[Pearl Kingdom]
Yue could have been lost in her thoughts if not for her brother's voice calling her. It was the afternoon, the time when Yue loved to enjoy tea and her favorite rice cakes in the palace's lake garden.
She stood up and walked toward the bridge where her brother was waiting.
"Jing!" she called out, hurrying to him as her maids followed behind.
"Princess, you must address the Crown Prince properly," Roulan reminded her politely. Yue always called the Crown Prince by his name, and Jing never minded. He adored his sister and spoiled her endlessly, much to the dismay of their mother, who was far stricter when it came to discipline.
"It's fine, Roulan. Let her call me by my name. I might miss this when I become Emperor. Obviously, she'll be punished if she calls me by my name then," Jing joked, making everyone smile as they watched Yue's reaction.
"You mean... you won't be my brother anymore when you become Emperor?" she asked, pouting in disappointment.
"Of course not!" A commanding voice echoed behind them, making everyone step back in respect. It was Mei—the Empress and the strongest female general of the Pearl Kingdom.
"Yue, you must understand that your brother will become Emperor. He's not just your playmate. He will rule this kingdom, and everyone must respect him—even family," Mei's tone softened as she approached her daughter.
Mei could be harsher than the Emperor when it came to raising their children, but she had a soft spot for her only daughter. Despite being the kingdom's greatest warrior, Mei never wanted Yue to follow in her footsteps. She wanted her daughter to live as a princess in her own way.
"Have you finished your lessons? I told you to study the other kingdoms. That way, you can help your brother when he becomes Emperor." Yue looked away, guilty—she had spent the entire afternoon in the garden, distracted by a strange dream she'd been having for days.
It was the first time Yue had recurring dreams, always the same scene—her mother dying in battle alongside her brother.
"I'm on it, Mother!" she replied quickly, but Jing saw through her lie.
"Then tell me—what is the strongest kingdom in the land of Xianxia?" he asked, testing her in front of their mother.
"D-Diamond?" she stammered, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.
"Why?" Jing pressed.
"Because... it's the strongest stone in the world?"
"You're wrong!" Mei flicked Yue's forehead, catching her in the lie.
"Ahh!" Yue winced, rubbing her forehead.
"Sorry! I haven't started yet," she admitted, pleading. "So what is the strongest kingdom? Isn't it Pearl? Because Mother is the strongest warrior?" she asked curiously.
"It's the Jade Kingdom," Mei said firmly, shattering Yue's assumption.
"But aren't you feared by other kingdoms?" Yue asked, worried.
"We haven't fought Jade yet... not with its new warriors." Mei's gaze drifted toward the lake. "Twenty years ago, I could have faced them..."
"What about now?" Jing asked, sensing his mother's unease—a rare thing when speaking of past wars.
"There is a legend in Xianxia, long forgotten," Mei began. "A warrior will be born with the spirit of the dragon..."
"Spirit of the dragon? I think I read that in the historical books," Jing said, his voice sharpening with interest.
"If someone is born with the spirit of the dragon, their destiny is to end all wars..." Mei paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.
"The wars will end by conquering every kingdom. That means... everyone will die."
"In the past years, no one has been born with the spirit of the dragon," Jing said, his heart pounding at the thought of the kingdom's future.
"How do you know when someone is born with it?" Yue asked.
"The moon will give the sign. When someone is born under the first bloody moon, the spirit of the dragon has returned," Mei explained. "There's a rumor that the first prince of Jade was born under that moon—25 years ago, when all the kingdoms of Xianxia faced disaster. Droughts, typhoons, and the longest winter nearly wiped out entire coastal lands... You weren't born yet, so you wouldn't know."
Seeing Yue's worried expression, Mei pinched her cheeks playfully.
"Does the prince turn into a dragon?" Yue asked, wide-eyed. Mei chuckled.
"The spirit doesn't give superpowers, darling," she said gently. "It's about destiny. Since the dragon is a supreme being, anyone born with its spirit is destined to either rule... or destroy."
"Do you know which spirit I was born with!?" Yue asked in an exciting tone. "Do you think everyone is born with such spirit? Of course not! See you are not studying about Xianxia at all!" Mei attempted to flick her forehead once again but Yue luckily moved away, hiding at the back of her brother. "I was wondering if there is a cat spirit too," she stuttered.
"In the legend, Xianxia was saved by the Yin and Yang of a Dragon, thousand years ago...so there is no such cat spirit!" Mei's voice raised. "It says that it returns every bloody moon... but in the past there was no sign of its return because there haven't been a bloody moon is Xianxia, so the legend was long forgotten not until a bloody moon has appeared 25 years ago..."
"So the wars that are happening now, Mother...is it maybe about the legend?" Jing who seemed troubled turned to her mother as he looks back on the intensified wars from the past 5 years.
