[ C ] - Journey To The Temple

While unconscious, Alex had a dream, but it was actually a flashback dream as it based on an event that happened as a child. In fact, it was a recurring dream that he's had for a while.

"No! Don't leave!" screamed the child, who was Alex when he was younger. "No!!"

The little girl with black hair was about to leave. She had already packed her belongings. "I'm sorry Alex…I can no longer stay here. I will be a danger to you all."

"No, sister!" Alex did not care what she said, and continued to cry out with tears streaming down his face. He wanted to run after her, but he was being restrained by two hands from behind.

"Sorry, brother." said Li Cheng, and she left and never looked back.

While unconscious, Zi and Jade set him on the bed and bandaged his wounds. One on his stomach, right arm, and left elbow. The one on his stomach was most severe.

"But why...why does the royal family want Alex dead? Alex never did anything wrong!" Jade exclaimed.

"I am not so clear myself. But being Alex's friend for so many years, I am not surprised they came to kill him. There was one other time, a few years ago, when the imperial troops came to have his head. But we were lucky enough to escape with our lives. Now, somehow they found us."

"You mean, you two are on the run from the law? But Alex never mentioned someone is out to kill him. Just what exactly did he do that caused all this?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that question. Alex was on the run when I already met him. But it has something to do with his missing sister. His older sister used to work in the palace, but one day she came home and left and disappeared. Shortly afterwards, Alex's parents disappeared too. He's been alone ever since."

Jade stared at Alex while he moaned in his sleep. After hearing about his past, she felt bad for him...She put a wet cloth on his head. Alex almost never talks about his past, but little did she know he was hiding all this pain.

"Do not worry, Jade. I will take care of him. Please go outside and fetch some water for him."

"Mmmm. Okay." As expected, Jade went outside.

Minutes later, Alex groaned and sweated and squirmed. Zi washed his face, and put the wet cloth on his forehead. "You will be fine, buddy."

His eyes opened slightly. "Ugh."

"Alex? You awake?"

"Yeah. I feel so fucked up. Where am I?"

"In my house. You are safe. The imperial troops will not find you here." Zi replied.

"Ugh. We have to leave in the morning."

"Leave? To where?"

"To the Temple of Enlightenment. It is our only choice." He sat up.

"You are shitting me, right? You are not going anywhere in your condition." Zi grabbed him by the shoulders. "Just rest until your wounds heal."

"These wounds will take forever to heal! We have no time, Zi! Do you understand? The man we saw is an imperial troop! And something is not right...because since when does the imperial army send trained assassins to do their dirty work?"

"Hmmm. That is true." Zi said.

"They will surely find us. They are hot on our trail. The Temple is our only chance. I might as well find my sister while avoiding certain death. Who knows...maybe once we get to the Temple they will be able to heal my wounds?"

"Ummm."

Alex grabbed Zi's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Look Zi, you are my best friend. You have always been there for me, and I have always been there for you. Now, I ask that you be there for me one more time. Help me find my sister."

Zi sighed and nodded. "Fine. Agreed."

Alex smiled. That's what friends are for, right?

En Lo scanned left and right, making sure no one sees him, and opened the door, went inside, closed the door. Duke was walking to and fro, waiting for his good news. En felt nervous, wondering how the Duke will handle the bad news. He kneeled.

"Honorable Duke Xiang."

"Well. Did you kill that rogue?" Xiang asked.

"Ummm."

"Speak up."

"We did not kill him. He had help. It was almost as if he expected us to come. I am sorry, my lord."

The Duke was not pleased to hear these words, and it showed on his facial expression. "You failed?"

En Lo put his head down. "Please my lord, give me one more chance. I will have his head for sure."

The Duke was biting a piece of cloth and pulling it in anger. "Grrrr. Grrrr. He is supposed to be dead! And yet he is still alive. And by now he is on the run. How can we get him now?"

"Please forgive me, Duke. Give me one more chance."

"Fine! One more chance it is." He pointed at En Lo. "And you had better get him this time. I will give you three days."

"Three days? I need more time."

"You will have three days and not a second more! Got it?"

"Yes, m'lord."

"Now go. I am not in a good mood."

En Lo walked backwards to the exit, closing the door on the way.

In the heart of the kingdom of Shen exists the Imperial Palace, the place where the royal family resides. It is the toughest stronghold in the kingdom, guarded by thousands upon thousands of imperial guards, who are highly trained swordsmen. Their duty is to serve their master, and the king, with their lives.

Aside from being the safest, it is also the wealthiest structure in Shen. Only a select few may enter its premises. Peasants can only dream about what life is like as a resident of the palace.

Sitting at the dinner table was King Liu, and beside him was his wife, the concubine Celina Liu. The food that they ate was nothing short of the best, made by the finest chefs they have staffed in the palace. Celina picked up an oyster with her chop sticks and fed it to Liu, who chewed it slowly and then swallowed it. "Mmmm. It is delicious." he said.

