The Tale Never Ends

Master Six’s and Father’s met for a brief and subtle moment when I finished my tale, having voiced out my hypothesis. The look they exchanged would have been imperceptible if I had not been looking, but it seemed to me as if they were exchanging views telepathically for that fleeting second.

“So, you were having hallucinations when this Huang Li girl shook your hand?” Master Six breathed gravely and I nodded. “Not only Huang Li, but Cao Xuedong too,” I answered, “Scenes and events I have never seen before and I understand nothing about them.” Father took a draft of his cigarette and puffed a smoke ring before saying, “What did you see?”

“It was a strange and peculiar-looking man I saw when I took Huang Li’s hand. Then I saw a bear-like man swinging a battle-ax at me. Then it was the scene of a battle. When I shook Cao Xuedong’s hand, I saw a man with two eyes but four eyeballs. Then I was flying in the sky before a bolt of golden light hit me and that was the end of it.”

Master Six and Father looked at each other again before they both sighed together. But Master Six’s was a casual sigh whereas Father’s was one of gloom and sullenness. A beat of silence hung between everyone until Father finally began saying, “Alas, it appears that you are gradually awakening your senses. I had feared this the moment you first described to me about your being one with the Shiyan Blade. I knew the day was coming soon. You would have regained much of your awareness as the Spirit of the Shiyan Blade, if you still have it in your possession. Alas.” There was nothing but grim foreboding limned in Father’s words.

But my heart was thumping hard. “Awakening? You mean the things that I saw?” Master Six nodded and answered instead, “I believe it is true that the Huang Li girl is Chiyou’s descendant. Shaking hands with her triggered something in your latent awareness, forcing your former memories as the Spirit of the Shiyan Blade to surface. The Shiyan Blade developed its own sentience hundreds of thousand years ago and you are it. The sentience, the consciousness, or the mind and will of its own. What you just saw are the memories of your memory as the Will of the Blade before you reborn as a human.” “Then what will happen to me when I reawaken?”

Master Six’s head nodded again. “When you fully awaken, you’ll be able to return back into the sword to once again become its true spirit. In fact, you can even… OUCH!” An ashtray had come from nowhere and hit him right in the face! It was Father! He had sprung up, grabbing the ashtray and tossing it over so suddenly that Master Six did not see it coming. It hit him and the demigod was forced to stop telling what was almost out of his throat.

Master Six stood up angrily, his nostrils flaring and I would have thought that their fight was going into Round 2. Only, he took a deep breath and sank back into his seat. Father crushed and extinguished his cigarette and said, “Returning to the sword means that you’d be able to become one with it. But you need more experience and training to be able to fully achieve this, otherwise, you’d still be unable to do so even if you fully awaken your awareness as the Spirit of the Shiyan Blade.” “So what should I do? It’s not only the descendants of Tribe Nine Li this time,” I frowned and complained. “There’s the descendant of the Qing emperors, Jin Qichen, and the secret organization that is now controlling Zhang Zhigui preying on me. And I finally know why. With the Dragon-slaying Blade now lost, these people want the Shiyan Blade to awaken the dragon leys. All fourteen of them, in fact, for it would help them create an empire that would last eternally.”

When I stopped, I looked at Master Six and Father. An idea had struck me. “How about you two deal with them! No one would be able to stop you both!” To my surprise, Master Six sighed glumly. “And what makes you think I don’t want to?” I gave him a puzzled and confused look, egging him to explain.

Obviously, he saw through me and understood what I wanted. “We might be immortals,” he said, “But immortals have rules they have to abide by too. We are not to directly interfere with the affairs of the mundane and that is the Law.” It provided a chance for Father to snap at him. “And this is why I don’t simply Ascend!” But with all of us present, Master Six merely emitted a disdainful scoff instead of trying to counter.

“But you can see the future, can’t you, Master Six?” I asked, “You can see five centuries into the future and the past! Can’t you tell me what’s going to happen next?” Master Six shot me a glare and chuckled sardonically. “What do you think you are? You are the Spirit of a godly relic now reborn as a human! Your future is not readable or tellable! No immortals able to see the five hundred years into the future will be able to foretell what will happen to you. Your future is yours to unravel and only you can do it. We cannot help you.”