"The other kingdoms do not believe the legend but they seem afraid of the Jade Kingdom. This was after Jade's forces wiped out Emerald Kingdom..." Yue noticed how Mei and Jing's expression suddenly changed as if they weigh a heavy burden upon remembering the Kingdom's destruction 5 years ago. It was a kingdom that is not an enemy of Pearl and Mei and Jing joined the battle to subdue the attack of Jade Kingdom.
From the past years, wars do not wipeout an entire kingdom. It was only Jade that is able to wipe out an entire kingdom, sparing no life, ended the existence of its people and the kingdom.
"That war that killed everyone in Emerald was led by the first prince--Ji Shin..." Jing's fist is tightly gripped as he uttered that name.
"Do you know which spirit I was born with!?" Yue asked in an excited tone.
"Do you think everyone is born with such a spirit? Of course not! See, you're not studying about Xianxia at all!" Mei attempted to flick her forehead once again, but Yue quickly moved away, hiding behind her brother.
"I was wondering if there is a cat spirit too," she stuttered.
"In the legend, Xianxia was created by the Yin and Yang of a Dragon thousands of years ago... so there is no such thing as a cat spirit!" Mei's voice rose.
"It says that the spirit returns every bloody moon... but in the past, there was no sign of its return because there hadn't been a bloody moon in Xianxia. The legend was long forgotten—until a bloody moon appeared 25 years ago..."
"So the wars happening now, Mother... could they be because of the legend?" Jing, who seemed troubled, turned to his mother as he thought about the intensified wars of the past five years.
"The other kingdoms do not believe the legend, but they seem afraid of the Jade Kingdom. This was after Jade's forces wiped out Emerald Kingdom..." Yue noticed how Mei and Jing's expressions suddenly changed, as if they carried a heavy burden remembering the kingdom's destruction five years ago. Emerald was not an enemy of Pearl, and Mei and Jing had joined the battle to subdue Jade's attack.
In past years, wars never wiped out an entire kingdom. But Jade did—erasing Emerald completely, sparing no life, ending the existence of its people and its name.
"That war that killed everyone in Emerald was led by the First Prince—Ji Shin..." Jing's fist tightened as he uttered that name.
***
[Jade Kingdom]
The brothel in Yujun City is busy despite having only one customer—the second prince of Jade Kingdom, Ji Yuan.
Yujun is a busy city where the biggest brothel in Jade Kingdom is dominantly controlled by Prince Yuan, who loves women and keeps his reputation for having his own imperial harem. Yuan is undoubtedly any woman's dream. With his manly figure, alluring demeanor, and unrivaled ways of enticing women, he is the best in the kingdom at making women fall in love.
It is a busy day in Yujun Brothel as they welcome Yuan's arrival after seven days of exploration outside the kingdom as part of the military's scouting activities amidst the intensified war of the past years. Yuan joins his brother—Ji Shin, the general and highest in command of the kingdom's military forces—in battle, although he knows that he could never be as skilled as Ji Shin in wars.
Being in war is a part of his destiny he could never change ever since he was a kid. Despite hating wars, he was forced to train in martial arts and sword fighting with Ji Shin, who excelled in every art of fighting when they were young.
"Prince Yuan! Can I offer you a drink?" While being drawn to the dancing performance of the women in front of him, another woman approaches to offer a new drink from a new pot.
Yuan's eyes caught how the two girls he's been drinking with glared at the newly arrived girl. Yuan knows that these women compete with each other to be his concubine—a position most of the women in this brothel are eyeing to raise their ranks in the kingdom.
But despite fancying women, Yuan has never brought any woman or entered into an official relationship. He believes the imperial harem he has now is just an escape from the fate of being this kingdom's prince.
As for the throne of being an emperor—Yuan doesn't want it.
Yuan nodded as he permitted this newly arrived woman to offer him a drink. The woman carefully poured a drink and handed it over to Yuan. It is an instinct that Yuan learned from his younger brother Xian to smell food or drinks offered to him before drinking, although he is confident that any poison he may take can be cured by Xian, who is addicted to experimenting with poison to make medicines.
As Yuan smells a different scent from the liquor he is familiar with, he smirked at the woman who just dodged his eyes.
Yuan threw the cup on the floor, stopping everything going on around him. The women stepped back in respect to the prince when he stood up in dismay.
"You dare poison me?" As his growling voice echoed in the brothel, the woman who gave him the drink bowed down on the floor, asking for her life to be spared.
Mina just arrived in time. She is the owner of the brothel who takes care of whatever Yuan requests. She approaches the cup on the floor only to confirm what Yuan just blurted out.
"I apologize, Your Highness!" She bowed down to the floor. "I will make sure she receives the punishment!" She pleaded in desperation.