"Then have some more." said his concubine. She picked up another oyster and moved it over to his mouth. She put her other hand under the food just in case it drops. "Say aahhh."

Liu closed his eyes and swallowed the oyster and chewed on it slowly, enjoying its taste. Food tastes even better when it's served by a beautiful woman. His wife Celina can be said to be a trophy wife, one that no straight man can resist. She was wearing a thin, white dress made of silk, with an oval neck line. On her wrist were many bracelets, only the most expensive ones that a commoner cannot possibly afford. On her neck she wore a necklace made of diamonds, and it contained a rare purple gem. It is considered to be one of the rarest jewels in all of China.

King Liu wore a yellow silk gown, and it is the highest quality any one can ask for. One his chest bore the word "Shen" in a red color. He was wearing a crown made of pure gold.

He is the envy of all men, not only because he is the king, but he has military and political power and no one can argue with him. His word is the law, and those who disobey him disobey the law. And also, he is fortunate to have found such a beautiful and loving wife such as Celina.

A servant came into the room and kneeled. "Your highness." In a monarchial society such as Shen, it is required by law to address the king and other nobles properly. Failure to do so will result in unthinkable consequences.

"It had better be important for you to interrupt my dinner." said King Liu.

"My apologies, but Duke Xiang wants to see you, and he says it is urgent."

"Duke Xiang? Very well." said Liu. "Bring him in."

Duke Xiang came into the room and bowed. "Your highness." Then he turned to Celina. "My lady."

She replied with a smile.

"I am terribly sorry as I did not know you were eating. Had I known I would not have come here to interrupt your meal."

"You are already here. You might as well tell me what you need."

"Sire, have you read my proposal for the new law?"

The king thought for a moment. "The new law? Do you mean the one which calls for random searches?"

"Yes. I would to know what your decision on it is."

"Duke, I simply cannot pass such a law."

Xiang got mad, but he held it in. "Why not?"

"Because that law goes against the principles of the Kingdom of Shen. We are a kingdom that is about the people. To search people's homes randomly is a violation of their privacy, and doing so will make them lose their trust in us, the authority figures."

"But sire, the other three kingdoms allow random searches. I do not see why we should not do the same."

"My dear duke, what the other kingdoms do is none of our concern."

"But sire, think about the benefits that we can reap. The populace cannot be trusted. We will never know if there are criminals hiding under someone else's roof, or even spies from other kingdoms." said the duke.

"Authority and power is about trust and respect, Duke Xiang. If we cannot trust the people, then how can we expect them to trust us? Our kingdom is different than other kingdoms. Shen is built on the philosophy of honor and unity, and that is what makes our kingdom special and unique. We have been prosperous for many years, and we shall continue to do so."

"Well said, your highness." said Celina.

By now, the duke realized that he cannot win this debate. It is better not to argue with the king than risk being beheaded. He was defeated, but he will not give up. He bowed his head low, and said, "Very well, sire, I concur with your judgment.

"Very good then. Anything else?"

"Umm, yes actually. Earlier tonight a rogue attacked some of the royal troops and killed them. This man is very skilled in the art of sword fighting and is to be considered extremely dangerous."

"So capture them."

"He has escaped. With your permission, I shall put up wanted posters of this man all over Yi Ling. One of our men has seen his face, thus we should be able to find him."

"My guard told me everything that he saw. He was even lucky to run away with his life. This man, 'Alex Cheng' is not to be taken lightly."

"Hmm, very well. Do so."

"Thank you sire." The Duke turned around and left with a smirk on his face. His law may not have been passed, but at least his visit was not a complete waste of time.

On the very next day, wanted posters of Alex Cheng and his companion, Zi were put all over town. They were posted on almost every public domain - restaurants, brick walls, community postings, etc. The townspeople stopped what they're doing and looked at the posters, discussing it amongst each other.

They were saying things like: "Wow, how despicable. We have to watch out for this guy." And things like: "There are so many bad people roaming this place." And things like "What is happening to our town?"

Alex and Zi, carrying their belongings, walked towards the exit. Then Jade came out of the house and screamed, "Hey, wait!"

The men turned around. Jade walked up to Alex, giving him a bag with a lunch box inside.

"What is this?" he asked.

"This is in case you get hungry on your journey. When you eat it, you will be thinking of the person who made it for you."

"Oh. Thank you very much."

Jade tightened Alex's hand on the lunch box. "Be careful on your journey. Do not die, okay?" Her eyes were getting wet.

"Of course I will not die so easily. Do you know who you are talking to?"

Jade forced a smile. "I know, Alex Cheng. Good luck!" She ran back inside.

Alex and Zi walked out.

"You know Alex, once we leave, there is no turning back."

"I know. I do not plan on turning back. I know I have to find my sister no matter what."

"I can see you are very determined, Alex."

"Of course. I have to find out what happened to her no matter what. I have one and only one sister."

"Yes. But there is a thin line between determination and obsession."

"Are you saying I am obsessed?" Alex said.

"Are you not?"

