~~~
From afar, the Grand Storm looks like a pillar of black abruptly rising from the land and piercing the clouds. The storm clouds it is made of are so thick they almost look solid. Only the occasional flash of lightning breaks the illusion.
From up close, it looks like a wall.
Whether you look left, right, or up, it is impossible to find a beginning or end. The Grand Storm is simply there. It is this unnatural phenomenon that has kept the palace safe all these years, and it is in the shadow of this storm that the two armies that have been cutting a path through General He Bin’s territory finally meet.
One of the armies brims with bloodlust. Their formation is sloppy, and its soldiers constantly shuffle about, unable to contain their eagerness. They cannot wait for the battle to start.
The other army is nearly silent. Its soldiers are ordered in perfect lines. Their posture is without flaw. They look straight ahead, diligence in their eyes and duty in their minds.
Murong Bang and Nie Dan.
The two generals stand in front of each other for the first time in over a decade, their armies a fair distance behind them. Though they both wear the black and gold armor of the Heavenly Generals of the Storm Dragon Empire, they could not look more different.
“You’ve gotten old,” Murong Bang says. “Does that make you feel mature?”
“Looking at you does that,” Nie Dan replies. “You call yourself a Heavenly General, but all I see in front of me is a common vagrant.”
Murong Bang laughs. “Well, you might not be wrong about that.”
“Naturally,” Nie Dan says. “I have never once been wrong about you,”
“Oh? Is that why you finally show your face in front of me? Are you so confident I won’t try to fight you?” Murong Bang scratches the inside of his ear and spits to the side. “After all, we’re both here with our armies. It’d be a shame to waste them on someone like He Bin.”
Despite their casual tone, the clash of their aura is like two bulls locking horns. Neither one is exerting their full power, but the presence of two Emperor Realm cultivators is enough to make the soldiers light-headed. More than one faints.
Nie Dan sighs.
“Enough games,” he says. “We’re here to kill He Bin. We can kill each other later. Even you are not stupid enough to make He Bin the last Heavenly General left.”
“Ah yes, the Heavens would weep if that happened.” Murong Bang says, faking a shudder at the possibility. He turns to the Grand Storm. “How do you want to do this?”
“I imagine cooperating to fight He Bin is out of the question?” Nie Dan asks.
“You imagine right.”
“Very well,” Nie Dan says, not sounding too bothered about it. “Whoever gets to He Bin first gets to kill him.”
“Perfect,” Murong Bang says, rubbing his hands together. “We’ll settle our fight immediately after.”
Nie Dan shakes his head.
“No,” He says. “Let’s have a two-day truce after He Bin is dead. We’ll use that time to recover from whatever wounds he managed to inflict. We can kill each other after that.”
Murong Bang snorts and crosses his arms. “Always so timid. Are you sure two days licking your wounds is enough?
“Me?” It is Nie Dan’s turn to snort. “I’m saying this for your sake. I’m sparing you the pain of dying a sore loser.”
Murong Bang laughs loudly.
“Oh, I almost missed you, you know?” He says.
General Nie Dan looks at him in silence for a moment.
“I almost missed you too.” He looks to the side. “What do you think of him?”
“He’s soft like a baby’s belly.”
“True enough, but…”
“Yeah…”
~~~
A fair distance away from the two generals, but still much closer to them than the rest of their armies, stood a group composed of the generals’ closest aides and allies.
For some reason, Liu Jin is there.
“You look well,” Mud says. He is standing beside him along with the rest of the delegation from General Nie Dan’s side. “I must admit I was worried about how you’d fare in Murong Bang’s lands.”
“I thank Senior Brother Mud for his concern,” Liu Jin says. “To be honest, it was a very trying experience. However, all the members of the Eternal Flame Clan who traveled with me are alive and well.”
Mud does not smile at him, but his eyes become a little brighter. “I am glad to hear that.”
“Regarding the children I sent over with Brother Ten…”
This time, Mud does smile. “Rest assured, they are in good health, albeit a little rambunctious. Perhaps too much. City Lord Chu has his hands full lately.”
