Heaven's Unwritten Decree

SHEN ZHIYUAN "YOOOoooooWWWOOOooooOOOOO!!!!!" I darted between the stalls, nearly bumping into a man carrying a basket of vegetables. Someone shouted at me to watch where I was going, but I was a little too busy trying not to get caught to apologize properly. The market was crowded, with people bargaining over fresh produce, vendors calling out their prices, and children running around like they owned the place. Honestly, what a perfect day to be chased. "Prince Zhiyuan!" Who's Zhiyuan? I've been Axiu for as long as I can remember. "Prince Zhiyuan!" I turned sharply around a stall, slipped between two people arguing over the price of fish, and continued running until the guards were finally out of sight. Who trained these guards? Why are they so fast?! I swear, they could probably chase a rabbit across three mountains without breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, look at me! My clothes are all dirty, my hair is probably a mess, and I haven't even had a proper meal yet. Na na nahh. I stopped beside a row of large wooden chairs displayed outside a shop and bent forward to catch my breath. Just for a moment, I told myself. I only needed a moment before I could— "Prince Zhiyuan!" Ohhh, perhaps no? I straightened up so quickly that I almost knocked my head against a hanging sign. Seriously, did these people have eyes everywhere? "Have you seen the Prince?" "Prince Qingchuan!" "Try to look around there!" Prince Qingchuan? Isn't he the prince of this kingdom? I glanced toward the voices. A few guards were running in the opposite direction, their armor clinking as they pushed through the crowd. For a moment, I considered using the opportunity to escape, but the thought of being chased around the market again made my legs feel tired just thinking about it. I tried running anyway. Unfortunately, I had a feeling they would catch up with me sooner or later, so I gave up and leaned against one of the large chairs instead. It was surprisingly comfortable. I crouched a little and peeked through the gap between the chair and the stall, checking whether my pursuers were still nearby. Nothing. Finally, some peace and— Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around. The stranger turned toward me at the exact same time. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" We both jumped back, nearly knocking over the chairs. Oh. Who's this ugly person? I pressed a hand against my chest. What kind of person sneaks up on someone like that?! I was about to complain when I finally got a proper look at him. He was dressed like some rich young master, with fine fabric and clothes that certainly didn't look cheap. His appearance, however, was a completely different story. His hair looked like he'd been running around all day, and his clothes were dusty enough to make me wonder whether he'd fallen into a ditch. Rich clothes, shabby appearance. Interesting combination. "SHHH, shhhh!" Before he could make another sound, I grabbed his arm and pulled him down beside me. The guards were still somewhere nearby, and I had no intention of getting dragged into another chase because this stranger couldn't keep his voice down. He stared at me for a second before a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Ooohhh. Someone's chasing you, huh?" he whispered. "What great treasure did you steal?" I frowned at him. "Just leave if you have nothing sensible to say. Tsk!" I tried pushing him away, but he suddenly grabbed my hand and leaned closer. "Come oooon, someone's chasing me toooo." He squeezed himself into the space beside me as though we were old friends hiding from the same enemy. I looked him up and down. "So you're the one who stole something, then." "Shhhh." He pressed a finger to my lips. I stared at him. Wow. He's the noisy one, yet he has the nerve to tell me to be quiet. Applause, applause. Should I give him a medal, too? Before I could push his hand away, a loud voice echoed from the other side of the market. "Chief! Chief! They say we need to return for the preparations. We'll have to postpone the search for now." I immediately lowered my head. Yahahahhahahaaahaha!!! "Fine. BACK TO NIGHTFALL!" "Hyah!" The sound of hurried footsteps gradually faded as the guards moved away. "From Eternal Nightfall?" the guy beside me asked curiously. He had been peeking out from our hiding spot, but now he turned to look at me with a judgmental expression. His gaze traveled from my hair to my clothes, lingering on the dirt smeared across my sleeve. "Your clothes are from Nightfall, huh? You're in trouuuuble. Whatever crime you committed must have been pretty serious. Besides, no one here in Eternal Frost would ever take your side. They don't accept ugly people like you." My brows immediately furrowed. I slowly turned toward him and gave him a murderous glare. "Hey, easy, easy!" He raised both hands, although the grin on his face suggested he wasn't sorry at all. "I'm hungry. Come on, let's eat!" He moved a little farther away from me, apparently deciding that my glare was dangerous enough to deserve some personal space. Then, without