Water Mirrored Moon - 水鏡月

Part V - Mistress of Hidden Night City: 106. Rabbit (The End)

The Northwest. Six years later.

The Seventh Prince cautiously moved forward, shifting his feet a little. Something wasn't quite...

Dammit! What the hell!? he thought as he twisted his body through the air, smartly escaping the four logs that were released right across the narrow path, their surface made deadly with sharpened spikes. Hah! Someone had set a trap here and it was likely that the entire road up the mountain was protected in similar fashion.

That girl! No...my wife... he thought, smiling to himself as he tapped down lightly onto his feet several feet away from the deadly studded surface. My wife, he thought again, savouring the sound of those words in his head.

There was a small 'hmmph' sound from above him and a sharp whistle.

The Seventh Prince easily deflected the long metal arrow without taking his sword from the scabbard and looked up. High above him, crouched in the crotch of a tree was a young boy who had already reached into his quiver and re-nocked his bow. Although the bow was small it was finely made, constructed of a black wood and decorated with silver and jade.

A Murong bow...

The boy had long dark hair tied in a simple ponytail with a red ribbon, and his dark blue clothes were made of a plain but good cotton. He looked tall for his age, about the size of seven year old. On his neck hung a silver chain with a jade ring swinging from it that had obviously slipped out of his collar, and from one ear hung a crimson red pearl. He had an indifferent look on his face, but it was exactly his face that captivated the attention of the man standing just below. The boy's skin was pale as white jade, oval-shaped with the delicate handsome features, but his slanting eyes were the colour of dark honey. There was no doubt that this was Cui Xi's son.

"Oh, not a rabbit!" a steady, but slightly jeering voice issued from small red lips that quirked up into a mocking smile.

"Ennnn," Zhao Ling Xian agreed, amused. He tried to be amicable: "What is your name and where is your mother, child?"

Something flickered across the small face, but it was immediately supressed. If the Seventh Prince hadn't been watching very carefully, he might not have noticed the minute shift in the boy's expression. Hah! The mother has taught the son well.

"Who are you to ask after my mother? I'm not someone you can question," the boy said with a frown. Again, Zhao Ling Xian noted that the boy's voice was very even and surprising fearless.

The Seventh Prince inclined his head.

"Please forgive me. I see now that I was rude. Please take me to see your mother. I am an old friend of hers," he said, keeping his tone friendly. He did not want to frighten the boy.

The answer given was that the nocked arrow was shifted and swiftly loosed. Zhao Ling Xian brought his sword slightly out of the scabbard and blocked the arrow that had been aimed for his face.

"Villain! I won't waste words with you!" the boy smirked, and he sprang up, running along the narrow branch, and easily leapt into another tree, tapping down lightly. Grinning, he turned and leapt again into the next and so on.