《Circumventing Fate》Chapter 55 - Invitation
Advertisement
Around noon the next day, Lei Xing was currently sitting in the Empress dowager's reception hall. She had been here for almost twenty minutes. The Empress dowager had just been sitting there in her main seat occasionally talking to Song mama, who was beside her and sipping tea.
Lei Xing glanced up at the Empress dowager, who was now leaning on her armrest, with her head resting on a hand, eyes closed. Lei Xing cautiously picked up her cup and took a sip.
...What is this about now? Am I invisible or something?... Since I came here she hasn't even said one word to me, did she not call me here or are we waiting for something? What the hell is this? If you have nothing to say, you might as well tell me -_-)...
"Gently! You are not allowed to manhandle me!" A voice floated in from outside. Lei Xing immediately frowned on hearing the familiar voice and glanced towards the doors.
...That's what we're waiting for? Shoot! You sure work fast, I haven't even mentally prepared yet T_T)'...
Two guards with deep frowns on their faces came in carrying Doctor Lou up by his arms, with his legs kicking the air, "Hey, I'm talking to you! If you injure me, do you think I will let you go? I will kick you in your dreams! Trample you! How disrespectful!..." Doctor Lou complained as he was brought into the hall.
The guards lightly dropped him on the floor, but because of the way he was flailing his legs, he ended up on his butt, "Hey! Are you trying to break my bones?!" The guards frowning expressions deepened, they bowed to the Empress dowager and Lei Xing in greeting and one of them spoke up, "Your majesty, we apologize but he stubbornly refused to come with us so we had no choice..." He explained glaring down at Doctor Lou, who was now sitting on the ground cross-legged with his arms folded, glaring up at the guards as well.
The guards were greatly annoyed by Doctor Lou during this trip. They had gone to go find him to bring him to the palace as was directed by the Empress dowager. When they arrived at his shop they found him sleeping. They tried to wake him up and he told them that the shop was closed. They then explained that he had the honor of being invited to the palace by the Empress dowager. His response to that was that he was not interested, then he ignored them and went back to sleep. They tried persuading him but he still ignored them.
Eventually, they got fed up and hurled him into the carriage despite his protests. When they arrived at the palace, they found him sleeping again in the carriage, and this time he refused to wake up no matter how they shook him. Therefore, they just carried him again to bring him to the Empress dowager. At one point, he woke up and started protesting so they went to drop him so he could walk on his own, but he kept flailing his legs and wouldn't stand straight. After a few tries, they concluded on just carrying him and endured his scolding the entire way here.
Advertisement
"That is fine, you can go out." Song mama said to the guards.
"Yes, leave before I teach you a lesson!" Doctor Lou said waving a hand dismissively to the guards. The guards bowed and then left the room, exchanging glares with Doctor Lou as they did.
Lei Xing watched the scene unfold wide-eyed. Doctor Lou turned to her and squinted, in response she immediately lowered her head, looking the other way.
...I'm sorry!!! T_T)...
Doctor Lou then glanced up at the Empress dowager and Song mama, and then glanced off to the side and said, "So, why am I here?"
Song mama frowned, "How dare y-"
"Your reputation precedes you, I have heard that you are quite skilled." The Empress dowager calmly interrupted.
"Yes, yes. I am very skilled." Doctor Lou said smiling and nodding repeatedly agreement.
Lei Xing glanced at his smiling face.
...Well, you're easy to please -_-)'...
The Empress dowager then reached for her cup and Song mama quickly refilled it, she took a sip and let out a breath. Then she began slowly twirling the teacup while fixing her eyes on its content and offhandedly said, "Xing er', told me that you have been successful in treating her, she even out of the palace just to seek your services. She has spoken very highly of you..."
Lei Xing glanced up at the Empress dowager who was still fixed on her teacup.
...Hey, don't exaggerate it, I didn't say that much...Please don't drag me into this...Why am I even here? T_T)...
Lei Xing then hesitantly glanced at Doctor Lou, to her surprise she found him smiling and nodding in her direction. Lei Xing blinked and returned a half-smile.
...Okay, let's say I did say much... This old man is really too simple though...Should I be worried?... Actually, please don't become friends, I don't think it will work out well for me T_T)...
"From today, you will be an Imperial doctor in the palace. The servants will guide you to Imperial pharmacy. Once you have proven your skills here, you will be promoted acco-"
"Ahh, no, no, no that won't work for me." Doctor Lou said shaking his head with a frown. Lei Xing went wide-eyed at the old man's dismissive behavior.
...Hey, don't talk like that!! This woman is crazy, don't you want your head?!...
Lei Xing then glanced up at the Empress dowager, who seemed to have frozen in place. Lei Xing inwardly sighed, she could feel the atmosphere in the room change, trouble was looming.
