The Spirit of the Plum Blossom Tree (TSPBT) - 12. Chapter 12

Er-ge was rather shocked at the question, though he quickly resumed his placid expression. “The dragons? Wei shen me?”

“Does it matter? I doubt you came here to sit around and talk about life, so why not talk about something useful,” Hong Shen drawled, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Even if Er-ge didn’t understand what sarcasm was, no doubt he could pick up on the tone.

After observing him for a few seconds, Er-ge lowered the hand holding his fan into his lap, still waving it slightly. “Very well, listen close-”

There was a knock upon the door, and He Qing’s voice could be heard on the other side. “Fourth Prince, have you awoken? Your Dragon Guard’s hanfu has arrived.”

Hong Shen clenched his fist, wanting to throw something at the door and tell He Qing to burn the damn thing, but with Er-ge carefully observing his every move, he could only sigh in annoyance. “Come in.”

The door opened to reveal the youth, graciously taking some folded pieces of cloth from other servants and entering with a smile. As soon as his eyes fell upon Er-ge, however, there was a barely noticeable pause in his step, and for some reason the tips of his ears turned a soft pink. His reaction was noticed by Er-ge, whose eyes narrowed very slightly as he nodded.

“Second P-Prince,” He Qing stuttered, quickly placing the cloth down on the edge of the pallet. Hong Shen could feel the tension between the two; was he missing something here?

“He Qing,” Er-ge greeted, his breathy voice giving nothing away. “How auspicious of you to join us. Perhaps you can tell Fourth Brother about the dragons.”

“The dragons?” he repeated, a confused expression on his face. Hong Shen, irritated at their stupid tension and stupid word games, finally snapped.

“I don’t care who does it, but one of you better start talking!”

Clearing his throat, He Qing began to speak, folding his hands behind him to hide his fidgeting.

“Long before the Guan Dynasty and the Empire were formed, dragons roamed freely across the lands, living in harmony with the people. It was said they were so common that one could see no less than 10 every day.

Some of the dragons were kind and helpful to the humans, while others caused minor disturbances. It was getting to the point where they were out of control, with too many leaving their respective domains.

After our great ancestor, the Yellow Dragon Emperor Xuanyuan Huangdi, ascended to the heavens, order returned. The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas and the 4 Dragon Emperors of the Cardinal Directions regained control, and all returned to their responsibilities.

Time passed, and Huangdi had nine sons, celestial dragons with a variety of personalities and affinities. The heavens had become crowded, so the Jade Emperor commanded Huangdi to take his sons down to the mortal realm and educate them.

Once they had descended from the heavens, the mortal Emperor of the time ordered a palace constructed so magnificent that it would rival the ones they were used to, and while it wasn’t quite as celestial as he hoped, it was enough. The Emperor named it the Central Palace, and it was where Huangdi and his sons lived for several decades.

However, the mortal Emperor had forgotten the small building housing the scholars hidden in the woods to the north of the Central Palace. Panicked, he had the building torn down in the night, leaving several angry scholars homeless.”

There was a small chuckle from Er-ge, and Hong Shen glanced at him as he lifted his white fan, standing elegantly. “Fascinating,” he murmured, but it was unknown whether he was referring to the story or something else entirely.

Turning, Er-ge made his way to the door, opening it and stepping out into the hallway. “I’m afraid I am needed at the morning court, so I must take my leave.” Waving a slender hand, his green robes vanished around the corner as the door shut.

“Good riddance,” Hong Shen scoffed, pushing off the pallet onto the floor. He Qing seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing at Er-ge’s departure, and he prepared to continue the story until Hong Shen spoke, cutting him off.

“I didn’t ask for a documentary on ancient China, I asked about the dragons. I think it’s safe to assume Huang Si’s sons or whatever are the nine dragons, but I need to know what the hell the Guards are since I seem to be one now.”

“Your Highness, if you would allow me to continue, I will address that.” He Qing’s cheeks were puffed out in annoyance, a small frown creasing his brow, and Hong Shen felt he looked more and more like a mouse each time he saw him.

Crossing his arms, he scowled at the youth, tapping his fingers on his robed arm as he still appeared to be clothed in the ceremonial robes of the day before.

He Qing began once more. “After the scholar’s building was torn down, they had nowhere to go, and could only walk through the forest until they reached the Central Palace.

After listening to their plight, Huangdi conferred with the Jade Emperor. It was decided that he would assist the scholars in constructing a palace where they could reside, if they agreed to teach his sons the ways of the mortals.

But the Jade Emperor had noticed that the amount of malicious ghosts and lost spirits had increased dramatically, for the Yamas of the Ten Halls had become overwhelmed and could not hold control over the Underworld. Summoning Huangdi, he then commanded he have his sons work with the scholars to guide the spirits of the dead instead.

Acknowledging the command, Huangdi asked the scholars if they were willing to form contracts with his sons in order to complete the task. When they agreed, he elevated them to the status of Saints, constructing a palace for them to reside in called the North Palace. In return, the Great Divine Saints formed contracts with Huangdi’s nine sons, guiding the spirits while the Nine Dragons guarded them from yao and malevolent mo.

This agreement worked for a time, but after a few decades, Huangdi suddenly received word that a disaster affecting all three realms was coming, and he had to return to the heavens, leaving his sons behind in the mortal realm. Unfortunately, the disaster struck the mortal realm first.

In order to stop it, the Great Divine Saints combined their granted power with the Nine Dragons, sacrificing themselves, though the Central Palace was destroyed in the process.

