Chapter 4 a valuable pearl in one's palm

zhǎngshàng míngzhǔ

literally means a valuable pearl in one's palm. It is a metaphor to refer to the child, usually the daughter, who is dearly loved by her parents

As the years passed, Murong LiWang used his prodigious martial arts to fight justice for the weak. However the children and the people in the town did not know who the masked hero, who had protected them, was. Mask hero would only come out at night and no one could determine whether he was tall or short, thick or thin, as there were various eye witnesses that claimed differently all the time.

HeiYing and his shadow guards could only shrug and smile helplessly when they overheard the town people overexaggerating their skills and deeds. What would these people do, if they knew it was their young master and his orders to the Shadow Guards to assist the weak? And in addition, would they start worshipping young master as a deity who descended upon the mortal realm if they knew how great young master is?

Murong LiWang had continued to put all around her in awe with her incredulous skills, whether in scholarly arts or martial arts. She could easily par with the shadow guards and HeiYing would be smart enough to somehow not be around, whenever she asked to train together.

At the tender age of 9-year-old, Murong LiWang bloomed and her face soon showed hints of future beauty that would wreck nations. Even though Murong XieChu had taken great measures to carefully make sure Murong LiWang never to appear in public without his mask, many still have heard rumours and wanted to see the jade like heir of the general's manor. The empress had heard about this and had also sent invitations for her maternal family nephew by marriage to enter the palace to become playmates of the royal children.

All fathers will always claim their children to be the best, but not the case for General Murong XieChu. General Murong would find any reasons to lament his heir's shortcomings, and unaccomplished talents. He claimed that such untruths of the rumors would be lying to the monarch and as a father, he was ashamed to have worthless heir to introduce to the royal family. It was better to keep such a child indoors and not let him attend any social events to taint the air of the prestigious nobles.

However these did not deter the determined people and as the poor father was guarding his treasure, he buried himself to fortify his manor from potential unwanted and unwelcomed visitors and matchmakers. Even when General Murong passed the rumours that the general's heir had scarred himself and became very ugly, he still could not quell the other curiosities and rumours of the pearl of the nation inside general's manor. Thus soon, it would be a usual sight for the General Murong's manor to be barricaded, from his heir to escape and for the others not to enter.

On a particular summer night, when Murong LiWang had already finished making her fermented peach liqueur by drying the peach pits and tossing them into Murong XieChu's liqueur, she went to Murong XieChu's study and was about ask her father to drink the liqueur for his health. At first, she had wanted to make peach blossom wine as how she usually had done previously, but her body was too young to sustain alcohol so she could only settle to make peach liqueur for Murong XieChu and also for the shadow guards.

The latter was given, as peach liqueur was effective for bug bites when the shadow guards had to wait long hours in the trees and in summer, they were constantly bitten by the bugs. Their self-made insect repellent sachets were not able to ward off the persistent bugs. This drink was also helpful to elevate moodiness and irritation, which lately, her mortal father, Murong XieChu had been in an anxious mode, caused by the outsiders trying to enquire about Murong Liwang.

Murong Liwang brought the small bottle peach liqueur and walked into her father's manor, only to see her mighty looking father looking exasperatingly at a royal invitation, staring hard at the silk invitation with the royal seals and looking like he wanted to crumple it up. As his child, she could not do much and could only pour her father a cup of liqueur and she walked out, closing the door.

LiHua, as the reincarnated mortal Murong Liwang, sighed at the boredom of not able to go out of the manor and then she looked up at the sky – it should be already 5 days passed in Heavens, so where was that untrustworthy bird ever going to come?

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the little prince of the Celestial Crane Clan, He FeiQuan, the so called 'untrustworthy bird' by the mortal Murong LiWang, was lying down in his room, finally getting a proper rest after a series of drama, all due to a certain fruit fairy. He was questioning their friendship, whether it was worthy for all the troubles she kept bringing to his life.

That fruit's impetuous jump into the pool had shocked him and MengPo. Never in her career, she had anyone jumping into the pool without drinking her signature brew, Bittersweet Broth of Oblivion. There was a divine order, all beings had to be rebirthed with a blank slate, without pass memories, else their fate would be altered and hence, disrupting the divine order of things. MengPo was furious with lack of security, she stalled the process, and dragged He FeiQuan to Jade Emperor.

Just before they exited the Court of Wheel of Rebirth, right outside the impermeable barrier, there were very angry powerful beings, all up in air and all looked like they wanted a piece of He FeiQuan. There were the males of the Gold Peach Clan members, these immortals, He FeiQuan would have understood their presence but he was bewildered by the stranger wearing a mask to cover his features, but that did not cover his threatening aura.

He FeiQuan could feel the intimidating of raw wild power that the strange masked immortal emitted, his scalp felt numbed, cold sweat on his back, even had made the male Gold Peach clan members were wary of.

MengPo looked at the imposing mysterious individual, then at two Gold Peach Clan members, she stuck her finger pointing at them, yelling, "I don't give a fig who you beings are. This is my territory, and if you want to get this princeling, you better wait for your turn. This grandaunt me had a very bad day, and you don't want to push me!"