Ave Xia Rem Y

~~~

“You look familiar. Could it be that we know each other?”

“How can that be? This one is merely a servant of the palace. A person of my lowly standing cannot possibly be familiar with the deplorable Young Master or his deservedly unfortunate father.”

Feng Zhuo smiles.

Shi Qingxia glowers.

Liu Jin’s palm meets his face with unerring precision.

When he took Yong Zhunyi, Shi Qingxia, and Ye Zheyu as servants to hide them from the Eternal Flame Clan, he did so knowing their discovery was always a possibility. To prevent such an occurrence, Liu Jin offered to change their features. Ye Zheyu accepted his offer, though he made it clear that he did not want to lose any body fat.

Yong Zhunyi and Shi Qingxia did not.

“We are not yet in the Heaven Realm,” Yong Zhunyi explained. “Our regeneration will always restore our bodies to their natural state. I expect Your Majesty will have to reapply Brother Ye’s disguise several times, so I would rather not rely on something like that. It might cause me to grow lax.”

“I just refuse to be anyone but myself,” Shi Qingxia said, her arms crossed and her look daring him to oppose her.

“I doubt anyone from the Eternal Flame Clan will pay much attention to servants,” Yong Zhuyi added in an attempt to reassure him.

He was wrong, obviously, but Liu Jin had foolishly let himself be reassured by the ashen-haired man. Now, he can only look on in dread as Shi Qingxia, dressed as one of the palace maids, serves Feng Zhuo tea while glaring at him with enough force to reduce lesser men to tears. There is no room for misunderstanding. The two clearly recognize each other.

Shi Qingxia had to have known this would happen before she entered the room. Most likely, she decided that since Feng Zhuo will stay here for the foreseeable future, there is little point in trying to hide from him.

“I must say, brother-in-law,” Feng Zhuo says once Shi Qingxia leaves. “You keep very interesting servants.”

“I do not understand what you could possibly be referring to,” Liu Jin replies in perfect deadpan. “However, I will just say they are mine until they are not. I am already overlooking many things about you, so I ask that you overlook this.”

“Ho, reciprocity. Interesting.” Feng Zhuo thinks about it and nods. “Very well, I would never be so callous as to take away my brother-in-law’s toys. Even if he technically stole them first.”

“One cannot steal what is freely offered,” Liu Jin points out, making Feng Zhuo laugh.

“I see. I see. How foolish of me,” Feng Zhuo says, nodding in an overly serious way. “My brother-in-law is so skilled with words. It is no wonder you handled things so well with Lady Bai last night. Personally, I do not mind having a beautiful woman angry at me, but not everyone can understand what a blessing that is.”

Liu Jin thinks of the women in his life. Then, he imagines them angry.

…

No, he’d rather not imagine that.

“I wanted to talk to you about the Crimson Cloud Tournament,” Liu Jin says instead of voicing his thoughts about Feng Zhuo’s tastes. “Lu Mei intends to accept your offer to instruct her in the Eternal Flame. You will be watched, of course, and the Storm Dragon will arise from its slumber should you attempt anything.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” Feng Zhuo says. “However, surely my sister could have told me this herself. Why summon me in private?”

“Because I am still not sure what it is that you offer me,” Liu Jin says bluntly.

“Oh?” Feng Zhuo raises an eyebrow. “Are you saying being a former champion and one of the greatest talents of this era is not enough to make me qualified to teach you?”

“That is not it,” Liu Jin says, shaking his head. “I understand brother-in-law Feng Zhuo is a cultivator of great skill. However, while Lu Mei can learn much from you, I do not believe our skill sets align enough for me to receive a similar benefit. If I wish instruction in cultivation, I can easily seek it from General Nie Dan, perhaps even one of the Elders. Skilled as you are, I do not believe you can outdo them.”

“Oh my, you speak so confidently about receiving the instruction of Emperors. How outrageous.” Feng Zhuo smiles while leaning back into his seat. “Well, you are not wrong. My guidance cannot compare to that of an Emperor Realm cultivator. However, I have participated in the Crimson Cloud Tournament once and been witness to it thrice. There are things I know that General Nie Dan does not. That is what I offer to share with you.” Ṛ₳ƝỗΒΕṠ

“I see,” Liu Jin says. “However, could Lady Bai not have done the same? Surely, sharing basic information would not constitute her acting against the Divine Frozen Palace?”

“Naturally,” Feng Zhuo shrugs. “I just spoke like that so she wouldn’t be able to do it. A Dao like Justice is fairly straightforward.”

Liu Jin stares at him.

Feng Zhuo smiles.

“You used her Dao against her,” he accuses.

“Brother-in-law, it sounds so underhanded when you say it like that,” Feng Zhuo whines. “It would make me happy if you tried to sound even a little impressed. Exploiting someone’s Dao is a very useful skill, you know? For example, my uncle already knows your Dao is in a formational state. When he sent me here, he told me to find out if it was possible to influence it.”

“...I begin to think I should have listened to Big Sister Bai.”

Feng Zhuo raises his palms.

“I never said I was going to do it,” Feng Zhuo says. “In fact, since Uncle did not order me to do it, he is probably not expecting me to.”

“I am not sure how much I should trust anything you say,” Liu Jin says. “Even telling me this could be a trick to make me distrust Lord Feng Gui in favor of your father.”

“Brother-in-law, I am a thoroughly honest man except for all the times I am not,” Feng Zhuo says, putting a hand over his heart. “Believe me when I say that I have no desire to hurt my sister’s lover. Besides, trying to influence your Dao strikes me as an exceedingly bad idea. I am only saying these things so you are aware of the possibility and so I can offer to teach His Majesty how to defend himself against such things.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“You will excuse me if I do not eagerly accept your offer,” Liu Jin says flatly.

“I’d have been happy if you did.”

“I can live with your unhappiness, brother-in-law,” Liu Jin replies, sighing when Feng Zhuo laughs. “You are a very exhausting man. I begin to understand just who Elder Brother Xiao Nan was referring to when he said there was someone more annoying than him.”

Something changes.

Feng Zhuo does not make a single move, yet the air around him becomes different somehow. Charged. Alert. Intense.

“Is it true, then?” Feng Zhuo asks, his voice sounding deeper than before. “Xiao Nan of the Xiao Sect is alive?”

Confused by his sudden seriousness, Liu Jin nods.

He is not prepared for the naked relief that appears on Feng Zhuo’s face.

“I see. I see. That is good.” Feng Zhuo genuinely sounds relieved. There is even a small smile on his face. “I had read the reports, but Xiao Nan’s identity is not something they dwelled much on. I did not want to get my hopes up.”

“You remember him,” Liu Jin says, confused by this. The Xiao Sect once made it to the Top 100 Sects of the Empire thanks to Elder Brother Xiao Nan’s performance, but that is still nowhere near high enough for someone like Feng Zhuo to remember him.

“Of course I do!” Feng Zhuo says. “He genuinely tried to defeat me. It’d be rude of me to ever forget such valor!”

Liu Jin’s forehead crinkles. Xiao Nan fought Feng Zhuo during a tournament. What else was he supposed to do but try? Seeing his expression, Feng Zhuo chuckles.

“I see. I see. That is how it is. Well, pay it no mind, brother-in-law,” Feng Zhuo says. “Let’s just say I have another reason to stay close to you now.”

That does not reassure Liu Jin in the slightest.

