Prologue 2 Little village near Guilu and the border

It has been 2 years since Ling last saw Huai Shan. With the help of his old friend, he passed customs without anybody stopping or interfering.

Settling down in a small village by the outskirts of Wuzhou, Ling had started to make a living by being a fisherman.

"Ling Yu." A woman's voice sounded as someone pushed open the door and came in. It was his wife, Yun Yi.

"Yun." Ling smiled as he put down the fishing net and embraced his wife.

"Chong Er has been pestering you to tell him about the reason we left Zhongdu." Yun Yi whispered by Ling's ear. "It is his eleventh birthday today. You promised you would tell him the whole story of his uncle Huai when he turned eleven."

Ling paused.

He knew this day had to come. Not only as a promise to his son. But also as a promise to his old friend, Huai Shan. Now greatly known as the Golden Emperor. Also known as Guang Shan Di. Letting go of his wife, Ling patted the dust from his robe.

"Has he abided by our promise?" Ling asked as Yun Yi helped him tidy up the room.

"Yes he did. He has never let foot into the room."

"You have been with me for more than 30 years. It has been a hard time for you. Thank you Yun Yi, for staying by my side. I wouldn't have kept sane if it wasn't because of you."

Yun Yi smiled and said.

"Don't get mushy on me. If it wasn't because of Huai Shan Ge, I wouldn't have even had the chance to still be alive. Much less meeting you. Beside, our whole family owe him our lives."

Yes, when Ling Chong was 6 years old, he was kidnapped alongside Yun Yi. Ling had no idea where and who kidnapped them. If it wasn't because Huai Shan led his troops after a long chase, losing Linghuo Guan at the same time. Yun Yi and Ling Chong would've been dead.

A knock on the door sounded.

"Come in." Ling answered and stood up.

The door opened and a young boy stepped inside. "Father."

"I see you. Come inside."

Closing the door behind him, the one who entered the room was none other than his own son, Ling Chong.

"I know what are you here for." Ling opened his mouth as Ling Chong bowed. "I will ask this once and only once. The story you seek is not just a fairy-tale. The truth is harsher than it looks. It may even let you realize that the tales you've heard outside are just a bunch of lies to cover up the ugly truth. Even like this, are you still willing to seek the truth?"

Ling Chong gripped his fists and said firmly.

"Yes father."

Ling nodded his head as he turned over towards another room. "Follow me."

Father and son walking side by side, they stopped in front of a room that wrote the words 'Prohibited'.

Opening the door, the two of them walked inside. There was a statue of Huai Shan in the middle of the room. There were no windows. But there were also no dusts as Yun Yi came to clean the room every day.

Ling walked around the room, leaving his son to stare at the statue of Huai Shan in awe. Plucking out scrolls from the book shelves, he held them in his hand and placed them by the side at the foot of the statue one by one. All thirty of them.

"I kept a military journal, both Huai Shan and I. From our very first campaign together to our last." Ling said. He took on of them and handed it to Ling Chong. Ling Chong opened it, still standing in awe. In the first hand's-breadth of parchment, he saw water marks, mud, a grass stain and a bloody handprint.

Ling Chong almost even raised the parchment to his lips – his awe was religious.

"Of course, like I said," Ling said with an impish grin of a much younger man. "it's a bunch of lies."

Yun Yi, who followed behind them just now, laughed. Ling Chong felt his stomach fall.

"He was like a god. Bringing an end to the never-ending wars between the five kingdoms. But he was also the man who had serious trust issues and couldn't abide by a word of criticism by the first few years." Ling shrugged. "I loved him. I know what exactly love is, son, and I don't throw that word around. He was like a god. But he'd have had me killed if I wasn't the one who followed him the longest and his only friend alive. The way he killed most of his friends."

Ling Chong swallowed with difficulty.

"Would you really like me to tell you about Huai Shan?" Ling asked as he stared into the unknown. "I will. I've always wanted to tell someone about it. Not just because of our promise boy, but also because of my promise with him." He looked at Ling Chong. "Or would you rather I kept it between me and your mother lad? Its not always a pretty story. On the other hand. If you ever plan to be an emperor, there's stuff in it you can learn from. Emperor of another country of course for gods sake. You can never fight Huai Shan and his descendants unless you have a death wish."

Ling Chong looked backwards at his mother, but Yun Yi's face was carefully blank.

"Yes." Ling Chong said. "Yes, I would like you to tell me about uncle Huai Shan."

Ling nodded. He smiled with half of his mouth and sat down by the foot of the statue of Huai Shan. As he had always been. It was the only place he could stay at during all those times when he started to miss him.

Ling put an elbow on the foot of Huai Shan. "I doubt I can do this in a day, my son. So you'll have to be patient and come back, now and then."

"I will." Said Ling Chong. The glance from Huai Shan's statue made him shiver for no reason.

"Well, then," Ling began …