waiting for my answer, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the main street. "Who said I'd go with you?!" "Your stomach did!" "My stomach hasn't said anything!" "Really? Mine's been talking for hours!" What an absolute nuisance. We walked through the market, passing stalls selling steamed buns, roasted meat, dried fruits, and all sorts of things I couldn't be bothered to identify. The smell of freshly cooked food drifted through the street, and my stomach gave an unfortunate little rumble. We eventually arrived at a tavern with a grand sign hanging above its entrance. CELESTIAL DAWNLIGHT TAVERN. The place was busier than I expected. People occupied nearly every table, servants moved between them carrying trays, and the sound of conversation mixed with the occasional clink of cups. A small stage stood at one end of the room, decorated with hanging lanterns that cast a warm glow over the performers. "Have you been here before?" the shabby creature asked, turning to look me up and down again. I was beginning to think he had a problem with his eyes. "Or probably not. You look shabby." He grinned before turning away and taking a seat as though he owned the place. "What do you mean, shabby? Even my socks cost more than that face of yours!" I followed him and dropped into the seat across from him. He looked offended for about half a second before his expression changed into something far more irritating. "What would you gentlemen like to order? The usual?" a server asked as he approached our table. "Yes, but add five more bottles of wine," the shabby-looking guy answered without hesitation. The server nodded as though ordering that much wine was perfectly normal. "Shabby—" "What do you mean, shabby? I have a name. Axiu. AXIU!" "Oh, wow." He immediately gave me a side-eye. "Your name's just ugly." "My name is beautiful, okay?" I gave him a side-eye right back. "What's your name, then?" "A... A... Xxxxxx... Axxxiannnn. AXIAN!" He frowned as though he were still trying to remember it. I watched him struggle with his own name for a moment, wondering whether I should be concerned, but he soon noticed my reaction and straightened up. "You don't deserve to know my name, so I had to think about it first." Tsk. What a convenient excuse. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to the stage before he could come up with another one. A group of masked performers had begun their dance. The one in the middle wore white from head to toe, his face hidden behind an elegant mask. The others surrounding him were dressed in black, their movements following his as he swept a white fan through the air. I wasn't particularly interested in performances, but even I had to admit that the dancer was good. His movements were smooth, and the fan seemed to become an extension of his hand. Every time he turned, the fabric of his sleeves followed, making the whole thing look effortless. Not too far away, another masked figure dressed in black sat with a guqin resting in front of him. His fingers moved over the strings, producing a melody that blended with the dancer's movements. "The one dancing with a white fan is really good, huh?" Axian commented. I hummed in response, still watching the stage. "He's so elegant, isn't he? Every pluck of the strings really pulls at your heartstrings." Axian burst out laughing at his own joke. I turned to look at him. "Are you laughing at your own joke? Shabby." "Of course. Someone has to appreciate my talent." "Talent nyenyenye." Before I could come up with a suitable insult, the server returned with our order. "Here are your wine and the tavern's special chicken, gentlemen." "WOAAAAAAAHHHH!" I couldn't help giving Axian a side-eye at his reaction. The server had barely placed the dishes on the table, yet Axian was already staring at the chicken as though he'd discovered a legendary treasure hidden beneath a mountain. "Can you stop going 'whoa' like that? It's as if you've never eaten chicken before." He even widened his eyes dramatically. "If you don't want it, I'll just take everything." He reached for the food that had been served to me, but I quickly pulled the plate back. "I'm hun-gry," I said, giving him a nasty look before digging in. "So am I!" "Then eat your own food!" "Your food looks better." "It's the same chicken!" "Exactly. So why not share?" I pulled the plate closer to my chest. "Finders keepers." "You didn't find it. The server brought it!" "Then go find the server and ask for another one!" He muttered something under his breath but finally focused on his own portion. For the next few minutes, I enjoyed the rare blessing of having him too busy chewing to talk. It was wonderful... almost peaceful. Unfortunately, peace had never been particularly fond of me. The tavern doors suddenly swung open, and a group of burly men barged inside. Their heavy boots thudded against the wooden floor as they shoved past the nearest tables. One of them kicked a stool aside, sending it scraping across the floor, while another slammed his fist against a table hard enough to make the cups rattle. The cheerful atmosphere