The Story of Dusk 250 WAY BACK HOME

However, Captain Hua shook his head in regret. "He had commited suicide when we locked him in the dungeon a day after he was being captured."

"Suicide?" Xiao Tianyao repeated the worst, the method was the same like what Silent assassins from Misty Cloud Clan did, however, those assassins would likely to commit suicide on the spot, they wouldn't let themselves to be captured.

"Who the first person that find him?" Xiao Tianyao felt something amiss with this.

"It was a guard named Feng Chang, he is a guard in the dungeon." Captain Hua informed Xiao Tianyao.

"I want to see him." He said curtly and walked toward the dungeon direction.

Captain Hua didn't know what was inside Xiao Tianyao's mind, but he followed him nonetheless. He thought there was no use by looking for another information from a merely guard who accidentally found a dead body inside the cell.

When they arrived at the dungeon, Feng Chang wasn't there because it wasn't his duty time.

Captain Hua immediately asked someone to summon him because General Xiao Tianyao wanted to ask a few question about the suicide of General Xiao Jun's attacker.

It didn't take long time for Feng Chang to arrive inside the dim room where there was only Xiao Tianyao and Captain Hua who was waiting for him.

Nervously, Feng Chang knelt and gave both of them the utmost respect.

"Stand up and tell me what did you see inside the cell when you found the attacker had commited suicide." Captain  Hua posted questions as Xiao Tianyao's status was too high to interrogate a merely warden guard like Feng Chang.

Feng Chang hastily explained, he told both of them about what was he saw that night and how he found the attacker had been death after he heard noisy sound from his room.

When he finally went to check about what had happened, it was too late and the attacker had died.

Feng Chang explanation was exactly the same explanation like he had given to Captain Hua weeks ago. There was nothing suspicious about that.

Xiao Tianyao lowered his gaze as he was deep in thought.

"There is nothing suspicious about it." Captain Hua told Xiao Tianyao.

However he had another thought in his mind.

"Where were you when you heard the noisy sound?" Xiao Tianyao looked straight at Feng Chang's eyes as he had to bow his head again, too afraid to look him in the eyes.

"This guard was guarding the door." Feng Chang replied. "When this guard heard the noisy sound I was alone because my fellow guard were going to the bathroom, there was no other people in front of the door of General Xiao Jun's attacker door." He said truthfully.

"Why didn't you come and check by yourself?" Xiao Tianyao kept asking him.

"Because this subordinate was waiting for the other guard to comeback before I could leave my post." His voice was shaking, he was afraid that Xiao Tianyao would accuse him. "But, the moment my friend returned, this subordinate immediately went inside to check on the attacker, but too late because the attacker had hunged himself."

The way Feng Chang talked was so reliable as if his excuse was really reasonable, but Xiao Tianyao's guts said the otherwise there was something more than that.

Feng Chang was following the procedure that said; do not leave their post without a guard except it is their General who called for them.

This young guard was only following the rule.

"How long it took from the moment you heard the noises until your fellow guard came and you can check on the attacker's cell" Xiao Tianyao asked in voice that devoided from any emotion.

Feng Chang gulped hard as he tried to recall his memories. "It didn't take so long…" He said, trying to remember. "Maybe four to five minutes…"

"Had you checked the death body?" Xiao Tianyao tilted his head and asked Captain Hua instead.

"Checked? Yes I had checked on him, he was really death." Captain Hua replied, befuddled by the question.

"No." Xiao Tianyao shook his head. "What I mean is, had you let Doctor Hong to check on the dead body?" He asked more specifically.

Xiao Tianyao's question made Captain Hong to gulp hard as he shook his head in shame. "No, I didn't…"

He really didn't think to check the dead body to Doctor Hong, because he thought the attacker had been death so there was nothing that they could get from it.

"Where did you burry the dead body?" Xiao Tianyao abruptly stood up.

"We didn't burry him as he was an attacker we just throw his body to the cliff." Captain Hua said in low voice. "It has been more than a week, probably by now his body had been torn by wolves."

Ther was no way they could find the dead body of the attacker again. However, Captain Hua was curious about the thing that Xiao Tianyao wanted to do with that. "General Xiao Tianyao, what are you going to do with the dead body?"

Xiao Tianyao was a little bit upset because of Captain Hua reckless decision, he should check on it first before decided that the caused of the death was purely suicide or there was another thing that happened before he appeared hanging himself all of sudden.

"There was no use of that anymore." Xiao Tianyao waved his hand as he walked out of the dungeon.

Weeks outside, those wolves must have been devour his body without trace.

Originally he wanted to check whether the attacker was being poisoned, because five minutes hung himself wasn't an enough time to kill him, especially if you are a trained person. It took more than that, however when Feng Chang came he had been death.

