Su Jin Tai (Mei Feng)

The morning did not start in the most pleasant way, the woman sometimes woke up in such a mood, especially when nightmares plagued her at night. After tidying up her black hair, lady Su put on a tight dress and left the room. As she passed by, she glanced at her work place, on the table lay piles of petitions from different villages.

According to established tradition, Jin Tai headed to the dining room for breakfast, which she ended up spending almost completely alone. Her daughters, as usual, were already busy with their own affairs. And she rarely even remembers her husband, it was so long ago. He died as a warrior, and Mei Feng was not going to replace him with another man.

The day is the same as all the others: adepts, training, masters, artifacts… 

Closer to evening, the pendant on her chest began to glow, which could only mean one thing: the trusted one urgently needed a connection. Taking off the decoration, she dripped a few drops of water onto it. The surface reflected the spellcaster in Clan robes.

— Su Bi Yu, did something happen? — the lady asked worriedly, squinting slightly.

Su Bi Yu (Di Shi)

The master bowed respectfully, folding his hands in the traditional gesture.

— Greetings to Head Su. I beg your pardon, but the matter is urgent. Today the Third Young Lord Thanshu came to see me with a rather unusual request. He needs a dagger with exceptional properties. And what kind - he himself does not know. And urgently. I have with me only one truly unique blade. But I am not sure that it would be wise to give such a weapon into someone else's hands.

The violet eyes narrowed slightly.

 — He is dangerous to everyone. One touch, one scratch from him is worse than death, he can take the soul of anyone so that he does not even understand what happened. His poison penetrates the heart and freezes from the inside. A person will not die, but only a shell will remain of what was once alive.

Su Jin Tai (Mei Feng)

The woman listened attentively, everything was right, it was urgent. Thoughts were spinning in a string, but the question was in the way, and she voiced it, squinting slightly, hiding her beautiful violet eyes:

— Su Bi Yu, and the Third Young Lord Thanshu did not say why he needed such an artifact?

Su Bi Yu (Di Shi)

— Reported by Head Su. Otherwise, I would not have bothered you, but simply refused. But, the fact is that the Third Young Lord Thanshu wants to give it to Head Hu for his birthday. And the reason seemed worthy of attention.

Su Bi Yu took a deep breath, remembering recent events by the standards of spellcasters.

— Despite his young age, Hu Dao Ming had already managed to prove himself. I think that the Dark Tide Citadel is the most suitable place for this dagger.

Su Jin Tai (Mei Feng)

After listening to her subordinate, she sighed heavily. It was all true. She herself had received an invitation letter, but could she have imagined that the Thanshu family would ask for an artifact for the Hu family? After thinking for a while, she said:

— I agree with your conclusion, the blade may be useful to the young spellcaster and ruler of Hu. He has no heir, and our help, in the form of a weapon, will be very useful to him. Moreover, I have my own plans for Hu Dao Ming. Let it be as fate dictates, after all,  in the end, and your visit to the House of the Blazing Sun is not accidental, — a slight smile touched the face of the Head Su,— Di Shi, were you able to find out at least something?

Su Bi Yu (Di Shi)

— Yes. He ran away five years after you left him. The owner of the house says it happened at the market. Frightened by your anger, they kept silent about it, hoping to find the child. Unfortunately, the search was unsuccessful. Although, the villagers even attracted traveling spellcasters for this. In those days, they were lucky enough to encounter Chen Shang Liang, but he too failed. The boy seemed to have disappeared, leaving no trace, as if he had never existed.

 The man's face darkened. He remembered how much effort had been spent on destroying the most powerful Order. All Clans then had to join forces, and losses, even hundreds of years later, still made themselves felt.

 — Lady Su, I'm going to find Chen Shang Liang. I think that if anyone can shed at least a little light on this whole story, it’s only him…

Su Jin Tai (Mei Feng)

The man’s words caused rage, and Jin Tai slammed her palms onto the table with force. The blow was such that drops splashed out of his favorite inkwell, leaving marks on the scroll lying nearby, which angered the Head even more. Her whole appearance showed how annoyed she was by the news, the woman addressed the image in an unusually raised tone:

— Dissolved? He's just a child. How could he have dissolved? Chen Shang Liang... Don't even think of involving him! No one should guess. Even a hint that this boy exists will excite the entire Shanlu, and all Clans will rush to search for him. The owner of the house and his entire family have let us down, they must be silent forever.

Wanting to calm down and think, she made several circles around the room and returned to her interlocutor.

— Su Bi Yu, find him. I beg you, no matter what, find him. You know better than anyone that we have let a disaster slip through our fingers, which without proper supervision could become a tragedy. If he …

There was a timid knock on the door, and Head Su, without finishing speaking, shook the drops off the pendant.

— Come in!

Su Bi Yu (Di Shi)

Releasing the pendant, the master thought. Of course, lady Su is right. There should be no witnesses in such a matter. This boy must not be allowed to fall into the hands of another Clan. He will deal with the family that let him go. There won’t even be any memories left about them, this is not a difficult task. But how to find a lost child? Who, moreover, has already grown up, and what he is capable of is unknown.

The only clue was Chen Shang Liang. He shouldn't have shared his plans with lady Su, she was too kind. Frowning with displeasure, the caster reached for the bowl. As always, he would think of something and find the precious loss.

Su Chun Sheng (Li Hua)

Having received permission, the young maiden entered and bowed in the traditional manner.

— Greetings, Mother. I didn't mean to disturb you, but rumor has it that Head Hu is throwing a birthday party. May I ask, who are you bringing with you? — After asking the question, Chun Sheng modestly lowered her gray-blue eyes, trying to hide from her mother the extent to which this worried her. After all, the most worthy spellcasters from all over the Shanlu would be present at the reception.

Su Jin Tai (Mei Feng)

A visit from her daughter was unusual, girls rarely came on their own initiative like this, in broad daylight. Lady Su smiled and walked up to the girl, cupping her thin fingers with her palms.

— My child, if you want to be part of the celebration, that's fine. I myself wanted to tell you to get ready for the, — Jin Tai combed Li Hua's unruly hair with her fingers, — tell Yu Lan to get ready too, it wouldn't hurt for both of you to show off and look at others.

Su Chun Sheng (Li Hua)

Unable to hide her joy, she pressed her forehead to her shoulder.

— Thank you, Mother. It is said that the Hu brothers have not yet committed themselves to any girl. Do you think that they might like us? I heard that the Clan Head Hu is very handsome. And, in every sense, an outstanding man. For our Clan, this would be a very advantageous union. Am I right? — the girl raised her shining gaze, expecting approval of her prudence and foresight.

Su Jin Tai (Mei Feng)

The woman stroked her daughter's head with the tenderness inherent in mothers.

— The Hu youths are not bound by marriage, that is true, but history tells us that their wives die quickly, unable to cope with the energy of their husbands' weapons, — lifting her daughter's sweet face with her fingers, she continued with a smile, — but I know that you are strong girls and you will cope.

She stepped back and adjusted the fan hanging on her belt with her hand.

— When I was young, I couldn't get attention from the Hu man. Now I don't regret it, I had a wonderful husband, which I wish for you too. Go, don't plan ahead. What if you like someone else altogether?