"If your sister was missing, you would do anything you can do to find her, wouldn't you?" Alex asked.

"I would, but without sacrificing my own life in the process. I would search for my sister, no matter how many years it takes. But I do not ignore those who I love and care about. You know, Jade is not that bad. She spent all morning making that food for you."

"Indeed. She's been very supportive of us, especially when we need her."

"What do you think of her?" Zi asked.

"She is a good person and a great friend…but a terrible salesman." Alex said.

"No, that is not what I meant." Zi said in frustration. Sometimes he cannot believe how dense and ignorant his friend is. "I mean…are you fond of her?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"C'mon. She came over the other night. There must be more going on that I think it is." Zi said with a naughty tone.

"Ughhh...it's not what you think. Jade is not bad, but I think of her as…more like a sister."

Zi gasped playfully. "Like a sister? So she's a replacement for Li?"

"No!!" Alex chased Zi, who was laughing, and they ran down the street like little children playing a game of tag.

After fooling around, the two friends walked to the restaurant that they always go to.

"Say Zi, want to have breakfast before heading out of town?"

"Sure thing. We cannot travel on an empty stomach."

"Then it is decided."

Just before they walk a step further, they heard loud and annoying laughter. Hua and his group of brute friends claimed the streets. Everyone got out of their way.

Alex said, "Oh great...it is him again."

Zi said, "Yes, I have heard of this man. The local bully, Hua. He is bad news, so let's stay away from him."

"He should stay away from us."

Just then, Hau looked at Alex.

"Oh shit." Alex exclaimed.

Hua and his gang walked towards the two men. "Hey, it is that punkass from last time. How are ya doing, buddy?" He put his hand on Alex's shoulder. Zi got worried, for Alex had a history of bad temper.

Alex brushed his hand off. "Get your dirty hands off me. You took my table last time, so what do you want now?"

"Heh. Show some manners, punk. Like I said, it is my table by right."

"Look," Alex said. "We did not come here for trouble. We just want to get some food and leave. I assure you we will not sit at "your" table this time."

"You think we can just let you go that easily?" one of the brutes said.

"What do you guys want from me?"

Hua said, "Oh it is not you that I want. I would not even waste my breath on you, but I want money. See this?" He took out a piece of wrinkled paper from his pocket, and opened it up and shoved it into Alex's face.

Alex grabbed the paper and stared at it. It had a picture of himself. It said

Wanted. Alex Cheng. Considered to be extremely dangerous - if you see this man, tell the authorities immediately. Your cooperation is respected.

"What the hell is this?!" he said in disbelief, staring at a detailed drawing of his own face. "This is absurd!"

Zi was just as surprised as his friend.

"Heh, it seems you have offended the wrong person." Hua said. "There is a reward of five thousand li on your head."

Suddenly, Alex figured it out…it must have been En Lo's doing. They want him dead. "Crap...it has to be him...the Duke."

"The Duke?" Zi repeated.

Hua said, "Now punk, come with us so we can get our reward - if you cooperate we promise we will not hurt you…too much" He smiled.

"Thanks for the offer...but I am sorry to have to decline. He shoved the wanted poster into Hua's face."

"Uuuugh!"

The brutes drew their swords. Zi and Alex ran, jumped up, stepped on Hua, and landed behind the brutes. Hua fell on his back.

The brutes chased them like cat and mice. Hua got up, and the others were already far away. "Get those damn punks!" he shouted.

Alex and Zi ran for their lives. Doosh doosh. They pushed the people who got in their way.

"Hey watch it!" said a passer-by. Then he saw a gang of brutes running toward him, and quickly ran away in cowardice. "Yeeek!"

The heroes ran for their lives. Doosh doosh. "Alex, the barn yard!"

"Okay!"

They ran into the barn and jumped over the fence. The brutes ran inside just to get hit by a running horse. Crash! The horse whined and stood on its hind legs, as Alex pulled its reins. "Hyah! Hyah!"

Zi's horse came out. The horses ran parallel to each other and ran to the outer fence. It was going to be a big jump, so they pulled the reins extra hard, and the horses whined and leaped over the fence. They were leaping in slow motion, as the brutes watched in surprise. The horses jumped over them while they ducked for cover.

They continued galloping all the way to the end of town. Once they assumed they were safe, Alex and Zi looked at each other.

"This is a great idea, Zi."

"Yeah. Hopefully the owners will not be mad."

Gallop gallop.

In the forestry area of Xizang, two horses walked about. The travelers have been traveling for days now, and they still have not found the Temple of Enlightenment. Zi and Alex already used up half their food supply. And the sun wasn't friendly either. Traveling in the sweltering heat is like going through hell, a really long hell.

Alex took out a water bag and helped himself. Gulp gulp. He drank it thirstily. He did not care if he drinks all of it, since there is bound to be a pond or lake close by. Zi wiped his forehead with his arm. He was sweating like a pig.

"So tell me something, why did your sister run away?" Zi asked.

"Hmmm. It was a long time ago, but I recall something she said to me..."