Prologue

☆☆☆☆☆Prologue☆☆☆☆☆

Qiong Yue, was a great nation under heaven whereas six countries acknowledged their allegiance in surrender.

Now that there was peace throughout the country, the common people were rich and  naturally people were eager to listen to the stories of any matchless hero, romantic love affair of gifted scholar and beautiful ladies ( or it can be said it this way also, stories of pair of lovers, him with his brain and her with her looks), it was really senseless. Even so, in teahouses the business was booming because some topics even it was discussed for over 16 years, the degree of fervor was the same as before.

For example, in the Capital City, it was known to everybody that everyone knew of the three daughters.

The first daughter was such a treasure, the only daughter of country’s generation of generals, for hundred years they produced only one daughter and she was the darling of the entire Su military family, Miss Su Su.  Second daughter, was from Prime Minister’s House, Longfeng meaning (dragon and phoenix), brought double happiness was Prime Minister Lou’s daughter, Miss Lou Chen. Lastly, the third daughter though was not raised inside the palace, the darling Princess Yan Ning actually was most cherished by Qiong Yue Emperor.

**Longfeng meaning the dragon and phoenix, the two most powerful celestial animals complementing each other; the dragon is the “yang” and phoenix is the “yin”; meaning also  lucky because of rare occurrence.

All three daughters all have their own admirers and supporters from the beginning of their birth and common people of the Capital City, seemingly have not lost sight continued the fête.

No wonder why the common people in the capital were such because of their mothers, though the famous three beautiful sisters were given as “gift” and delivered to Qiong Yue by the Hao Yue, they went against such status and captured the hearts of  Qiong Yue’s three most powerful and influential men.

For such many years, The House Minister together with Lady Qing Ling  unknowingly assisted her husband through helping the Ministry of Justice solve corpse’s mystery. The General Madame, Qing Mo, has trained “Gray Hawk”, not only made the Su family armed forces invincible in its existence but also made the various countries’ generals frightened. Although Qing Feng was one of a kind Imperial concubine, actually she was unconventional, she live outside the palace in her own fairyland and did not disturb anyone at the palace, latter she become dedicated to medical world and became the Ghost doctor’s last disciple.

Such legendary women, for their daughters, don’t blame if people cannot help but be curious?!

What people did not know was that the three Qing ladies were tired of their great reputation in the past and had a lingering fear and did not want their daughter’s to have the same horrible experience and have kept everything about their daughters as deep secret. The three young ladies were isolated from the sight of the common people of the entire city; no one can inquire or investigate about them completely.  Ahh! But for but for a society such as this, the more you were hidden tightly, people were more curious of the unknown and greater were the anticipation.

About three daughters’ matters, even if there only a very tiny clues, people will try to figure out and speculate countless times, until it become big, then a gossip disseminates, after all the imagination of common people are infinite.

No one would not know if the three madams have regretted to have covered things up too tightly during those years because the speculations have raise to such spectacle…

So, it made the entire common people of the city to have mental obsession, was full of the infinite mystery about the three famous daughters, at this moment, what are they doing? Is it embroidery or playing with the butterflies? Reading poems, playing chess as oppose to playing a qin?

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With a simple decoration, everywhere was actually a display of fine female boudoir; three forms were extremely beautiful, women of different personalities gathered together. The lady dressed in  white was the owner of the room, the General Government’s only daughter Miss Su Su, cheeks like peach blossom, smart and sharp eyes but  what a pity at this moment does not have sense of propriety, her body was spread out on bed with very  sluggish appearance.

A lady in black clothing was sitting on the wooden chair by the bedside, she appeared very calm and her posture was tall and straight. She has that arrogant refined disposition; anyone who will look cannot ignore her beautiful appearance. Who would expect that the mild Prime Minister Lou will have a daughter with such aloof personality?

Standing across Miss Lou Chen at bedside was a another lady wearing a crimson dress and between her eyebrows was a cinnabar mole that resembled fire, the person’s appearance was valiant and formidable and her whole body passing an aura of extravagance. The woman presented a rectangular box in the hand to Su Su as a gift.

What is this thing? Su Su looked with some curiosity, opened the box to find unexpectedly an arched mountain map of cow leather.

A map of this kind was indeed rare and especial, if it was for common family this will be treated as precious thing, but to the General House, Miss Su Su was not attracted to it at all. The Su family owned various types of maps, of different kinds spread all over the house.  Su Su lost her interest and throws the map inside the box and asked, “Eh, Elder Sister Ning, why are you giving me a map for?”

She took the map and spread it on the table, Yan Ning’s sight fell on the map, gazing intently, “All day in the capital is boring, don’t you feel bored?”

“Certainly bored.”  She glanced the map on the table then looked at Yan Ning again, Su Su finally crawled up, supporting her chin, said with a smile, ” Is Elder Sister Ning thinking of an amusing thing to do?”

Yan Ning looked up and mystically said with a smile, “We will play a bet on it.”

“What is the bet?”

“In this big world, we will compete who can find a treasure depending on her own skill.  Same time next year, we all come back to compare..”

“One year? This means we must leave home?! My mother will skin me alive.” Miss Su as she was talking, her eyes were actually glowing excitedly.

“Do you bet?”

“I will bet!” The challenge demonstrated fully the personality of Miss Su, who was anxious to stir up the world in chaos since she was ten.

