The Emperor looked down from where he sat sprayed upon the throne, an elbow rested on his knee with his head supported on his palm and a bored looking upon his face. A contrast to the Empress who was the image of grace beside her husband, hands gently clasped in front of her with a gentle smile on her face.

Yun Tian remained kneeling in front of the royal family, his sword laid beside him on the ground, his head bowed and his neck aching. There was a suffocating silence in the air and Yun Tian had the urge to run back out the palace gates and into the village where his family waited for his return.

Stay away from the palace, Yun Tian. His father would warn him, just as his father had warned him and the generation before then. Stay away from the Emperor, and stay away from the spirits.

Throughout the years, the warning had lost its meaning, its story. His father had told him that their generation was cursed by a spirit, shunned by the great Emperor Yu Wen during the war and forced to leave the palace walls despite being of the same noble clan.

And now Yun Tian was right in the middle of the one place his ancestors made him swore never to enter.

"What are we here for?" Shang Wu, his best friend who kneeled beside his left, whispered.

"Quiet."

"But Yun Tian-" His friend's mouth snapped shut at the glare Yun Tian threw his way. If their whispering were to suddenly anger the Emperor, their whole family could be at risk.

"I have heard tales of your accomplishments." The Emperor's voice echoed throughout the hall and Yun Tian felt the small hairs on the back of his neck rise. Being in the presence of the royal family had always made him feel uneasy, even from afar.

"You and your guardsmen have bravely ventured into the Zhi forest hearing the commoner's request, subjugating the wolf spirit without even having to use a spirit sword, I hear. If it were not for you, who knows how many lives we could have lost."

Lives you did nothing to save. Yun Tian clenched his jaw at the thought. The lives of small townsmen meant nothing to the Emperor, and have meant nothing until the people have started to call Yun Tian their hero, their guardian. Only then did the Emperor reeled his ugly head to their family, at the mention of great power and influence gained by a small house.

"For that you have my gratitude, brave soldier. Raise your head." It was the Empress who had spoken and as Yun Tian obliged, his neck screaming with relief he was struck again by the beauty of her majesty.

Much younger than her husband, the Empress had a kind smile with dark moon-like eyes and black silky hair that was adorned with numerous golden flowers. Her robs were a layer of green and gold, thorny vines and flowers stitched into its design. The warmth in her small smile loosened the tension built in his shoulders and he could hear Shang Wu sigh in awe beside him.

"Gold would be rewarded to both you and your house. At sunrise, the two of you will receive ten spirit swords as a sign of the people's and my own gratitude. Select your men well and give them these swords so they may continue to protect the Empire in your absence."

The relief he felt was short-lived as Shang Wu bowed his head in thanks, eyes never leaving the Empress's kind smile. Yun Tian felt his heart drop.

"In our absence, your Majesty?"

The Empress's gentle smile never left her face. "Of course. A man such as yourself would be wasted in those barren lands. You and your companion will have a place here in the palace, protecting the Emperor and the Empire itself. An honour, is it not?"

Was it an honour? Of course, nothing Yun Tian thought mattered at this moment. Honour or not he'd only have to bow his head and ensure his family would not suffer the Emperor's wrath for denying his Empress. So Yun Tian bowed his head, the Tian family would be able to survive even without his presence.

"It is an honour indeed, your Majesty."

"It is an honour." Shang Wu echoed his words, the two holding their hands close to their chests.

"Enough of the pleasantries." The Emperor spoke, his voice echoing through the throne room and silencing whatever the Empress had to say. She shrunk back against her seat, mouth closed in that same smile. "You've heard of the soulless spirit, yes?"

"Yes, your Majesty." The rumoured concubine of the Empress. A fearsome spirit who had been locked within the palace and subdued by the power of the royal family. If the rumours were true, perhaps he was called here to kill it.

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"Oh it is no rumour. That wicked spirit lives within these walls."

Shang Wu's eyes widened along with his own, Yun Tian risked a glance at the Empress's unmoved face. To have insulted her concubine, even unofficially, was an offence that would surely cause more scandal.

"You see, only very few have proven useful when it comes to containing that thing. Of course, it poses little problem for the royal shamans and elite guards but we simply can not waste such resources on such a...being."

But they would use him as they pleased. Was this the reason why his ancestors have kept away from the palace? For they knew of the wickedness within?

It was one thing for the royal family to experiment and collect souls of the spirits they've killed. Mended and turned them into weapons used for their celestial beings. It is another to enslave a living spirit, deluded with the feeling of control and dominance.