"Enough...you'll die anyway," he went back to his seat. "Do you think sparing your life is enough for you to survive? Whoever wanted you to poison me wanted you dead more than I do..."
[Jade Kingdom - Jade Palace]
Ji Shin answered the emperor's summons upon his return from the borders of the Jade Kingdom, where his battalion's base was stationed. In addition to commanding the kingdom's military forces, Ji Shin led his own elite army—renowned as the greatest force Jade had ever seen.
Clad in his signature dark, ornate robe adorned with silver and metallic dragon embroidery, Ji Shin embodied supreme power and authority. Though he was the most favored prince to inherit the throne, Ji Shin harbored no desire for the crown.
Upon entering the study hall where his father awaited, Ji Shin immediately paid his respects to the emperor.
"Shin," his father greeted with a smile. Ji Han, the emperor of Jade Kingdom, was famed as the youngest ruler in Xianxia, having inherited the throne at birth. Fifty years ago, Jade Kingdom lay shattered by war, a realm few feared—until Ji Shin was born.
"You can rest easy. It's just us," Ji Han assured, dismissing the servants and leaving only his most trusted eunuch in the room.
"The Obsidian Army is advancing toward Diamond Kingdom. They've sought aid from Pearl Kingdom..." Ji Han began, settling before a chessboard—a silent invitation for Ji Shin to join the game.
"Just as planned. We will join the war and bring down Diamond Kingdom," Ji Shin affirmed, anticipating his father's intent.
"Once Diamond and Pearl Kingdom fall, Jade will reign supreme across Xianxia," Ji Han declared, making his move on the board.
"But you know...the Empress of Pearl Kingdom will be your greatest enemy." Ji Shin paused, recalling his past encounter with the formidable empress—who also served as Pearl's general.
If anyone could rival Ji Shin's strength, it was her. Her battle strategies were known to trick other kingdoms. Ji Shin is yet to face the female general but given the information he's gotten from previous wars with Pearl, he knew the empress is worth becoming his mortal enemy.
"The Pearl Kingdom's mastery of warfare is exceptional—something we must overcome," Ji Shin admitted as he countered his father's move, acknowledging that in strategy, Empress Lin Mei might be his equal.
"…and you know as well what the legend says about your destiny," Ji Han's words triggered Ji Shin to clench his fist as he waited for his move.
Ji Shin has been living his life following his foretold destiny from the old legend that may be connected to his birth.
His family sees the long-forgotten legend as guidance for the kingdom from the moment he was born.
The old legend speaks of the betrayed dragon who helped cultivate Xianxia in the beginning. The dragon used its yin-yang—or what they called "its life"—to save Xianxia from disasters that almost wiped out its existence. Years later, war began. The dragon used its remaining powers to divide the entire land of Xianxia, which would become the five kingdoms in the future. A legend was born and passed through generations: before the dragon divided the land of Xianxia, it spoke of its return on a bloody moon. This message was interpreted as the dragon's revenge on the people who destroyed the home it built. The legend may have been exaggerated or interpreted differently over the years, but now it is believed that the spirit of the dragon is born among its people and will soon rule the land.
"…You know, Shin, that Pearl will be your weakness…" The last words the emperor uttered are also part of the legend.
The legend continues with the Pearl—symbolizing the tears of the supreme dragon in the beginning. It was believed that the tears transformed into a pearl, representing the pool of its emotions. When the dragon divided the land of Xianxia, one land remained in the largest, deepest sea of Xianxia; in the future, this became the Pearl Kingdom. The legend says the dragon intentionally cast this place away to seal its emotions. That is why the Jade Kingdom sees the Pearl Kingdom as its mortal enemy.
"You're saying, Father, that someone in the Pearl Kingdom is also born destined to be Shin's heart?" A playful voice disrupted Shin's flaring emotions as well as Ji Han's concentration on the game when Xian entered the room, holding a wooden tray of medicines.
"Xian!" Ji Han gladly stood up.
"Oh, where are my respects!?" Xian forgot to pay respect to the emperor, so Eunuch Imu took the medicines from him, allowing him to bow to his father.
"I brewed new medicines for you. Don't worry, they're not from poisonous plants." They both chuckled, as Xian was known to experiment with poisonous plants to make medicines.
"I'm going back to the training camp." Shin was never good at moments like this with his father. Xian and Yuan might have father-son talks like this, but Shin never could.
Just as he trained his body for war, his heart and emotions had also grown colder. He figured that to be the best warrior in the land, he had to shut down anything that would stop him from killing anyone who threatened his kingdom's reign over the land.
Because his destiny is to destroy every kingdom in Xianxia, he would never indulge himself in anything but killing enemies in war—and if he is indeed on the path of the dragon spirit's return, he shall take down its heart to rule over the land once again