"Count every head! We can't let anyone escape!"

A grey-bearded man ordered his subordinates.

"B-But Sir, You exploded some of the h-heads..."

One of the subordinates replied.

The grey-bearded man furrowed his brows and said in an angry voice.

"Then count the bodies, you imbeciles. Anyway, don't let a single one escape, or else, your family's heads might be next."

"Y-Yes Sir!"

The subordinate replied in horror.

...

"251... There should've been 152..." 

One of the men counting the corpses whispered before calling out to his colleague.

"Hey! There's one less corp-"

Before he could finish his sentence, his colleague blocked his mouth.

"You think others don't know how to count?! If his majesty finds out one of them escaped, think what'll happen to us. Best case, only we will be dead. Worst case, our whole family. So keep quiet!"

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The man realized and kept quiet, but his face still betrayed his inner struggles.

'What if his majesty finds out? Won't we be labelled traitors as well?'

His colleague, seeming to have found his inner struggles consoled him.

'No one finds out if we don't tell. I don't think the one who escaped will be foolish enough to show himself in the public.'

The man was not convinced.

...

"You fucker! You killed us all! You snitch! You-"

Swish!

"I- I am s-sorry..."

An apology couldn't revive his colleague.

...

"Now, for your loyalty towards the empire, His Majesty has rewarded you with 1000 taels of gold."

...

"How many years has it been? I now finally understand, Revenge is best served cold. It begins now."

A man wearing a white robe with a sword sheathed by his waist muttered. The robe's sleeves were big hiding his hand as well as the hilt of the sword the hand was holding.

The robe was dirty and tattered, and yet, this didn't degrade the image of the man, instead showing the hardships encountered by him.

Swirl~

The wind blew by, fluttering his robes, blowing away the sleeve covering the hand and the hilt of the sword. 

Unsheathing his sword, he struck the big rock leaving behind the words that'll mark his journey.

[Serene Retribution Sect]