So they had not been able to send them over to the Eternal Flame Clan, then? Not entirely unexpected. In fact, it would have been surprising if they had.
It does make him feel bad for City Lord Chu, though.
“I’ll have to gift the City Lord something next time I see him,” Liu Jin says before moving his gaze over to the person to Mud’s left.
“Young Master Feng Zhi…” Liu Jin begins hesitantly. “I…”
“I am not speaking to you.”
Liu Jin blinks.
“Huh?”
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“I am not speaking to you,” Feng Zhi repeats. He does not even bother looking in his direction. In fact, Feng Zhi has been trying very hard to not look at him all this time. “I have had a fantastic time lately, and I am not in a hurry to end it by being reminded of your face.”
“You must forgive him,” Mud tells him. “News of your bloodline has rattled him greatly.”
Feng Zhi fiercely ignores those words.
“Ah...” Liu Jin grimaces. “I see. To be honest, I had hoped news of that hadn’t reached you just yet.”
A foolish hope, obviously, but what’s one more foolish hope for someone who carries so many of them?
“It’s true then?” Mud asks him, though Liu Jin gets the feeling he’s not really asking for confirmation. Nevertheless, Liu Jin nods.
“My father was the Black Dragon,” Liu Jin says.
A very odd sound comes from the back of Feng Zhi’s throat. The tips of his ears have become aggressively purple.
“Impressive,” Mud says. “I assume this is why you felt the need to go to Murong Bang to plead General Dan’s case. Is that not so?”
“I suppose you can say that,” Liu Jin says, wondering if Mud is trying to help him by phrasing his question like that. “Am I in trouble with the Eternal Flame Clan?”
It takes Mud several seconds to answer.
“I cannot presume to know the thoughts of the Elders or Lord Feng Gui,” he says. “I imagine this has made them very interested in you. Whether that interest is good or bad will depend on the results you produce.”
In other words, if all this goes well, the Elders won’t be too harsh on him. Maybe.
More importantly…
“Word has already reached the Elders?” Liu Jin asks
“Did you assume it wouldn’t have?” Mud asks at the same time as Feng Zhi snorts.
Liu Jin winces. Certainly, he knew it was the most likely possibility. All the same…
Elder Xue is going to be so angry with him.
~~~
“Where are we going?”
General He Bin does not answer him. The man has not spoken a single word to him ever since he barged into his room while he was in the middle of composing a poem.
“General!” He says, putting a little more force in his voice. “This is highly irregular! I should…”
General He Bin turns, and his voice becomes little more than a squeak.
Qing Guo, son of Qing Jianjun, has been accused of many things. Being brave is not one of those things. At best, people have (in hushed voices and behind closed doors) said that he will be an improvement over his father when his time comes to take the throne.
“You are, of course, right, my prince,” General He Bin says in a very solemn voice as he stops walking and lets go of his wrist. The young prince nearly stumbles and falls on his face. “You deserve to know what is going on.”
“I do?” Qing Guo blinks. No one ever tells him anything. “I mean, of course, I do.”
He straightens himself and tries to appear tall, a futile effort as He Bin has nearly two heads on him. The man is unreasonably tall.
“I will explain as we walk,” General He Bin says. “As I am sure his Highness knows, our enemies are upon us. They have cut a bloody path through our territory and have reached the Grand Storm.”
“Of course, I know,” he says, a little offended that the general would assume otherwise. The invasion is all anyone can talk about lately. “However, what does it matter? We have the Grand Storm protecting us! My honored Ancestor will not let anything happen to us!”
Qing Guo says this with absolute certainty, grinning and bumping his fist on his chest.
“I wish it could be that simple.”
“What do you mean, general?” Qing Guo blinks. “Surely, you don’t believe they can get through the Grand Storm?”
“That’s exactly what I think.”
The words shock Qing Guo so much that he stops walking. General He Bin does not wait for him.
“That’s impossible!” Qing Guo shouts, hurriedly catching up to the general. “The Shadow of the Storm Dragon is beyond any cultivator! Even an Emperor cannot break through it! That’s why it is my father who rules this country and not the Three Heavenly Generals!”
