Sea of Flowers Chapter 1

*This is a poem from the Ballad of Suzhao. I’m not going to translate it because I barely understand what it says.

Take a look at the above poem. It was written by our past king, telling of a time after the Hongyan Reform, painting a beautiful image of a flouris.h.i.+ng Suzhao. I swear as the Younger Princess Luo Wei, that my great Suzhao is a treasured place of wonders, and a sacred place in the hearts of demons, men, G.o.ds, and mythical creatures.

I still couldn’t figure out how it was that something like this to happened today. As part of the Royal Family of Suzhao, if I, a princess, wanted to tell my tale, it should have been scenes of other tribes bowing and submitting to us, or the my Master praising my writing, or me using water magic to make myself look like a flower demon twirling in the air…

But alas, one cannot have all her wishes fulfilled.

The beginning of my story starts on a tragic night.

On this tragic night, a tragic event happened: our city of Suzhao was invaded by immortals.

That’s right, I said immortals, the ones that fly in the skies.

It was winter at the year’s end, the north wind blew strong. The city was covered in snow, and the luoshui* frozen into a small stream of ice. That night, Mother was teaching Elder Sister to embroider, a little tiger was lying on my legs, and I was kneeling next to Father, ma.s.saging his legs. Suddenly, a soldier came to report all the guards in front of the Canghai Gate had been killed, and other than the foreign tribes who were ma.s.sacring innocents inside the city, two shadows had broken in with them.

*From what I can gather, luoshui is a sort of divine water that can give life.

No one had seen who it was that had come, but only knew that there were countless dead inside the city. It was a site of devastation. Hearing that the Canghai Gate was now unguarded, Father stood up in shock, and without a word, used water magic to fly out. Canghai Gate was the main city gate of Suzhao, and those who guarded it were the strongest. For them to be defeated so easily, what sort of divine creature had come? I hurriedly went out with Mother and Elder Sister to see what was happening.

The wind and snow was chaotic, the city was lit up for miles, and it was full of countless cries of death. The most terrifying thing was that in such a short amount of time, the intruders had already arrived in the sky above Zidao Palace.

It was two men, one was a black-haired youth in a yellow robe, the other was a white-haired old man in a white robe. Their hair was bound evenly, cold and arrogant, floating up high upon smoke and cloud. There was no water around them, which meant they were not of the Suzhao Clan, and belonged to a foreign tribe that could fly… which was only…

“Who has come?” Father raised his head to demand. “We have no grievances nor hated with the two of you, why do you hurt the people of Suzhao!”

Compared to Father’s rage, the youth had not a trace of youthful carelessness, but just looked at us disdainfully out of the corner of his eyes, and said as coldly as the winter snow: “You brazen evildoer, who has run amuck on the North Seas for thousands of years, you dare be so arrogantly rude and offend your superiors.”

“Wh…what? Nonsense! This is all nonsense, we the Suzhao Clan have been peaceful for thousands of years, from where do you claim that we have been running amuck!”

Father was a benevolent and good ruler, and had never been talked about like that in his lifetime, had replied in an civilised manner. I wasn’t so easy to bully, and stood up with Xuanyue in my arms, and said: “Exactly, what do you think you are? Taking that tone with my Royal Father! Saying that we’re evildoers, we the Suzhao Clan think that you’re the evildoers!”

The youth’s eyes become even colder. The old man became enraged, and said: “A little water demon who does not know anything! Do you know who you’re raising your voice to? I am Ru Yueweng of Zi Wei Zhuo, and this is Huangdao-xianjun. Today we have come on the orders of our Xianzun, to come forth and end your lives!”*

*Xian means immortal. Xianjun and xianzun are both the ranks/t.i.tles of immortals– xianzun is higher than xianjun. Jun means “n.o.ble” or “gentleman,” and zun means “senior” or “honoured.”

This left me dumbstruck.

The clan behind this invasion was of the Immortal Realm. How could it be? Before, even powerful immortals would treat us politely. They went as far as to call us water demons,  evildoers? I said: “What are you playing at? We are a clan who has received the G.o.d-blessed water, my Suzhao was created by Yinze-shenzun,* you, the old man with an unclear background, is the evildoer!”

