alive took advantage of the situation and began to dash toward the young man carrying a sword in his hands.

On the other side, Lixin hated the situation he is currently seeing.

He could not stand it anymore.

Also, Wu Cheng's life is in danger.

"Don't go anywhere," Lixin said to one of the Eastern Palace's servants. "We will clear the way for you and the other kids to escape from this place," and the servant nodded.

Lixin cautiously went out from their hiding spot. The other servant did try his best to stop the Crown Prince but Lixin was too fast to be noticed.

Wu Cheng gasped for air. His lungs hurt from not getting enough air, his veins appeared on his forehead and his neck started to feel the pain from the strangling.

The young man tried to break free but felt no strength in his arms.

Slowly, his consciousness began to slip away.

Xiao Cheng was about to shut his eyes when he felt that the guard behind him started to loosen the grip on his neck.

The man in front of him also missed hitting Wu Cheng with the sword and began to back out.

A wham snapped Xiao Cheng back to reality and prevented him from falling to the ground. He landed on his knees and gradually glanced back at the guard that almost took his life.

There, he found the hooded guard lifeless, with two arrowheads that caused his death; one from the middle part of the back of the head and one that was struck in his neck vein.

Blood furiously dripped on the rocky ground. Wu Cheng lifted his gaze, finding the Crown Prince standing before him.

"Tàizǐ diànxià," he called with a hoarse voice but Lixin continued walking towards the remaining guard that was about to kill Wu Cheng a moment ago.

"Die!" the black hooded guard shouted at Lixin but was unable to dash forward to the Crown Prince to launch an attack as he did to Wu Cheng.

"What's wrong?" Lixin taunted. "Come forward and kill me."

"Bì zuǐ," shouted the guard. The corners of Lixin's mouth formed into a slight smile.

"Kill me. That's what you want, am I right?" The Crown Prince kept his taunting words which made the guard feel a sudden surge of fear in his body.

"I will kill you!" The remaining guard shouted again but Lixin kept smiling at him. Lixin slowly caressed his bow in his hands, also grabbing an arrowhead and carefully placing it in the string.

The guard seemed to lose his focus. He stepped forward to finally launch an attack on Lixin.

"Your Highness, be careful!" shouted Wu Cheng from behind.

The young man watched as the Crown Prince quickly dodged the attack and crouched down to pull a small knife that was tied to his legs.

Lixin pulled it up and in a split second, he struck the knife into the guard's chest.

The blood splattered to the ground as Lixin pulled the knife from the body.

"Hmm," the Crown Prince deeply sighed, then the guard fell on his face.

The place was quiet for a second and Lixin got up from his stance. He walked back to pick up the knife from the guard's body. Slowly, he looked at the assassin with disgust then wiped the remaining blood on the guard's haggard robe.

"Those people don't deserve to live," the Crown Prince said and Wu Cheng nodded at those words.

Wu Cheng tried to stand but he somewhat failed on his first attempt. The Crown Prince saw his assistant struggle and he immediately went to Wu Cheng's side to give him assistance.

"Thank you, Your Highness," said Wu Cheng with a smile on his face.

"How are you?" Lixin asked and Xiao Cheng gave him a thumbs up.

Lixin smiled. He knew that Xiao Cheng cannot be knocked down so easily.

The two of them scanned the surroundings and found it unusually quiet.

"Let's go somewhere else first," Lixin said as Wu Cheng did some stretching to shake away the numbness in his body.

They hurriedly climbed up to the roof of the weaving house. Soon enough, the guards' reinforcements came, leaving the Crown Prince and Wu Cheng with ten more people to beat.

"How's your task?" The Crown Prince asked Xiao Cheng. It must be the dead body from earlier.

"I am sorry Your Highness," Wu Cheng lowering his gaze. "I could not save him anymore. He is indeed one of us."

They were both left in silence. Xiao Cheng fetches something from his chest pocket. It was the Eastern Palace's token. He gave it to Lixin and the Crown Prince stared at it with anger and sadness.

Another one of their own lost his life.

Because of this unending feud for power.

Lixin cannot help himself but clench his fists. His fingernails dug through his skin.

"I did give him a proper burial," Xiao Cheng added, Lixin loosened and became at ease. The young man patted the Crown Prince's back to calm him down.

