“Rainbow, Rainbow,” Liu Buqun called, waking Xu Caitong from her ancient dream. “What’s wrong? You were standing there motionless, looking lost. I thought, I thought those demons had come to torment you again,” Liu Buqun said, his face full of concern. “I…” Xu Caitong buried her face in Liu Buqun’s chest, “I saw Mo Xie and Zi Yue.” “You saw them? Where are they?” Liu Buqun, holding Xu Caitong, looked around. Inside the tent, there was nothing but emptiness, no Mo Xie or Zi Yue. “They, they are in my mind; I always see them.” “How could this be? How could this be?” Liu Buqun was puzzled, his brows knitted. He held Xu Caitong tightly, fearing for her safety. “You are him, you are him,” Xu Caitong said, looking at Liu Buqun. Wasn’t the ancient man she often saw him? “I am him? Who is he? Rainbow, I am Buqun, your husband.” Liu Buqun asked, puzzled, his heart aching as he worried about Caitong’s incoherent words. “Buqun, you are Mo Xie, I am Zi Yue. I remember in the Mirror Flower Garden of Xu Family Village, the Fairy of Flowers told me I was Mo Xie’s woman. And I always see us together in ancient times. Come, take out the Mo Xie Sword, let my blood drip onto it.” “No! Even if you are Zi Yue, how could I let you bleed?” Liu Buqun gripped Xu Caitong’s hand; she often called him Mo Xie in her trance, and he felt the power of Mo Xie within him. “What do we do then? Without my blood, we can’t unseal the Mo Xie Sword. The demons will still try to merge heaven and earth, and without the unsealed sword, we can’t stop them from destroying everything.” “Let’s go to Yanzhou Mountain first. Perhaps there, we might find a better way,” Liu Buqun decisively said. “Mo Xie,” Xu Caitong’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude. “Zi Yue,” Liu Buqun hugged Xu Caitong tightly, saying with emotion, “Let’s continue our eternal love.” Liu Buqun held Xu Caitong’s delicate face and kissed her deeply. Before dawn, Liu Buqun left Zhao’s camp with Xu Caitong. Zhao Kuangyin had shown intentions to seize the Mo Xie Sword; it must not fall into the hands of small men or demons… The divine steed charged forward like the wind, passing through a forest. Outside, a line of soldiers led by Zhao Kuangyin awaited. Liu Buqun pulled on the reins, “Hiss-” the black horse reared up. Liu Buqun, looking at the soldiers blocking his path, laughed heartily, then with a stern face, he said, “Are you here for the Mo Xie Sword?” “General Liu, I, Zhao Kuangyin, know a bit about the legend of the Mo Xie Sword. When the heavens and earth are destroyed, Mo Xie emerges. The Mo Xie Sword is the purest blade of Mo Xie, its appearance is the will of heaven. How could I be a shameless man?” Zhao Kuangyin said hypocritically. “Well said, but why block my way? Isn’t it for the Mo Xie Sword?” Liu Buqun sneered. “Hahaha, General Liu, the Mo Xie Sword is a divine sword of heaven and earth, and everyone wants to possess it. We have been waiting here out of admiration for the Mo Xie Sword. General Liu, you left without a word, surely not intending to keep it for yourself without letting us see it, right?” Zhao Kuangyin’s brother, Zhao Kuangyi, laughed wildly. “So you are here to block my way today?” Liu Buqun said coldly. “General Liu, don’t make it sound so bad. Who doesn’t know the world-renowned Zhao Kuangyin? We just want to borrow your Mo Xie Sword to achieve something great. Do you want to monopolize it?” Zhao Pu said with a sinister smile. “If you dare, come and take it,” Liu Buqun sneered. “Charge!” Zhao Kuangyin commanded his men. The sky darkened with clouds, sand and stones flew, and the once rosy sky was now filled with swirling winds, as if the world was about to collapse. The wind was so fierce it was hard to stand. Zhao Kuangyin’s men surrounded Liu Buqun, intent on seizing the Mo Xie Sword. Liu Buqun swung the Mo Xie Sword, engaging in combat with the soldiers. Although the