Yuan opened his eyes. He found himself lying on a bed. His whole body was bruised and aching and he was feeling dizzy. 'What am I doing here?' he wondered. The last thing he remembered was seeing a man massacring the Imperial soldiers. He had no idea where he was or how much time had passed since he had lost his consciousness. He looked around and saw that the room was spacious; it was decorated with expensive furniture, including precious porcelain vases and most artful paintings. With great effort, Yuan managed to get up.

"You decided to wake up?" Yuan heard a female voice saying. He then saw a young woman in her mid-twenties walking into the room. Yuan was struck by her beauty. Her long black hair was shining, her lips were redder than the fire, her skin was as white as snow, her face was so beautiful that it dazzled anyone who looked at her, her cheeks emanated the rosy glow that the sunset clouds reflect, her eyes shone like the clear and piercing light of the moon. She was wearing a long purple gown made from the finest silk. "I finally get to meet the famous Cheng Yuan... I cannot say that I am impressed. Considering your reputation with women, I expected you to be more handsome."

Yuan was taken a bit aback. "I... well... me... you..." The old Yuan would have been able to come up with a smart quip. But the new Yuan was the reincarnation of Yang Jing, a disciple of Mount Kunlun with zero experience on women, not the famous playboy. Still, Yuan did not expect that he would stutter.

The woman laughed. "Are you really Cheng Yuan? The Yuan I've heard of is charming and knows how to talk his way out of things."

Yuan put up an awkward smile. "Well, it's complicated but... I am Yuan." Yuan knew that if he said the truth, that he was Yang Jing reincarnated in the body of Cheng Yuan, he would sound utterly ridiculous. "Who exactly are you?"

"I am Lin Hua, Sect Leader of the Blood Sect."

Yuan remembered the discussion he had overheard in the inn; he had heard that the Blood Sect was vicious, an enemy of the Orthodox Sects and an ally of the Demonic Cult. He instinctively looked around for any weapons in case he had to fight.

Hua could see that Yuan had been alarmed. "If I wanted you dead, I would have done so already."

"Your Sect is an enemy of the Orthodox Sects and you have dealings with the Demonic Cult," Yuan replied. "So do forgive me if I am not trusting you."

Hua smiled. "Since when did the notorious Cheng Yuan become a friend of the Orthodox Sects? Not only have you committed countless crimes but from what I've heard you've killed Abbot Hwang and the Orthodox Sects have declared a campaign against you."

"I did not kill Abbot Hwang. As for the crimes... that was the old me. I have turned over a new leaf." Yuan paused for a moment. "How did I end up here? And where is Harald?"

"Fan Jianhong, my chief lieutenant, saved you. He brought you here. As for your friend from the north, do not worry; he is alive and well."

"Why did you save me?"

"I was... curious. Why would suddenly the Orthodox Sects, the Demonic Cult, and the Imperial government have such an interest in hunting you down?" Hua replied. "Now I think I may know the answer."

She showed Yuan the Flaming Medallion. "I am not sure what exactly this artifact is but it exudes an aura of supreme power," she said. "I was hoping you could tell me more about this medallion."

"It was given to me by an elder," Yuan lied. "I do not know anything about its powers."

"Do you take me for a fool? I know you are lying. It does not matter. This medallion is mine now."

"You have to give it back to me!" Yuan shouted. "It is mine!"

Hua smirked. "You think you can scare me with your shouting? The medallion belongs to me now and there is nothing you can do about it."

Yuan tried to snatch the medallion with a swift move but Hua kicked him in the chest with a rapid back kick. Yuan, weak from the wounds he had sustained, coughed and vomited blood. He was barely able to stand up.

Hua laughed. "Really? Is this all you've got? I am surprised you managed to survive so long with such poor skills."

Yuan attempted to punch Hua but she skipped nimbly around behind him and shoved him on the floor. Yuan with great effort managed to get up. He took a deep breath and said, "This is not over yet!"

"I admire your stubbornness, I really do, but do you think you stand any chance against me?"

Yuan had to admit that she was right. Even if he was not severely wounded, he wasn't sure if he could beat her. Yet he could not give up the Flaming Medallion. If the Demonic Cult took hold of it, the fate of the entire world would be in danger. "Is there anything I can do to get back the medallion?"

"For a start, you must tell me the truth regarding this medallion."

Yuan sighed. "It... is the Flaming Medallion."

Hua tried not show any emotion but Yuan could see the surprise in her eyes. "The Flaming Medallion...? It has been gone for more than eight hundred thousand years. It is the most powerful artifact to have ever been created."