Lixin inhaled a deep one that made his head feel a bit fuzzy. After exhaling, he felt a little better. He stared at the guards below them walking like big ants, scattering all over the place to search for them.

"Let's end this now so that the kids can get the freedom that was stolen from them," said the Crown Prince. You can still see the anger in his eyes while following the movements of the people on the ground.

"Kids?" Wu Cheng asked with furrowed brows.

"They are the workers on this weaving house. They are forced to work until their body wears out from exhaustion."

"Those vile people," Wu Cheng gritted his teeth, and his other free hand reached for the hilt of his sword.

"Where are they?" Xiao Cheng added and Lixin glanced to their back. Wu Cheng followed his gaze and it landed on an empty wall.

"They are safe," Lixin turned his head to the front once again to watch out for the guard's movements. He stayed alert in case some of them gets near the old wall.

"We have to get them out of here," he added then he handed Wu Cheng a yellow sachet. "You'll know when to use this."

Xiao Cheng untied the knot and found a couple of smoke bombs they bought along the way.

One guard stopped in his tracks and pinned his gaze on the roof of the brick building next to the weaving house where Lixin and Wu Cheng at.

"There they are!" shouted the guard and the two young men heard the heavy footsteps on the ground, approaching their location.

"Ready?" The Crown Prince asked his right hand, and Wu Cheng replied with a grin.

"Always ready at your command, Your Highness," said Wu Cheng while tightening his grip on his sword.

Lixin nudged his head in the direction of their enemies below. Wu Cheng immediately jumped toward them, launching an attack. While Lixin remained there on the roof, he prepares himself to shoot with his bow and arrows.

Wu Cheng landed on his feet, and the guards are already waiting for him like sharks in the sea waiting for a man to jump in the plank.

"Now!" Lixin shouted. Xiao Cheng immediately throws a smoke bomb to the ground. Lixin's view was clear from above and he can follow the enemies' movements with clarity. With Xiao Cheng's agility, he managed to take down two guards in a blink of an eye. The sound of falling bodies to the ground made the others scatter in panic.

The Crown Prince grabbed the opportunity to shoot those who strayed away. He carefully aimed at the enemies' vital points, to make sure that nobody can escape death with his arrows; one was shot in the head and the two others were shoot in either the heart or neck.

The smoke gradually disappeared, revealing four dead bodies on the ground with their blood tainting the shaft of Lixin's arrows.

"Eight," he said, and his breathing became heavier. Lixin's eyes scanned the place. The other guards were nowhere to be found and he felt the fear brewing inside him. The fear of the guards discovering their hideout.

"Wu Cheng," he called Xiao Cheng from above. "Search!" then the young man began to take his steps away further from the scene.

Right when Wu Cheng was about to run, a silhouette from the smoke behind Lixin appeared.

"Tàizǐ diànxià, watch out!" Xiao Cheng immediately reached out for his belt and pulled out a dagger with a jade stone attached at the end of its handle.

Adrenaline rushed all over his body and he suddenly threw the dagger in Lixin's direction.

Lixin dodged Wu Cheng's attack, but after a few seconds, he heard a stumbling sound behind him.

Wu Cheng successfully killed a guard. 

The dagger perfectly hit the guard's forehead. The body fell from the roof down to the ground, leaving some traces of blood on the surface of the brick roof.

"Nǐ hái hǎo ma, Tàizǐ diànxià?" Xiao Cheng asked and Lixin replied with a slight nod. The Crown Prince looked over his back and found that the other guards were quickly climbing the roof to catch him.

He immediately jumped down to join Wu Cheng and started to run, leaving the guards dumbfounded. Xiao Cheng quickly retrieved the dagger, wiping the blood out of it then returned it back to his belt pocket.

"Go! To the kids. Now!" Lixin commanded, Wu Cheng followed while watching his back.

The two of them tried their best not to attract attention. Luckily, the guards were still away and haven't found the hiding spot.

"Xiao Cheng?" called the Eastern Palace servant. He immediately went to the Crown Prince and Wu Cheng's side. "You're alive too," he added, looking relieved.

The young man quickly recognized the man named Jiang Hao. He's one of Wu Chen's helpers and Wu Cheng remembered encountering him a few times.

