Chapter 19

(Memories of old: six years ago)

Shen Nuo often took out the jade tassel off his waist belt to look at it. No matter how many times he looked, he would never get tired of it. It was purely carven off a piece of white jade. It had a majestic figure of a soaring dragon carved in it.

The end of it was tied with a long and a soft silken white fluffy tail feather hanging down it. It looked very beautiful. In the left corner above on the piece of Jade, there was a  beautifully carved character which looked like Character 'Li'. And it was very beautiful and attractive.

After so long, unknowingly, Shen Nuo had developed a great bond towards that white jade tassel of his. It was there with him as long as he remembered his past.

He always hung it by the side of his waist belt and never left or forgot it. Once he had asked his mother about this jade tassel. But his mother had said that she did not know. There were so many accessories brought to be used by the kids of the General's Manor. May be the jade tassel was also one of them...

Once he happened to visit Wu Xiang Monastery with his third uncle alone. On his way through the lively streets, an old man had clasped his hand with him. Little Shen Nuo had stepped back in horror.

The man was holding onto a tall staff. His attire was strange. But it was said that the premises of Wu Xiang Monastery was always crowded with such queer folk. So his uncle didn't take it to the heart.

Taking chance when the uncle paused by a stall to buy some candied haws for Nuo Nuo, the old man had squatted down forth the little child and had said something strange.

"Little kid, I can see that your body is hiding a great spirit inside. One day, you'll cause empires to fight against each other...there would be a great bloodshed."

Shen Nuo's eyes widened. He looked even horrified. "I will be a good general like my father one day." He said pouting his mouth. "But it doesn't mean I will kill innocent people!"

"Little kid, do you identify this jade tassel?" The old man had asked, leaning half his body onto the tall staff.

Shen Nuo lowered his eyes to look at the side of his waist and shook his fluffy head. "No. This was with me as long as I remember. Grandfather, do you know who gave this to me?" He smiled and asked this in a teasing tone. Even if he the owner did not know, how on earth was a stranger supposed to know?

But startling little Shen Nuo, old man laughed wearily. "Yes, I know!" He said in a misterious whisper, closing the distance between the two of them.

"He is the person who will be your husband one day. He has a great bond towards you. It's very strong. It looks as if you both had been entangled with each other for many previous lifetimes...and in this lifetime, it's still no exception. He'll come in search of you by himself one-day..."

Shen Nuo felt lame. "Grandfather, you're joking!" He immediately ran to his uncle.

But the old man saw him run away and laughed gently before he left on his own. "Birth of the Star of Chaos. My old Master was not wrong when he died. The calamity has already begun.." He left laughing while staggering wearily.

Later from a tavern keeper, little Shen Nuo happened to hear that the old man he just met was an adept in fortune telling...

This matter left him even baffled. Who gave this jade tassel to him? Who was that person? And what did he mean by bloodshed? How did he tell he would cause a great calamity oneday?

Shen Nuo shook his head furiously and put the thought aside. He never took it seriously again. Three months later, he entered into the Imperial Academy for further education.

Young Shen Nuo was ten years old. Among the noble kids, he happened to be the most beautiful male (ger). So it was natural for him to have the attention of so many young imperials. He was loved by teachers, admired by seniors and envied by girls.

Though he be a lively kid, still he was well mannered, good natured and kind. He made a little friends, respected elders, kept out of troubles and learned well everything that was taught.

But not everyone was happy about Shen Nuo's arrival. Specially those arrogant young master from the noble families or the side branches of the Imperial Family. They were not very happy of having their limelight being stolen.

Shen Nuo was often praised. But he was equally bullied. He was often dragged into troubles, framed into faults and mentally harassed. Those were the darkest days of his life, until that moment he met Yue Zhanhua.

Yue Zhanhua was the handsome nineteen years old eldest son of Minister of Revenue. It looked as though he held some power in the Academy. He scored the highest in every exam and was also the favorite of seniors. So he was appointed as the head student of the Academy. Other students feared him.

After Shen Nuo was saved by him amid a bunch of arrogant young masters, he came under Zhanhua's care. His dark life somewhat ended.

Shen Nuo however, did not like the way Zhanhua protected him. Shen Nuo was a ger. He looked like a male. To be honest, he should be with boys. But he got often bullied and laughed at.

Zhanhua saw him being differently treated. He had told Shen Nuo before that since he was very busy, it was hard for him to always protect him.

So Zhanhua did something amazing and directly handed over Shen Nuo to the girls. The girls were mostly Zhanhua's fans that admired him. They were ready to do anything that he said.

But they were however, highly excited about this matter. Most of them were seniors who were several years older than Shen Nuo. They were too excited to have a little white bunny to accompany them.

So since then, during learning sessions, Shen Nuo often hanged out with girls. Though it was extremely noisy and suffocating but it was loads better. At least they never intended to harm him or bully him. And of course, the arrogant young masters from before could do nothing when he was with girls. They were too afraid. They exactly knew what girls were capable of.

So with time, Shen Nuo who hanged around girl learned that it wasn't only martial arts, calligraphy, politics and poetry that they learned in the Academy. There were also extremely secretive things that they personally carried out researches and learned...

For example, young girls of the noble families always looked so hooked up...flashy giggling girls who frantically scream whenever a boy pass by them.

At first Shen Nuo thought it was a unique disease of girls that was highly contagious to young females. So he was genuinely curious. He intentionally used to pass by loads and loads of girls during the intervals and they would squeal.

If the girl was senior to him, she would immediately cry out that he was cute and would grasp from Shen Nuo's baby fats and squeeze it until it bleeds. If the girl is younger than him, then she would blush and flee away...

Later with time and through thorough observations, he realized that it wasn't any disease but it was because something was wrong with their brains.

And the girls didn't stop from that. They had their own secretive researches which they carried out in delight. Even when it came to choose the most handsome youths in the Capital, they did it secretly and gladly.

Zhanhua used to be the most famous among the girls. They openly chased after him. But Zhanhua did not care. He was too busy to care about something like that. He would always turn them down, without hurting their feelings.

The list the girls made so skillfully had twenty or so handsome men that lived in the Capital. Two of them were poor while all the others were already rich and young men between twenty and twenty five.

But there was also someone who couldn't be included in the list. That person was seldom seen and was rumoured to be handsome than any of them.

He was said to be coldly handsome, and his temperament was said to be cold and frightening. But he wasn't someone whom they could afford offending. He was the young Emperor who was the dream of many noble girls.

It was true that Zhanhua was brighter. He was handsome. He was talented. But he was nowhere near to match the talents and the majesty of the young Emperor Li Yan.

It was said that Crown Prince Li Yan was able to score the highest in the State's Examination surpassing many old heads with shocking talents but back then he was only ten years old. He became the Emperor of a state at the age of seventeen. His cultivation level surpassed all the seniors that used to to teach him when he was small...

Was this something others could do? Which girl would not like to be his wife?

But they knew that Li Yan was not someone whom they can get close to. He was their moon in the mirror, reflection upon the water. It was always untouchable and unreachable. He could only exist in their dreams...

But everytime little Shen Nuo heard them praise the young Emperor, he felt however strange. But he did not like to mess up with girl things too much. He feared he would grow watermelons in his front and back like them if he spends time with them so much.

He was not interested in watermelons like many senior boys of the Academy did. So he would silently sit in a corner of the hall and take out his beautiful white jade tassel to play with it...

But he did not know that there was always a pair of cold fathomless eyes that watched him from afar, untraced, unseen. Those eyes had some expression that was extremely hard to read...

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