LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS 84 Is She the One?

Xing pulled the sword and turned to look at the Emperor pale with his hand stretched towards her shouting 'No' and laughed,

"Your Majesty! Finally you have realised your life's worth! You shouldn't be leaving your swords like this for anyone to grab", she traced her fingers through the sharp blade that was maintained well for a weapon almost a millennium old. It does seem magical but that should be because it is old right?

The Emperor stood frozen for sometime looking at her touching that enchanted sword like it was a pet cat. He had read somewhere that the one who accidentally touched this sword had lost the use of his hand in the past. He even doubted if this was the original sword for a moment seeing her playing with it.

Xing pulled the other sword and had a good look at it too. The Emperor took a deep breath gazing at the unbelievable and recondite person in front of him who was happy like a child who had found their favourite toy and slowly composed himself and sat back and drank his tea.

At least you proved I can trust you!

Xing after examining the sword, looked at the Emperor who was calmly sitting and

drinking tea,

"Your Majesty!", she pointed the sword at him and walked towards him with her eyes serious and placed one of the swords close to his neck.

The Emperor spared a sideway glance at her and pushed the sword away with his forefinger, "I thought you were going to call me Kouki", he took another sip of his tea.

The atmosphere in there was like two people who trust each other carelessly chatting and not like a proper audience between an Emperor and his subject.

Seeing the Emperor nonchalant and guardless made Xing sigh.

"Fine, Kouki!", she put the white sword in its sheath, "Shouldn't you be more prudent? You cannot leave your sword around like this! What if someone..."

"No one can attack me with this sword", the Emperor answered with conviction still sipping tea, making Xing angry. Stupid Emperor! Not having Poison tasters and leaving weapons carelessly around! If you are assassinated, won't that trouble my Prince! Let me teach you a lesson!

Xing grabbed the teacup from the Emperor's hands and placed it on the table with a thud and grabbed his wrist.

Xing's action were so swift and as the Emperor was processing what was going on he felt the feeling of her warm hands on his wrist and his heart skipped a beat and his entire body stiffened up. This is the first time a woman touched him and he wondered why his heart started to beat fast suddenly and his eyes were solely focused on Xing who had a sporty expression and the mild smell of agarwood from her enticed him.

Xing oblivious to his changes flipped his hand and poked his thumb with the tip of the sword and made a small cut.

The Emperor yelped as he felt the sudden pain in his finger and got out from his stupor.

"See! You bleed! I cut you with this sword! That means I can kill you with this sword. So be careful! ", Xing let go of his hand and wiped the sword and turned back to place the sword back.

"Guess, only you can!", the Emperor mumbled and sucked his bleeding thumb. The cut wasn't deep and was only skin deep. He looked at Xing acting as usual and carefully placing the swords back.

Am I the only one who got flustered?

Then he remembered how even Rijun casually touched her and poked her face and she seemed not disturbed and she seemed close with Seiren too, sitting close with him.

Guess she really thinks of me as a brother!

"You know you could be killed for making me bleed", the Emperor looked at Xing licking his finger.

"Really!", Xing walked with her shoulders stooped in small steps feeling sulky, "Uh! Seems like dying is as easy as breathing in here! Wonder why people want to enter this place!"

"You don't want to? Even if my brother ends up here?", the Emperor asked with his voice sharp making Xing stand up properly and she looked at his eyes focusing on her and she knew he is serious.

"We are not going there again, huh Kouki! I think we have established that you are the ruler", Xing sat in the chair and exhaled deeply. Why are we talking about this again?

"What if? What if that's the case? There is this thing called fate! Everyone thought he'll be the better ruler back then. ", the Emperor's eyes didn't waver from hers.

"Kouki!", Xing shook her head, "This is where you are wrong! Your brother might have been a person suitable for the throne back then. But he is not now after all the ordeal he had gone through outside the palace through these years. Yes, he can handle the affairs of the court well as he is smart but he will follow your father's footsteps and that won't be suitable now. The state our kingdom is in, a bright and trusting person like you would suit the throne more than the dark and distrusting him. You two are like dawn and dusk and what follows your rule will be the bright day and his rule will be followed by the dark night. This I am pretty sure of. Also logically, you are worthless outside the palace but his connections outside are so magnificent it would be a shame to tie him up inside this place. He is worth a million times more outside than inside, supporting you from the outside! Together you will be untouchable! ",Xing spoke with determination looking straight in his eyes.