"We have to get out of here as soon as possible," said Lixin, looking behind Jiang Hao where he saw Lu Li covered in sweat. The Crown Prince walked towards the sick child and stroked her hair.

"Give her to me. I'll carry her," he said to Yan Zhi and he piggybacked Lu Li. Lixin crouched to the small hole to take a peek at the vicinity outside.

No one is there.

He nodded at Wu Cheng and the two of them led the kidnapped children out of that small place. 

                                    ༊ *

Their path to reach the exit of this hell-like place seemed like forever to reach. Lixin can hear Lu Li's ragged breathing near his ear, she's getting weaker and her body temperature is constantly increasing.

Luckily, they haven't yet encountered the enemies. It made them a little bit closer to the alley, but this peacefulness made him uneasy.

"Wu Cheng," he called. Wu Cheng immediately went to his side.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Scout from above," said Lixin. Xiao Cheng nodded and then entrusted Yan Zhi to Jiang Hao. He climbed to the roof of the building beside them and continued to run along with the rest of the children while scouting the surroundings from the top of the buildings.

They ran and ran. Their situation is improving, things are going smoothly, and as they have planned, however...

"Tàizǐ!" Wu Cheng shouted as a warning but it was too late.

A dagger flew out of nowhere injuring the Crown Prince in the neck. Lixin dodged but it was too late and the dagger has already inflicted a wound on him. Xiao Cheng slid down to the ground to protect his master.

"Take Lu Li. Bàituō nǐ a." Lixin put the wounded child on Wu Cheng's back. He gave a wide smile before pushing Xiao Cheng to the rest of the people.

"Seems that the rats are so eager to escape." A cluster of more than five guards suddenly appeared behind them.

"Go," shouted Lixin and he went to the front to stop the guards from reaching Wu Cheng and the others.

"But.."

"I said go!" with full authority he repeated his words, it echoed all over the place. Xiao Cheng was left without a choice other than saving the others.

"I'll be back for you, Your Highness," said Wu Cheng before he left. 

Lixin unsheathe his long sword and then pointed it at the guard that led the rest.

"Come at me," the Crown Prince smiled while retrieving the sword to run his fingers through the blade. "Your target was initially me, am I right?" he added, while still smiling. This sinister smile left goosebumps on the guards around him.

"Have you gone mad?" asked one man.

Lixin can only laugh. His sword clicked into the pebbles when he struck it to the ground and leaned on it.

"Ha!" The Crown Prince scoffed. "What if I am?" Then he kept his smile plastered on his face.

Like a tiger wanting to launch on his prey, Lixin glided smoothly behind the guards and swiftly used his sword to cut down their throats.

Lixin showed no mercy, his eyes were burning with anger.

Looking at the children's situation; their thin and old clothes, the wounds and blisters on their little hands, and the bones protruding from their skin made him show no remorse in taking the guards' lives.

One versus two. Two down already and he had one in his arms, a guard he was strangling.

The smile on his face became wider when he took the guard's life by slicing his neck in front of the others. His hands were stained with blood he was disgusted, but he does not care. The more he wanted to wipe them all at once.

Four more left, and seems like there's no more reinforcement. The last batch of guards were already present in front of him.

"Bring it on," he taunted once again, also stepping on the dead corpse. It anger the guards who are still alive and launched an attack, all at once, towards him.

"Be my guest," he said then he throw a smoke bomb.

Coughs here, coughs there.

The place was filled with the guards suffocating in the smoke.

"Come out!" Shouted one of the guards. "Enough of your little tricks, young prince."

"Why?" He appeared in front of the guard, however, when the guard was about to raise his sword, Lixin immediately vanished into the thick smoke. "I'm enjoying the game. So why stop?" The prince added.

The sound of a sword hitting a body was the only thing the leader heard in the place full of smoke. Soon enough, thuds were heard and when he glanced down on his feet, the last guard was stepping on a puddle of blood.

"Hoho, last survivor. Eh?" Lixin finally appeared and the guard felt fear upon seeing the young prince. His face is already covered with blood splatters and plays the long sword by swinging it around him.

"Please don't kill me," the guard feared death, but he fears Lixin more.

"Oh?" Lixin pointed the tip of his sword at the guard's throat. "Give me a reason why I should not kill you." He put his finger on his chin, "Hmm... maybe an intel will make me spare you. 

