CHAPTER 3

 "So my princess, did you find the trespasser?" King Chen asked, while the royal family of three dined,"And hope you tore him apart?

     Sisou really wanted to avoid the question, but she had to reply her father. She hesitated for a while before replying,"He ran away" she munched the mukbang cheese piled up in her mouth.

    "You see? Stubbornness! You couldn't even catch him, you saw him ran away and you freezed!"Her father snapped,"Tsk!'

     Queen Momo had been silently watching her husband and Sisou.Queen Momo gently set down her cup of tea, her voice calm but firm. “Chen, must you always scold her at every turn?”

King Chen huffed. “She went after a criminal and came back empty-handed.”

“She went alone,” the queen said. “And she came back alive. That should matter too.”

Sisou glanced at her mother with a faint smile—thankful, but still stung.

“I didn’t freeze,” she muttered. “He didn’t show up. I was ready. He just… disappeared.”

King Chen sighed and picked at his plate. “Then perhaps it’s time you let go of this chase.”

Sisou clenched her fork. “Or perhaps… it’s just beginning.”

The queen and king exchanged a glance.

Sisou whispered to herself,"I didn't even saw him...I think the rabbit was actually him! Haha!"

   "And you were lucky he didn't tried killing you!"King Chen pointed at Sisou,"You keep calling yourself a Shaolin warrior but I never saw that in you."

  Sisou glanced at her father in dismay. "What?" She looked at her chopsticks and squeezed them in her hands tightly, fuming in anger. Her stomach was already filled with anger, depression, anxiety and a crave to kill the forest trespasser.

Queen Momo noticed the tension crackling in Sisou’s fists. “My daughter,” she said softly, “don’t let your fury eat you more than his hit ever did.”

But Sisou didn’t speak. Her eyes burned at her father like twin torches. “He made me look weak,” she muttered through clenched teeth. “Me. The Shaolin expert. And you sit there mocking me?”

King Chen leaned back, crossing his arms. “I’m not mocking. I’m reminding you that obsession blinds warriors. And it gets them killed.”

Sisou dropped her chopsticks with a sharp clatter. “Then let me die chasing him. That’s better than sitting here being mocked by my own blood.”

Silence swept over the royal table.

Then Queen Momo said gently, “Perhaps… he isn’t just in your way. Perhaps he was meant to be part of your path.”

Sisou’s eyes flicked to her mother—confused. “Meant to?”

  She looked away and whispered,"Only God of Fangyi knows what would eventually happen to that trespasser,if I can find him! I'll kill him and feed his body to the hungry vultures in the forest! Who does he think he's?A Shaolin warrior?Or a Martial art God? Tsk! I'll still try finding him.The game's not over, after all! "

Sisou frowned at the sauteed rice before her,

"He's just made me small before the palace and the people of Fangyi State... I wish I can find him "

     "My dear, you are not eating. You don't like the sauteed rice and soysauce?" Queen Momo asked Sisou.

    Sisou looked up at her mother,"The food's okay."

   "Then eat!" Her father snapped.

Sisou poked at the rice with her chopsticks, then dropped them with a quiet sigh. “I’m not hungry,” she muttered.

King Chen banged his fist lightly on the table. “You’re letting one trespasser ruin your strength, your appetite, your peace?”

“He *didn’t* ruin me!” Sisou flared. “He caught me off guard—just once. That doesn’t mean I’m weak.”

Queen Momo laid a gentle hand over Sisou’s. “Then prove it with calmness, not with noise.”

Sisou stood abruptly. “Noise?” she echoed, eyes burning.  She glanced at her father,"I think I'm done eating, father! I need some rest!"

She said and left to her room hastily, slamming the door loudly. She collapsed on the bed and stared at the ceiling, fists clenched at her sides.

“Why does it feel like I lost?” she whispered to herself.

The image of the masked stranger flashed in her mind—those fierce eyes, that sudden strength, the way he disappeared like wind. Her jaw tightened.

“I should’ve struck first. I hesitated… because of *his* face?” she scoffed. “Tsk! Never again.”

She rolled onto her side, dragging a pillow close and hugging it tightly. “I’ll find you… masked freak. And when I do, I won’t freeze.”

"God of Fangyi why can't I just get that freak and punish him? I need to screw him up. Father thinks I'm weak. I want to make him remember that I once won the Shaolin competition award and no born by a woman can pull me down,as far as I live!' Sisou thought aloud.

   She sighed and slipped from the bed to the window. She outlooked the town of Fangyi filled with people . "Fangyi is just a big place. I need to visit our people..."

She pressed her fingers to the cool window frame, eyes scanning the lively streets of Fangyi—merchants calling out, children laughing, guards patrolling. All normal. All peaceful. And yet, inside her, a storm brewed.

****************

Got it — let’s make it feel more historic, regal, and grounded in the culture and tone of a traditional royal setting.

—

Dressed in a flowing amber silk gown embroidered with golden threads of Fangyi’s crest, Princess Sisou walked with solemn grace down the dusty stone path of the village square. Her presence alone silenced the bustling crowd. Traders paused mid-sale. Women held their children still. Men lowered their gazes in reverence.

“Her Royal Highness approaches,” an elder murmured.

Children broke into delighted grins, rushing forward with shy giggles.