*Shen means G.o.d. The zun is the same one as as in xianzun.

Huangdao Xian-jun said: “Little water demon, I am merely following orders to come forth and dispose of those who do harm. If you reform and start afresh, then you may reincarnate and become a person again. If you continue to speak so rudely and slander G.o.ds, your soul will be shattered and disappear forever.”

Ru Yueweng pointed at me with thumb and forefinger, full of righteousness: “You keep a terrible ancient beast with you, and yet you say that you are not an evildoer, how laughable.”

I said: “I don’t see any terrible beasts, I just see that you’re a piece of dog s.h.i.+t on an ancient platform, how despicable.”

That old fellow had been angered to the brink by me, but Father just turned his head and looked at the little tiger in my arms, and slapped his head: “This… there is a beast that is like a tiger, has wings that can fly, eats people, can understand human languages… I must have been muddle-headed to have not seen it. This little tiger is actually a qiongqi…”*

*Qiongqi is a mythical creature that’s basically a man-eating tiger with wings.

Hearing the two words “qiongqi,” I was unable to speak. This name was no stranger to me, I don’t know how many times I’d seen it in a book. It liked to watch people fight, and would eat the one who was reasonable.

After Pangu created the world, and Nüwa created humans, the Water G.o.d Gonggong and the Fire G.o.d, because “water and fire could not tolerate the other,” fought many great wars. Waves rushed forth and fire roared in the Human Realm, and in the end, angry at losing the war, Gonggong smashed his head against Buzhou Mountain, causing great landslides as the world tilted to the side.

After, Nüwa used the Five-Coloured Stone to fix the skies, and Gonggong died. Gonggong’s clan did not lose spirit, but transformed their bodies into the beast, qiongqi. Qiongqi were considered to be evil beasts.

I looked again at the appearance of my little tiger Xuanyue. He curled up in my arms, holding his head with two fluffy little tiger’s paws, opening his watery eyes wide, with his s.h.i.+vering little wings facing me. After he met my eyes, he reached out with a paw. Because hewas so cute, I didn’t take note of his distinctive characteristics. Before, when Xuanyue occasionally showed his brute force, I had been a little put on guard, but I still underestimated his, thinking he would grow up to be a ferocious beast– but he was actually an evil beast!

By the blessings of the G.o.d of the Azure Seas, I had raised a qiongqi cub! What could I do!

Wait, that wasn’t right. I bought Xuanyue from the tiger display. If they were really a qiongqi, then their parents should be fully grown qiongqi, ancient bloodthirsty beasts, how could they be hunted by that shopkeeper? Even if it wasn’t him who done the killing, people who could hunt qiongqi should know the abilities of cubs, and wouldn’t just let them around around. I said loudly: “Wait a moment, there’s still something I want to say…”

“Evildoer, do not think to stall time!”

At this moment, Ru Yueweng made a brandis.h.i.+ng motion to the left with his horsetail whisk, and broken stone and earth came flying from all directions, gathering at the centre of the large moon. He brandished it to the right, and the broken stone condensed into many pieces of solid rock, spinning around and splattering sand. The speed was so fast it left us shocked. After, he brandished the whisk towards us. Those pieces of stone flew towards us, turning into daggers, and in the cold light, stabbed at Father. Father immediately used water to protect himself, and blocked a part of the attack, and the daggers showed down, but they still sc.r.a.ped many wounds on his body.

Although we had the ability to manipulate water, but this was limited to lifeless water, and did not have the power to freeze blood, and did could not turn water into objects. Therefore, since I was young, the most powerful magic I have seen was only the Marquis using magic to turn the river to ice, then lifting up the entire piece of ice and breaking it up in midair, and aiming it at targets. Although our magic first came from the G.o.d of the Azure Seas, but this needed to borrow the power of the river, and even for someone with above-average power, it stilled took a long time to store up the power needed.

But for Ru Yueweng, to turn mud into stone, and stone to daggers, it took merely the effort of a blink. At this moment, I finally realised just how scary this enemy in front of me was. It would only be too easy for him to take our lives.