The guard shook in panic. He looked everywhere as if he was a madman, then stopped in the exit's direction.

"The kids!" the man nervously said with cold sweats dropping from his brows.

"Oh?" Lixin smiled. "What about them?"

"They were children taken to the weaving house. Beggars, orphans, however, some of them were intentionally kidnapped for additional manpower."

Lixin's eyebrows twitched upon hearing those words from the guard's mouth. It angered him more.

"The children were contracted to be laborers. The local government paid little attention to the children which is why they were made workers for this weaving house." He continued while slightly glancing at Lixin's expression.

"What's the purpose of this establishment?"

"Expensive fabrics were sent to the weaving house. A low guard like me does not know where it all came from but I can tell that they are all high-quality ones." The guard paused to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and continued, "The children were forced to work to produce counterfeits that are to be replaced by the goods that were transported here."

"Hmm," The Crown Prince looked in the direction of the weaving house and his face became serious.

"A fine silk already costs tens of golden silver leaves just for a few yards and the other fabrics are worth more. Probably hundreds or thousand of golden leaves more that's why the Spider is coveting them."

"Spider? " Lixin asked.

"Yes, Spider," the guard finally managed to meet Lixin's gaze. "That's what the higher assassins call the master. The 'Spider'".

"Hmm," Lixin put his finger on his chin again.

"Dà rén, please let me live." The guard begged desperately. He let go of his sword and prayed to Lixin.

"Alright," however, Lixin lifted his sword immediately making its way to slice the guard's throat.

"I would like to thank you for the information," the Crown Prince said as he watched the guard's body slowly fall to the ground.

"Tàizǐ... diànxià..." Wu Cheng appeared, looking haggard and panting.

"You're here," said Lixin with a serious face. Xiao Cheng nodded in between his breathing.

Wu Cheng glanced around and saw several dead bodies. The Crown Prince really managed to take down all of the enemies by himself!

"Let's go back," said Lixin, and Xiao Cheng can only nod at his command.

In a few minutes of running, the two young men reached the entrance and Wu Cheng have taken all the refugees to a hidden place away from the eyes of the crowd.

"Send a letter to General Cong to ask for reinforcement. We need to escort all of them." Lixin turned his gaze to the poor people around him. "If some of them have nowhere to go, tell him to find them a job inside the palace."

Wu Cheng held his fist in his palm and immediately set off. Lixin was left with the children and the two others from the Eastern Palace.

"Can you manage to rent some separate rooms at the nearest inns?" he asked Jiang Hao.

"I'll try, Your Highness," replied the servant and Jiang Hao got up from his feet. Lixin handed him several gold leaves and also asked him to call for a physician while he was on it.

"Let's stay here for a while. Brother will take care of you." The Crown Prince reassured the children around him and silently look at Lu Li. She was fast asleep, however, her body is full of sweat.

His heart aches for her.

Waiting seems like forever until they heard several footsteps entering the alley, it was Wu Cheng along with Jiang Hao.

"I have arranged it, Your Highness. The physician is already there waiting for us."

"Good, let's head there now. " Lixin carried Lu Li and they headed right away to the inn with Jiang Hao. Wu Cheng led the rest in the opposite direction heading to another inn.

                                 ༊ *

"Daifu, how is she?" Lixin stayed beside Lu Li while the physician treats her. The doctor had finished dressing her wounds and got up to get his medicine box.

"She already has an infection in her wound. Gladly, we are not too late to treat her, or else, we have to get her legs amputated." The doctor replied and he got a handful of medicines from his box, giving them to the Crown Prince.

Lixin smiled in relief. He held the little girl's hand and the doctor tapped his back.

"I'll leave the ointments and some prescription medicine for her." Said the doctor and Lixin replied with a nod. Jiang Hao sent off the doctor then Lixin heard other footsteps approaching his direction.

"Tàizǐ diànxià, the General has taken all the refugees. They are now safe. I also asked for some maids to take care of Lu Li." Wu Cheng look at Lu Li with worried eyes.

"Good. Follow me back to the weaving house. We need to check something." And the two of them hurriedly left the inn.

