A Thousand Lotus

Jiao Yu walked annoyingly out of the brothel, passing the woman in the counter before tossing four silvers and left. Originally, when she went out, the skies were still bright and the sun was still out but now, only thechilling cold air and stars greeted her, making her body shiver slightly.

On the road back, Jiao Yu fought to keep her appearance relax, at then end some coldness revealed itself on Jiao Yu's pair of eyes.

After all, she had never planned to get involved any further with the organization than she already is. With the things the organization have done before, she can't wait to put an end to it, she'd just started her plan for survival. Jiao Yu was not afraid if there were difficulties in the near future, she can just let go of everything she holds in her hand to grasp tighter on the other.

Upon returning back to the residence, Jiao Yu returned to her courtyard and cleaned up, it was already somewhat late. She lit the oil lamp and when Jing Chu saw that she had no intention to rest, she said, "Is Young lady feeling alright tonight?"

"Yes, Is father here yet?"

Jing Chu shook her head and said, "One of the servants said earlier that Master would not be back for a few days and said that if Young lady needs anything, just tell it to the servants here."

Jioa Yu nodded her head. She was already bothered with how things progressed this much, she'd expected that the organization would make a move when Liu Sheng Xiao announced her coming out but surprisingly, the organization have yet made a move.

"You all can withdraw." Jiao Yu said. "I cannot sleep and will play a little while of chess."

Jing Chu wanted to say something but Bai Chen tugged on her sleeves. Bai Chen said, "Then these servants will withdraw. Young Lady must not think too much. When one feel tired, it is better to rest early, else it will harm one's health. The nights are also cold so it is better not to be too late and keep warm."

Jiao Yucomplied so Bai Chen and Jing Chu withdrew.

In front of the small table, the chess board was empty, picking up the white chess pieces in one end, then the black pieces on the other.

Jiao Yu was seriously playing and time slowly passed. Gradually the empty chess board was filled with black and white pieces, making it extremely complicated. She was initially playing as she wishes to, but very much later she would need to think very hard, before placing one piece down.

Outside of the courtyard, it was very quiet that even the birds and insect noises were not heard, as the Jing capital had fallen into a dream. A breeze was gently blowing in the courtyard.

Jiao Yu looked at the chess board, she gently breathed out.

In just one year, all the pieces were already out and all the pawns that were needed had already walked to the position that they should be at. From some perspective, being the first in the key moment might not be able to win the overall victory. This was the game, a plan she devised with the help of Liu Sheng Xiao against the organization, but now it seemed that she had thought of things too simple.

She glanced at the chess game on the table and stood up before heading over to the windows, pushing them open. The winter wind from outside blew in and brought in an intense coolness. There was some tree shadows swaying, and she looked at them for a while before turning around as she blew the fire on the oil lamp and the fire extinguishes.

As the light went out, the moonlight was like a river of water flowing into the room, lighting the room up with a snow-like light. It was much more welcoming than the light from the oil lamp.

...

Few days later, winter has come to an end. Flowers started to bloom beautifully in every residences in Jing capital, making the places look even more attractive and refreshing.

Children played with other children while throwing snow. The joy that came to the end of the winter was indeed overwhelming, especially to the people living in the poorer state and can't afford enough supplies for their needs. They have been suffering every winter, no food, no clothes, no blankets to warm their body from the ice cold weather and there's not enough and clean water to drink.

While in the residence of the First Branch of Liu family, everyone looked proper but in the inside theywere not as cheerful as everyone else.

"Is there still no news from Tie Yi?" Jiao Yu said.

The young maid, Jing Chu stopped combing Jiao Yu's hair and shook her head. Jiao Yu saw the reflection of Jing Chu on the mirror and seeing that there's no news at all, she felt worried towards her so called father.

Jiao Yu released a long breath and put down the thin silk veil on the table. She'd been meeting the people from the second and the third branch to waste some time as Jiao Yu awaits Liu Sheng Xiao, but because he'd gone for several days, she'd to suffer from the torture of boredom. Today, she needs to pay a visit to the old taitai to pay respect but she's to lazy to do so.

As Jiao Yu was thinking, hurried steps were heard not far from her courtyard as it gradually got closer. Then a loud 'da' noise was heard and a freaked out Bai Cheng emerged.

"Bai Chen! Announce yourself before coming in." Jing chu sternly reprimanded her.

Bai Chen who's face looked haggard and hair out of its proper fringe, immediately kneeled down, "Young lady, please forgive this servant but one can't just stop oneself to run here as soon as I've heard that a head was found in the front gate of the residence."

"Who would be so daring to actually leave a head in front of the Liu residence's gate?" Jing Chu said.

Jiao Yu calmly looked at the freaked out Bai Chen and saw her shaking tremendously, "If it is just a head of some animal, let the male servants clean it up and throw it somewhere else."

Bai Chen turned white as she heard her young miss said that but only shook her head and said, "Young Lady, the head did not belong to an animal." Before slowly speaking again, "It belongs to a person."

Furrowing her brows, Jiao Yu took a second look on her frightened young maid. A stature that fell shorter than Jiao Yu's height, two round eyes that gleamed as water started to build, nose red from the cold air outside and a quivering mouth. Jiao Yu did not know why but when she saw the expression the maid was making, it made her heart squeeze so hard that she almost forgot to breathe.

"Why are you crying?" Jiao Yu clenched her fists and faintly said.

"Tell me, did you also heard from that someone, that person's head looked so similar to the master of this residence?"

Jing Chu who was watching from the side, confusedly looked at the two of them. She did not understood what her fellow maid had just told making her young miss looked extremely angry and thought that Bai Chen had gone crazy. She then noticed the blood dripping from her young miss' hand. She went to Jiao Yu's side, wanting to see the hand that bleed but her hand was flung away back to her side.

Bai Chen saw what just happened and bowed her head even lower, she could not answer as her voice was stuck down her throat.

Though they clearly wasn't there inside the room, the tension inside made every single person outside to want to go somewhere else. They were fidgeting every now and then and was startled when the door was flung open that almost shook the walls on the side.

Without saying anymore, Jiao Yu stalked out of her courtyard with two maids crying out something after her.

At the front of the gates of the Liu residence, several people gathered there with grim looks on their faces. Jiao Yu did not stop her track even as there were several servants blocking her way, watching the show outside. Pushing them to the side as she went to the front. There, she saw two Liu fu's soldiers stationed where the person's head was, the head was bloody and disgusting to look at as insects and flies flew around it, making the men and women alike to feel nauseated and vomit.

Jiao Yu took three steps ahead but was halted by two hands holding her own. She looked towards the person or people who stopped her, it was Jing Chu and Bai Chen who both dreadfully shook their heads. "Young lady, please we can't."

Jiao Yu looked confusedly at them but her eyes went back to the direction of the head. Two dead eyes looked blandly at her, high nose bridge and a full lips with two moles in the upper corner of it. It looked genuinely similar. And she would've believed that it was her father, Liu Sheng Xiao, until her eyes focused towards the left side of the forehead, two inches scar was left imprinted in there, she had never seen that scar anywhere and she'd never heard that Liu sheng Xiao had received a scar that long.

'It's not him.' Jiao Yu thought as she felt relieved that Liu Sheng Xiao was indeed not that person.

"Young lady..." Jing Chu worriedly said and gently tugged her arm again.

Jiao Yu stilled and her mind finally realized something but it was too late before she could do something about that realization as Cao Shen stood in front of her, staring at her with awe.

"Youngest tang sister?"

Jiao Yu slowly looked up, bluntly stared back at Cao Shen's eyes and said, "Oldest tang brother."