Even if two of them are not nearly as loyal as they should be.
“All those things are true,” General He Bin replies as they walk through the long corridors of the palace. They do not run into any servants. Everyone is too busy preparing. “However, my concerns are well-founded.”
Qing Guo stares at the general in confusion. He had expected the general to agree with his logic, so seeing him be so certain about the Grand Storm failing is more than a little worrying.
“It’s not just not possible,” Qing Guo repeats, running a hand through his long black hair. “Unless… Do you think they have some sort of ancient artifact that could bypass the Grand Storm?”
“You could say that.”
“If I had known the threat was so serious, I would have stayed at Lady Su’s side. She must be deathly afraid right now.”
“That… is… a possibility,” General He Bin says, coughing in a very odd way Qing Guo has never heard before. “Regardless, that is why it is all the more imperative that we do this.”
“Where exactly are we going?” Qing Guo frowns as he looks around. The halls are dirtier and darker in this part of the palace. “Is this the forbidden wing? I thought no one was supposed to come here.”
“It is nothing quite so dramatic,” General He Bin replies. “The emperor never forbade anyone from coming to this place. People just started doing it on their own because… Well, it is better if his highness sees it with his own eyes.”
Qing Guo is not satisfied with that answer, but something in General He Bin’s tone makes him remain silent as he follows him through the labyrinthine corridors of the palace. They travel down several floors and pass through hallways covered in cobwebs. It is clear no servant has been here in years. No one has.
And yet… There is something here.
Qing Guo feels it in the walls. He feels it in the air. It is like a stare burning a hole into his back, yet no matter how often he looks around, he cannot find anyone. No matter how much he strains his senses, he cannot sense anything.
“It is here,” General He Bin says as they reach a door. “Brace yourself.”
He opens the door. Immediately, Qing Guo feels as if he’s been hit by a rush of fierce wind. He falls to his knees and cannot believe he missed it for long. This presence. This Qi. It towers above anything he has ever felt.
“W-what is this?” He asks, scared as he feels a beating echo inside his own body. The room is dark, but he sees something beyond the shadows.
It beats like a heart.
“This is what happens when the shadow of an Ancient One stays manifested for so long,” General He Bin says. “Especially the shadow of a dragon.”
Words Qing Guo heard a long time ago echo through his mind.
A dragon cannot stand to be anything other than a dragon. Whether it’s alive or dead makes no difference in that regard.
“Usually, there’d be no need to come all the way here, but I don’t think he’d answer me otherwise. Am I right, Ancient One?”
Wind and storm engulf them both. Qing Guo screams, but the noise is lost in the storm and the thunder. Crimson eyes glow between the clouds.
The Storm Dragon is before them.
“That is so, general,” the Storm Dragon says. “However, since you have dared to come here and even brought one of my bloodline, I suppose I can grant you an audience.”
General He Bin drops on one knee.
“Ancient One, I beg you not to undo the Grand Storm.”
“Denied,” the Storm Dragon replies immediately. General He Bin sighs as if he had expected to hear that. Qing Guo looks on in shock.
“But why?” Qing Guo asks, finally finding his voice. “Honored Ancestor! You are supposed to protect our bloodline from all threats! How can you undo the Grand Storm when our enemies are upon us?!”
The Storm Dragon looks at him. Qing Guo trembles in fear.
“I exist to protect my bloodline. If one of my whelps wishes to enter and bring others with him, I shall not deny him.”
“What?” Qing Guo gapes at him. “Then… one of… then those rumors… They were true?”
He looks at General He Bin.
“It’s really true?” He asks. “One of our blood is with Murong Bang?”
The Storm Dragon chuckles.
“Are you finally realizing it? Why do you think he has come here with you and not with your father? It is because your father already realizes there is no point and has chosen to hide like the coward he is.”
“Don’t–” Qing Guo’s words die as the Storm Dragon looks at him. “Please… if they enter here, many people will die.”
“The prince speaks the truth, Ancient One,” General He Bin says. “Surely there is something that can be done?”
The Storm Dragon chuckles.
“There might be something I can do.”
~~~