                                     ༊ *

"If my guess is correct, they call Concubine Suo the 'Spider'", Lixin sat in the old chair inside the accounting room. Wu Cheng discovered a chest full of ledgers and they went to check on them.

"Diànxià, This was the record of all the expensive silks from the Xia Kingdom's envoy two months ago!" exclaimed Xiao Cheng while his eyes were fixed on the long list in the ledger in front of him.

"So the intel was all true. I thought he was just bluffing." The Crown Prince murmured, Wu Cheng stared at him with furrowed eyebrows.

Lixin scanned the rest of the ledgers until they are all piled up in front of them and the chest was emptied.

"How dare that woman," Lixin curled his fists with anger. "This is so bold of her to stash some expensive fabrics and put them in her own treasury."

"Wahh," said Wu Cheng as he lined all the ledgers they have checked. "She must've made a fortune with all of it."

"Look at this," said Lixin pointing to a ledger.

Wu Cheng read them and ended up with a frustrated sigh, "The counterfeits are even selling like pancakes even though they are overpriced!"

"Of course. Concubine Suo will never let an opportunity slip away. The nobles want what the palace has and they will pay any price as long as they get their hands on it."

"It does make sense, and the long lists of reservations," Wu Cheng hovered his hand in the ledgers on their left side then sighed once again.

Lixin collected some of the important ledgers and placed them in his bag. The two of them went out of the weaving house and then called for the raven. Within an hour, the bird arrived. It landed on his arms and he placed a small note on its feet then let the raven set off somewhere.

After the incident at the weaving house, Wu Cheng and Lixin left the capital to search for more clues. Clues for the Concubine's corruption but things did not go that smoothly as they are in the first encounter.

Pieces of evidence became well hidden and they almost searched all parts of the kingdom.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Palace was vacant, as the Crown Prince was currently missing. The court was in chaos and some cunning Ministers proposed to replace the current Crown Prince with the other sons of the Emperor.

"Bìxià, there was no news of the Crown Prince for almost two years now. Don't you think it is now appropriate to select a new heir to the throne?" the Minister of Revenue, Suo Gaolang spoke in front of the Emperor during their morning assembly.

"Nonsense!" Emperor Lin punched the table and some of the Ministers gasped in surprise. "My son is not dead!"

"However, how can we explain his absence in your subjects, Your Majesty? The Crown Prince is an important position in the Palace and it cannot be vacant. The Crown Prince disappeared all of a sudden and until now, there is no news of him," Suo dà rén continued and the Emperor threw him a glare.

"Did you just question my judgment, Minister Suo?"

"I did not mean that, Your Majesty."

"The Crown Prince will always be Lixin. Until there are faint traces of him, he will remain as the Crown Prince." With his dignified voice, the Emperor shut the murmurs inside the main hall.

"Do you understand?"

"Shi!" The ministers replied.

"Shi..."Minister Suo replied to the Emperor while lowering his head and with angry eyes.

                                     ༊ *

He reached the other side of the mountain and from there, he can see that the surroundings are already covered in thick white snow.

At quite a distance, the smoke was still visible from the explosion and the area where he left Wu Cheng with the assassins.

Although it's been almost an hour ago, the sound of the violent burst of the bomb kept ringing in his ears. His mind was filled with thoughts of his friend that sacrificed himself just to keep him safe. 

The pain emotionally made him weaker.

He was also tired physically from the earlier battle. His legs tremble and every step he takes feels heavier.

His lungs seemed to struggle, he gasped for air.

The large wounds on his body and arms scraped into the tree trunks while he tried to hold onto them.

Lixin gathered all his remaining strength to walk along the steep wood bridge in front of him.

"Lixin, you can do this," he encouraged himself but only found teardrops falling from his eyes. His heart seemed to drop somewhere. He was not usually like this, not this weak, but the recent events slapped a huge emotional trauma on him.

Lives were lost, his people suffered, and yet, he has to live on bearing the weight of the people's sacrifices.

"Should I just disappear?" he questioned himself. Lixin stopped walking and stared at the long way ahead of him, with no exact destination in mind.

The winter air fanned his cheeks. It was cold, but he felt some warmth in it.

"If you don't fight, who will fight for them? Who will fight for the people you care for?" a voice of a young man reached his ears along with the breeze. His heart raced when he heard it and look in all directions to search for its source.