~~~

“You should have called me, Your Majesty.”

Clad in his dark armor, General Nie Dan cannot help but look out of place standing on the gold-carpeted floor of Liu Jin’s room. Though he is kneeling, the general is still taller than Liu Jin. If he were to stand up, Liu Jin worries his head might scrape the ceiling.

“You were busy with Duke Wei’s would-be rebellion, general,” Liu Jin reminds the severe-looking man. “I did not think it prudent to interrupt you.”

“Bah, a trifling matter.” General Nie Dan waves a hand dismissively. “His rebellion was over in minutes. It was reorganizing his lands that took up most of my time. I could have easily left that matter to City Lord Chu. Considering all he is doing, perhaps Minister Chu is a more apt title now.”

Liu Jin smiles.

“You work that man far too much.”

“Work is the reward of the capable,” General Nie Dan says. “Better for him to overwork himself than for you to be alone with Feng Zhuo for too long.”

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow.

“You are wary of him,” he notes, a little surprised. For all that Feng Zhuo is an incredibly powerful cultivator, General Nie Dan is an Emperor. In most cases, he would not even bother putting Feng Zhuo in his eyes.

“Feng Zhuo of the Eternal Flame Clan is like a tiger who has grown adept at making everyone forget he eats meat,” General Nie Dan tells him with full seriousness. “The man is highly competent and utterly unencumbered by pride. Underestimating him would be a grave mistake.”

“I suppose there is no point in asking you whether I should have taken his offer or not now,” Liu Jin muses.

“It would be highly inadvisable,” General Nie Dan confirms. “Your formation is far too sensitive for you to be exposed to someone like him.”