Yan Ning looked to Lou Chen who was on  one side sitting silently. Lou Chen was a kind of person that only displays paralyzed facial expressions, not loquacity, but her thoughts exceptionally were keen and brilliant, Yan Ning  was anxious and asked in a whisper, ” And you?”

Lou Chen glanced at the map on a table, looked at Yan Ning again, displaying that rare smile replied, ” I’m in.”

Early autumn, the night was cold, breeze was gentle and moonlight shining softly. It was midnight, long past the time to rest but in the Prime Minister’s Manor, one can still see in the small courtyard a weak candle-light casting a shadow through the paper window. There was a tall figure near the door who has no intention of leaving but also unwilling to disturb occupant of the room.

” Come on in. “

Inside the room, a chilly delightful woman’s voice can be heard lightly, the person on the door found out that the person inside did not mind, gently smiling, the slender fingers pushed open the door. Closing the door gently, a delightful deep male voice with careless smile spoke, “Before, I thought you did not want to see me before leaving?”

Inside the room had only one small oil lamp, the light was weak, the room was very blurry, the master in room was a tall and slender lady, seeing her put two of the clothes she often wear in the house conveniently into the bag and replied, “You poke outside the door and if I am discovered that will obstruct my affair.

The man have a young delicate and handsome face, his eyebrows were straight and slanted upwards  entering the temple, high pointed nose, peach blossom eyes not revealing a playful side, profound pupils  joined to his unique mild personality, leaning at the door calmly and as always his noble aura was threatening. His smile was more like a grin, likely he has been used to such treatment and took it as ordinary, only laughed away his embarrassment.

With both hands folded in front of his chest, the young man’s face looked serious, “Do you really want to join these two to wanton mischief, seriously?”

The owner in room was no other that Prime Minister Government Office young lady, Miss Lou Chen. She finally turned her head and glanced towards his own elder brother, replied lightly, “Ning wants to leave the Capital City and it is not merely for one day or two days, this time I feared that she really could not be stopped. We will act together, three of us  will leave from one place, so as a shield for her, if you are worried about her, send a shadow guard to protect her in secret.”

“This is all because of Yan Ning?” Lou Xi ‘s smile disappeared and his  eye full of tease, “Isn’t that you also wants to go out to play?”

Lou Chen raised one eyebrow, if other people would look at her, they would not be able to read her expression, the face was a complete dead pan but for Lou Xi ,the answer was clearly written on that face, ” Yes, I am why”?, that is what it said.

Lou Xi shook his head and sighed, “You will happily exit the mess and will leave me behind to face remaining chaos, Chen’er, aren’t you cruel enough?”

*Er meaning small or young, call of endearment

Hearing the word “Chen’er” , Lou Chen narrowed her eyes, ” If you have the  skill, you can also run away.”

Lou Xi cleared his throat, “Chen’er”, that word he did not dare to say again but just staring at Lou Chen as she packed her bag at moderate pace, his heart was grieving, “Ahem, you are not fearing that I will tell?”

Lou Chen packed her bag ready and placed it on the table; she pulled open a small bedside cabinet and took some stack of paper money, forced it along her pocket waistband and put more broken silver in small bag and placed it inside her baggage. Lou Xi was watching agonizingly all along this process.

The Lou Xi was somewhat frustrated and felt very helpless, let alone he favored the three girls, naturally he cannot disrupt their plans, even if he reports and this time they will be blocked, but the three clever girls have iron core, they will run away with determination.

Lou Chen thing were few, tidied quickly and when Lou Xi raised his head once more, she cleaned everything and ready.

Lou Chen clutched her small baggage and put in a simple blue dress, waist length hair was pulled to a chignon with the white jade hairpin. The moonlight was dripping through the open door, shining its light, the 3 foot soft sword master at this moment the obediently winded on her waist, such as a pliable and tough sparkling like pale ribbon, against her black clothing, ready to set off  and come out of increasingly unwelcoming dust.

Lou Xi looks at his own treasured younger sister, he was little worried and not able to restrain her, Chen’er, too unaware to cause  ’ bees butterflies wave’,  does not know  what kind of lascivious person will be attracted unrestrained, he was not actually worried of Lou Chen, for all these years, he naturally knew that his younger sister was smart and at times can be heinous, though her face have no  expression but  there were actually hundred things going on her mind and whoever provokes her heart was  inviting trouble for a meal.

Observing her slim and graceful figure standing under the moonlight, Lou Xi had a feeling of bewilderment, how his home girl had grown fast.

Lou Xi sighed, walked out towards Lou Chen and when he passed through his side, said in a whisper, “Be careful on the road, for any matter to send me a letter, I am your elder brother.”

Lou Chen shoved open the door and paused, the jade like appearance was cold and the stiff lips rarely answered obediently, “Umm”.

At the third watch of the night, the deserted capital was silent and chilly and was covered by darkness, three forms dash about wildly to the city wall, rises with a leap, to climb on the top unexpectedly and then leaped again to descend. The three figures falling lithely were now all outside the city wall, more three ten feet high city walls, for them to accomplish this, obviously the three people of skills in martial arts were truly exceptional.

They paused after running 10 ten feet. (10 feet=3.3m)

“For one year.”

“Take care of yourself.”

After the few simple words, three people run on three directions without looking back.

Yan Ning proceeds ran all the way, silently apologizing, Chen, Su, I’m sorry but I have to go to that place, I have deceived you.  I have to scatter the families’ energy and resources, only then they can’t bring me back quickly, forgive me, and forgive me!