~~~

“I wish you could make it easier to not worry about you,” Lu Mei says as she applies ointment to his wounds.

“I would apologize, but something tells me I will always end in situations like this.”

“People call that basic pattern recognition,” Lu Mei notes dryly.

Liu Jin laughs, and it hurts him to do so. The wounds Murong Bang left on him are still fresh. Luckily, they are nowhere near as severe as the first time Murong Bang toyed with him. A bath, rest, and some sleep are all Liu Jin needs to recover.

“Murong Bang already knew about what happened in Rainfall City,” Liu Jin notes as Lu Mei treats his back. “He knew about my lightning.”

“That is not surprising,” Lu Mei says. “Despite how he acts, he’s still the ruler of this region. It is safe to assume he has some sort of information network in place.”

“It is not only that,” Liu Jin says. He glances at Lu Mei out of the corner of his eyes. “You deliberately spread the information among the people of Rainstorm City. You gave money to those who lost their homes and encouraged them to relocate, using them to spread the story.”

Finding that out had not been hard. Liu Jin simply hadn’t had time to properly confront Lu Mei about it until now. Between his dying grandfather, the children of the Lei Clan, his tenuous relationship with his uncle, introducing Lu Mei to his family, and preparing for his report to Murong Bang, Liu Jin had been understandably busy.

“I did,” Lu Mei replies, not bothering to lie. “I also told them that the great Qing Jin would usher the nation into a new age of prosperity.”

Liu Jin puts a hand over his face.

“Why?”

“You know why,” she tells him. “You might not have any desire to rule, but I have little interest in denying what is obvious. The story would have gotten out regardless. I merely… ensured that your name would receive a positive connotation.”

“That’s just an excuse.”

“That doesn’t make it untrue,” Lu Mei points out. “The last thing we need is for people to associate you with the Black Dragon.”

A hapless smile appears on Liu Jin’s face.

“What else can happen when I enter General He Bin’s territory at Murong Bang’s side?”

Lu Mei frowns.

“It’s decided then? He’s planning to attack General He Bin’s armies instead of letting General Nie Dan handle the fighting?”

Letting General Nie Dan handle the war against General He Bin and the Death Fashioning Scripture would be the easiest thing to do. By sitting back as the conflict happens, Murong Bang would be free to swoop in and eliminate whoever is left. The fear of something like that happening has kept the stalemate between the three generals going all this time.

However, it seems Murong Bang has no interest in something so boring.

“He’s planning on marching to the imperial palace, and he’s taking me with him,” Liu Jin replies.

“That is not ideal at all,” Lu Mei says. “You should be entering the palace at General Dan’s side. He’s also a former subordinate of the Black Dragon, but he’s popular among his people and is a known ally of the Eternal Flame Clan. Is there no chance Murong Bang will let you return to General Nie Dan?”

Liu Jin looks at her.

Lu Mei sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose

“Right. That was a stupid question.”

“On the bright side, this means we will not meet the Eternal Flame Clan for some time.” Liu Jin tries to smile. “Considering news of my parentage are bound to reach them soon enough, that’s probably for the best.”

“It does look awfully suspicious,” Lu Mei agrees with him. “You will need support when you return.”

“Feng Zhi won’t be happy about it. Elder Xue might speak up for me. Lord Feng Gui’s attitude will vary depending on the results. Lady Ling… might be a problem. Patriarch Feng might weigh in my favor.” Liu Jin grimaces. “That might not be a good thing.”

Lu Mei shakes her head. “I wish dangerous people would like you less.”

“I wish dangerous people would like me less, too,” Liu Jin says. “Maybe then they wouldn’t try to spread my identity around.”

“I will not apologize,” Lu Mei says stubbornly.

“I never expected you to.” Liu Jin looks up and touches Lu Mei’s cheek. “I know the sort of person you are.”

Lu Mei falters.

“Do you?” She asks. “Had Han not arrived and goaded you into attacking, I would probably have tried something similar to make you act. Do you realize that?”

Liu Jin closes his eyes, yet his hand does not leave Lu Mei.

“No, I didn’t,” he admits. “I had no idea you were thinking of something like that. Now that you say it, it makes perfect sense for you to do so.”

“Disappointed?”

Liu Jin smiles and shakes his head.

“I have considered doing far too many horrible things to get angry at others for doing the same,” Liu Jin says. “Besides… I like that about you. Your drive. Your willingness to do things for your goals. The way you maneuver situations.”

Lu Mei blushes.

“If you had gone through with it, I wouldn’t be saying this,” Liu Jin admits. “But you didn’t, so I can.”

“I like you,” Lu Mei says back. Her hand touches his. “I like your vision. The magnitude of what you dare to do and imagine. Even the way you hold yourself back is endearing as it is frustrating.”

“I know how hard it is not to be practical about certain things,” Liu Jin admits. “Sometimes, it’s impossible. In the end, I had to take the children of the Lei Clan hostage.”

“So you kidnapped a bunch of children, and I didn’t instigate the slaughter of a town,” Lu Mei sums up.

“We’re both making progress,” Liu Jin says, making Lu Mei giggle.

“I guess.” Her face grows serious. “What are we going to do with those children?”

Liu Jin stops smiling when he sees what she’s getting at.

“They cannot stay here,” He says.

The Lei Clan is bound to have people loyal to them here. If Liu Jin leaves the children here, the Lei Clan might find a way to recover and hide them. However, taking them along and letting them see the war would be too dangerous for them.

“We have to send them away,” Lu Mei says.

“We can send them to Senior Brother Mud,” Liu Jin says. “He might find some way to send them to the Eternal Flame Clan. That would be better than having them stay in the Storm Dragon Empire.”

Lu Mei looks skeptical. “Would he do that?”

“The least I can do is ask.” Liu Jin shrugs. “If not, they’ll have to temporarily stay under General Dan’s care. Or, most likely, under the care of City Lord Chu.”

“Considering how strong-willed his daughter is, he might see it as an improvement.” Lu Mei laughs. “I must say I did not expect this.”

“What?”

“We are already talking about what to do with the children,” she points out.

Liu Jin laughs.