“...Is the state of my Dao really that noticeable?” Liu Jin asks, frowning as he clasps his hands together. For such a vulnerable condition to be so easy to discern is not ideal.

“The average cultivator would never notice it, but you are not asking about those. You want to know my opinion as an Emperor,” General Nie Dan says. He waits for Liu Jin to nod before continuing to speak. “I can sense that Your Majesty’s Dao is not fully formed, but that is nothing unusual. Considering your age, the opposite would be completely outrageous. As for its exact nature, I cannot discern it. Of course, Lord Feng Gui and Lord Feng Shang are far more skilled cultivators than this General. I cannot tell you what they saw when they met you.”

Liu Jin’s frown grows deeper. Elder Xun had been able to intuit something about the nature of his Dao from the moment they met. However, it is not unreasonable to assume that Elder Xun is far more experienced in such matters than either of the two brothers.

At least, Liu Jin hopes he is.

“Discerning and trying to exploit an enemy’s Dao are common strategies in higher-level battles. Being able to do so is arguably more important than one’s level of cultivation,” General Nie Dan says. “However, that is not something His Majesty should learn from someone like Feng Zhuo. It is also not something I can teach you.”

That catches Liu Jin by surprise. He thought the general would be eager to teach him.

“Why?”

“A soldier without a solid foundation will be overrun by the enemy, Your Majesty. If I were to teach you, my Dao might influence yours. That cannot be allowed,” General Nie Dan says, smiling sadly. “I can answer any question you might have, but you must walk your path free of interference.”

“I see,” Liu Jin says softly. “Thank you for your wisdom, General Nie Dan.”

Perhaps it is better this way.

After all, he only has one master.

~~~

Later that day, Liu Jin stands atop the Storm Dragon Palace, watching as the last rays of the sun paint the empty grasslands gold.

So much has changed.

No longer is he a disciple without a home who needs to tread carefully at every turn. Now, he is the Emperor of a nation, one with followers, subjects, and allies. He has become too important to be thoughtlessly made an enemy of. People line up to court his favor, even those from factions as important as the Divine Frozen Palace, the Eternal Flame Clan, and the Five Blessings Group.

He can make things better now.

A smile makes its way across Liu Jin’s lips as he finishes that thought. Everything he has done until now has not been in vain. It will not be easy, but he can start making things better for the people of the Storm Dragon Empire. He will do his best to ensure no one like Murong Bang ever rises from this land.

However, several problems remain. The Duke in the Dead Plains might one day reach the Emperor Realm. Elder Brother Xiao Nan is a Renegade, and Liu Jin is unsure how Xiao Fang is faring these days. It has been a long time since he last contacted him. There are also many plots of those from the other side of the Dead Plains to consider.

And, of course, the Wandering Wind and Su An.

Liu Jin’s fist clench. Thunder echoes in the distance.

The Crimson Cloud Tournament will be a gathering of every major Sect in the Crimson Cloud Emperor. When that happens…

“Arf!”

Liu Jin blinks and looks down.

The dog looks up at him with a very large bone held in its mouth, his tail wagging happily behind him. It seems he has come out to the roof to keep him company.

“Where did you find that?” Liu Jin asks, struck by the size of the bone. It is longer than a human arm.

In the distance, he hears a familiar screech and the beating of wings.

Liu Jin narrows his eyes. “Did you steal Soaring Feather’s lunch?”

Though he is holding a bone between his teeth, the dog manages a dopey grin. Liu Jin shakes his head but kneels down to scratch the dog behind the ears.

“You really shouldn’t have done that, but we’ll keep it a secret for now,” Liu Jin says as the dog drops his bone and leans into his touch. “We don’t want Soaring Feather to confuse you for food.”

The dog’s expression changes to alarm for a moment before barking in agreement. It is a sign of how much he has changed. Emotions. Desires. Preferences. The dog has all those things now. A personality is clearly beginning to take shape.

In a sense, finding one’s Dao is not that dissimilar.

It is the process of finding who you are.

“I have still not given you a name,” Liu Jin says. “Do you want one? As you are now, you can actually make a choice.”

The dog blinks, tilting its head cutely before nodding.

“Very well.” Liu Jin closes his eyes and thinks. “Gou?”

The dog barks again. It sounds distinctly negative.

“I thought so,” Liu Jin says. “Well, you probably don’t want to be Roaming Fang, so maybe…”

He trails off.

He looks at the bone and picks it up. The dog’s head follows the motion with excitement as Liu Jin waves it around.

“I suppose that might work. How about… Marrow?”

The dog barks happily.

Liu Jin tosses the bone, and Marrow goes fetch.

~~~

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