...Why am I here again?! T_T)...
The Empress dowager slowly dropped her teacup on the table, "So you're declining the position? In that case -" She said turning to him and then her words abruptly stopped.
Doctor Lou smiled, "I am but a simple nomad and cannot live being tied to a place, so I definitely cannot work in the palace. It's too much work." Then he got up off the floor with some difficulty and then stretched out his back, "That being said, I will be leaving now."
Song mama frowned, "How dare you? Do you think you are in place to reject such grace? Guards!" The two guards who brought him trotted in, "Take him to a cell, maybe after a day or two he will regain his senses."
Advertisement
The two guards nodded and grabbed Doctor Lou's arms again and lifted him up causing him to glare at them while struggling, "Stop touching me like that! If you break my bones, I wi-"
"STOP!!" The Empress Dowager suddenly shouted and everyone froze and turned to her. She seemed to be taking shallow breaths and was staring wide-eyed at the guards and Doctor Lou, "Let him go!" The guards quickly complied and put him down and stepped back. Doctor Lou looked up at the Empress dowager curiously with a raised eyebrow.
Lei Xing also turned to look at the Empress dowager, who was looking as if she had just seen a ghost. Her complexion looked pale and it looked like there were beads of sweat on her forehead.
...What is happening now? Does she want to end him by herself? Old man, you should have just taken the job! Now we're both screwed, I know she is definitely not going to just let me off T_T)...
The Empress dowager just stared at Doctor Lou. After a long while, finally said through gritted teeth, "Why are you here?"
Doctor Lou blinked and then looked left and right, then pointed to himself, "Me?... You sent for me."
Song mama quietly asked the Empress dowager, "Your majesty, are you alright?"
The Empress dowager didn't respond to her, instead held onto her head and groaned, it seemed like she was in pain, then she quietly said, "Get out."
Song mama quickly knelt beside her, "Your majesty, are you okay? Summon an Imperial doctor, quick!" Song mama ordered and a maid in the back dashed out of the hall in response.
Doctor Lou smiled and approached, "Ah, I can help...Let me-"
"Don't come near me!" The Empress dowager suddenly roared, pushing Song mama away. Then she grabbed the items on the table and started throwing them forward, "Get out! All of you get lost! Don't come near me!..." She continued to shout.
Song mama approached her again, "Your majesty, please calm dow-"
"Am I talking to myself?!" The Empress dowager asked in irritation, "Are you deaf? I said GET OUT!!! Now!!! GET OUT! GET OUT!! GET OUT!!..." She continued to scream over and over again while clutching her head and doubling over in pain.
At this point, the servants in the room had all panicked and quickly ran out, even the guards were gone. Lei Xing also got up, if she was unclear about whether she was included in the get out list at first, now she was very clear...time to leave.
...I will just take this as my queue...Good luck with whatever that is...
Lei Xing quickly made her way towards the doors, then she turned and saw Doctor Lou still standing there watching the screaming Empress dowager and persistent Song mama, who kept trying to calm her down.
...Oy, do you think this is a theatre show? -_-)...
Lei Xing swiftly changed directions, grabbed Doctor Lou and pulled him out of the room with her. As they got outside, a few Imperial doctors came running in with the servants tailing behind. The Empress dowager's palace was in an uproar, with servants running from place to place, it was quite a chaotic scene. As they walked away from the scene, no one was paying them any attention. They could still hear the Empress dowager screams piercing through the air, it seemed to have gotten worse, now she was no longer saying anything and was just letting out blood-curdling screams.
When they reached outside the building and were away from the chaos, Lei Xing whispered, "What did you do?"
Doctor Lou frowned at her, "What can I do?"
Lei Xing knit her brows in disbelief, "That." She simply said nodding to the building behind them, where the Empress dowager's screams were originating from.
Doctor Lou snorted, "How can I possibly do that?" Doctor Lou asked in a condescending tone.
Lei Xing looked at him suspiciously.
...Well, most people would ask 'How can you possibly make a magic ring?' but yet here we are so -_-)...
Doctor Lou looked at her suspicious expression and squinted at her, "I really didn't do anything..."
Lei Xing knit her brows.
...If he didn't do anything...then what is this? PTSD?...
Lei Xing then narrowed her eyes at him, "Have you done anything...questionable in the past?"
...You really can't tell from looks, you never know...
Doctor Lou glared at her and replied with indignation, "No, of course not!"
Lei Xing scoffed, "So what is this?"
...But it's not like you would tell me if you did -_-)'...
Doctor Lou frowned and mumbled, "How should I know?" Then he picked up his pace towards the entrance.
