Night of the Broken Gliph

Chor Huet Zhin found Chui Yim’s request far less demanding than he had expected while Chor Shing Chit wasn’t happy to hear that Chui Yim wanted to learn gliphilities. As Chui Yim’s previous teacher, he knew that Chui Yim loved to stray from his path, which was why he only taught Chui Yim defensive movements, not gliphilities or battle skills on their journey to the South Imperial City. 

 The last thing he ever expected was Chui Yim wanting to learn the Bloody War Strike from his grandfather! 

Just as Chor Huet Zhin and Chor Shing Chit were still in shock, Chui Yim rambled on. “I’ve always been interested in gliphilities, but the old-fashioned Chor Shing Chit refused to teach me anything. Your strike yesterday was so cool! What do you think? Yes or no?” 

“No!” Chor Shing Chit blurted out loud before Chor Huet Zhin could react. “You’re a talented gliphist, why’d you learn gliphilities? It’s a waste of your talent!” 

 “I’m a genius that picks up everything I learn! There’s no limit to my learning!” Chui Yim yelled back at Chor Shing Chit. 

“Nobody in the world is born with that ability!” Chor Shing Chit was enraged. “You’re belittling gliphism, you egoistic kid!” 

“Old-fashioned man!” 

“You prideful child!” 

Watching his grandson bicker with Chui Yim until his face flushed red was amusing enough that Chor Huet Zhin burst into laughter. He knew Chui Yim’s actual intention; Chui Yim agreed not because he wanted anything from their clan but simply because Chor Shing Chit was his friend. 

He’s a smart boy. He knew that I wouldn’t accept it for free due to my pride, so he asked for something that’s not too cheap yet easy for me to fulfil. 

“Hahaha, alright. It’s a deal, my young friend Chui. Other than that, you’ll forever be a friend of the Chor Clan. Our treasure warehouse and Sacred Scripture Pavilion are free for you to access. Take this place as your home; let me deal with Shing Chit’s cultivation problems for now. We’ll officially start three days later.”

South Imperial City, Evergreen Palace, Imperial Garden. 

A teenager dressed in grey held a piece of wood in his hands, carving something out of it. Next to him sat a young girl who was looking around curiously. She could feel the tense atmosphere within the palace these days. 

“Brother Chin Kee, do you know what happened recently? Father King looks so sad these few days.” The girl had fox eyes. She couldn’t be considered a pretty girl, but she had a gorgeous smile. 

The teenager was Kam Chin Kee, and the girl was none other than Lam Ming Sum. 

Kam Chin Kee didn’t even look up as he heard Lam Ming Sum’s words, staring at the wood piece in his hands as if something about it attracted him. “I heard that an old general under His Majesty’s time is up .” He shrugged. “I think he’s called Chor Huet Zhin, a capable assistant that helped His Majesty solve countless problems. He was also the general that His Majesty valued the most.” 

 “Oh.” Hearing Kam Chin Kee, Lam Ming Sum pouted. “Why must people die? It’s so sad.” 

Kam Chin Kee couldn’t help but smile at Lam Ming Sum’s childishness. “What are you talking about? Every mortal has a time limit to their lifespan; if they don’t… they could break through again and again, going against the laws of heaven, earth, luck and even destiny.” 

Lam Ming Sum had her head down and missed the drive in Kam Chin Kee’s eyes. “I don’t know about such complicated things. I only know I want to see brother Chui, father, you, and everyone I care about live happily,” she muttered as she was reminded of Chui Yim. 

“Alright, I’ll help you pass this message to His Majesty.” Kam Chin Kee laughed as he stood up. 

 “Pass the message? Brother Chin Kee, where are you going?” 

“Me? I’m going to visit His Majesty.” 

“Brother Chin Kee, you…” Lam Ming Sum was flabbergasted at what she heard. 

Kam Chin Kee flashed a thin smile as he muttered. “It’s been twelve… no, thirteen years. It’s time for me to face it.” 

Yes, thirteen years had passed. He, Lam Ming Sum, Chui Yim, Yeung Tin Hun, and Man Yee Ho from the North were all thirteen this year. 

It would be the Cloud Palace’s enrollment next year. 

It might not be known to the outside world, but the entire palace was bustling with activity once they heard that Kam Chin Kee was visiting the emperor. 

He had a special place in the Evergreen Palace. Everyone knew him as the famous orphan without blood relation to the imperial family staying in the palace. The emperor saw him as his adopted son. But at the end of the day, Kam Chin Kee’s hair wasn’t blue like other members of the imperial family, so he couldn’t be considered part of the imperial family. 

Not just so, Kam Chin Kee who grew up in the palace had a weird character since young. He never ate with anyone else and only dined in his room, always claiming he wasn’t feeling well. Kam Chin Kee didn’t have any eunuchs or maids serving him; he refused to wear fancy clothes and stuck to his old grey robe. 

He was like an outsider in the palace, a dog in a lion’s pride. 

If anyone else were taken as Emperor Lam’s adopted son, they’d do anything to get closer to the emperor, but Kam Chin Kee was different. He kept a distance from the emperor yet viewed him respectfully; the number of times he met the emperor could be counted on one hand. This was the second time he asked to visit the emperor, after such a long time. 

The first was to request access to the Sacred Scripture Pavilion, which the emperor agreed to. 

Luckily the place where he visited Emperor Lam wasn’t the temple or the idiom; one doesn’t visit the temple without reason could be used to describe Kam Chin Kee, since he only visited the emperor when he had a request! 

The Evergreen Palace was huge as it was made of many halls, like the Hall of Affairs used for morning meetings, the Pure Sun Hall which was Emperor Lam’s residence, the Three Thousand Hall for all his concubines and the World Observatory Hall, which Kam Chin Kee was now heading to. 

Every Emperor Lam used the World Observatory Hall for many different purposes; dealing with memorials was one use of the hall. Some previous emperors preferred to do their paperwork in the Hall of Affairs, resulting in the World Observatory Hall being neglected. Other emperors did the opposite, only using the Hall of Affairs for morning meetings. 

It wasn’t a huge hall and looked like a study instead. This was the study of the reigning Emperor, Lam Chun. The hall was filled with countless scrolls, books, brushes and even Chinese vertical flutes. 

 As the current emperor’s study, the hall was also used to receive officials and important guests. Its name “World Observatory Hall” held the meaning that the emperor made his plans for his world in this hall. Kam Chin Kee was no stranger to this place as this was where he visited the emperor for the first time to request his approval to enter the Sacred Scripture Pavilion.