Plum Blossom Hall

The moment LiangLin stepped through the gates of Plum Blossom Hall, he understood the meaning behind the name. As if he had stepped into another world, the tall white walls surrounded a field of blooming azalea flowers. Uneven stone steps were embedded into the ground, forming a curving trail to the house ahead. Plum trees stood tall on both sides of the path, casting cool shadows over them.

Lan QingYu had stopped under one of the plum trees by the house. LiangLin cut through the field towards him, abandoning the path. The azalea brushed by him, leaving droplets of water to cling to the hems of his robes.

Compared to the unkempt jungle outside the walls, someone took care of this area. Not even a weed peeked through the sea of flowers, and judging by the droplets of water still hanging on to the petals of the azalea, someone had just recently watered them.

When LiangLin finally reached QingYu's side, the green snake was frowning as he studied the plum tree trunk.

"What is it?" LiangLin said as he leaned forward and looked over the tree.

Even after years of standing under the mercy of the weather, the words carved on the trunk were still visible to the eye.

"Snow falls, clouds pass, but the heart longs home, where one feels complete." LiangLin rolled the engraved words around on his tongue but couldn't figure out what the poem meant. Not that he knew much about them, to begin with.

"Who do you think wrote this?" QingYu asked as he brushed his fingertips over the uneven bark.

"We can always knock and ask," LiangLin said as he turned around and headed for the little house. The dark roof sloped downwards on either side of the house, like wings of the butterfly sitting over the white stone home.

A white swing was strung between two plum trees on the other side of the path. The wood was chipping away on the edges, silver ropes had lost their glow over the years, but the swing was tightly fastened around the thick branches, swinging slightly in the soft wind.

Instead of going towards the house with LiangLin, QingYu had trailed over the swing and was looking at it in awe. He gave the swing a gentle push and watched as it swayed with smooth movements.

"You want to try it?" LiangLin's words next to his ear startled the green snake, pulling him out of his daydream.

"I don't think it can take my weight. It looks old." QingYu breathed, his eyes lingering over the swing before he finally turned over to LiangLin.

LiangLin's eyes sparkled mischievously, and QingYu frowned with alert.

"What is it, brother LiangLin?"

LiangLin clicked his tongue as he shifted from one leg to another. "Oh, no one lives here, I knocked. I was just wondering how can a palace have such a picturesque, humble home hidden away within these walls."

QingYu nodded as he ran his eyes over the field, and a little smile quivered on his lips.

"It looks like it was made just for you, too." LiangLin drawled on, studying the green snake closely.

QingYu eyes sparkled as he nodded with a hopeful grin.

"Ah, but I don't think it's worth it," LiangLin said suddenly with a stern tone.

QingYu's smile faltered as he turned to LiangLin with wide eyes. "Why not?"

LiangLin suppressed the grin fighting to surface. Instead, he frowned.

"Think of the requirements! You would have to woo the emperor to get this place. What is so good about that guy, anyway?"

QingYu parted his lips, but before he could say a word, LiangLin pushed forward,

"He has nothing but looks and money."

"..."

"I guess he is kind, friendly, polite, and a hard worker to keep the country running. But who wouldn't be if they were an emperor?"

"..."

"I mean, there are no outstanding good qualities to him. Totally not worth it."

LiangLin folded his arms over his chest and studied the emotions battling over control of QingYu's face with amusement. The green snake's mind was racing so furiously, LiangLin expected steam to erupt from his ears. Feeling sorry for working up the little snake so much, LiangLin reached out and patted QingYu on the head.

"While we are here, why not find time to spend with him? Maybe he isn't as great as he seems and you will find out he's an asshole."

QingYu offered him a coy smile and nodded. LiangLin placed his hands over the snake's shoulders and started pushing him towards the gates. "The house is bolted shut, let's move forward. The sun will set in a few hours."

QingYu suddenly halted in place with a slight frown over his fine features, alerting LiangLin.

"Brother LiangLin, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" LiangLin strained his ears. The wind was whispering over the field, rustling the petals. The swing creaked softly as it was rocked by the breeze. There was no other sound that caught his attention.

"I think someone is in pain," QingYu whispered as he brushed LiangLin's arms away and turned back towards the house. He started down the path with LiangLin sharp on his tail, but instead of walking up the two wooden steps to the house, QingYu took a left turn and walked around the house.

"Where is the sound coming from?" LiangLin asked as he stumbled over the wood that was left lying against the sidewall of the building.

QingYu was silent as he strolled forward, across the backyard, straight through the dense cluster of plum trees. The two snakes finally came to a stop as they reached the far edge of the white wall. QingYu leaned his head to the side, listening.

"It's coming from there, from the other side of the wall," QingYu whispered.

LiangLin couldn't hear a thing, so he looked around, trying to find something to help them climb over the wall. QingYu looked on edge as he fidgeted around on his feet nervously and watched LiangLin test the branches.

"Are you sure we should go there? I mean, they are groaning in pain." QingYu hissed as he shot his eyes all over the place.

"The more the reason to go. If someone is hurt, we should help them." LiangLin pointed out as he found a sturdy branch and tested his weight on it, it held its ground. He waved at QingYu.

"Here, this one can hold us. You climb up first."

QingYu was still hesitating when LiangLin came over to shove him under the branch. "Come on, if that person dies, I blame it on you."

QingYu looked helpless as he climbed up obediently and disappeared over the wall. LiangLin followed quickly behind him.

The white wall was an adjacent wall between two different halls, the snakes realised as they walked under the fig trees, trailing towards the sounds that had now become audible even to LiangLin.

When they emerged from the trees, a large, two-story house of red pillars and high ceiling came to view. The windows were cut into the shapes of a crescent moon. Guards stood over the front and back of the house. The two snakes hid behind the shadows of the tree, studying the building. It looked like a miniature version of the palace, but this one was so heavily guarded, it might as well work as a prison.

"What is this place?" QingYu breathed over LiangLin's nape as he peeked from behind the white snake.

"Looks like its something important," LiangLin said but quieted down as the front doors opened and out stepped his highness' royal guards. ChangChang walked among them, waving her hands as she explained something to the rest of the crew. Wei KaiJun was laughing as the four of them hurried towards the gates and disappeared.

"What now?" QingYu asked. He was biting down on his lips. It had become a bad habit, and LiangLin knocked him over his head to remind him of it.

"We go inside," LiangLin said.

QingYu's eyes nearly popped off their socket.

"How can we get in if there are eyes everywhere?" QingYu hissed.

"We aren't going in," LiangLin said with a smirk. QingYu blinked at him, already dreading of what LiangLin had concocted up now.

"You are going in. With the tall grass, they won't notice a snake. You can fit through that small opening at the base of that wall."

QingYu groaned but did as LiangLin said. Besides vanity, the other weakness of the snakes was their insatiable curiosity. QingYu removed his clothes in the covers of the fig tree and, with a weak nod, took on his snake form.

LiangLin watched in awe as he saw the green snakes' realm form for the first time. Unlike the snake gods, green snake-shifters were much smaller in size, slender, thick as a forearm with a long, whip-like tail. The deep jade-green scales reflected the light, turning almost blueish.

QingYu slithered over LiangLin's side and propped its head up to look at him with his large, bright yellow eyes.

"QingYu, you are so pretty," LiangLin whispered as he crouched down close to the ground and smiled at the little green snake. QingYu patted his large eyes and curved its head downwards.

"Are you acting all coy at me? Go, so we may go back to the White Lotus Hall before sunset!"