5 Splitting the Spiral Sword

Epigraph:

The will of the strong will not be shaken by the doubts of the weak.

Still oblivious from the schemes of the neighboring empire, Emperor He Mo looks at his two generals who are now completely drunk. Happiness is evident in their faces. His eyes then traveled from one soldier to another when suddenly one of the swordswomen approached him. This lady undeniably has a beautiful appearance. But the appearance in front of him is not enough to entice him.

"Your majesty, have some wine." Ye Yin handed him a cup of wine. He extended his fingers to grab the cup and noticed that the lady deliberately touched his hands. He looked at the cup with a little visible frown in his face.

"Thank you Lady Yin." he told her and keeps holding the cup. The emperor obviously did not intend to drink the wine.

"You're welcome your majesty." The lady responded and seductively flutters her eyelids as she looks at the emperor straight in the eye.

He glanced at her and sighed inwardly. His face is unreadable, an appearance that is void with any emotions. The young emperor inspects the surrounding one more time as if looking for a particular figure before he decided to leave. The emperor could only excuse himself from the advances of the lady under the pretense that he has some important things to do before hastily went back inside his tent. He cannot offend the Sword Cultivator Clan thus, he must avoid and take precautions. After several hours the sound of laughter is drowned by the darkness of the night, the emperor went outside again. His soldiers have finally decided to take their rest. The emperor then gazes at the sky and saw the stars clearly. The moon looks so bright. It is such a fascinating sight!

He was still appreciating at the tiny stars twinkling in the sky when he heard the sound of some branches and twigs being snapped. His mind becomes alert! The emperor is about to think that there are intruders in their camp but when his eyes saw a lady in a white dress walking in another direction, he felt at ease. He subconsciously exhaled some air.

The emperor silently observed the lady as she sat in the secluded area. His eyes saw that she has manifests her Spiral Sword and pointed it upwards... towards the direction of the moon. Her eyes are completely closed. At that very moment, the emperor realizes that the lady is actually cultivating! She is using the essence of the moon. The sword in her hands suddenly split and gradually floating. There are now two swords levitating in her right palm.

The lady must have felt his presence as the two swords immediately disappeared in a split of seconds and the lady opened her eyes looking at his direction. She stands up and walks near him. The emperor saw her peaceful countenance distinctly.

"Your majesty." Ye Shin said and humbly bows her head.

"You are cultivating?" the emperor asked peering at the figure standing in front of him.

"Yes, my inner force grows rapidly when there is enough moon essence your majesty." she responded calmly.

"I saw the Spiral Sword split." the emperor commented with his eyes staring intently at her face. Like the sight of the moon, he is fascinated by her face or perhaps the calmness reflected on it.

"I am practicing on wielding my weapon into two swords your majesty. I tried splitting it. When I wields it perfectly, I intend to leave one of the sword to my father to guard him when I am away from home." she calmly replied. Her calmness somehow matches the stillness of the night.

"Isn't your father a sword cultivator?" the emperor inquired.

"My father is older than the elder of our clan your majesty. May I ask if your majesty have heard about the Spirit Cultivators Clan before?" the lady asked softly.

"Yes, I have learned about them and the spells and curses they use." the emperor responded while staring at her. His mind remembers the elder's story about this clan.

"The lady of the Spirit Cultivators Clan had fallen in love with my father but he rejected her feelings. Because of this he gave my father a curse. A curse that made my father lost his ability to have an offspring your majesty. Such a vicious curse! Luckily, my mother is adept in herbs and had managed to cure my father's sexual potency. Although we cultivators have a longer life span but by the time they had me, my father is nearly in his nineties. My father and the elder's father are siblings your majesty. If my parents had me when they were younger, I would have been almost at the same age of the elder by now.

It's a very long and complicated story between my family and the Spirit Cultivators Clan your majesty and I don't want you to be bored by the details. Though at present condition, my father is no longer capable of fighting. This is why I need to split my sword." Ye Shin explained and finally looked at him in the eye without any trace of expression other than calmness. The emperor then realized that there are some details that probably even the elder of her clan does not know about Ye Shin. This means that both her parents were cursed by the Spirit Cultivators Clan!

"You have successfully split your sword earlier." he pointed out.

"Manifesting our weapon requires not only our bloodlines but also our inner will and inner force your majesty. My will to split the weapon is enough but my inner force is still lacking. It's not yet perfect, though the moon tonight is rich." she admitted and hints to the emperor that she may successfully absorb enough moon essence for her inner force to improve and reach perfection.

"Then you continue cultivating and improve your inner force." the emperor commanded.

"I cannot concentrate with you looking at me while cultivating your majesty. I am not used of someone observing me when I cultivate. Will you go back inside and sleep perhaps?" she gestured him to go inside his tent. If this is someone else, the emperor would have been very angry by the words he just heard but since it was her who calmly told him, he simply nods his head and went back inside his tent without glancing back on her.

When the dawn breaks, the emperor rides inside a carriage with the two swordswomen as they journey towards the capital of his empire. He saw Ye Shin silently leaning her head on the wall of the carriage and is sleeping. This lady was awake and cultivating for the whole night. Ye Yin is playing a chess game against him. The carriage slowly travels the road as he instructed the coachman to slow down their pace and there is no need for them to hurry.

The emperor alternately glanced at the chessboard and Ye Shin from time to time. After a while, he noticed that there is a single tear that drops in Ye Shin's face but the face did not changed its expression. Is she crying? He thought. When the carriage finally stopped at their destination, the elder is waiting for them. Ye Yin immediately jumps out the carriage and went to her grandfather. The emperor looks at Ye Shin who just happens to open her eyes.

"You were crying." the emperor told her.

"Did I? Was I making some noise?" the lady consciously asked.

"No. But I saw a single tear slipped in your eyes. What's wrong?" he somewhat explained while frowning at her.

"Oh! It's a dream. In my dream, I was sobbing your majesty. That's why I wondered if I was also making a noise. My father has finally accompanied my mother and brother. The three of them even joked that I can now start leading your empire." She accounted.

The emperor listened to her and did not speak anything. There was a taboo in this era that if a warrior dreams of death after a victorious battle, a great calamity is about to happen. But he had manage to focus only on her last words and for some reason these words that she just uttered does not give any threats on his heart, instead it gives and unknown warmness. The emperor then comprehends that the lady had just told him that her father was gone.

"It's just a dream. You don't need to believe on it." the emperor said referring to the death of his father. But the lady slightly shakes her head.

"My father is already over a hundred and twenty-two years old your majesty. He can take his rest if he wants to. They seemed happy in my dreams. The elder will probably confirm my dream." she said solemnly. The emperor has never comforted anyone before so he just stared at her face until she went out of the carriage.

Just as Ye Shin said, the elder reported the news that her father has passed away.

"Your father's remain is resting together with your brother and mother Shin." the elder said thoughtfully to the lady. He peeks at her expression but there was no hint of surprise nor sadness written in her face.

"Thank you for arranging everything Elder." the lady bowed her head to the elder expressing her gratitude.

"What are your plans now Shin?" the elder asked curiously. She did not answer his question but instead she placed her gaze towards the man who just stepped out of the carriage.

"Your majesty needs a bodyguard?" the lady glanced at the emperor and asked him directly. Her question took him by surprise but he had managed to maintain his usual composure. Although he had enough servants the emperor would surely not want to miss the talent of this lady. The emperor smiled at her and nods his head.

"Yes."

The elder looked at her in the eyes but did not speak anymore. The emperor noticed one of his shadows standing in the distance waiting for him. He informs the elder that he will have his rest before he left them. He then walk away straight to his room.