“Wait!” I yelled. “Xuanyue isn’t an evil beast, I bought him from the stall of strange creatures. If he was really so powerful, then we wouldn’t be able to capture him!”

The two immortals never heard me. At this time, the Marquis brought over Suzhao soldiers to a.s.sist us. Without moving, Huangdao-xuanjun used magic to create a wall of fog, blocking all attacks that would come this way, leaving Ru Yueweng to face the soldiers. He merely waved his horsetail whisk, and and thousands of soldiers died by his magic.

I had never seen a person die before, and in an instant I saw my clan being ma.s.sacred, and blood flowing like streams. I was so shocked that I could only huddle together with Mother and Elder Sister, wanting to cry but having no tears.

The Marquis was well-practised in magic, and was able to fight Ru Yueweng for a while, but was still defeated, left kneeling on the ground and covering the wound on his stomach. A wave of soldiers came forth, but Ru Yueweng annihilated them.

Huangdao-xianjun said: “No need to waste time, capture the king before the followers. Kill the water demon leader.”

Ru Yueweng nodded, and swung his whisk in a circle, causing the daggers and stone on the ground to rise up, circle around, then a.s.semble into a long sword. The snow  swirled savagely, the light of the sword was like snow, and flew directly towards Father!

Elder Sister and I cried out in alarm at the same time. But the sorrowful cry that came after was not from Father. It came from Mother, who had let go of us and ran in front of Father.  Her eyes were unyielding, and she used her hands to catch the sword, and even though her fingers had been sliced off, she still had not been able to stop the sword. That sword had penetrated her chest.

“Zitong!!” Father sobbed as he knelt, embracing her tightly.

“Mother!!!”

We wanted to rush over, but were held back by a military commander. He said: “Don’t go, you can’t help! You must keep your lives, or else Suzhao will have no successors! Stay here, don’t go anywhere!” Then, he rushed forward himself.

Drip, drip. Mother’s blood dripped from her fingers, seeping into the white snow. Her entire body trembled, she looked up fiercely up at the two immortals in the clouds, and said with no fear: “How ugly… to use getting rid of evil as an excuse to kill…”

The two immortals were silent for a moment. The military commander gave the command to let loose ice arrows, but it was useless. Mother coughed up a mouthful of blood, and held Father’s hand. Her chest was moving rising and falling violently, and the front-piece of her clothes had been stained a cherry-apple red. “Your Majesty, do not mind me. Protect the two children…”

Father’s hand had already been stained red, and with red eyes, he replied: “I will!”

Huangdao-xianjun said: “To complain of injustice when caught red-handed, the fight of a cornered animal!”

He flew forward, and waved his writing brush in the air to write silvery white symbols, then used the brush to push those symbols out. The snow froze for a moment, and silver light shone into the sky. We raised our heads to see, and something spilt open the sky and fell down, opening up a red-hot inescapable net. Even before it got close, I already felt like my skin had been set alight. I held Elder Sister, shuddering with pain, shrouded in despair.

Father stood, using water to fly up, and opened his arms wide. All the water in Suzhao rose up as if it were smoke. At this moment, whether it was the territory of Suzaho, floating towns, or the statue of the G.o.d of the Azure Sea, it rotated in the air before the moon as if it were enveloped in moving water. All that was in my vision was water and light, and swaying like a willow tree, so indistinct that all that was left was chaos.

In the middle of this chaos, I heard Ru Yueweng say: “These evildoers, where have they hidden?”

Huangdao-xuanjun said: “Whatever, we can’t find them. This is really Yinze-shenzun’s magic. Lao Yue,* I discovered something interesting…”

*Lao means old. Often used in nicknames for old friends/acquaintances.

In a daze, I had a wonderful dream. In my dream, it was snowing heavily outside the window, and the fire of the stove roared. Mother ordered someone to fetch a fur cloak, and then walked over to drape it over my shoulders: “Luo’er,* if you’re drowsy then go and rest, you need to go to the Xuan Study Room tomorrow, and you’ll be tired then.”

*Adding the er on the end of names denotes familiarity. This is often used for children when the speaker is of higher status.