~~~

Qing Jianjun wakes up screaming.

It is the third time in as many days he has done so. Just as they have done the previous times, the guards rush into his room and find no cause for concern. There is no attack. No intruder. No danger.

How could it possibly be any other way? In Storm Dragon Palace, none can harm those of royal blood.

The emperor just had another nightmare.

“Call, He Bin!” The emperor yells. “Call him at once!”

The guards do not bother asking the emperor what is wrong. They just briskly walk away to follow his orders. Perhaps a little too briskly, as if being in his presence was unpleasant.

They all think he is a coward.

The emperor already knows this. It is what everyone thinks about him, and frankly, they are not wrong. It does not matter that he is the emperor. It does not matter that he is in the Heaven Realm. Qing Jianjun is a man who lives in fear. He makes no apology or excuses for it.

When He Bin enters his room, Qing Jianjun leaps out of his bed and rushes to grab the general’s robes. The contrast between the two is striking, though not for the best reasons.

He Bin looks every bit the dignified general he is: tall, broad-chested, and even heroic. Meanwhile, Qing Jianjun, though not dissimilar in stature, always walks hunched as if afraid to stand tall. He possesses the refined features and striking red eyes of the royal family, but his face is gaunt, and he has dark circles under his eyes. His lips are chapped because of how often he bites them, and his head has patches of baldness because he keeps pulling his hair.

“He Bin!” He says, his face pale with fright. “I saw him! I saw him!”

“Emperor, please! You merely had a nightmare. You’re letting baseless rumors cloud your judgment,” He Bin says. Though he tries his best to sound courteous, Qing Jianjun can detect the faint exasperation in his voice.

“Baseless?” Qing Jianjun laughs. “Multiple people are saying the same thing. The same story is spreading across the country. A child with purple lightning appeared in Murong Bang’s lands. They say he’s riding at Murong Bang’s side.”

“Just because many people say it does not mean it is true,” He Bin replies. “How many times have people appeared claiming to be descendants of the royal bloodline. Your Highness, you’d have dozens of cousins, nephews, and more if every claim was true. This might be a ploy by Murong Bang. I’ll admit it’s not like him to do something like this, but who can tell what that beast is thinking. Perhaps he simply thought this amusing.”

All of He Bin’s words are perfectly reasonable.

All the same...

“No, He Bin. No!” Qing Jianjun shakes his head wildly. “I know this is different. I feel it in my bones. I feel it in my blood. I knew this day would come!”

How could he not?

His brother might have left him everything, but the day he left was also the day he started fearing his return. That monster’s shadow has haunted his every step since.

“They say he’s a boy, but I know the truth. It must be my brother after taking a new shape. He’s come back to kill me! I know it!”

“Your Highness, that’s ridiculous. The Black Dragon is gone,” He Bin says.

“Then why are Murong Bang and Nie Dan cooperating now!” Qing Jianjun shouts. He catches the slightest narrowing of He Bin’s eyes. “Yes, I know about that! I’m not completely hopeless, general. I hear the tales of the borders. Our enemies are gathering their forces to attack us at once. Who but the Black Dragon could make them cooperate? And when he enters the palace, who do you think the Storm Dragon will pick?”

In the Storm Dragon Palace, Qing Jianjun is untouchable. The shadow of the Storm Dragon protects him. That simple fact is what has kept him alive all these years.

However, he does not need to guess what the Storm Dragon thinks of him.

The Storm Dragon will never choose him over his brother.