There were two possibilities, the first one, the attacker took the medicine to help him to suicide or there was someone else who wanted him to die before he could go under investigation.

If it was the second options, the possibility was; the Emperor had planted another spy in this fortress, and it wouldn't do good for Xiao Tianyao if he had to go into a battlefield with the Emperor's spies were lurking at the corner of the fortress.

"I want you to call someone over, I need as much help as possible to end this war and bring us home immediately." He wanted to go home as soon as possible, because there was someone who was waiting for him.

"Who is that?" Captain Hua asked.

"I want you to call Utara." Xiao Tianyao said. "He was in the east fortress."

Utara was his childhood friend, even though they were rarely meet each other these past years because they were positioned in different fortress, he trusted him.

"Right away." Captain Hua bowed his head and went to ask someone to deliver a message to the east fortress.

Xiao Tianyao halted for awhile as the moonlight basked his figure and made him shone brightly. "When all of this will end?" He asked to the night.

*** 

Except of Utara, Xiao Tianyao also asked for doctor Lin to come, in his letter that he wrote to Luna, she seemed a bit mind to let Doctor Lin joined, but she didn't explain her reason and Xiao Tianyao was too busy to pay attention on that.

In the end, Utara and Doctor Lin arrived almost at the same time and immediately busied themselves with their respective matter.

Qianru and doctor Lin got along pretty well because ever since she came, Xiao Jun's progress was improved, even Doctor Hong praised her for that and said he was inferior in front of the young generations.

While Doctor Lin would say, coincidentally she knew about the poison and how to make the antidote.

Whatever it was, Qianru only grateful that Xiao Jun would be able to wake up soon.

But, it wasn't as soon as Qianru had expected, because after three months, Xiao Jun was still unconscious and no one knew what was wrong with him as everything was normal and the poison had been extracted.

In the fourth month, the war finally came to end and Xiao Tianyao managed to take down both Zodasian and Rockstone Kingdom army.

They surrendered and agreed to sign a letter of peace that the Emperor of Azura had suggested that, of course, would benefit Azura greatly.

"How is he?" Xiao Tianyao asked when he just had comeback from the border, where three Kingdoms agreed into a piece of agreement from Azura's Emperor.

Ever since the news about the war had ended, people started to talk about Xiao Tianyao, and called him a demon war, because not only he managed to overthrown Xinghe Kingdom but also he succeded to win the war over the two Kingdoms.

Every street echoed with his name and they forgot for a while about Xiao Tianyao's affair with Luna. Both of them had a son, but not in marriage relationship, it wasn't something usual for people in Azura who didn't take a concubine as an option.

They also no longer bothered with Luna's background as a Xinghe's people, because that was what people knew about her, as they praised Xiao Tianyao's name.

For Xiao Jun, it was unfortunate for him to fall sick and been poisoned.

Along with that, there was a rumor about Xiao Jun's death because it had been a long time for him to be unconscious.

"Like usual." Qianru said in low tone. She was wiping Xiao Jun's body, cleaned him up. Thought there was nothing wrong with him and he was in good condition, but no one knew why he still didn't wake up yet.

Qianru had been spending her days and nights to look after him.

"Qianru." Xiao Tianyao sat on the seat near the bed. "Master Ye, Jun's master, came just now."

Qianru raised her head questioningly. "What is he doing here? He is still here?" She didn't understand, usually Ye Xiu would meet Xiao Jun if there was something important, or else they would only exchanged letters.

"Yes, he is still here and he suggests for Jun to be treated in Greenhill Mountain." Xiao Tianyao had just met Ye Xiu in his way back from the border. "I want to ask about your opinion."

Ye Xiu heard the news about Xiao Jun was being poisoned a little bit late, actually it was too late as he was away for long time to take care of his own matter and only now he came and got the news.

"Is that will do…?" Qianru asked carefully didn't want to get her hope too high. She would do anything for Xiao Jun to get better.

Xiao Tianyao nodded. "I think it will work, because Greenhill Mountain is filled with many rare medicine plants, the physician there will find some suitable antidote for him." He said softly.

"Alright." Qianru agreed immediately, they had been here for months and there was still no progress, which Doctor Hong and Doctor Lin could achieve. Maybe with another or different treatment Xiao Jun would get better sooner.

After all Qianru had been saved by the physician there when she had terrible miscarriage.

"When we will go?" Qianru asked Xiao Tianyao who was looking at Xiao Jun's face. They had been this close for long time, but they still couldn't be able to exchange a single word.

It was the longest time that Xiao Tianyao didn't talk with his brother.

"Ye Xiu is in the nearby village." Xiao Tianyao informed her, he had asked his brother's master to come to the fortress but he refused. "I will go back to the capital city tomorrow, but before that I will send you to Ye Xiu first."