sword was not unsheathed, it was imbued with Mo Xie’s spirit, gathering the soul of its master onto the blade. Wherever it went, there was only the howling of ghosts and wolves. Liu Buqun quickly defeated the group of ill-intentioned men, with Zhao Kuangyi and Zhao Pu barely holding on. Zhao Kuangyin was knocked off his horse by a backhand swing from Liu Buqun, who then grabbed his large knife and held it to Zhao Kuangyin’s throat. Zhao Kuangyi and Zhao Xi were both dumbfounded; Liu Bugun’s martial prowess was unmatched. They had long known that their chances of seizing the Moye Sword were slim, but they hadn’t expected to be so utterly defeated. “General, please show mercy,” Zhao Kuangyi and Zhao Pu hastily threw their weapons to the ground, pleading for Zhao Kuangyin. “Hahaha, do you still want the Moye Sword?” Liu Bugun laughed maniacally. “General Liu, I respect you as a hero. If you and I collaborate, the world will surely be ours. I am willing to share the dominion of the land with you in three parts,” Zhao Kuangyin said, his neck pressed against the Moye Sword, panic-stricken as he tried to tempt Liu Bugun. “Haha, what do you take me, Liu Bugun, for? Share the dominion in three parts? Do you think I would want that?” Liu Bugun sneered. “Emperor? I have no interest. Lest I bring calamity upon the world, I only want to kill you now,” Liu Bugun said coldly, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Kuangyin with a sinister air. As Liu Bugun raised his sword to kill Zhao Kuangyin, “General, wait!” Xu Caitong rushed over, grabbing Liu Bugun’s sword-wielding hand just in time. “Caitong…?” Liu Bugun looked at Xu Caitong, puzzled. “You cannot kill him!” Xu Caitong held onto Liu Bugun’s hand tightly. “Why?” Liu Bugun asked, staring at Xu Caitong. Why couldn’t he kill Zhao Kuangyin? His ambition was boundless; with him alive, the world would only become more chaotic. “You cannot kill him. If you do, the entire course of human history will change, and we will vanish, suspended in an unknown time tunnel,” Xu Caitong explained. Liu Bugun was stunned; could killing Zhao Kuangyin have such dire consequences? “Zhao Kuangyin,” Xu Caitong turned to Zhao Kuangyin, “you cannot take the Moye Sword. It would bring you no benefit. If you take it, you will be at odds with heaven and earth. Today, let us pass. In the future, at Chenqiao Veranda, you will naturally proclaim yourself emperor, and the world will be yours. Why hesitate?” “Is what Lady Liu says true?” Zhao Kuangyin asked, overjoyed. “Of course, it’s true. In the sixth year of the Xian De era, after Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou dynasty dies, his son will ascend the throne. You will report that the Northern Han and Liao have invaded, leading the imperial guards out of the city to defend. Then, you will surely become emperor.” “He will become emperor?” Liu Bugun inquired. “Yes, because the new emperor will be young and inexperienced. At that time, Zhao Pu will drape the yellow robe over you, and you will naturally be supported by the troops to become emperor, establishing the Song dynasty with you as its founding ancestor,” Xu Caitong explained. “How can we believe you? You make it sound too easy,” Zhao Kuangyi scoffed as he approached. “No, I believe Lady Liu’s words. The last time Emperor Taizu personally led a campaign, it was also her words that dissuaded him. Everything happened just as she said. I thank Lady Liu for her guidance; I will remember this kindness,” Zhao Kuangyin bowed deeply to Xu Caitong. Liu Bugun released Zhao Kuangyin, brought over his black horse, and mounted it with Xu Caitong. With a gentle kick to the horse’s belly, the horse reared up and neighed, galloping northward. Zhao Kuangyin and his brothers watched the couple depart, and under Lady Liu’s guidance, they began preparations for Zhao Kuangyin’s proclamation as emperor.
Chapter Nine