vanished almost immediately. People hurried toward the exits, some grabbing their belongings while others simply abandoned their food. A few servants froze in place before rushing after the customers, clearly deciding that getting out alive was more important than cleaning up. Axian and I remained in our seats. I wanted to see what would happen. He, on the other hand, couldn't seem to take his eyes off the food. "Gentlemen, how may I help you? What do you need?" an elderly man asked as he cautiously approached the group. He looked like the tavern's owner, judging by the way the servants glanced at him for instructions. His hands were clasped together, and although he tried to smile, I could see the nervous twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Who's in charge here?" One of the men growled, his voice sounding like some monstrous creature rumbling beneath the earth. "I... I am, sir," the old man answered with a trembling smile. "Hand over all the money in this tavern!" I paused with a piece of chicken halfway to my mouth. Hwalaaa! A man that big, and he doesn't even work??? What a lazy giant! With a body like that, he could probably carry ten sacks of rice at once. He could get a job transporting goods instead of threatening old men. "A-what?" the tavern owner stammered. "Are you deaf? I said give us all the money in this tavern, or we'll kill everyone here and burn this whole place down before we leave!" I glanced at the food on our table. What a waste that would be. "Please, don't take the food, too. Just give it all to me first." Axian suddenly spoke up while chewing, a bottle of wine still in his hand. I slowly turned to stare at him. What an i***t. The men looked around, apparently only just noticing that there were still two people sitting comfortably in the middle of the tavern. "Oh? There are still people here after all," one of the plump men said with a grin. "Why? Aren't you people human, too? Anyway, with bodies that big, you look more like monsters," Axian replied. He continued eating without even looking at them. Anyways, he had a point. "You! You still have the nerve to talk back?!" The skinny man standing nearby pointed his sword at Axian. I tilted my head. Wahhhh, so they do carry sticks around. "Of course. I have a mouth, don't I?" "Will you stop that already? Just keep quiet," I scolded Axian, although my eyes remained on the men. I wasn't particularly interested in being dragged into a fight, especially when I'd only just gotten comfortable. "What?! You're telling us to shut up? Do you even know who we are?" the skinny man demanded, swaggering toward us. "Ohhh, I'm sorry. I don't know you." I suddenly smiled at him, putting on my most innocent expression. "I was talking about the guy sitting over there. Nothing he says makes any sense." I pointed at Axian without losing my smile. Axian stopped chewing and slowly turned his head toward me yet I pretended not to notice. "But," I continued, turning back to the men, "we really don't know who you are. So, who exactly are you? Want me to guess?" The skinny man hesitated, probably unsure whether I was mocking him. "Go ahead." "You probably live in a garbage dump, don't youuu?" "YOU!" Axian smacked me on the head. "What was that for?!" "That's for making me part of your nonsense!" "You were already part of it!" The fat man raised his sword, his face turning red with anger. "You crazy bastard!" "Been crazy for a long time. You're only finding out now?" I replied, raising an eyebrow. "Will you shut up already, Axiu?" Axian tapped me again. I swatted his hand away. "Stop hitting my head! What if I lose my intelligence?" "What intelligence?" "See? This is why I don't share my food with you." "Who wants your food?!" "You literally tried to steal it!" "ENOUGH!" The leader's roar finally drowned out our argument. A few pieces of dust shook loose from the wooden beams above us, and even Axian paused long enough to look up. I glanced at the leader, then at Axian. "Wow. He's loud." "Not as loud as you." "I'm going to throw you out of this tavern." "You can't even throw me out of this chair." I opened my mouth to answer, but the skinny man stepped forward again and raised his sword. "You two are getting pretty arrogant!" Axian and I stood up at the same time, ready to face them. "What? What about it?" The men spread out around us, blocking the nearest path to the exit. I could hear the remaining customers whispering outside, but no one seemed eager to return and help the tavern owner. The leader's expression darkened. He lifted one hand and gave his men a sharp signal. Oh, so we're doing this now? The men immediately rushed toward us and raised their weapons. Axian shifted beside me, and I braced myself to move—but before either of us could make a move, a white fan suddenly flew between us. It spun through the air, catching the light from the lanterns before landing precisely in the path of the approaching men. The attackers halted in surprise, and Axian and I both instinctively stepped back. For a brief moment, the entire tavern fall silent. I stared at the white fan lying between us.