Phoenix Rise: XieRong

"Child, you can cry in here," The Duchess Chin said, keeping her book aside.

"As someone who has seen some more of this world than you, let this lady give you some advice; crying is not weakness, killing to protect yourself and the people you love is not wrong and neither is seeking justice for the wrongs that have been committed against you. When you kill the innocent for personal gain, that is wrong."

XieRong looked up at the beautiful woman in front of her.

"Then is revenge wrong?"

"Is this revenge you speak of going against your good conscience? Will you regret it?"

"No."

"Then it’s not wrong. Little miss, there is no clear concept of ’right’ and ’wrong’ in this world and there never will be. Just like there are different kinds of people in the world, there are different kinds of rights and wrongs. Before you do something just ask yourself these questions first, ’Will I regret this later?’ ’Will this benefit the people?’ If your answer is ’yes’ to both the questions, then proceed with what you have planned to do, otherwise think of other better ways to accomplish your goals."

After that XieRong silently cried in the corner as she remembered the blood that spluttered out of the man’s neck and onto her hands, the eyes that lost the life in them slowly and turned glassy, the presence in her mind that faded out and the feeling of knowing that she was the cause. However, XieRong knew she didn’t cry because she regretted it. She would’ve done it all over again to protect her little sister and she knew that when the time came, she wouldn’t regret killing the Fa family and all the people who had wronged her, her sister and her mother.

XieRong had grown weary and tired. She fell asleep while crying with tear stains running down her cheeks.

The Duchess Chin smiled as she gently put a blanket over XieRong’s sleeping figure. She believed that one day this girl would grow up to do great things while the rest of the world watched in awe.

The entire time XieRong was asleep, Duchess Chin would allow no one into her carriage. She was like a mother hen who drove away all intruders that came by. Duchess Chin had grown very fond of XieRong in the one month they had spent together. XieRong reminded the Duchess very much of her own daughter whom she had left behind in the capital.

In another five days Bai Shen’s group had crossed onto the West province. XieRong had started to spend some time daily with the Duchess learning things from her and sharing stories. XieRong felt that the Duchess reminded her of her mother. She and the Duchess often discussed war strategies and medicine.

They were only a day away from Qianhe city.

"BaiHua, on days like this, you remind me very much of my little sister," the Duchess said, as she read a book by the window, remembering her sister’s big goofy smile when she had broken through to the late Earth Cultivation Realm when she was eighteen.

"My sister and I used to sit, just like we are now, and read war, medicine and cultivation books all day. We loved all of it so much that we used to discuss it with our father and older brother at the dining table. My mother always used to say that she felt like she had raised three boys instead of one."

Duchess Chin laughed, keeping her book away.

"Those were some good days," she said, a far away look entering her eyes as she stared out of the carriage.

"It was soon after we had all grown up and were to be married that we grew apart."

"Why did you two grow apart?" XieRong asked.

"My father was against my sister’s marriage. He felt that my sister was marrying a man unworthy of her love. My sister fell in love with a lowly scholar whose cultivation level was way beneath hers. My father was sure that the man was using my sister to use her influence both in nobility and cultivation world to rise in ranks. I thought so too. The man had a good name in court but I could tell how greedy for power and reputation he was with the way he interacted with the people. To him, every person he associated with was a pawn in his rise to power.

"After my sister’s marriage, my stubborn father refused to contact her in the capital. I, however, kept in touch but after one year of her marriage she stopped sending me letters and replying to mine. I grew worried about her when I heard of the man’s subsequent marriages. I wrote to her that I was going to come visit when I finally recieved a reply with just six words written on it ’I am fine. Do not come’. I felt hurt but could do nothing but comply with my sister’s wish.

"Then, it was my turn to get married and move to the capital. I inquired about my sister’s whereabouts from her husband when I moved there, but he said that she’d already ran away with another man. I didn’t believe him. If my sister would have run then she would have run away alone, or faked her death. She cared more about our father’s reputation than he did. She would never do anything to sully it. I could have force an investigation with my rank but I didn’t want to make things more difficult for my husband than they already were. He had already helped me a lot despite having a bad relationship with that man, so I let it be and to this day I don’t know where or how my sister is."

XieRong went and hugged the duchess. She wouldn’t like it either if she didn’t know how or where FeiHong was.

"Duchess, who was the man your sister married, anyway?"

"You wouldn’t believe me if I told you," the duchess said patting XieRong’s back.

"You won’t know if I believe you or not until you tell me."

The duchess smiled unbelievingly.

"Would you believe me if I told you the man my sister married is none other than the current right prime minister, Fa?"