Once Promised Chapter 11.2

Chapter 11: Remember Thus, Your Solemn Promise (Part 2/3)   The next evening, Ah Heng reached the mountains of Jiu Li.   The peach blossoms were in full bloom and covered the mountains like a fiery blanket.  Deep in the valley, there was no altar, no witch doctor.  There were only scores of young men and women who had gathered beneath the flowers to sing and dance.  Their clothing were spun from coarse cotton and their lyrics were unrefined, but their steps were lively and their faces were aglow from their laughter.   Ah Heng could feel none of the festivities.  As she waited anxiously beneath the peach blossom tree where Chi You would meet her every year, she felt a sense of helplessness which she has never encountered before her life.  Since young, she had believed that her father doted on her and that her mother was strong enough to protect her from anything.  But now, she understood that her father had given in to her requests because they have never conflicted with his interests and that her mother was not as strong as she has imagined her to be.   They were still her family but things were no longer the same.  She felt anxious, afraid, and wished desperately that Chi You was here so that she could rest her forehead on his shoulder and hear him say in his cocky manner “Don’t worry. I’m still here for you.”    With his support, she knew she would be able to face all her trials bravely.  She wanted so much to tell him that she did not wish to marry Shao Hao.  She has studied hard to be a doctor in the last few years, so she was not totally unprepared to face her father’s objection.   Gradually, the songs faded away as young maidens found their partners and left.  Her surface calm faded as the night got longer but she kept staring at the direction of Shen Nong Mountain.   By the time the last person has gone, she was hurting badly. Still she believed. Maybe he was delayed by something?  Perhaps he was already on his way?   In the quiet of the night, she wished once again that Chi You would appear.  He would be wearing his red robe, and she would see his rakish smile, hear the laughter that would escape him whenever he saw her, the way he would quickly dismount and rush to her… When finally he appears, she thought, she was going to ignore him and let him beg for her forgiveness for making her wait.   But as the night got deeper, her hurt turned into anger.  Why did he make a promise if he did not intend to keep it?   But if he appeared, she knew she would still forgive him.

  “That maid of yours panicked when she cannot find you, and spilled all the beans the moment she saw me.  I guessed you should be drinking here so here I am.”   “Ah Heng injuries has affected her internal organs.  She has been spoilt since young and is not one who practices her skills diligently.  I really did not know how she manage to last in the Fire Chamber till now.”   Shao Hao sighed inwardly and wondered why Qing Yang was surprised that his sister was just like him.  When Qing Yang was tortured by the Yellow Emperor for half a year, he had not begged for mercy either. After thinking for a while, he said “You cannot appear to be too anxious in front of the Yellow Emperor.  See if you can arrange for me to go into the Fire Chamber. Once we got her protected, it will give us more time to think of a way to rescue her.”   As the two turned to leave, Shao Hao smiled to the shopkeeper and shook his wine gourd at him. “Your wine tasted better than your grandfather’s, but you are not as honest as him. You should not have given me one liang (one-tenth of a jin) less just because I do not have a local accent.”   The shopkeeper jaws dropped in shock as the two vanished into thin air.   Inside the Fire Chamber, it was as if the whole universe was on fire. Fireballs flashed like comets across the horizon and the scene was eerily beautiful, if one could ignore the devastating heat.    For Ah Heng who cultivated the powers of Wood, fire and heat were her nemesis. At first, she could still grit her teeth and endure, but as time went by, she lost the battle to keep the fire at bay and it got into her system and started burning her from the inside.  The chamber was specially constructed to punish gods so when the pain got too much and she fainted, the magic within the chamber would wake her and repeat the cycle of suffering over and over again.   Li Zhu was saddened to see her rolling on the ground in pain.  Although he was his Majesty’s man, he had watched Ah Heng grew up and he tried to help. “Your Highness, why don't you apologize to His Majesty? He has always doted on you and will surely release you if you apologize.”
  Ah Heng remained silent.  As the fire burned away her strength, she did not even have strength to roll around in the end and could only lay lifelessly on the ground as the heat gnawed at her insides.    She had lost track of time but suddenly, Ah Heng felt the heat dissipating somewhat, as if a shower has just passed over a forest fire.  When she crack opened her eyes, she saw a wall of water pushing back the flames to form an enclosure with Shao Hao standing at the centre, looking handsome and ethereal.   He lifted her from the floor and looked at her with mixed emotions.  He asked softly,  “Is marrying me worse than suffering these flames?”   Ah Heng could not get any words out of her parched throat but managed to shake her head.   Shao Hao placed his water jade in her mouth and whispered.  “Keep this in your mouth secretly and pretend that you are in great pain.”   Shao Hao put down Ah Heng and left the Fire Chamber. Flames started burning in the furnace the moment he left, but thanks to the water jade, Ah Heng now only felt a sting on her skin which was within her endurance level.   Under the orders of the Jun Emperor, Shao Hao was here to seek an audience with the Yellow Emperor to discuss his marriage with Xuan Yuan Ba.  The meeting was held at the Main Hall and Shao Hao proved himself to be a polite and knowledgeable young man as he kept up an easy conversation with the Yellow Emperor.  When the latter asked about the wedding date, Shao Hao replied. “Everything is ready in Gao Xing as my Royal Father wishes to hold the marriage as soon as possible.”   At the flood of well wishes from the people in the hall, the Yellow Emperor smiled and nodded.  Shao Hao looked a bit embarrassed.  “Now that we have settled the date for the wedding… I know it is not appropriate for me to meet with Her Highness.  But I have brought some trinkets as a present for her and I wondered if… Your Majesty can allow me to give it to her in person?”   Everyone broke into laughter and thought that this was an excuse to meet his bride-to-be.  The Yellow Emperor granted his request and instructed Qing Yang to let his sister rest today before meeting Shao Hao tomorrow.  Qing Yang received the order and set off hastily for the Fire Chamber.  

As for Shao Hao, I still get the feeling that he is Qing Yang's other half and not Ah Heng's other half.  I am grateful he is quick to help a girl who does not want to marry him and I think his motive is driven more because Qing Yang wanted it and less because the girl is the Xuan Yuan Princess.  I really like their bromance and hope that their friendship can remain like that forever.  

 

Chapter end