~~~

Fire is light.

Light reveals that which is hidden.

The moon shines brightly as Liu Jin returns from the Apothecary. Elder Xue’s words keep echoing in his ears. It would be nice if that had been the end of that conversation, but it hadn’t been. Not even close. Elder Xue had not wounded him or threatened him in any way. She had just...

“It pleases me to see a disciple with such clear goals. However, Disciple Qing would be served well by not speaking of such things outside the Apothecary, certainly not near the Division of External Relations. Elder Fa and others like him would not appreciate seeing their work criticized.”

...Implied things.

Is that a problem?

Liu Jin’s first instinct is to say it is, but he refrains from doing so. It is a risk, certainly. However, that’s not necessarily the same thing. A risk has the potential to become a problem. That doesn’t mean it will be one. Elder Xue has not made any demands of him. Not yet.

Feng Shang and Feng Gui. The two sons of Patriarch Feng Zhang. That is what it all comes down to. Perhaps, everyone in the Eternal Flame Clan will have to pick a side eventually. Elder Xue has most certainly done so already. She may have even made the choice for Liu Jin as far back as the Selection Exam.

To think his way of killing would get him in trouble. Should he laugh or cry?

Chirp. Chirp.

Perhaps sensing his mood, his eagle chick flies down to his shoulder and gently pecks his ear. Liu Jin smiles and pets him.

“It is okay. I’m okay,” Liu Jin says, and his words are not a lie.

After all, is this not what he came to the Eternal Flame Clan for?

Certainly, it is not good that Elder Xue has the upper hand on him, but does this situation not lend itself to his goals? From the beginning, Liu Jin had planned on becoming involved with the inner workings of the Eternal Flame Clan. He had not expected it to happen this way, but is there a single man out there who always manages to have everything go exactly the way he wishes? Is there a single person who can control all aspects of his life?

No. Such a person does not exist.

It is not how Liu Jin wanted it, but it is what he wanted.

He’s now one step closer to the Three Heavenly Generals of the Storm Dragon Empire.

“You must understand, my lord,” Lei Kong had told him a long time ago. “The Empire fell into disorder once the Black Storm Dragon vanished. While many had been against him, it had been his power that kept the Empire whole. It had been through terror that the Empire had been united. The current Storm Dragon... He is a virtuous man, but he lacks the power to make others obey. He cannot wield terror as the Black Storm Dragon did. That is why it did not take long for the Empire to erupt into a brutal civil war. It was chaos, my lord. Complete and utter chaos.”

And from that chaos had risen the Three Heavenly Generals.

General Murong Bang.

General Nie Dan.

General He Bin.

The three warlords had rampaged through the Storm Dragon Empire with their armies, conquering territory after territory. While the Emperor yet lives, his position has become largely ceremonial. Most Sects and Clans in the Storm Dragon Empire have pledged themselves to one of the three generals. Through brutal conquest, they brought some stability to the land.

Through brutal conquest, they trapped the Storm Dragon Empire in a never-ending civil war.

Three Heavenly Generals have been at a stalemate for years. There are constant skirmishes across their border territories. Worse still, since the generals are so focused on each other, many bands of bandits roam the land. Truthfully, the Storm Dragon Empire should have collapsed years ago. However…

“There are those who support the Three Heavenly Generals for their own ends, my lord. As you know, Murong Bang has had some dealings with the Endlessly Raging Valley. While not beholden to any faction, he will deal with whoever approaches him as long as he thinks he stands to benefit from it. As for General He Bin, it is rumored he truly is loyal to the Storm Dragon and obeys no one else, but I don’t think I can believe that. Finally, General Nie Dan...”

General Nie Dan is backed by the Eternal Flame Clan.

Chirp. Chirp.

“I said I was fine, didn’t I?” Liu Jin rubs the spot where the eagle pecked him. “You could stand to be a little more patient.”

Another peck, this one more insistent.

Chirp. Chirp.

Liu Jin is left blinking as the young bird jumps twice on his shoulder and takes off.

One day, his eagle will soar through the skies at dizzying speeds, but today is not that day. Even though Liu Jin is still balancing a nest on top of his head, he has no problems catching up. He could easily grab the bird and put it back on his nest but decides to let him keep going instead.

The eagle keeps flying for several yards, showing he has grown remarkably in just a few days. He leads Liu Jin to one of the few green areas between the Apothecary and the Inner Disciple’s quarters.

“You wanted to drink something?” Liu Jin asks as the eagle approaches the pond and takes a few sips.

To his surprise, the eagle shakes his head no. Although with how small and round his body is, it’s more accurate to say he shakes his whole body from side to side.

“What is it then?”

The eagle jumps twice and gestures at a tree with one of his wings.

Chirp. Chirp.

Ah, so he had noticed. Smiling, Liu Jin turns around and looks up.

“I believe he wants to meet you.”

Liu Jin can almost feel the surprise radiating from the tree. There is a moment of silence. Then the leaves rustle as the person there jumps down. He is a young child with black hair and golden eyes that seem to shine in the darkness. Despite his youth, he is already wearing the red and black robes of a Core Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan. Of course, that is only to be expected, considering how strong he is for his age.

Nascent Realm, Seventh Level.

He is the child he saw during the Selection Exam. Back then, he had been on the Third Level of the Nascent Realm. That had been mere weeks ago.

Just as Elder Xue said. A prodigy among prodigies.

“I did not mean to hide,” the young child says at last. His whole body is tense, as if he were about to run away at any moment. His gold eyes look dubiously at them.

“No harm done. We did not mean to intrude,” Liu Jin replies, smiling.

Chirp. Chirp.

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The child looks down at the eagle, who chirps several times at him and jumps up and down.

“He seems to have taken a liking to you,” Liu Jin says. The child, however, does not react to his words. He is locked in a staring contest with the baby eagle. After a while, the child reaches into his robes and takes out a small paper bag.

“Ah, so that’s what it was,” Liu Jin says as the child takes out some sweetened bread from it. His eagle had probably smelled the sweet treat and came here looking for it.

It is a good thing, Liu Jin realizes, that he has all his sweets hidden inside his spatial pouch.

“Don’t let him convince you to share,” Liu Jin says as the child keeps shifting his gaze from his sweet to the eagle. “He is wily. He’s been playing cute all day, so people would give him treats. At this rate, I fear he might grow fat.”

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

“Your anger merely betrays your guilt,” Liu Jin replies, unfazed by the eagle’s angry chirping. “You are not going to be cute forever. How will you convince others to give you food then?”

Through sheer strength, most likely, but the eagle does not know that yet. The bird huffs and puffs, turning his back to Liu Jin. Meanwhile, the young child keeps alternating his gaze between the bird and the bread.

“Can I... ?” He looks at Liu Jin for permission, holding up the sweet bread. “Even if it’s like that... Can I still?”

“If you wish to,” Liu Jin says.

The young child’s face brightens. He kneels down and holds out some bread for the eagle.

Chirp.

His eagle approaches slowly, taking only small nibbles at first. Liu Jin wonders if he does so to avoid startling the child.

“May I… May I pet it?” The young child asks.

“I don’t see any problem with that,” Liu Jin replies. Once again, the young child’s face lights up with childish glee. He looks at the small bird with awe as he starts petting his plumage.

Chirp. Chirp.

“He seems to like that,” Liu Jin notes.

As if realizing what he’s doing, the child takes a step back. He almost seems embarrassed. It makes Liu Jin regret speaking up.

“You have a nest on your head,” the child says as if just now noticing it.

“That I do.”

The kid keeps staring at Liu Jin. His face does not show any trace of humor but merely pure curiosity.

“Thank you,” He says before vanishing with a movement technique, leaving Liu Jin and his bird alone.

Chirp. Chirp.

Liu Jin smiles as the bird jumps onto his shoulder. He pets him once before putting him back in his nest.

So that is Feng Zhi’s half-brother, Feng Hao, huh? Liu Jin’s smile slowly fades.

He’s too young. Far too young.

