“Zhu Liu Shi, we have a problem someone escaped the city.” Minister Song said glumly.

“That’s a you problem minister. I have everything thing that Prince Zhenjin requested of us.”

“No, you do not, you damn dog!”

“Someone escaped the city and killed the city guards; you will go after them or feel my wrath!”

Zhu Liu Shi opened his Core Dantian and surged his Qi throughout his meridians, he performed an instantaneous step and appeared behind Minister Song, sword poking him in the back.

“Listen well Sow Song, I work for Prince Zhenjin. I am not required to help you. I have sheared the dragon tattoos from off of the princes and the emperor himself that the imperial family is dead. All I have to do is deliver the them and whatever he needs of me, I will do, so make a decision Sow.”

The Minister of Rites stood there, stunned. The display of speed showed by Zhu Liu Shi was in-comprehensive…they tried to intimidate him, but it was clear who the true warrior was in the room

“HO—“

“Careful Sow, replacing the Minister of Rites is as easy as planting seeds. I can take your life and your bodyguards without much effort. Do. Not. Test. Me.”

The room went silent instantly and the killing aura from the Minister’s bodyguards could be felt.

“My apologies, Zhu Liu Shi…”

“Your apologies mean nothing to me, but never talk to me as if we’re equal. You maybe the Minister of Rites, but I am the Zhu of the Black Cauldron…we know more about the emperor than you ever will.”

“You are right…but we need your help we don’t who escaped the city.”

“Yes, you do, spies, one of the emperor’s enemies. You think they’ll sit still when the imperial family is dead? I assure, the many cousins of the emperor want the throne for themselves.”

“But…”

“But nothing!” Zhu Liu Shi snapped. “I must provide proof of the imperial family’s deaths!”

“The spies…are your problem.”

Zhu Liu Shi slapped his sword into his sheath and turned walked down the staircase leading to the Minister of Rites table. He walked toward the door, waiting for the minister’s body to quell the killing aura.

They didn’t.

He left Longyan, the capital of Huaxia.

Three days had passed and the weight of his master’s life felt heavier with each step he took. The news of the imperial family’s death spread like wildfire through the provinces, leaving chaos in its wake.

He made his way to Henan witnessing provincial troops struggling with makeshift bandits trying to penetrate the city walls. He didn’t expect things to deteriorate so fast, he assumed the ministers would’ve kept things in check, until Prince Zhenjin took the throne.

Untrained men carried rusted weapons, some even wielded farming tools, others carried ceremonial weapons stolen from temples—a ragtag army born of desperation to protect what was there, as no one would protect them.

The journey to Prince Zhenjin was one of reflection of Zhu Liu Shi, his mind drifted to the years he’d spent as a prisoner for Prince Zhenjin.

They were days he wanted to kill himself, but his master Zhu Mo Shi, was there, keeping him sane with words of encouragement.

He’d watched his master sat quietly in his cell, all while the prince visited monthly, testing their resolve, breaking them down piece by piece.

The prince would bring news of the outside world, carefully selected to crush their spirits. Tales of their sect brothers being hunted down, of their allies turning against them, of the world forgetting their existence.

The years he spent locked up taught him patience, watching as Prince Zhenjin methodically broke down their resistance. First came the isolation, then the psychological warfare. The prince would speak of mercy, of redemption, all while tightening the noose around their necks. Shi Jiu had been the first to break, his mind splintering under the constant pressure.

When the sentence finally ended six years ago, when they were meant to intercept ship of Axsumite. Only to find that the Red Fox Band had done their job splendidly. The problem though, no one was left alive, meaning that the Red Fox Mist Band had done their job too well.

Those six years a lone, were what I needed, He mused sourly. After being locked up for so many years, the fact he could just feel the breath of wind on lips and body, was more than he could ever want.

Six years of cultivating, pushing himself to Qi Perception Realm, he never thought he had to, but he did. In that period, he spent years creating his own sword style, the Eight Shattering Boulder Slashes, his master had provided him with the Swallowing Star Manual but the sword style didn’t suit him.

Instead, he used the principles from within each slash to create the Eight Shattering Boulder Slashes and with the help of the Swallowing Soul Mantra, he broke through to the Qi Perception Realm.

The irony wasn’t lost on him. He and his brothers in the Black Cauldron had spent years imprisoned by Prince Zhenjin’s machinations, only to become instruments of his rise to power. The prince had released them with calculated satisfaction, knowing they would serve his ultimate goal.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

The complete dismantling of the current order.

Now I have to rebuild the Cauldron, he mused. Zhu Liu Shi made his way through another checkpoint. A few soldiers tried to charge extra, but when he flashed the plaque Prince Zhenjin gave him, the check point guards withdrew. Their cold demeanour dissipating as they felt his killing aura seeping from out of him.

In Kaifeng, the granaries had been ransacked. Rice merchants hiked their prices tenfold, knowing the imperial supply lines were about to crumble. Children with hollow eyes watched him pass through the streets, their faces smeared with dirt and hunger. City guards had turned to extortion, demanding protection fees from already struggling merchants.

“The heavens have abandoned us,” an old woman muttered as he passed her market stall. Her vegetables were wilted, prices marked up to impossible heights. “First the drought, now this?”

Prince Zhenjin had planned this chaos, Zhu Liu Shi mused. The drought had weakened the empire’s foundations, and now the death of the imperial family, what little stability Huaxia had, had been shattered. Everything was proceeding as the prince suspected.

The deeper he got into the central plains of Huaxia, the grander the chaos. The cities with weak foundation and leaders fell to chaos, whilst cities and provinces with strong foundation were weathering the storms…but that could only last a short while until the the extended family of the imperial family decided to step in.