"It is also the only way to prevent the Demonic Cult and their Dark Lord from destroying the entire world. Do you really want to ally yourself with those madmen?"

Hua smiled. "Why not? So far our cooperation against the Orthodox Sects has been cordial. Destroying the world, though, would be bad for my Sect. I want to dominate the Martial Arts World, not see it be destroyed."

"I knew you would be reasonable! You must give the medallion to me so I can safely get it to Mount Kunlun."

"Do you really think I will give up the Flaming Medallion and give it to the Orthodox Sects? I am not going to hand it over to the Demonic Cult but I ain't going to give it to those moralizing hypocrites either."

"It will not be of any use to you," Yuan said. "You will not know how to use it. Only someone like Elder Rong can find out how to use the powers of this medallion. If he does not get it in time and the Dark Lord is revived, we will not be able to stop him from destroying the entire world."

Hua chuckled. "You underestimate me. I am sure I can find a way to unlock its secrets. You have been honest with me, though, so I do owe you a favor; I shall not kill you or your friend. But you shall remain here. You may wander around, but you are not allowed to leave this place."

Hua walked out of the room, leaving an exhausted Yuan to sit on the bed and contemplate his next move. He wasn't going to give up on getting the medallion.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

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Xiao was lying on the grass in Mount Kunlun's garden. He was drinking wine. He was reminiscing the days when he and Jing would drink wine and laugh together. He still could not accept that his friend had died. Xiao was always more into drinking than training but now he was completely neglecting his training. The one person who could motivate him to try to move on, Yao, was on a mission to hunt down Yuan. So, Xiao was now alone, his only companion being his jar of wine.

"Disciple Xiao!" Master Yi said.

Xiao, being absorbed in his drinking, had not at first noticed his Master. He suddenly saw him standing in front of him, with a stern look on his face. Xiao tried to speak but his mouth was sore from the amount of alcohol that he had poured down his throat. He cleared his throat as he stood up. "Master!"

"You need to pull yourself together!" Yi said. "You cannot continue like this. I know how you feel right now. I also had a good friend who was like a brother to me and who was killed by a villain. At first, I was just like you; in denial, trying to cut off myself from the world, giving up on my training. But my Master made me realize that this road led to self-destruction. You need to focus on your training, to get a purpose in your life, to start anew. Make it as your goal to move on and become a better disciple. That way you will honor the memory of your friend, not by throwing away your life and wasting your potential."

Xiao sighed. Master Yi was right; Xiao didn't like to admit it, but he had to move on. "I understand..." he said and thew away his jar of wine. "I will try to pull myself together and focus on my training."

"Good. That is all I ask of you. You have potential to become a great swordsman but in the past, you wasted that potential with your laziness and now you waste it with your sinking into depression. I hope this time you will be able to achieve your potential and that you shall not let me down. I have faith in you."

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It was early in the morning. Streaks of sunlight had penetrated the window and woken up Yuan. He had spent the last day recuperating from his wounds and trying to think of a way to get back the Flaming Medallion. He felt less pain now, though if he moved too fast he still ached. Getting up from his bed, he decided to go see how Harald was doing. Although Hua had assured him that his friend was fine, he did not trust her. He quickly dressed up and washed his face with fresh water from a cup that a servant had brought while he was sleeping. As Yuan walked out of the room, he found himself mesmerized by the picturesque sight of a garden of peach blossom trees. Their petals fluttered in the light spring breeze.

As Yuan admired the beauty of the garden, he heard the sound of Guqin music. The melody of the tune started off gently before it took a shift and became vigorous. The music soared through the air like an eagle, taking with it the very souls of those who listened to it. Yuan could feel peace in his heart and relax hearing this music. A smile appeared on his face; all his worries were gone. He walked towards the music. He soon found out who was the musician; Hua. She was sitting by a peach tree and playing the tune while its bright petals fluttered around her.

"Your melody is most soothing," Yuan said. "Few people can play Guqin so well."

Hua smirked. "I told you not to underestimate me; I am not most people." She paused for a moment to examine Yuan. "I see you are recovering from your wounds. Now that you are better, care to do me a favor? I've heard that you too are a master of Guqin. I would like you to play some music for me. In exchange, I can let you see my sword dance."

In his previous life as Yang Jing, Yuan was instructed on Guqin by Elder Rong. It had been a long time since he had practiced his music skills, so he happily obliged. "Very well. I shall play a tune."

