Chapter 42 - The Magical Fan

An almost unnoticeable smile appeared on Wu Xie's lips as he scanned the Imperial Palace down below. 

He did not reply to Feng Wu's question immediately. Instead, he remained quiet to see how impatient his little Phoenix was. When even after his silence over the next ten or so minutes he heard nothing from his spirit beast, the smile on his lips finally became visible.

"That old fox is getting impatient because of our absence. If all three of us still kept trying to avoid her, it won't be long before she will end up losing all her patience." Wu Xie said as his eyes roamed towards the grand manor standing on the east side of the Royal Palace - the residence of the Empress Dowager.

"But Master, only you are planning about returning to the palace. First Master and Second Master still seem to be busy with their plans. And... what about the lady who has finally appeared?" Feng Wu could not help but ask.

Wu Xie smirked as he heard his little Phoenix mentioning the girl whom he was supposed to meet after returning to the Capital City.

"The letter that we received this morning from the First brother stated that this mysterious lady is none other than Miss Jiang... the girl whom Empress Dowager has been keeping as a hostage in the Cold Palace since that eventful day."

To say that the revelation did not make Feng Wu's head spin would be an understatement. For several minutes, he was unable to comprehend what he had just heard. How could a weak, naive, and good-for-nothing girl like Miss Jiang be the person chosen by fate to become the companion of the Three Golden Deities?

"Master..." 

Feng Wu started to voice out his concern but then changed his mind at the very last moment. 

"This girl is really mysterious. Even I'm surprised to know that it's actually her. Though nothing is making sense at the moment, we will find out more as soon as we will meet with my brothers."

"Also, if Miss Jiang is really that fated person, it will prove beneficial for her if I will be there in the Imperial Palace to keep the old fox's attention focused on me. Miss Jiang's movements and identity as the 'fated one' can't be revealed to Empress Dowager before the right time. My presence in the palace will keep the old woman engaged, giving Miss Jiang and my brothers the time that they need to construct the perfect plan." 

Wu Xie explained as he tried to imagine the last time he saw Miss Jiang. From what he could recall, the girl was average looking but that was not what mattered, the problem was her ignorance and meekness.

The girl he recalled was nowhere near someone who could stand a single chance to stand up against the powerful, cold-blooded, cruel, and sharp-minded Empress Dowager. He just wished that his brothers had found the right person.

"Master, are you planning to attend the banquet?" Feng Wu asked as he watched the ongoing preparations. The people of the Royal Palace seemed very happy after hearing the news of the return of one of their Princes.

This happy news had already spread throughout the Capital City, filling the citizens with joy and eagerness as they all awaited the moment when the Third Prince would finally return to the city after half a decade.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the people of the Hyuang Empire loved all the three Princes equally. Probably because during the last five years, the story of the strong brotherhood between the Princes and their capability of protecting their Empire had been winning the hearts of the common people.

The Capital and its residents had waited for a long time to welcome their Princes and it was finally happening. Even though it was only the Third Prince and there was no news about the other two Princes, people could not help but still feel emotional and happy to see their youngest Prince.

"Why should I miss such a great chance to enjoy the delicious feast and the Snow Cloud Wine? Since I've decided to face that woman then I should not give her any chance to find faults in me. We will join the banquet." Wu Xie replied as he closed the black and red fan that he was holding all this time.

Feng Wu bowed and then stepped back before disappearing from the carriage. The next second, the two white flying horses that were pulling the carriage, turned towards the direction of the city gate and disappeared among the clouds.

Wu Xie gave a last look at the Royal Palace and this time his eyes landed on the Cold Palace. If he wanted, he could have easily checked out the current movements of Miss Jiang. However, a voice inside his head was telling him to be patient and for a change, he decided to listen to that stupid voice for the time being. 

Shutting the window of the carriage, he relaxed in his seat and focused his attention on the fan that he had found from the volcanic caves of the wasteland of the Zingxia Empire.

Among all the useless items that he obtained from those caves like - spirit cores, rare spirit herbs, spirit poison, volcanic crystals, beast spirit essence beads, and thunder elixir, this black and red fan was the only item that he could not recognize.

He could feel the power sleeping inside the fan and it was no doubt that the fan was a powerful weapon. However, even after searching for two whole months, he still had not found out any clue about the origin of the fan.

It was not recorded in the list of the most powerful weapons in their realms, nor was there any record of it in the list of weapons created by powerful weaponsmiths. He even checked among the other common lists but still found nothing.

As his eyes roamed over the intricate designs that were carved over the fan, he noticed a silvery light suddenly glowing around the fan as the designs started to change their shapes.