Chapter 14

Your Problem. My Problem

After an eventful touring day, the ambassadors returned to the embassy. Junmyeon and Jongdae gather in Kyungsoo’s room. As soon as Jongdae closes the door, Junmyeon took out a small folded up paper from inside his sleeves. He handed it to Kyungsoo who just waved it away, so Junmyeon opened it himself. He hovers the seemingly blank sheet of paper over the candle’s flame and words began to appear.

Junmyeon smile thinking about how careful Minseok always is during any given mission. This folded paper was secretly handed to him when Minseok pretended to bump into him today. The message was going to be delivered directly into his hand, yet Minseok still made sure to disguised it as just a blank piece of paper.

“What did he say?” Jongdae asked.

“He said that he and Jun had safely moved into the city without raising any suspicion. They’ll look for a permanent location to stay at but otherwise they’re ready for orders…”

Noticing that Junmyeon paused, Jongdae prompted again “What else did he say?”

Junmyeon laugh lightly “He said he didn’t appreciate having to wait so long for a response.”

“Shouldn’t he be used to your way of doing things by now?” Kyungsoo said as he stretches. He then turned to ask Jongdae “Did you deliver the message to him?”

“What? you don’t trust my abilities?” Jongdae challenged only to receive a disapproving look from Junmyeon.

“Watch your attitude Jongdae,” Junmyeon reminded him “Don’t get too carried away with your acting. Just because we’re not at home, doesn’t mean he’s not who he is.”

Raising both his hands up in surrender mode “Alright, alright. It was fun while it lasted. I shoved the message inside the medicine bag before handing it back to him.”

Kyungsoo nodded “I want to meet with him before we head back. Arrange it.” He said then waved Junmyeon and Jongdae away.

“Goodnight Kyungsoo” Junmyeon said before leaving the room with Jongdae.

---

Wong Jianjun joyfully watches his two disciple spar with each other. He hadn’t meant to hide himself from them but he didn’t want to interrupt their practice. He had never seen Tao smile this much before, and it makes him think that breaking his own principle was worth it even if he would lose some of his reputation in the martial arts world. Looking at the way Meiyin moves, Jianjun is even more proud of his decision to accept her. Finding a talent for martial arts like Tao was already rare, he didn’t think he’d find another natural talent like Meiyin. He really have to thank Zhang Yueyin. He wonders if this counts as him paying her or if this is just another added debt he owes.

Thinking about the eldest young miss of the Zhang brought back memories of the night she saved him. He hadn’t met a braver young girl before in his life. His enemies were chasing after him and after many confrontations he had been heavily injured. It was to his luck that, while on the verge of passing out due to blood loss, he met her. She didn’t asked questions, just took his hand and lead him through several alley ways before opening the back door to a temple and hid him inside the storage room. She then locked the room from the outside and Jianjun can hear her dealing with a monk to help before he passed out. When he came to, he was tended to by a monk and he told him that the young miss that saved him had prevented his enemies from disturbing the temple to search for him. He doesn’t know how a little girl like her managed to face some blood thirsty men and prevented them from massacring the entire temple to look for him. When she had came back the next day to visit him, he had asked her. He couldn’t help but laughed when she said all she did was talk some logic into them. He didn’t believe her until he learned that she was the daughter of the famous strategist Zhang. What might have been sensible logic to those men were probably some psychological attack from her. Jianjun owes her his life so he promised her his friendship and that he’ll be back within five years to pay his debt.

He had came back a couple times within those five years but there wasn’t anything he could used to pay her back with. His companionship and stories of his travel was all she asked for. Thinking back, all those travel stories was probably used as gifts for her younger sister. Once he had managed to help Tao and his mother safely settle down in the city, he had also made a place for himself outside the city. He had checked in with her again and was happy to hear her said that there was something he could do to pay her back. Only, he didn’t expect her to bring such a joyful and talented gift to him and his disciple.

“Tao da ge, can’t you let me win for once?” Meiyin’s voice pulled him back to the present.

“If he spoils you like that you’ll never improve” Jianjun spoke up as he made his way over to them.

“Greetings Sifu!” the two of them bow to him.

“How are your practices?” he asked.

“Xiaoyin had improved a lot, I had to pull out all my skills to fend her off” Tao replied and Meiyin beams at him.

Jianjun nodded approvingly “Then to reward both of your hard work, I have something for you.” He pulled out two swords from the bag he was holding. He handed the black one to Tao and the white one to Meiyin. The both of them drew the sword from its scabbard and couldn’t help but to admire the beauty of the swords. “I had a friend who’s a master swordsmith created these two swords for you two.”