~~~

Elder Xue does not make any move to approach him in the following days, leaving Liu Jin to perform his duties as usual. He is tense at first but gradually sinks into the routine.

Before he knows it, Monday arrives.

“Welcome to the Medical Pavilion.”

Compared to the oddly-shaped Apothecary, the Medical Pavilion is far more standard. It is a wide three-story-tall red and white building with gold tiled roofs. On the inside, white is the dominant color, and gold ornaments hang from the walls. The hallways are long and wide, nothing at all like the cramped passages inside the Apothecary.

“I have been here before,” Liu Jin says to Lu Mei.

“You were only here for a few hours after the Selection Exam,” Lu Mei notes. “I doubt you have been here since.”

“You sound sure of that.”

“Unlike the two fools, you have not been getting into fights all the time. There has been no reason for you to come here,” Lu Mei says as if it should be obvious, which it is. “I am impressed, by the way. I did not think you would actually keep that nest on.”

The two are walking side by side, and for once, Lu Mei is not the one who attracts the most attention between the two. Though Liu Jin has been stuck with a nest on his head for several days, this is the first time he walks into the Medical Pavilion with it. It is not surprising there are many people here who are seeing him for the first time.

“There is no reason for me to feel shame,” Liu Jin says. Atop his head, his eagle chirps in agreement. Lu Mei hums approvingly.

“How confident. Good, it would be a shame if someone were embarrassed of such a wonderful creature.”

Lu Mei holds out her hand, and his eagle immediately jumps onto it. Liu Jin’s eyebrow twitches at the sight.