By this time they had already reached the entrance, and could no longer continue the conversation and so Lei Xing let it go...for now. As they came out of the Empress dowager's palace, Xiao Ruo ran up to Lei Xing, "Your highness, are you okay? Is everything alright?" They started hearing the screams, then saw the Imperial doctors come running in, they were worried that something bad had happened inside, but could not go charging in.
Lei Xing nodded to her, "I'm fine." Then turned to back to see Doctor Lou had kept walking on his own. She sighed and then she turned to Ah Jin, "Please direct him out of the palace." Ah Jin bowed and quickly went to catch up to the strutting old man.
Lei Xing looked at Doctor Lou's quickly disappearing figure for a bit and then glanced at the Empress dowager's palace, where the Empress dowager's screams were still resonating and started walking back to her palace while dreading the trouble that would result from this.
...This is definitely going to be troublesome...We broke the dowager T_T)...No! I didn't do anything, I didn't even say a word, all I did was sit there...He broke the dowager. That's right! Absolutely nothing to do with me! Nothing to worry about at all haha...ha, even I am not convinced T_T)... Old man, I don't know what you did, but I suggest you skip town...Maybe take me with you too, can you do that? T_T)...
Advertisement
- In Serial18 Chapters
The Wizard Division
Everyone knows that magic is real, that it's the driving force behind the evolution society has gone through over the past few thousand years. Everyone gets annoyed by faeries that steal your socks, or swap your car for a carriage, or coat all your food with salt. Because things like that don't matter enough to hide. Everyone learns about Hitler, the darkest necromancer ever known,who singlehandedly waged war on the rest of the world, in school, and the other similar events in history. Because they were too large to hide. But for everything else, the veil hides the magic from the mundane. There might be an unlicenced werewolf working as your librarian. Maybe a dragon owns your local banking chain. Maybe the murder victim who was killed in a locked room WAS killed by an angry ghost. Or a shapeshifter. Or the elder Fae. Or a rogue Wizard. The solution? Everyone knows the answer to that too. The one thing every police department in the world has in common. The Wizard Division. The L.A.W.D. (Los Angeles Wizard Division) is in for one hell of a ride, when Charlie, a new trainee foisted into the world of magic joins their ranks, and with him a whole host of new and unusual magic sheananigans comes to Los Angeles. Updates twice weekly. Make sure to follow for more updates.
8 85 - In Serial21 Chapters
I'm A Monster, A Harpy
One day Ariara woke up as a Harpy in a grass field... Sadly for her, this would mark the start of her adventure in this new world, a world filled with dangers and adventures ahead, but how would she survive in this world as a Harpy, a monster hunted by humans, the specie of this world. Nonetheless, she has weapons to fight back with, the small similarities humans and Harpies have, a cheat power she was granted and her gaming instincts.
8 247 - In Serial9 Chapters
Surface Tension
A mermaid, Ina, becomes intrigued by the curious actions of a human. In her growing fondness for him, Ina begins to question what she had been taught about human behavior and motives.
8 178 - In Serial65 Chapters
The Top of the World
A harsh world of combat, where strength trumps all.A boy, discriminated because of his lack of strength. But everything changes when a meteor from the sky hits him...
8 76 - In Serial39 Chapters
Magic Continent Zero
Long ago the world was in peril with infighting and bickering. A great war broke out when the invading demon continent attacked the human continent. The demons are much stronger than the humans but the humans were able to hold off the demons with their ability to use magic. It all seemed lost until a great wizard rose up and helped lead the humans to victory. A talent like the world has never seen. His profound understandings of magic made him respected by all the nobles on the continent. After the war he turned down all positions and decided to only teach the students he wanted noble or not. These were the choosen 7 children and only them were given his direct knowledge on magic. However, 20 years ago a great tradgedy befell the human continent. No one knows the exact details but what was known is a great magical barrier went up over 1/3 of the entire human continent that has stood ever since. The teacher was betrayed by one of his students. Himself and the rest of his students scattered across the human continent and into obscurity. Our protagonist is of low birth and has no talent but longs to learn magic. Usually only the rich nobles can afford magic teachers and the books needed. Will he ever become the great wizard he wishes to be? ***** There are no release dates for this story but I tend to try to drop 3 chapters a week spaced 2-3 days apart from each other.
8 96 - In Serial23 Chapters
Godzilla: Legend Begins
60 years had passed since the first Kaiju Attack and it wasn't the last. In 2014, a new kaiju surfaced and it's up to 2 people and a familiar creature to stop it.First book of the Legend Trilogy, published on FF.net and Kaiju Galaxy.*Banner in the prologue was created by Kiyru on Kaiju Galaxy. Note that what you see with the Kaiju is NOT the final design that I envisioned within the books.*
8 64