With their deaths, the contracts were broken, but the dragons did not wish to return to the heavens, having grown attached to the mortal realm. They were too drained of power and energy, however, and could not sustain physical bodies for more than a few minutes, so they could only live within a scroll the famous painter Chen Rong made, the Nine Dragon Scroll. As a result, the Four Auspicious Beasts were forced to descend from the heavens to protect the lands in their place, and three more palaces in addition to the North Palace were constructed in their honor.

Because of their lack of forms, the Nine Dragons could only rely on mortals of their choice to carry their consciousness. They formed new contracts with humans they chose, granting the human their powers while the person presented the dragons with a physical body. These supernatural hosts became known as the Dragon Guards, collaborating with the new generations of Saints to fulfill the tasks given by the Jade Emperor.”

A blissful moment of silence descended upon the room as He Qing finished, and Hong Shen stood still, absorbing all the information. It appeared that the Dragon Guards were supposed to guard the Saints with their dragon’s powers, that much he understood. But some parts of the story did not make sense, with all these references to Dragon Kings and Yamas and Emperors. What was the disaster the Saints were forced to perish for? What happened to the mortal Emperor?

If all this happened centuries ago, why haven’t the dragons regained the power to hold their physical forms once more?

A strange feeling shifted in the back of his mind, and all at once the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his jaw tightening. Suan Ni’s voice reverberated inside his skull, originating from the weird sensation and causing him to wince. So many questions...If you wanted to know about the dragons, you could have asked me.

“That’s the origin story of the dragons, Your Highness.” He Qing’s voice brought Hong Shen back to the present, saving him from responding to Suan Ni. It was unsettling to know that every one of his thoughts could be heard by the dragon hiding in his mind, but there was little he could do about it.

Releasing his clenched jaw, Hong Shen glanced at the youth standing before him, who watched him with rapt attention. “Alright, I get it. Now leave.”

He Qing paused, his face falling very slightly, before bowing and departing the room with barely a sound. Hong Shen felt a flash of annoyance; was the stupid boy expecting to be praised or some shit? He should be grateful I even listened to his talk!

A familiar rumbling chuckle resounded within his mind. Oh, how arrogant you are. You and I will get along well.

“Shut up,” Hong Shen muttered angrily, stomping over to the folded cloth on the edge of his pallet. The last thing he wanted was to get along with the parasite in his head!

Regardless of whether you wish it or not, you and I are now considered one entity. When people address you, they will be addressing the both of us, and you will be revered and feared because of it. If you want to survive longer than a few days, you might as well accept me now.

“Don’t count on it.” Grabbing the cloth, Hong Shen shook it out, revealing the Dragon Guard’s hanfu in its entirety. Deep blue silk rippled in the air, embroidered with 9 different dragons of all shapes and sizes in a variety of colors. Some flew while others curled, some roared while others were still. They extended along the ku and the sleeves, leaving no dark cloth uncovered.

A belt fell onto the pallet from inside the hanfu, a dark leather with nine silver swords crossed upon its length. It was similar to the hair crown he had to wear for the ceremony, the same one still holding up his ivory tresses.

Similar to the nine colored swords impaled into the altar of the magical room Guan Hongye met with Suan Ni in.

Something nagged at Hong Shen in the back of his mind; surely there was a connection between the swords and the dragons if Suan Ni had been able to touch one so easily. But he would be damned if he asked the dragon anything, so he simply shoved the thought aside, spending the next few moments tugging the hair crown off his head.

Tossing the weighted gold piece onto the sleeping pallet, he stripped out of the ceremonial robes, carelessly dropping them to the floor as he dressed in the Dragon Guard’s hanfu. Tying on the belt, he grabbed a fistful of the long white hair extending halfway down his chest, looking around the small room for anything sharp. Now that he had the time, he should hack it all off, it would be less troublesome and would no longer make him look so feminine.

There was an intake of breath within his mind, and Hong Shen frowned, waiting for Suan Ni to mock him and make another self righteous comment. Instead, the dragon only withdrew his presence, leaving behind a cryptic warning.

Don’t do anything foolish.

What? How was cutting off his ridiculously long hair foolish?

Before Hong Shen could retort, the door slammed open once more, and he spun around to see the next uninvited guest. Except, this one was no one he recognized, a eunuch dressed plainly in an orange robe, a sun-like crest stretching across the front from shoulder to shoulder as an ugly black cap hid his hair. Two others stood on each side of him, men dressed entirely in the armor he had seen worn by the imperial palace guards, their faces covered by black cloth, eyes hidden in the shadow of their white tasseled helmets.

The eunuch held a scroll within his grasp, and as Hong Shen watched, he cleared his throat, unfurling it and beginning to speak as the guards began to move.

“Accept the Imperial Edict! By will of the Son of Heaven, His Majesty the Ninth Emperor Guan Taiyang, the Fourth Prince Guan Hongye is hereby sentenced to guarded imprisonment until further notice!”

The palace guards marched over to Hong Shen, grabbing his arms and forcing him down to his knees even as he struggled. Ignoring his muffled protests, he was made to kneel, bowing his head before the eunuch.

“Proclaimed guilty of the following crime - attempting to assassinate the Emperor! Accept your punishment!”

What the fuck?! He never tried to assassinate the Emperor, even if Guan Hongye hated-

Struck by a sudden thought, he stopped struggling, allowing the palace guards to pull him to his feet, chaining his hands in front of him in heavy iron. Suan Ni had control of his body during the ceremony, and Hong Shen hadn’t regained control of it until he awoke not too long ago.

“Which one are you now? As in, are you the dragon, or are you the prince?”

That dragon had done something! Hong Shen was blinded by rage, and he kicked out at the guards, causing one to trip slightly, before he was struck on the back of his head by the other. Blinking away stars from the pain, he relented, stewing with anger as he was dragged out of the room.

Don’t do anything foolish?! DAMN YOU, SUAN NI! DAMN YOU TO HELL!