"Live on. The future of the kingdom is you." said the voice once again. It was similar to Wu Chen and Wu Cheng's voices. Lixin shook his head, thinking he was hallucinating. Also secretly hoping that his friend was just behind him, alive.

But how could it be? The explosion earlier was so intense that a single bomb can blow up several stone buildings. How can Wu Cheng possibly escape that?

"Are you watching me right now?" asked Lixin as he glance up to the sky above him.

He asked, but no one answered.

It was dark, with heavy clouds, and like at any minute, the heavy snow will pour down all over once again. The wind blew harder and it sent chills all over his body. He fixed his gaze at the end of the bridge, pausing there for a moment realizing it was farther than he thought. 

He got up on his feet and resumed his journey. However, every time he took his step, the more blood he loses.

"Tàizǐ diànxià," Lixin heard Wu Cheng's voice once again. He smiled painfully upon hearing those familiar words he used to hear every single day. 

He never thought there will come a day when those two words will one of the most painful and unbearable words for him to hear.

The twins...

They were like a real brother to Lixin.

He felt a strong brotherhood bond with them compared to his stepbrothers. Blood brothers, together with their clans only wanted to compete with him for the kingdom's throne.

Tears flowed from his eyes while remembering those peaceful moments in the Eastern Palace, with those people he cared for. 

Lixin reached the end of the bridge and the snow started falling from the dark skies. He continued to move forward while his blood keeps dropping to the ground.

Snow continues to pile and it covered the blood traces he left behind. He followed the small pathway in the woods that led him to a steeper road on the side of a cliff.

The thin snow made the road slippery. He was cautious in his every step, careful enough not to make him stumble.

"Ugh," Lixin groaned as the frozen pebbles almost succeed in tripping him. Several rocks fell from the small road down to the cliff, leaving some delayed thuds from below.

As he made progress on his way, the road became steeper and steeper making him walk sideways like crabs do.

Lixin glanced down, a hint of fear crept into his mind and made a tingling sensation at the back of his neck.

He looked up, then fixed his gaze on the road and proceeded with so much caution.

Halfway, a Golden Eagle was hovering above him. Flying in rounds, he just noticed the large bird's shadow blocking the little sunlight in the area. 

It was following him from above and the eagle seems to watch his moves. The large bird was so close to him, its wingspan spread like a huge parasol for the young Crown Prince.

Lixin's vision began to blur as his body continue to lose blood. His head feels fuzzy and the road ahead of him became unclear.

He took a step and did not see the crack in the road.

The steep road collapsed and the rocks slid down taking him along with it. The force that was pulling him was so strong that no branches that he had grabbed managed to save him.

Everything happened so fast and he landed on the ground. The sensation of falling down made him realize that he is one step closer to his death. He was rolling on a slope until he managed to take out the jade dagger to use in clinging into the land.

Lixin put all of his strength into the dagger and struck it hard on the ground. Yes, it was successful, but the falling rocks from above made him retrieve his weapon to dodge them.

Unluckily, luck was not on his side today.

His head was hit by one of the falling rocks causing his vision to get blurry and making him unaware of his surroundings. Hot blood dripped from his forehead down to his eyes and to his cheeks.

The Crown Prince crawled to the cold ground, where everywhere was covered in white snow.

He looked up to the sky and it became brighter compared to earlier. He turned his gaze to the west where the setting sun and the sky gave a hint of orange color.

"Is this my end?" He stared at the dagger he was holding. The droplets of blood from his face formed crimson crystals in the snowy ground. Lixin let out a small laugh. His body became numb to the cold and can no longer hold on. His limbs are giving up because of exhaustion.

Lixin's eyes slowly began to close. An image of his mother appeared before falling into slumber. Soon enough, the young prince fell unconscious while his face is buried in the cold snow.

[DOP: July 24, 2023]

Vocabulary:
*Bì zuǐ - Shut up - 闭嘴
*Tàizǐ diànxià - Crown Prince/His Royal Highness - 太子殿下
*Nǐ hái hǎo ma?- Are you alright? - 你还好吗
*Bàituō nǐ a- Please - 拜託你啊
* Dà rén - Grownup title of respect toward superiors - 大人
*Bìxià - term for "Emperor" when someone is talking to him - 陛下