The Emperor chuckled wondering if she is praising him or dissing him. Worthless outside the palace... ? Guess that is true!

" And didn't I say I'll serve YOU as the Emperor? I don't take back my word", Xing added. Who would like to be trapped in this place with rules to even breath? She also noticed the stench of blood she felt previously had greatly reduced. But still! This place is not for me!

The Emperor opened a drawer and pulled out an old paper out and walked towards her. Xing looked up and he gave the paper to her and stood in front of her leaning in his table with his arms folded.

Xing wondered what was that about and read the paper and her eyes widened with surprise as she read the peom written in Guyu language.

She looked with her lips curved upwards looking at the Emperor in his black robes who was looking at her solemnly.

"So, I am right aren't I? This texts talk about you and your brother doesn't it?"

The Emperor stood straight and got the paper back and his lips pursed together in disbelief.

"Do you think this is about two people and not a single one?", he went through that again.

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The star of good fortune emerging from the cloudy skies

The mighty tiger hungry for blood that roars from the mountains

The one with the divine beauty making nations kneel

The one with the divine sword that unites the nations

Bow before them you Gods

Kneel before them you Emperors

For they hold the mark of tiger

For they will bring the wind of change

They will bring down a mighty God to knees

And will annihilate those who refuse to bend their knee

Like water that seeps through rocks and form a river

Their birth will end the four Noble families and nullify past laws

Their presence will purge evil and cure curses

They will form a new reign with new promises

Rejoice You mortals

For their blood will rule the nations

For a thousand more years

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The Guyu language is a tricky language and it can be interpreted in many ways. 'They' can either mean plural form or a form of respect in singular form. And so this poem can be interpreted in many ways.

The Emperor had found this poem that was sent to his Imperial father by the Elder Shu a couple of days before the New year's banquet seventeen years ago. So when the elder spoke those words in the banquet, the previous Emperor tried to find the one in the texts and ended up killing many children.

"So, did that Elder Shu wrote this poem too?", Xing's voice broke the thoughts of the Emperor and he nodded.

Xing leaned back in her chair and rubbed her forehead, "That fool! He had to spout nonsense and ended up splitting my parents!", she mumbled.

"You don't believe this is mentioning you?", the Emperor asked directly as she really didn't think that way. This was what he had wanted to ask her the previous day but couldn't.

Also by the way she had talked about herself, isn't she the one mentioned in the texts?

But Xing interpreted differently, the elder brother having his sword dripping with blood and the little brother who got everything out easily with good fortune. One bright enough to purge all darkness and another who has ways to connect people.. Isn't it mentioning them two? And water seeping through.. Li... That is Shengli's proxy name isn't it? And isn't he holding me.. The one with the mark of the tiger?

"You don't think this is you?", the Emperor questioned again as she was lost in thoughts.

"Me?", Xing asked surprised and he looked at the Emperor who was standing in front of her and he looked like he actually believed she was the one mentioned in there.

In fact Xing didn't think she was not the one mentioned there but she didn't want to be. She was not stupid to realise she was different and treated different from others even by the Gods. They are not someone who treats humans as worthy to even look at, for no reason and she is treated almost like one of them which is highly abnormal. So, She was just finding ways to absolve herself from all these responsibilities those previliges may entail, whether they are true or not. She just wanted a peaceful life with her prince, that's all!

"Since when do the fate of a nation depend on a woman?", Xing asked back. In fact, this was the only thing consoling her 'I'm a woman and I won't be asked much for others to depend on me! '

The Emperor looked at her and took a deep breath, "But you are not just a Woman are you?". His emerald eyes were looking down on her sitting form but it felt like she was held in a pedestal high above as his eyes held the admiration he had for her.

Chapter end

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