Father said: “This child only knows to cause trouble every day in Wanzhou Palace, making trouble for her teacher, and likes to bully others in calligraphy. Now that Chenzhi isn’t here, there’s no one to take care of her, she’s really getting more and more out of control.”

Tears streamed down, and I hurriedly used the back of my hand to wipe away tears. Mother crouched down, and used a silk handkerchief to wipe my tears: “You’re using your hand to wipe your eyes again, dirty. Why are you so sad, tell Mother.”

“Father, Mother, don’t abandon me okay…”

Mother laughed affectionately: “Silly child. I’m your mother, how could I bear to abandon you. No matter what, Mother will be by your side.”

“Zitong, don’t spoil her.” Father patted my shoulder, and said in the same severe tone as before: “Daughter,  your parents cannot stay with you for a lifetime. You must walk most of your path alone. Even if your parents leave you, you cannot be weak. How can you cry as you please?”

I shook my head like a rattle-drum. “No! I want be with Father and Mother forever! You can’t leave me!”

Father sighed, and his warm palm covered my head: “Luo’er, in ten more years, you’re almost of age, you can’t be this unruly. In a lifetime, one does not simply live for themselves. You must remember, you are the Younger Princess of The City of the Moon, Suzhao, and the daughter of myself, King Tuohua. If one day, your parents are not by your side, you must take on the burden of a.s.sisting your Elder Sister, and take on the responsibility of governing Suzhao. Do you understand?”

Why were Father’s words like a farewell… I didn’t ask for much, and only wished that they would pamper me for a little longer, just a little longer, just until I was a little more mature. I didn’t pay attention to Father’s preaching, and hid in Mother’s embrace, crying like a spoiled child. It was still Mother who loved me more. She didn’t lecture me, and just slowly patted my back, and sung my favourite childhood nursery rhyme. In the lyrics, there was the clear wind and bright moon of the City of the Moon, floating mist and warm jade. Her fingers were so warm, and when they brushed over my forehead, all my worries and fears would disappear.

This beautiful dream was at last broken by the sound of Elder Sister’s angry cursing.

“Don’t wake her, let her rest! Get out, you useless people! A disaster has befallen Suzhao, and you have the heart to worry about the kings.h.i.+p! All of you, get out!”

I suddenly sat up, and saw Elder Sister’s back appear at the door of Zhaohua Palace. I was inside in a small room, where the smell of dampness was strong. On the table was a mess of books. Hearing me turn over, Elder Sister turned around to look at me, came inside and closed the door. She quickly walked over to my bed, and said softly: “Weiwei, don’t worry, we’re safe now. If you’re tired, you can sleep a little more.”

“Safe? Where’s Father? Where’s Mother? Why do you say we are safe? Where are the two immortals?”

“Father used The Reflection of Running Water spell and moved Suzhao to a safe place. We have already completely severed contact with the outside world. The fog will stop any person from finding us.”

“Then where’s Father and Mother?” I grabbed Elder Sister’s hand. “Mother is heavily injured, right? I saw she was stabbed, and her fingers were broken… is Mother okay?”

Elder Sister did not answer me, but held my fingers tightly like she was trying to hold in her pain, using so much strength that my hand started to hurt. But she still avoided my question: “We can talk later, you should rest more now.”

“Elder Sister, what’s happened to Mother! Answer me!” I suddenly stopped yelling, and didn’t even dare to breathe, just quietly said, “Mother… is she, is she…”

“Weiwei, I can tell you the answer, but you must be strong, and can’t throw a tantrum. Because, Mother, and Father…” saying that, Elder Sister’s own tears had begun to fall, “For the sake of protecting us… they…”

In the end, Elder Sister still wasn’t able to finish speaking.

But I had already guessed. The Reflection of Running Water spell was forbidden in Suzhao, and it was said that it came from the G.o.d of the Azure Sea. Because the spell took too much strength, any person from the Suzhao clan would not be able to bear it. If they forced themselves to cast it, their soul would shatter.

Notes:

These chapters are so long I’ve decided to split them! The first half of chapter one is already 3,000 words. Stay tuned for the next half, I’ve translated about about 1/3 of it so far and our mysterious but powerful youth appears again!

What do you think of Luo Wei so far?