~~~

A great many things happen in the aftermath of the battle.

General He Bin’s army surrenders. The few soldiers who try to resist are swiftly put down while the rest are taken as prisoners. Only the nobility receives preferential treatment. It can be no other way. They are all important tools to keep control of the territories that were under He Bin’s command.

Hours later, messengers leave the Storm Dragon Palace one after another. They are dispatched to every city and every city lord. They shout in town squares, mansions, and taverns. The message is always the same.

The civil war is over.

The treacherous General He Bin, who conspired with evil and foreign powers, has been slain. He will harm the country no more.

The mad dog Murong Bang has died. He will hurt the people no more.

Praise and glory to General Nie Dan, who restored peace to the Storm Dragon Empire.

Praise and glory to the Eternal Flame Clan and the Divine Frozen Palace, who aided the empire in its hour of need.

Praise and glory to Qing Jin, the Young Dragon, who rescued his family from vultures and delivered divine punishment to the empire’s enemies.

“Why?”

Liu Jin’s voice is muffled as he buries his face between his hands. On his lap is a transcript of the basic message General Nie Dan has spread to every corner of the empire.

Three days.

He has only been unconscious for three days!

“You know why,” General Nie Dan replies. He is standing by Liu Jin's bedside. He showed up less than an hour after Liu Jin woke up. Considering how busy the man must be, it is a very significant gesture.

About as significant as the fact that Liu Jin has been placed in the emperor’s room.

“I know,” Liu Jin says, and the worst part is that he not only knows, he understands.

General Nie Dan has triumphed, so his allies are all just and virtuous. That is simple enough for everyone to understand. Since his uncle cannot be trusted to remain in power, the introduction of a more “legitimate” heir was necessary.

General Nie Dan including the Divine Frozen Palace in the official story despite only one of their members having participated is another good move on his part. It opens the door for him to build further relationships with them and will help curtail the influence of the Eternal Flame Clan in the future.

“I have no interest in being wielded as a piece against the Eternal Flame Clan, general,” Liu Jin says.

“Is that what you think I am doing?” Nie Dan crosses his arms. “I merely wish the Eternal Flame Clan to understand your value.”

A valid enough reason, Liu Jin supposes. General Nie Dan is making it clear that Liu Jin is needed to handle the transition of power within the Storm Dragon Empire. That will make the Eternal Flame Clan less likely to make any rash decision regarding him.

And yet, reasonable as his words are, Liu Jin knows there is more to this than that.

“I am not my father, general,” Liu Jin says.

“No, I suppose not,” Nie Dan says, finally sitting down. It does not stop him from towering over Liu Jin. “That much is obvious.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I know I am soft. Murong Bang made that very clear to me,” Liu Jin says. He chuckles and shakes his head. “Even now, I cannot feel any joy at his death. That is how soft I am. Regardless, that does not mean I wish to be more like how my father was.”

To wish not to be like his father... A thought like that would have been unthinkable for him years ago. Now, it is only logical.

“I… My father told me many times what type of person he used to be,” Liu Jin says. “Back then, I did not fully understand it. I couldn’t. I only knew the father that I knew, not the Black Dragon you all worshiped. However, coming to this land and seeing the monsters he raised… I finally understand the enormity of what my father did.”

“He Bin should have killed me.”

Liu Jin blinks. That is not what he expected to hear.

“What?”

“He Bin should have killed me,” General Nie Dan repeats. “It pains me to say this, but the relationship between our Daos does not favor me. I believe in command: those who lead and those who follow. Therefore, I cannot easily impose commands on someone of similar power to me. However, He Bin faces no such difficulties. He creates systems everyone must obey.”

In other words, General Nie Dan could not impose his Dao on He Bin, while He Bin could easily impose his Dao on General Nie Dan.

“In our battle, I commanded him to die.”

“Wait, but you just said...”

“I know. It should not have worked, but I knew it would. Our Dao’s are shaped by the way we view the world and shape that view in turn. He Bin saw and understood the world through systems. He found the order he wanted in the Black Dragon, but the world is not so simple. Great as the Black Dragon was, there were other powers.”

Liu Jin frowns. “Those Beyond the Plains…”

“Correct,” Nie Dan says. “I suspect their influence began further back than we can imagine. Is that not so, Ancient One?”

Liu Jin is not even remotely surprised when the shadow of the Storm Dragon appears at his side.

“I do not know the answer to that,” the Storm Dragon says. “Before Qing Jianjun, I spend most of my time dormant. However, it would not surprise me if they were behind Qing Jin’s death.”

Qing Jin. His grandfather.

Liu Jin closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

He suspected it for a while now. The way his father told the story, his older brother had killed their parents and framed him for their murder. However, ever since Liu Jin learned about the influence of the powers from the other side of the Dead Plains, he began to suspect a larger conspiracy was at work.

And if he can make that deduction, then surely his father…

“My father suspected as well, didn’t he?” Liu Jin asks, the picture becoming clearer in his mind.

General Nie Dan nods.

“He never told me, but I suspect he did. After we took over, the Black Dragon kept investigating all those who had cooperated with your deceased uncle. Back then, I merely thought him overzealous. After all, we had already killed everyone important. Now, I understand. He Bin, unfortunately, understood much earlier. I did not know of this then, but he began stirring up the sentiment against the Black Dragon.”

The words of his father’s tale come to Liu Jin. People constantly rebelled and tried to assassinate him. He did not dwell much on it as a child, but how could people have kept rebelling after how thoroughly his father destroyed his opponents?

He has his answer. They were being manipulated by He Bin.

“He wanted to distract my father from finding proof. Is that it?”

“Most likely,” Nie Dan replies. “Whether there was more to it than that is something I do not know. It does not matter. In that moment, He Bin chose the power from the other side of the Dead Plains over your father. His Dao recognized them as the larger system and the Black Dragon’s rule as subordinate to theirs. He probably never imagined the Black Dragon would disappear, but when he did, he felt the full depth of his betrayal.”

“I commanded him to die.”

General Nie Dan’s words echo in Liu Jin’s head. He understands now. It must show on his face, because Nie Dan smiles sadly and nods.

“In following his Dao, He Bin betrayed himself. That is the one thing that can never be allowed to happen. That is why he cast himself as a loyal follower of Emperor Qing Jianjun. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t real. He needed that to be his role,” Nie Dan says. “However, it could never make up for the truth.”

Nie Dan suddenly looks older.

“He wanted to die. That’s why I won. He had betrayed himself so thoroughly that he wanted to die. That is how significant your father was to even a man like He Bin. I told you he was cruel, but I also told you he was kind. It would be impossible for him to be as beloved as he was otherwise.”

Ah.

General Nie Dan… truly, he is an awkward man.

“General…” Liu Jin smiles. “I never said I hated my father. I don’t think I can ever even slightly dislike him.”

“Unfortunately, that’s a feeling I am all too familiar with.”

~~~