"So, I will bestow upon you, the position of-"

The heavy doors to the throne room were thrown open with a loud bang, silencing the Emperor and all within as their heads whipped towards the intruder. Yun Tian's hand went to his sword, Shang Wu already half way through unsheathing it when the blinding daylight of the sun shone in.

He squinted, watched with both fascination and intrigue as a figure marched in with unmatched confidence.

If the Empress's beauty was of the warmth of spring, the man resembled the frosted petals of the flowers who'd bloomed seeking sunlight only to be forcibly taken over by a sharp coldness instead.

The man strolled gracefully, his hands clasped behind his back. Long dark brown hair flowed behind him in silks, some of it tied back leaving small strands falling over his face. From where Yun Tian sat facing the light, he thought he saw the man's hair glow red. But then he noticed it, the glowing golden eyes that seemed to cut through air, glaring and nothing and everything at the same time.

Despite the immediate fear and alarm that latched onto his heart, he couldn't help but hold his breath. The spirit's presence demanded attention. His beauty was otherworldly, the type Yun Tian had seen described in tales and legends. His skin was flawless, his movements as graceful and elegant as water. And his eyes.

His eyes. Yun Tian couldn't look away, couldn't even blinked. Powerful spirits held an eerie touch to their features, and this spirit was no different. He looked delicate, but deadly. And it was because of it that he was all the more dangerous.

He watched, muscles tightened when the man came to a halt in front of Shang Wu. From here, he could hear Shang Wu gulped before Yun Tian felt his own throat tightened when the spirit's eyes turned on him.

"What is this?"

"What? You dare question me after barging in unannounced? I should have you whipped for such behaviour!" The Emperor bellowed in anger, banging a fist on the arms of his throne as he stood.

"Yes, yes, I dare. These are spirit hunters, are they not? Have you finally gathered the wits to slit my throat after all these years?"

Yun Tian's brows reached his hairline as the Emperor's forehead popped with veins. But the spirit did not lift his gaze towards the family nor did he offer greetings. His eyes were still on Yun Tian, and they burned with unexplainable hatred.

"These men are to be your guards, Bai Li. Show some respect." The Empress spoke up. A comforting hand laid on the Emperor's arm. Still seething, the Emperor dropped back down onto his throne, massaging the bridge of his wide nose.

"I have Qing Yu."

The Emperor gave a laugh. "The blind swordsman? I am no fool, soulless spirit. Though your punishment has been lifted, you are forbidden to leave the palace walls unless accompanied by all three guards. If any of these guards are harmed in any way by you, by my words you will never see the light of day again."

"Qing Yu is enough. Be it three or ten they prove useless nonetheless."

Only now did Yun Tian notice the silent man standing behind the spirit. True to his name, the blind swordsman had a golden cloth tied around his eyes. His presence was completely erased by the spirit standing before him. Yet it did nothing to erase the tale tell signs of a warrior in his stance, the way he carried himself as if ready for a battle at all times.

Considering who his master was, he might as well be locked in a constant war zone.

"My words are the law." The Emperor's voice had dropped dangerously, his eyes narrowed to slits. "Disobey them, and your soul shall perish for good."

The spirit's brow twitched and Yun Tian did not believe for a second that his safety would be guaranteed.

Yun Tian glanced at Shang Wu who kneeled frozen, staring straight ahead with a grip on his blade so tight his knuckles had turned a deadly shade of pale. Yun Tian reached over, cover his companion's hand with his own to shake him from his trance.

Wide, alarmed eyes snapped to him. The eyes Yun Tian had become familiar with on the battlefield, where the two were covered in blood and gore with death all around. Yun Tian shook his head softly, a silent order and with great effort Shang Wh released his hold on the sword.

The bear spirit, the strongest one they've slaughtered in the Northern village had sent his companion into a similar kill or be killed state. To think the Empress's concubine would exclude the same amount of power, even when sealed and soulless.

Yun Tian turned his gaze back to the Empress, cutting off his own thoughts. He pushed a fist against the ground and bowed, Shang Wu quickly following his lead.

"I, Yun Tian, eldest son of the Tian family have taken heed to the Emperor's orders and will strive for success with my life on the line."

"I, Shang Wu, warrior of the Tian family have taken heed to the Emperor's orders and will strive for success with my life on the line."

The Emperor seemed to relax at this, the show of submission subsiding his anger as he looked down from the throne.

"Very well. Bai Li, see them to your quarters." He waved dismissively, along with the Empress's sympathetic smile.

Yun Tian stood alongside his companion and turned to give his greetings to his new Lord only to find the soulless spirit already walking towards the opened door. The blind swordsman, Qing Yu, waited for them with his hands clasped behind his back.

"What are you waiting for? Can't you see your master's gone?"