Hua got up and gave her Guqin to Yuan. He softly touched it. He sat on the grass and allowed himself to feel the instrument's strings. He then began playing a vigorous tune. Hua unsheathed her sword; a double-edged straight sword. The sword gleamed in the light. She began performing intricate and fast sword forms in accordance with the tune. She made several swift stabs. Every time her sword moved, it created a gust of wind, rustling the grass violently. Yuan couldn't help but admire her swordsmanship. Few people could match her skills. Yuan also felt a sense of sadness; to him, it seemed that all that talent was being wasted. Instead of using her skills to help those in need and uphold justice, Hua used them to try to dominate the Martial Arts World.

"Your skill with the sword is good," Yuan admitted, "but it is wasted. You could be doing so much more than trying to fulfill selfish ambitions."

Hua laughed. "I never expected that the notorious Cheng Yuan would have such a change of heart and that he would preach about righteousness."

Yuan sighed. "Where can I find Harald?"

"Your friend? Go straight ahead. You will soon meet him. He is in one of the halls."

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Yuan had been walking for a few minutes when he saw a series of halls. Columns supported gently curved roofs while the walls were paper-thin and movable. One of those paper-thin walls was open, allowing Yuan to see what was inside that hall. There was a wooden desk and on top of it, Yuan noticed the Flaming Medallion. He looked around but there was no one; not a single guard. He immediately rushed inside to grab the medallion. As soon as he stepped into the hall, a loud sound was heard. Yuan turned around and saw Jianhong, the man who had saved him from the Imperial soldiers, accompanied by five swordsmen, all clad in red.

"Did you really think we would let the medallion unguarded?", Jianhong asked.

"How did I not notice you?"

Jianhong grinned. "I and my men have been practicing stealth for years. We are really good at following someone without being seen."

"Now what?" Yuan asked. He was already thinking about an escape plan.

"No need to worry; the Mistress said not to harm you under any circumstances. Besides, my men can use you as a way to practice their stealth skills. So, please, do try again to steal the medallion so my men can improve their skills."

Yuan angrily stormed out of the hall. He had enough of being used as a pawn to entertain Hua's curiosity and Jianhong's training. As he was strolling and trying to calm down, he heard a familiar voice from the inside of one of the halls. "Brother!". He walked towards that hall and saw Harald. He looked exhausted but in a good mood.

"I am glad you are alive!" Harald said.

"Me too!" Yuan said and smiled.

"Now that we are together, we should find a way to escape this damn place!" Harald said. "If only I had my axe, I would hack those damn bastards to pieces!"

Yuan sighed. "Unfortunately, we cannot win this fight with brute force. We must find a way to get back the Flaming Medallion and elude from this place without anyone seeing us."

"I doubt we will be having an easy time doing this, brother. I've seen the guards here in action when I tried to leave the hall. They are all tough and well trained. I am afraid this time we may be running out of luck."

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It was late in the night. Hua was in her private quarters along with Jianhong. She was sitting on her desk, looking tired and frustrated, while her loyal lieutenant was bowing before her. "Mistress," he said, "I and the scholars have read every book we have regarding the Flaming Medallion and used every method imaginable, but we have found no way to activate its powers."

"It is as I expected..." Hua murmured. "If I couldn't unlock its secrets with my immense internal energy, how would you be able to do so?"

"I had some of our scholars to search for old and long lost books on the medallion. I am sure there will be a solution in one of those books."

"I doubt such books will be of much use..."

Suddenly a smile appeared on Hua's face. Jianhong could tell that his mistress had thought of a way to unlock the secrets of the medallion.

"Why bother trying to unlock its powers ourselves when we can have someone else, far more powerful and wise, do it for us?" she said. "When the secret of the medallion is revealed, we can always snatch it back. It seems your stealth skills may be of use after all."

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Yuan was lying on his bed and thinking about all the events that had transpired recently. As time passed, his eyes felt heavier and heavier. He finally closed his eyes and fell into dreamless sleep. Suddenly, Hua stormed into his room. Yuan woke up and quickly got up. "What happened?" he asked, still half asleep.

"We are going to Mount Kunlun. You should prepare. We will be leaving early in the morning," Hua said.

"What?"

"Weren't you pestering me all this time about how we should get the medallion to Mount Kunlun and give it to Elder Rong? Well, I agree with you. But I shall be coming alongside you on this journey to Mount Kunlun."

Yuan smiled. "It's good that you see reason. However... I do not think it is a good idea to come with us to Mount Kunlun. You and the Orthodox Sects do not have the best of relations."

"Either I am coming with you or the medallion stays here; choose!"

Yuan sighed. He did not like having Hua following him to Mount Kunlun as he did not trust her, but he had little choice. "Fine. You can accompany us on our journey there."

Hua grinned. "Most excellent. Now excuse me but I've got to start preparing for our journey. You better start doing the same. The sooner we get to Mount Kunlun the better."