Chapter 36 - The Uncanny (1/2)

{...This is exactly how I imagined it...maybe he heard about what I said...but even then, it's not like I gave a descriptive scene...how can it be so similar? even the colors and positions are... It's a coincidence...but it really is too coincidental O_O)'...}

The large painting that was covering the wall between the bookshelves was exactly the depiction of the scene Lei Xing had casually come up with on a whim, two heavenly mountains reaching far above the clouds in the background, a lake between them with two heavenly immortals, a male and a female dancing above the lake, with a mortal family of four swimming in the lake beneath - oblivious that they are heavenly territory. With dragons and phoenixes meandering about in the sky above.

Lei Xing stood there gaping at it for a while.

Unbeknownst to her the emperor had come over and was now standing beside her and asked, ”It's great, isn't it?” Lei Xing subconsciously nodded.

The emperor smiled and continued, ”I think this is my best work yet. I call it the harbinger of good luck. I dreamt of this scene one night a couple of months ago, and the next morning I received a letter informing of my father's failing health.”

Lei Xing still wide-eyed glanced at him. Seeing her expression, the emperor laughed and casually said, ”I didn't do anything, there were other people who were a lot more anxious than I was.”

Lei Xing looked back at the painting.

{...Dreamt of it?...}

”Anyway, after I ascended the throne and everything settled down. I decided to paint the scene bit by bit, taking my time to ensure I could fully capture it all. It took a couple of months but I finally finished it about a week ago.” The emperor smugly explained.

Lei Xing frowned as she tried to make sense of this situation.

{...In that case, doesn't that mean that I was the one who copied it?...maybe I heard about it?... From who? How? Also, it wasn't even complete until last week...even if I heard about the details somehow, how could I imagine pretty much the exact same image?... It doesn't make sense O_o)...it's just a weird a coincidence...It has to be...isn't this too much though?... What other explanation could there be?!... I don't know...then it's a coincidence...it has to be...Okay, it is then...}

After a while of admiring the painting, the emperor suddenly said, ”Ah, speaking of paintings...Yong must have mentioned it to you, your piece on it was really good.”

Lei Xing blinked and looked at him, pointing to the painting and asked perplexed, ”This?”

”Not this one.” The emperor then pulled her along towards the hallway leading to the back of the room, Lei Xing's mind was still focused on the painting and so she was not paying attention to what was happening.

By the time she snapped back to reality, they had arrived in front of a small room and she was pulled in.

Lei Xing's eyes went wide again.

{...This...this is too freaky...isn't it?...}

Hanging on the wall in the small room was a scroll with a painting of what seemed to be a battlefield, the ground dyed with blood, bodies littered around and warriors engaged in battle in the background.

Stretching from the bottom edge of the painting was an armored arm of a fallen warrior, with outstretched fingers, reaching towards the center of the painting where a white petal seemed to have just fallen to the blood-soaked ground, half of it dyed by the blood, with the redness seemingly spreading.

Lei Xing stared at the painting.

{...You can't say this is a coincidence too, right?... This looks exactly as I imagined it when I wrote that poem...this is so weird...}

”I didn't think of it at that time, but it occurred to me a few days later while looking at this. You did quite a good job of capturing the scene, I really thought I was going to die that time.” The emperor finished with a laugh.

Lei Xing still in shock turned to him, ”This...this happened to you?”

”Yong didn't mention that? Well, I didn't exactly talk about the details of it with anyone, so it's reasonable he wouldn't have assumed it. You can say it's a scene that really resonated with me.” The emperor said with a laugh.

Lei Xing wasn't really paying attention to his words after the question as she was considering the possibility of it.

{...Well, no...I don't think so...did he?...could he?...maybe?...I don't know...the original memories maybe?...but I don't remember anything...subconsciousness maybe?...I think that's too much of a stretch, if she had seen it - then maybe, but heard about it? I don't think so...also he must have had to have given one hell of a description, and then some, for this level of likeness...but then what about the other one?...}

”It was during my first battle...well, it was an ambush actually...and a lot of things happened, and I ended up with a poisoned arrow in my back.” Then he sighed, ”This painting is a reminder of our reality.” The emperor finished with a smile as he scrutinized the painting.

Lei Xing looked at his face and then back at the painting, feeling very put off by the uncanniness of the situation.

{...This is your reality!... This has nothing to do with me!... This is just some weird set of coincidences...I'm leaving!...}

At that moment, she realized her hand was still in his and quickly pulled her hand back and said, ”Ah, I should go...I'm not feeling well.”

The emperor looked at her, ”You're unwell? You do look a bit pale. I'll send for an Imperial doctor.” The emperor stepped towards her, reaching for her again with the intention to help her back to the front.

Lei Xing immediately took a step back and gave a nervous smile, ”I'm - I'm fine, no need, I just need some rest.”

”Still -”

”No, really, I'm fine...Ah, I'll be leaving now. Thank you.” Lei Xing quickly said and then turned and fled the room, down the hallway and headed straight for the exit, trying her best not to run and walking as fast as she could.