"So, it will be tomorrow." Qianru nodded. "Then I am going to ask Jinse to help me packing now." She had left Jinse at the mansion when she left the capital city, but a month after that, Xiao Tianyao called the maidservant to accompany her and take care of her.

Qianru couldn't be grateful enough for having a considerate brother in law like Xiao Tianyao.

When Qianru was gone, Xiao Tianyao looked at his brother with pain in his eyes. "You have to get well soon, there are a lot of thing that I want to tell you." He said in low voice. "I have a son, even though you don't like Luna, but she is the mother of my son. I hope one day you will be able to accept her."

But, like usual, there was no reply from Xiao Jun as he continued to close his eyes.

*** 

Early in the morning, Xiao Tianyao helped to carry Xiao Jun and put his brother inside a big carriage.

After everything had been settled and Qianru and Jinse had been inside the carriage, Liu Wei sat on the coachmen seat and Xiao Tianyao mounted his horse and guarded them to Ye Xiu's inn.

For the matter at the fortress, after the war was ended, there was nothing much that Xiao Tianyao could do therefore he gave Utara and Captain Hong full responsibility upon the fortress and the soldiers.

There were many thing that he needed to do, one of them was to settle the matter of Luna's identity with Xiao Zi.

Though he didn't like to meet his imperial uncle, but he had to make sure he couldn't revoke the military power that he had given back to him. Xiao Tianyao had to do it quickly, he had to make a good used of the situation where people were on his side.

He didn't only agree to go to the battlefield because of his brother, but he had to gain something from this Emperor for his own benefit and restore his political power as well.

Once they arrived at the inn, Xiao Tianyao only exchanged a few word with Ye Xiu as both of them wasn't a chatter type of people.

Ye Bai was so quite today and seemingly was in present mind, he had been like this ever since he lost his wife and son.

Probably Xiao Tianyao also would be come like that if the same thing happened to him. That was a big blow for every man.

"Take care of yourself." Xiao Tianyao hugged Qianru. Though he didn't pay much attention into it, but he was sure that Qianru had lost weight again, he almost could literally crushed her thin body.

"You also." Qianru hugged him back. "Thank you for what you have done and I am sorry I couldn't see Xiao Mugi." She said regretfully.

Because of the issue of the assassins, not only Liu Wei didn't allow her to come, but Xiao Tianyao also did the same and when the situation became a bit condusif, news of Xiao Jun was being attacked, came. That was why she had not yet met Luna or Xiao Mugi.

"You will see later with Jun." Xiao Tianyao said with faint smile on his lips, he wanted to see how his brother reaction about him became an uncle.

"Of course." Qianru shed her tears, she hoped that moment would come soon.

After that farewell, Ye Xiu and Ye Bai led the way toward the Greenhill Mountain and Xiao Tianyao went back to the capital city.

*** 

This was the first war that he involved after the Emperor revoked his Military power and restored it back. If it wasn't because his brother had been injured badly, he wouldn't have left the Capital City.

Leaving Luna and his one year son alone while there were many assassins attempt on them. It was hard decision to leave them, however in the other hand, his brother needed him.

While leaving Luna and his son, Elder Dam had put protection from The Shadow Guard for them.

Speak about his brother…

It had been a long time since the last time they spoke with each other. If it wasn't for Elder Dam who had suggested and asked for help to fight the other two Kingdoms, he wouldn't have known what was happening in the battlefield.

Now, after the war had ended and Xiao Jun was in the process of recuperate, all he wanted to do was to going back home and be with his wife and son.

After five months away from them, he was finally on his way to the Capital City.

Riding his horse alone, he rode passed the G village's gate. From here, he only needed to ride crossed the forest which located between the two cities and in an hour he would be at home.

Everything went well until he felt something was amiss.

The creep feeling on his back was the feeling that told him someone was watching him.

Xiao Tianyao turned alerted.

Like telling what his hunch said was true, a dagger flew passed his face and stuck on the trees beside him. If it wasn't his marvelous reflexes, Xiao Tianyao must have died by now.

After that an arrow shot through the thin air and stabbed Xiao Tianyao's horse leg.

His brown horse raised his front legs in the air and went untamed. Before his horse could go even wilder, Xiao Tianyao jumped from the pedal and landed graciously on the ground.

His sword was unsheathed in his hand, ready for another battle.

He had been killing thousands soldier from the other two Kingdoms, to kill another person who was bothering his trip wasn't something that he would hesitate to do.

Xiao Tianyao was squinted his eyes, looking through the trees, trying to catch any strange movement.

However, instead of catching a glimpse of his attacker, he saw him emerged from the trees.

Wearing all black, his hair was the color of white snow that very recognizable, in a matter of second the hatred exuded from Xiao Tianyao's body when he landed his eyes on him.

"Modama…" Xiao Tianyao hissed under his breath when he saw the man.

Chapter end