For some bizarre reason, his eagle seems to trust Lu Mei.

“Such a good little eagle,” Lu Mei coos at him, petting his back with a finger. “You really should have come up with a name for him by now.”

“It is not as easy as it may sound.”

“Perhaps your naming sense is just bad.”

“Perhaps.”

Lu Mei blinks. She looks almost disappointed. “I thought you’d fight me more on that.”

“I wanted to,” Liu Jin admits, his tone apologetic. “But it is true I need to name him.”

“Shall I do it for you?” The round ball of feathers is rolling on Lu Mei’s palm as she pets it. “I wonder… perhaps White Feather?”

Liu Jin shakes his head. “I had thought about it, but his feathers will change color soo-”

“Out of my way!”

Liu Jin and Lu Mei are both left blinking as an older Inner Disciple storms past them. There is something familiar about him. Liu Jin is left staring at the direction in which he went until it finally dawns on him.

“Was that…?”

“One of the disciples we fought in the Summer Forest?” Lu Mei finishes for him. “Yes.”

Not just one of the disciples they fought in the Summer Forest. That one had been the disciples who tried to fight him over Lu Mei. Pan Qiu, if he’s not mistaken.

“They are often here for their punishment.”

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow. “Punishment?”

He recalled Elder Cheung saying Pan Qiu and the others would be punished, but does Lu Mei mean to say their punishment is not yet finished?

“Poison-testing,” Lu Mei says with a smile that is far too cheerful and satisfied for such a dark subject. “Elder Cheung is using them to test the effects of various poisons. They have been here almost every day since the fight. Sometimes, they’ll have to stay several nights here to recover from the effects.”

Liu Jin’s eyebrows go further up. That is quite a harsh punishment, even harsher than it sounds. It is not just the poison that’s damaging. It is the time they lose recovering. Pan Qiu and the others like him have lost weeks they could have spent cultivating or earning points.

“You did not mention this.”

“Should I have?” Lu Mei shrugs. “They are not worth talking about.”

Liu Jin hums. “I suppose you’re right.”

Callous as it may sound, they are not worth thinking about. Certainly not compared to what he has to deal with.

~~~

“I am surprised.”

“Oh? Whatever for?”

“I did not think you actually wanted help with your duties.”

“Disappointed?”

Since Liu Jin cannot instantly think of a comeback, he focuses on grinding the leaves instead.

The two are making ointment for light injuries. It may not sound all that important, yet it is a duty that always requires doing. Most of the disciples who come here do so exactly because they have been lightly wounded during a spar or training.

“Merely curious,” Liu Jin says once he has thought of something. “I cannot imagine this is something you’d need help with. If you did, well...”

Liu Jin gestures to the one other occupant in the room. He’s an Inner Disciple with a dazed look on his face. He mindlessly places temporal seals on the jars of ointment they finish.

“Clearly, you have no problems making people do things for you.”

“Oh, but I am making you do things for me,” Lu Mei counters, shoulder bumping against his. “Besides, I’d rather not have too many like that one around.”

Liu Jin sighs and rubs his forehead. “Did he at least do something to deserve it?”

Lu Mei places a hand over her heart, a look of mock outrage on her face. “Do you truly think I’d do something like that to someone for no reason?”

“You’d have a reason. Enjoyment.”

“True,” Lu Mei admits shamelessly. “However, you can rest easy. That one tried to overstep his boundaries with me. He overestimated his charm and did not take rejection well.”

She grins as she looks at the Inner Disciple’s mindless expression.

“He also vastly underestimated my ability.”

“How long have you kept him under your technique?”

“A few days. It will wear off eventually. Feel free to ignore him.”

“I will.” He gives her a measuring look. “You are quite dangerous.”

“You always say the sweetest things.”

“I meant it as an observation,” Liu Jin says. “And perhaps a question as well. Why is it that you limit yourself to working in the Medical Pavilion?”

The Medical Pavilion is by no means an unimportant building, yet Liu Jin is sure someone with Lu Mei’s skills could easily aim higher.

“And here I thought you were not the type to pry.”

“Is it so wrong that I am curious about you?” Liu Jin asks as he rises to get more ingredients from the shelves. “Would you feel more comfortable if I hold a blade to your neck while we talk?”

Lu Mei flinches.

“Point made,” she says, huffing and crossing her arms. “Fine. I’ll answer. It is not really anything complicated. I just do not wish to be dragged into the politics of the Eternal Flame Clan. Due to its purpose, the Medical Pavilion never takes any sides. As one of the weaker Elders, Elder Cheung is completely neutral in any conflict.”

It takes Liu Jin a long while to reply.

“I see... That’s quite smart of you.”

Far smarter than him, who may no longer have a choice.

~~~