I pouted my lips and turned to Father. “Come on, Father. Give me a hand here? You must have ways to deal with those people like how you dealt with the Creed.”

“I do,” Father replied curtly. The answer filled me with exhilaration. “What is it?” I asked at once. “You only have to train until you are able to fully become one with the Shiyan Blade. Then you’ll be able to defeat anyone who stands in your way. Perhaps even Chiyou himself.” The reply had me gawking with disbelief, all of the thrills that came just seconds before was all but dissipated. What kind of way is this?! As if I don’t know about this?!

“You only have to train,” Father said indifferently, “That is all you need to do. Remember what I told you when you fainted and got sent to the hospital? You have magical powers but you are not enlightened enough. Mentally, especially. To put it bluntly, your comprehension of the essence of the cosmos and existence is still too shallow. That is why you have to use your blood to simulate a state similar to actually being one with the Shiyan Blade. You need to see more of the world and hone yourself more.”

“What utter piffle!” I screamed, on the brink of going mad, “The problem is I need time! I have none of it now! The flowers outside would have gone through all four seasons by the time I’m finished!”

“But, boy,” Master Six interjected suddenly, wearing a wry chuckle on his face, “Don’t you feel that your grasp of your magecraft and sorcery has greatly improved since your venture into the past?” It was true; I had felt it since I came back and I had spoken about it with Father. In fact, since returning from the past, I had become more touchy than ever.

“I might know little about Tao and Buddhism,” Master Six went on before I could speak, “But I daresay I understand a great deal more than most people on how the world works. You need to hone yourself more and stretch your horizons. In fact, I think a quest of pilgrimage would do you some good. It is the most simple way to strengthen yourself. To put it crudely, you need to go on quests to vanquish evil and help the weak. See more into the world and learn what you can from it and you will naturally become stronger.”

“But what evil is still left around here now that needs vanquishing?” I muttered, annoyed and peeved.

Master Six and Father exchanged another quick glance for a beat and he said, “There might not be any now. But there’s definitely lots in the past.” “You mean you going to send me back through Time again?” I blurted. “Not you alone. All three of you,” Father quipped with a smile curling, “Chongxi and Lin Feng shall join you this time.” My friends looked at each other, grinning excitedly. But I noticed Master Six was looking rather pleased with himself as if a plan of his had come into fruition and Father was shrugging his shoulders as though in defeat. For that very moment, I had the odd sensation that this was a plot hatched between Master Six and Father to have us sent back through Time to complete something for them.

It was only during our quest of pilgrimage when I finally understood why Master Six was looking so self-satisfied. He had known beforehand what would happen for there were events that were predestined by Fate.

For the sake of continuity, let us leave the details for a later date. (Our adventures in the past shall be written into a future side-story.)

With us being present, Father and Master Six set aside their arguments for now, although something told me that there was something that they both wished to keep from me. But I knew better than to pry. Father and Master Six would never bulge no matter how hard I try.

Master Six came again the following morning. It was time, he said, and we were to get our things packed. We would be sent off in the afternoon. “But this time, things would be slightly different,” he said, lighting himself a cigarette, “This time, I’m not sending just your souls. Your physical persons would go to. But I cannot do this alone. I’ll need your father to help me to send all you three back through Time together.”

The news of us three going to be sent back together left Edelweiss stricken with panic. She begged Master Six to send her back with us. But even with the imploring look from me, Master Six shook his head, refusing to yield. In fact, I was not the only one wishing to have Edelweiss coming with me. Even Lin Feng and Chongxi were hoping to bring Xiao Yu and Yuanyuan along. Who wouldn’t? It was not every day you got the chance to step back into the past.

It was nearly time and Father was talking to Master Six deeply when the door sounded with a series of knocking. I opened it and saw it was Xiao Qi and the rest of the Seven Ghostly Sisters. “Shiyan!” She said at once when she came in, “Why is your Center not open today? What a shame, it’s a cloudy day today and you know we don’t get to come out that often…” And her voice died in her throat when she finally noticed the irked stares coming from Father and Master Six.