“Sifu, does it have a name?” Meiyin asked as she runs her finger over the flat side of the sword.

“Yes, the swordsmith and I named them tai yang zhi jian and yue liang zhi jian.”

“It does indeed matches its names” Tao said then quickly sheath the sword and motion for Meiyin to do the same. They both looked at each other then drop on one knee and bow to Master Wong.

“Thank you Sifu! we will do our best to be worthy of these swords”

Jianjun reaches out and lifted them up “The two of you are my only disciples. I hope that just like the name of your swords you will be the Sun to the Moon as the Moon is to the Sun. You must always be the light and the shadow in each other’s life. Respect, support and protect one another. By accepting these swords, it’s the same as promising that you’ll never harm or betray each other as long as you are the owner of the swords.”

“We swear to uphold your teachings and the value of the swords!”

---

As he roams the palace, Sehun had to admit that this place is quite nice. He found himself at the main garden and quite enjoy the scenery. He’s also just glad to have been able to escape from two brooding subjects and an annoying brother. While the three of them were with the Emperor and the Japanese ambassadors to discuss terms for the alliance, Sehun had snuck out to get some air.

He didn’t expect to meet the interesting girl he saw the other day again so soon. She was painting by the lake of the main garden. Based on the way she’s dressed compare to the identical clothing of all the maids Sehun have seen so far, he can guess that she must be someone of higher rank. He made his way over to where she and her maid is standing at.

“You’ve got quite an artistic ability” he commented as he looks over her shoulder to see what she’s painting.

Surprised, Liufei turned around with brush still in hand. Because Sehun was standing within attack range, he received a full brush across his chest. Both of them stare at his now sullied clothing in silence for a couple minutes, not sure what they should say.

He didn’t expect her to twirl around every time she’s surprised. The girls in Korea would just jump a little, yelp, or dropped whatever they were holding. But then again, he doesn’t go around teasing girls as much as Jongin does to know if all Korean girls are that way.

Liufei’s just speechless. Not sure whether to be angry or apologetic towards this stranger who have surprised her twice already. After a minute, she looks up at him and scowl “What’s your problem?”

“My problem?” He looks down at the paint on his clothes and pointed at it “This.”

“It’s your fault. Who told you to go around surprising people?” Liufei said as she handed the brush to the maid.

“I was just complimenting your skills.”

She looked him up and down then narrow her eyes at him “Who are you? I haven’t seen you around the palace before. Are you a new eunuch?”

Sehun couldn’t believe the nerve of this girl. Nobody in his life had ever look upon his handsome face and assume he’s a eunuch.

Liufei knows he wasn’t a eunuch. She could guess that he’s probably one of the ambassadors’ people. She was still embarrassed over the fact that he caught her sneaking outside the banquet hall the other day, so she wanted to poke at his man’s pride a little for revenge.

Sehun couldn’t help but break into a smile, something he doesn’t ever do for any girl in his life. No girl in his kingdom had ever talked to him this way before so he found her very interesting. “For your information, I am one of the Korean ambassador’s guards. I am definitely not going to become one of your Chinese eunuchs” he said.

Liufei gave him a distasteful face then walk away from him. Sehun followed and walk beside her, “What about you? Are you a noble’s daughter?”

“What makes you think that?”

“You don’t dress like the maids here and from the way you had to sneak around the banquet hall…”

She stopped, looks at him then put on a fake smile, “Yes, I am a noble’s daughter. I don’t see why it has anything to do with you though so why don’t you excuse yourself?”

“Are noble’s daughters just allowed to roam the palace day and night?” He continues to follow her as she walks away.

“You don’t look like the talkative type but why won’t your mouth shut up?” Liufei quickens her steps hoping to get away from him. Unexpectedly, she trips and falls towards the ground. Sehun, who was just a step behind her, quickly wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. Her back meet his chest hard and the two of them stood there for a while. She looks up at him as he stares down at her, his arms still around her waist.

“Just curious” Sehun said as he looked into her eyes which causes her to blush bright red.

“Yo…Young miss, are you alright?” The maid that had been following behind them hesitatingly ask. She had always call Liufei ‘princess’ before, having to suddenly not do so didn’t feel right. Also, she can sense that the stranger and the princess is having a moment, she wasn’t sure if she should break it. After deciding that it wasn’t appropriate and safe for the princess, the maid spoke up.

Upon hearing the maid, Liufei quickly separate herself from Sehun. She gathers up her dress and run off, not daring to look back at the stranger that is stirring up feelings she doesn’t understand.   

Author's Notes:

tai yang zhi jian - The Sword of the Sun

yue liang zhi jian - The Sword of the Moon