This was a game to them, they didn’t want to show their hands, because if they did. Only one could become Emperor, whilst the others…dead.

As dawn broke, he continued his journey toward Chang’an. Prince Zhengjin’s city. The closer he got, the decay of society receded, because unlike many others, his foundation was cemented.

Roadside shrines lay pristine, imperial pronouncement boards still had freshly coated paint. The distinction between law and chaos was clear, Prince Zhenjin just needed to ascend the throne.

“Master you were right, Prince Zhenjin is the man to lead us.” Zhu Liu Shi said calmly. He hadn’t seen the bigger picture as his master did, but now with his master’s death, Zhu Liu Shi would serve a greater purpose.

The Black Cauldron would survive, but not as Prince Zhenjin imagined. His master’s sacrifice would ensure that.

Zihan

The morning mist clung to Purple Mist Valley as Zihan and Tong left the valley. They didn’t wait for her mother’s corpse to grow cold. They left immediately after the funeral. They only took what could fit in small packs—dried meat, spare clothes, and their mother’s jade pendant split between them.

The broken pendant seemed like a fitting symbol of their shared burden.

As the weeks passed, Tong grew frustrated and slowly lashing out as his brother, confused on why they had to leave the village. He asked multiple times, but his brother would just grunt, telling him we need to make ground, so less talking.

That infuriated him, until they came to blows due to their food supplies going low. “Say something!” Tong roared, “why did we have to leave father and mother back there!”

“Their dead, its us and the valley doesn’t care for us!”

“You keep saying that but you don’t say why!”

A reverberating silence echoed between them. Zihan’s chest heaved back and forth as he contemplated on what to say to his little brother. As far as he knew, the Stone Bear Bandits were the ones that killed their father, but to reveal to him who the killers, was like walking on thin ice.

His hands began to tremble as he adjusted his pack. The thrumming sensation on his cheek from his brother’s punch made him feel as though he was wrong not to tell his brother.

It was six years ago and the weight of silence pressed down on his chest like a boulder. “You weren’t old enough to know what happened six years ago, but I’ll start from the beginning. You’re aware of how bandits were once in charge of the valley yes?”

Tong didn’t say anything, he just stared back at his brother, nonchalant. It was clear to Zihan that his brother wasn’t willing to humour him. He just wanted to know why they had to leave the village.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he began to recount what had happened six years ago.

“You weren’t old enough to remember this, but Stone Bear Band had raided our Hollow Mountain village. As father was the only physician within the valley, he did what he could for the villagers and left for the Purple Mist village. When we arrived, the stone bear band was already attacking the village. Father told me to hide but stay close. An hour past and father returned with the baby Zhao Li in hand. I don’t know why he had her, but that Sect Master Zhao Xing killed him in cold blood…I was frozen in shock at the sight. I still see it to this day, but who am I to a Master such as Zhao Xing?”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Tong growled, hands shaking as he tried to control himself. “You knew I wanted to join the purple mist sect! You just forbid me from joining without a single WORD! You even convinced mother to stop me from joining! YOU SHOULD’VE TOLD ME!”

“I should’ve Tong’er…” Zihan said, clapping his brother on the shoulder, “You were too young to know. I don’t think Zhao Xing would’ve allowed you to join either.”

“Did mother know?!”

“No…only you, I and Zhao Xing’s knows. I couldn’t tell anyone because I’m certain Master Zhao Xing would’ve killed me, you and mother. I couldn’t allow such a thing to happen!”

Zihan took breath and stared at the ground. The lack of power he felt was so intoxicating that he hated how helpless he was…he and his brother. This world is so cruel…so so cruel, father, I promise I’ll get revenge!

Tong stumbled backward, his legs giving way as he slumped against a nearby tree. The revelation hit him like a physical blow, and his earlier anger dissolved into a cold, numbing shock. All those years of dreaming about joining the Purple Mist Sect, of becoming a powerful martial artist like Sect Master Xing... turned to ash in his mouth, leaving bitterness.

“But why?” he whispered, “Why did he kill Father? What could have been so important about the baby?”

“I've asked myself that question every day for six years.”

“Is it because she’s an Axsumite?”

“No…if he wanted to hide who she was…he would’ve kept her hidden within his sect. He wouldn’t have allowed her to roam the valley freely.”

Tong's eyes burned with unshed tears as he looked up at his brother. "All this time, I thought you were just being overprotective, trying to control my life. But you were protecting me.”

“Of course…you’re my little brother, its my job to protect you.”

Zihan watched felt the anger he’d been stirring within him for years drain from his body. A sense of relief washed over him as well and for once, the boulder that had been lying on his chest, dissipated. For six long years, Zihan carried the burden of their father’s death and protected the family secretly. Every time he had stopped Tong from joining the sect, every stern warning and frustrating argument wasn’t meant to control or to be cruel, it was attempts to keep him safe from Master Zhao Xing.

The weight of this realization made Tong's earlier fury seem childish and petty. His brother hadn't been his enemy; he'd been his shield. “What do we do now, brother?”

“We need to get strong…stronger than anyone little brother.” Zihan said finally, his voice filled with determination. “Because someone has to kill him…someone has to kill Zhao Xing!”

“Agreed brother.”

“…but we must be patient. Zhao Xing is not just powerful a martial artist. I am sure he has friendships within the martial world.”

“What of Zhao Li?” Tong asked.

“What of the dirtblood!”

“Do we kill her too, I mean, she was the reason father died!”

“You don’t have to worry about her.”

“What?” Tong asked confused, “what do you mean I don’t have to worry about that.

A wicked smile flashed across Zihan’s face as he turned to his brother. “The same way Zhao Xing killed our father, I did to his little demon daughter.”

“What do you mean brother?!”

“I pushed her in the lake on the day mother died.”