158. The Flower Fields 1
.
"If you insist on having that child, you will die with it!"
Zhurong Fen's message sent a chill down Feng Yuexia's spine.
She knew just how frightening Zhurong Fen could be, yet she was more determined than ever to protect this child.
She considered coming clean to Tianlong, but that was impossible!
All Zhurong Fen's followers were bound by her blood-flower oath.... An oath which would kill them if they ever openly betrayed her!
So Yuexia's only option was to triple the Empress's Palace security, letting no strange faces around herself, and whatever she ate, drank, wore, or even whatever entered her courtyard was thoroughly inspected several times over.
Still she couldn't rest easy.
In a desperate, she pivoted and began speaking for Yin Xiaolong, encouraging Tianlong to reconcile with him, because she now realized that only Yin Xiaolong could handle Zhurong Fen's power.
But it was too late.
She never noticed the extent to which she had led Tianlong astray, feeding his ego.
Tianlong acknowledged he was wrong, but still refused to take the first step, and he lightly dismissed Yuexia's words each time.
It was really a case of one digging a hole, only to have themselves fall into it!
.
.
As Yuexia's delivery time approached, things became worse...
Her own maidens began attacking her, one by one.
These were never serious attacks...
The offending maid would either shove her or trip her, knowing she would catch herself, or that the other maidens would catch her.
But after each time, the offending maid would give her a crazed smile and yell, "Betrayer!"
And then they would instantly end their own life in a brutal way, right before her eyes.
Further investigation revealed that the maidens were being controlled by a strange flower charm, and this only heightened Yuexia's fear and anxiety because there was simply no telling which maiden would be affected next, or whether their attacks would remain so tame!
It was almost as if Zhurong Fen was letting her know she and her child could be killed at anytime!
By the time Yan Liwei was possessed, and Bailong (Yin Xiaolong) requested to meet Tianlong, Yuexia instantly sensed an opportunity.
So she dragged herself out of bed and waddled over to the throne room, hoping she could encourage Tianlong to meet Bailong...
But yet again, that pride she had helped feed, and the sense of self-importance she had helped nurture, led Tianlong to listen to Immortal Jin's followers instead.
Rather than meet Bailong, Tianlong summoned him the next day, leading to the worst rift between the two friends, and ending with Bailong transforming into the Black Dragon....
But before all that, just after sunrise that same morning, Feng Yuexia was tossing and turning in her sleep, when a strange pressure made her eyes snap open.
The first thing she noted was that her stomach hurt incredibly much.
'I'm in labour!' She realized, her hands flying to her stomach.
But when she turned to the doorway to call someone, her eyes widened in surprise.
She was lying in a flower field...
Precisely one of Zhurong Fen's favourite flower fields!
"No-!" She panicked, struggling to her feet. "No! Someone! Someone help! Help me!" She lumbered away in a random direction, but froze when she heard Zhurong Fen's cold laughter.
"Keep running." Zhurong Fen's voice whispered right in her ear, but when she swivelled in fear, Zhurong Fen floated a great distance away, a mildy amused smile on her face.
A beautiful blood red bloom appeared to hover over her hand, and Yuexia's eyes widened in fear.
The blood red bloom was created whenever one of Zhurong Fen's followers took her blood-flower oath, and destroying one would destroy its owner's body and soul completely!
Openly betraying Zhurong Fen would automatically destroy the betrayer's bloom, and she could use it to summon her followers at will, which explained how Yuexia was suddenly in the flower fields.
Zhurong Fen had returned the bloom to Yuexia as a 'show of faith', when she had first asked Yuexia to manipulate Tianlong, so Yuexia had dared to disobey Zhurong Fen, believing she was safe as long as she didn't openly betray her.
But now Yuexia's blood ran cold at the sight of the bloom in Zhurong Fen's hand.
"H- How did you-?!"
"How did I get this back? Hmph. I can recall them to me at anytime. I could have killed you all this while, but it was a bit fun watching you struggle so much in your pitiful foolishness."
Zhurong Fen held up her right hand, admiring the natural floral tattoo blooming across it.
"I simply want to achieve my goals..." She began, then appeared right in Yuexia's face, making her stumble backwards and fall. "Why are insignificant ants holding me back?!"
Yuexia whimpered, and realizing she was done for, she instantly struggled to her knees and crawled forward, grabbing the hem of Zhurong Fen's robes.
"Please! Please spare me! Give me one more chance! I'll -! I'll go back right now and tell A-Tian that it was Yin Xiaolong who kidnapped me! Our original plan can resume! I'll make sure you get the throne!"
"Too late." Zhurong Fen coldly yanked her robes away. "Do you think that pathetic Sky throne is my only goal?"
Yuexia glanced up at her in confusion.
If not the Sky throne, then what...?
Zhurong Fen's lips bent into a chilling smile. "Yes, I was bitter over being discarded, and yes, I consider myself a far worthier ruler than that brotherly waste of mine...