“Princess Sisou! Princess Sisou!”

She stopped, smiling faintly as she laid her hand on a child’s head in blessing. The villagers bowed low.

Raising her chin, Sisou spoke, her voice clear like the chime of bronze bells.

“It gladdens my heart to see the prosperity of Fangyi growing stronger each moon. But remember—prosperity is not a gift. It is earned through toil, unity, and the honour of our fathers before us.”

“Aye, Princess!” the villagers replied in unison.

She continued, her tone sharpening with purpose.

“Let the markets remain clean, the hearths warm, and the hearts loyal. Should a stranger pass our borders—masked, wandering, unknown—he must be brought to the palace. We cannot risk another breach.”

 "Aye , princess Sisou!"

"And..."

Someone suddenly ran towards her, breathing heavily liked he narrowly escaped the physical force of death "My princess,my princess!"

Sisou widened her eyes before the villager,who looked worried,"What's the problem?"

   "My princess,some group of bandits are around. They're not far away from us. "The villager said.

"I want everyone into their houses!" Princess Sisou ordered.

  The villagers all ran into their cottage,in fear.

"My princess don't we need to call on our soldiers?"The villager asked, quivering in fear.

 Sisou smiled,"Get into your house. I'm more than a million soldiers!"

   The villager stared at her in awe, lips parted.

“Yes, my princess…” he murmured, before dashing into the nearest cottage.

The square, once lively, was now swallowed in silence. Only the distant rustling of leaves and the faint clinking of metal could be heard—the sound of the approaching bandits.

Sisou reached beneath her silk gown and drew her blade with a soft metallic hiss. The amber silk rippled around her like fire as the wind picked up.

She whispered to herself, “Let them come. Let them taste what it means to challenge Fangyi’s lioness.”

From the corner of her eye, she caught movement—twenty, no, thirty hefty figures creeping through the village’s east wall, dressed in leather and dirt, armed and smiling with arrogance.

One of them spotted her standing alone in the middle of the square and laughed, “Look! A royal flower all by herself?”

Another added, “Let’s pluck her.”

Sisou’s blade pointed downward, calm and steady.

“Come, then,” she said coolly, “and let your bones decorate our soil.”

   "How can a petite figure just confront us? " One of the bandits asked others ironically.

     They guffawed loudly.

"A beautiful lady with a stupid confidence!"One of them pointed at Sisou.

  "I'm Princess Sisou of Fangyi State, and I own this province after my father, King Chen of Fangyi State.And so, no stranger has the right to dare tresspass!"Sisou boldly said.

"What's she spitting out?"One of them asked the others.

They guffawed, again.

"It seems like you have gone bananas, you freaky little thing!" Another snapped at her.

"Well, let's see..."She whispered softly,"If I have really gone bananas!"She said, already in her favorite Shaolin stance.

The bandits glanced at each other and laughed,"What's she doing?"

"Abracadabra!" One pointed out, with his spade- like teeth which looked like what was used for the excavation of golds by their forefathers.

Sisou’s eyes narrowed, her breath steady and calm as she shifted her weight, ready to strike.

Her hands moved with practiced precision, fingers poised like the deadly claws of a tiger.

The bandits’ laughter faltered as she suddenly sprang forward, swift as a striking snake.

Arrows whistled through the air, aimed with deadly accuracy — one bandit fell, clutching his shoulder.

The others scrambled, realizing this was no ordinary princess.

“Fight like a warrior, not a fool!” Sisou shouted, her voice slicing through the chaos like a blade.

The bandits hesitated, then charged — but Sisou was already a blur, her movements a flawless dance of power and grace.

She dodged their punches and hit mightily and confronted them again distinctly. Then one by one they ran before her but she knocked them down with the most powerful fist defense. Some laid helplessly and some ran away.

"Now I want the all of you to leave Fangyi State without a plan of coming back!"She pointed at them.

"Okay, Princess Sisou of Fangyi State!"They scampered away, without a lookback.

Sisou sighed,"Stupid folks everywhere!"

With time,most of her people left their cottages and everywhere was soon crowded.

They bowed before her, everyone giving off an attitude of honor and utmost respect to Sisou.

Sisou stood tall, chest rising and falling with steady breaths, her eyes scanning the crowd.

The villagers, filled with awe and relief, bowed deeply, whispering words of praise.

One elder stepped forward, voice trembling with gratitude, “Princess Sisou, you’ve saved us all.”

Sisou nodded, a fierce pride glowing in her eyes. “Fangyi State will remain safe as long as I live.”

The sun dipped low, casting golden light over the peaceful town — a silent promise of protection from their warrior princess.

A teenager ran and knelt before her, yanking the hem of Sisou's dress"My princess, I wanna be like you!"

Sisou grinned."You'll be"

The little girl smiled,"Thank you, princess Sisou."

Sisou’s grin softened as she watched the little girl run off, hope sparkling in her eyes.

She turned back to the crowd, her voice steady but filled with quiet resolve.

“There’s nothing better than making your people feel safe and at home... but sometimes, protecting them demands sacrifice. It drains your strength and tests your spirit. Yet, it’s worth it—because they are the future of Fangyi.”

The villagers cheered, their faith in her renewed.

Sisou’s heart tightened, knowing the battles ahead were far from over—but for now, she was their shield.

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