“You need to stop them! Please!” Qing Jianjun begs, falling to his knees while still holding on to He Bin’s robes.

“Do not kneel, your Highness. It’s unseemly,” He Bin says, gently grabbing him by his shoulders and forcing him to stand. “As long as this He Bin draws breath, none shall touch you.”

“But how will you stop them?” Qing Jiangun sits on the edge of his bed. He grabs his hair and pulls it. “It’s two generals against one!”

Anyone with sense in the Storm Dragon Empire would be scared by such a prospect, but He Bin smiles.

“Do not worry, your Highness,” he says. “I have already prepared for this eventuality.”

“How?” The emperor asks. “How can one prepare for something like this?”

“I have made contact with a powerful group of people, your Highness. I was planning on bringing up this matter tomorrow at court, but perhaps it is better if you meet them now.”

Qing Jiangun’s head jerks up to look over He Bin’s shoulder.

The door opens slowly.

~~~

“Disgusting.”

Su Daji looks in the direction of the emperor’s room and shakes her head, her beautiful violet hair swaying as she does. The Grand Storm might be raging outside, but it is nothing compared to what is happening within the palace walls.

“How can you allow this?!”

Dark clouds appear in her room, but Su Daji does not show fear. Though she doubts she will ever feel safe in the Storm Dragon’s presence, she has at least grown accustomed to it.

“Do not presume to levy judgment on me, fox.”

“Presume? How can I not judge you? You’re letting those things in here!” she hisses.

The taint was initially weak, hiding at the edge of her senses. A feeling she could not place. Another memory she could not remember. However, their presence in the palace has grown stronger at an alarming rate.

Su Dajin does not know what they are, but she knows she cannot stand their foul taint.

“I am a shadow, fox,” the Storm Dragon says. “There is a limit to what I can do if the emperor does not command me.”

Su Daji narrows her purple eyes at him.

“Liar.”

The Storm Dragon chuckles, confirming her suspicions. If it wanted to do more, it would have done so already.

“If you find their presence here so objectionable, why are you still here, fox? You could have left any time you wanted to.” Its red eyes gleam as if having a joke at her expense. “Are you worried anyone here will miss your music? Perhaps the prince?”

Su Daji’s beautiful face twists in a snarl.

“I do not care about your prince, nor do I care about anyone in your pathetic bloodline!”

She expects the insults to rouse the Storm Dragon’s ire, but it merely looks at her in amusement.

“Is that so?”

“Yes,” she says. “I enjoy the luxuries of palace life far too much to leave. That is all.”

Her words are not necessarily a lie. The energies in the palace make it the perfect place to recover her strength, and her popularity at court, specifically with the prince, gives her easy access to cultivation resources. She has grown by leaps and bounds during her stay here, though she is still a far cry from her former self.

“If that is what you have decided, you will simply have to learn to get along with the other guests,” The Storm Dragon says. “At least, until the one whose mark you bear comes for you.”

Su Daji’s Qi spikes.

“I bear. No one’s. Mark!” She hisses. Her face becomes distinctively vulpine as she dares to glare at the Storm Dragon.

“We shall see,” The Storm Dragon says. “Enjoy your rest, fox. The time will come soon enough.”

~~~

Far away from the palace, two traveling entertainers sit and talk in a small, dark corner of a tavern. The place is bustling with activity. There are so many people and so many conversations going on at once that no one even thinks of paying attention to them.

“This is a disaster!” says Alarming Shadow. It is a struggle for him not to bang his fist against the table. “We were supposed to find those dead bastards and kill them! Instead…”

He cannot bring himself to finish. How can he when the proof of his failure is all around him?

Every single person at the bar is talking about the same thing. They are talking about the coming battle.

They are talking about the Death Fashioning Scripture.

Ever since General Nie Dan and later General Murong Bang revealed their existence, it is all people can talk about. Though they are in General He Bin’s lands, the rumors have already reached this place.

“Things should have never gotten to this point,” says Firm Shadow. “However, that begs the question. How did things get to this point? Those from the Heavenly Sword should have prevented this from happening. It doesn’t make sense.”

Alarming Shadow snorts. “As if we could ever trust those sword bastards to do anything. They talked big about non-interference with the other side, and look what’s happening! Useless!”

“Is it incompetence?” Firm Shadow wonders.

“What else?” Alarming Shadow asks him. “They are supposed to oversee this side and eliminate any demons that might appear here, but we haven’t caught a whiff of them. They have clearly not been doing anything.”

“You misunderstand me, brother,” Firm Shadow says. “You’re assuming this is an oversight of the Heavenly Sword. However, what if this is happening with the permission of the Heavenly Sword?”

“Why would they give permission for this?” Alarming Shadow asks. “Where are they if that’s the case? Those control freaks would never be hands-off about anything they are involved in.”

“And that, brother, is the question.”

~~~