"But before all that, I've had a much nobler purpose. I was always a seed...
"Planted to resurrect the Demon King!"
"N- No way..." Yuexia inched backwards, shaking her head. "Impossible!"
But Zhurong Fen gave a cold smile. "You've been such a wonderful dog, but rather than remain loyal, you chose to hinder my plans?"
"Please...! Please spare me this once!" Yuexia begged, more desperate than ever. "Give me another chance!"
But Zhurong Fen stepped away.
"Did you know?" She continued as if she hadn't heard Yuexia's words. "Half of the demon King's essence is buried in these fields...?"
There was a sudden pulse, and a strong demonic aura surged into the air.
"The Immortal elders strut around with the honour gained from fighting the Demon King back then, but not one of them could match him! And for years, that idiot previous War Deity has enjoyed the false legend of defeating him!" Zhurong Fen's smile vanished.
"Hmph. My disgusting father discarded me so young, not knowing that was always the plan... bringing me to my true purpose here!"
Zhurong Fen had been designed to kill her mother, which played on her father's grief, and she deliberately sought out the dormant Flower-Heart gene in her mother, knowing it would bring her here!
Zhurong Fen sighed at present. "But the Seal holding the Demon King prisoner can only be broken by the royal family's dragon core and pearl, and I was supposed to be born first! To inherit my father's dragon blood and use my own Core and Pearl to resurrect Yu Wang!
"It would also ensure his resurrection and grant him all the powers of the Sky Emperors!" Zhurong Fen began pacing around Yuexia.
"But Fate played us, and that supreme waste was born first, somehow inheriting all the dragon aura! Leaving me with my mother's flimsy bloodline...
"So I quickly pivoted! The new plan was to kill the waste elder brother of mine, but he was already Sky Realm's precious Crown Prince... Useless, but too well protected, and going against him meant going against the throne.
"So I sought the only advantage in this flimsy bloodline!"
Zhurong Fen absorbed her mother's full essence, using it to awaken the sleeping Flower-Heart technique, knowing it would land he here...
And the instant she turned a thousand, she came right to this field to meet a certain individual.
It was a young boy around her age. He wore a dark mask, but his beautiful blood-red irises were visible through slits...
Zhurong Fen instantly knelt before him, flinging an arm across her chest.
"Master!"
The boy had helped her rise. "You've finally come. I will permit you to address me as 'Yu Wang'!"
Through those early years, everyone assumed Zhurong Fen was pure and unambitious, but in the shadows she ruthlessly amassed power, and began rallying the demons, using Yu Wang's Black Jade token which granted her control over his hidden demon army.
And as for the floral young in the flower fields, she indeed spent all that time using her unique Flower-Heart technique to grow the divine flowers to their full potential... But she also secretly infused bits of her will within them, turning them into the most loyal future soldiers.
"Hmph." Zhurong Fen presently scoffed, still looking down at the shocked and frightened Yuexia. "I've tripled Yu Wang's army since then, adding in thousands of Flower Immortals.
"To kill Zhurong Tianlong, we would need to overthrow his biggest protector, the Sky Emperor! So we needed a massive army, and I came here to grow one! Next, we would need our people in power around Sky Realm...
"Finally, we would need a way to break the countless dragon enchantments protecting him, but that could only be achieved through his mate... And would you know it? Before long your mother came crawling to my dear grand aunt for a favour..."
Now, Qin Yuelian was Zhurong Fen's grand aunt, and she always eyed Zhurong Fen with envy.
After all, Qin Yuelian had been next in line for the Floral throne before Zhurong Fen's birth!
However, Zhurong Fen was far too powerful and cunning, and had long defeated Qin Yuelian, turning her into another loyal dog.
By the time the Bird Queen came begging Qin Yuelian to make Feng Yuexia a supreme beauty, Zhurong Fen was already the power behind the scenes, and she urged Qin Yuelian to agree to the Bird Queen's request.
"This gave me power over the Bird Clan, but most of all you... It was a favour I granted because you were already engaged to my dear brother." She stopped and turned to Feng Yuexia. "Do you understand?"
Yuexia sat heavily. "S- so you...! from the start...?!"
"That's right, I implanted a curse within you which slowly burned through Tianlong's layers of protection." Zhurong Fen mildly relished the look of shock on Feng Yuexia's face.
"But there was a problem. My idiot brother had somehow become friends with someone troublesome...
"Yin Xiaolong!" She practically spat the name.
At first Yin Xiaolong wasn't a threat...
The curse still burned through Tianlong's protection at a good pace, so when Zhurong Fen first saw Yin Xiaolong, her eyes genuinely lit up in admiration, causing her some confusion.
She was beyond something as pointless as 'Love', and yet she couldn't help being drawn to Yin Xiaolong!
However, try as she might, Yin Xiaolong never yielded in the slightest!
Slightly heartbroken and severely pissed off, she buried this shameful love in her heart for good.
But a new problem arose...
.