As the sun began to rise over the horizon, Zhu Mo Shi, Shi Liu, and Shi Jiu made their way into the dense forest beyond Longyang. Each carried an Axe in hand, flying through the trees using their Qinggong.

The sweet scent of red pine swirled in the air as the melodic sound of birds chirped, flying away to escape the Black Cauldrons.

They ventured deep into the forest and began setting up a small camp. After scouring their base, they started cutting down trees.

After felling his first tree, Zhu Mo Shi found a comfortable spot and sat down, watching his pupils do the grunt work. He observed as their Qi wafted around them and thrummed at each spot they struck before hitting it.

After a few minutes of observation, he realized that both Shi Jiu and Liu had developed their own personal styles.

Shi Liu’s stance was solid and fierce, making up for his lack of mobility. The lack of movement he showed was probably indicative of the Stone Gate Style. I didn't think he could ascend to the Qi Perception Realm within six years, Zhu Mo Shi thought. The Accentuation Realm? Sure... but this is just staggering.

As his eyes switched to Shi Jiu, he watched as the bandages across his face rolled with each swing. He's still angry, Zhu Mo Shi thought, as he should be... the Emperor cost him his face.

The chops Shi Jiu inflicted on the wood were blunt and wrought with anger. They weren’t as smooth and decisive as Zhu Mo Shi had hoped, especially after teaching him the Heavenly Star Sword stance. His footwork is correct, he positioned them accurately for each strike... but each strike was like a beast ravenously plowing through a field.

Zhu Mo Shi sat there, watching both of them for a while longer, then he finally came to a decision—one that had been plaguing his mind ever since he read the letter from Prince Zheng. “Liu’er... Jiu’er, come,” He said gruffly.

Shi Liu stopped instantly, dropping his Axe on the ground. He turned around and kicked off the ground, floating in the air for a few seconds before landing right in front of Zhu Mo Shi.

In the background, Shi Jiu continued hacking at the tree he was working on, which only made Zhu Mo Shi angrier by the second. “Liu’er,” He said firmly.

“Yes, Master.”

Shi Liu scanned the ground for a small pebble and found one instantly. He scooped it off the ground and cradled it in his hand. He channeled a smidgen of Qi into the stone and then finger-flicked it.

The pebble shot across the forest like an arrow. A loud pang rang out, followed by Shi Jiu’s Axe spinning like a windmill and hitting the tree he was cutting down with a thunderous thud. “SHI LIU! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?” Shi Jiu growled, turning to him.

Shi Liu ignored him and pointed at their Master with a nod. The anger painted on Jiu’s face dissipated the moment he saw his master sitting in the lotus position. He rolled his neck and shoulders, alleviating any strain he had accumulated over the past few hours. He looked at his master and said nothing.

Shi Liu knew what to expect; he was far too familiar with Master Zhu Mo Shi’s tone, and the tone he reverberated thus far was one of lecture. “Master,” Shi Jiu said, cupping his fists with a bow.

“Please,” He said calmly, “Have a seat.”

Shi Jiu sat first and crossed his legs. Shi Liu did the same and looked up at Zhu Mo Shi, who was sitting on a rock. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “Shi Jiu, you were the last child brought to me for training. Yet, in that very moment, the Emperor tried to kill us both. Your body was scarred in the process. Yet, you’ve ascended to the Accentuation Realm, a feat I myself didn't think possible.

“I’ve watched your anger rise and fall through the years. I understand it. It is righteous, yet it will betray you. So hear my warning: seek peace through the sword, and that anger should dissipate. Or you will never reach Enlightenment to the Qi Perception Realm.”

“I understand, Master,” He answered quickly, but Zhu Mo Shi knew that tone all too well. He didn't care, but that would be his downfall.

Zhu Mo Shi’s eyes laid on Shi Liu, who looked up at him with indifference—eyes that had never changed throughout the years he had known him.

Shi Liu had never outright shown disrespect to Zhu Mo Shi, unlike the rest of the Black Cauldrons in training, but the iciness found in his eyes made him a great Black Cauldron. No... a great 'Zhu.'

“Shi Liu,” Zhu Mo Shi said calmly. “I’ve taught you as best as I can. You’ve not only mastered the Stone Impenetrable Stance, but you've also assimilated it into a Sword Style, something I didn’t think possible.”

“I couldn’t ascend without your guidance, Master.”

“Save the pleasantries, I’m not finished!” he snapped.

“Yes, Master,” Shi Liu answered with a bow.

“There isn’t much I c—“

Twelve Qis flared around them in the form of a pillar. Shi Liu leapt from off the ground and posed in a defensive stance. Shi Jiu raised his hand and swirled his Qi, eyeing his surroundings with venom in his eyes. Zhu Mo Shi rose from his position with a bitter smile on his face. He turned to Shi Liu, who nodded back in return.

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“I will say one thing,” Zhu Mo Shi said calmly. “If you value your lives, flee now. Or be prepared for your blood to be used as paint for the canvas that will be your grave.”

A harrowing chuckle echoed through the forest, like a wolf howling at the moon. Shi Liu looked at Shi Jiu, who licked his lips and cracked the muscles within his neck. “Meet your death Dingshes of the Black Cauldrons!”

“Leave them alive,” Zhu Mo Shi commanded.

“Yes, Sir,” Shi Liu stated.

“Shi Jiu”" he said firmly.

“...Yes, Master,” he huffed in a low growl.

Three hooded men appeared from behind Shi Jiu, leaping in the air with short-swords in each hand. Shi Liu disappeared from sight while Zhu Mo Shi waved his hand across his face, catching three knives in one smooth motion.

As dappled sunlight fed its way through the towering trees, the aggressors' Qis began to move closer to the Dingshes, who in turn didn’t falter. They stood there like boulders through a raging storm, firm and resolute—something that couldn't be said for the men who clearly were looking for death.

Amid the shifting shadows and verdant undergrowth, Zhu Mo Shi kicked himself off the ground, using his Qinggong to float to the trees above. His observant gaze fixed upon the unfolding scene.

Shi Liu appeared behind three assailants, drawing a deep breath. He rooted his feet firmly into the earth, as if drawing strength from the very ground. He loosed two quick punches and a spinning kick, which hit each assailant solidly.

The blows sent each assailant flying in opposite directions as he swirled his Qi, ensuring his stance was unwavering, his body the embodiment of a steadfast boulder, poised to resist any assault.

An assailant lunged at him, forcing him to strafe out of the way. The blade barely missed his cheek, making his heartbeat twice in that very second.

Shi Liu stepped back, sending a smidgen of Qi through the meridians in his feet, then spun violently. He struck the assailant in the chest with a powerful blow, sending the attacker reeling back and colliding with a nearby tree trunk.

In contrast, Shi Jiu ducked, weaved, and toyed with his assailants, giving them the belief they had a chance... but the way he moved with such grace and fluidity made him seem like a flowing river.

His aggressive but unrefined style perfectly offset Shi Liu's solidity. He danced between the blows of his opponents, a twisting, evasive current of motion, his speed and unpredictability a challenge for his foes to contend with. “Shi Jiu, stop toying with them,” Zhu Mo Shi barked from the tree line.

Five assailants darted up the tree Zhu Mo Shi was relaxing on. He felt their Qi churn beneath him and could only roll his eyes in annoyance. He snatched five leaves from a nearby branch and channeled Qi into them.

The assailants swarmed him, Qi swirling and thrumming like thunder. Zhu Mo Shi... was not impressed. “You dare attack me and haven’t even reached the Divination Realm?!”

He raised his hand, flicking the leaves in quick succession. The leaves sliced through wind and cheeks the moment they left his hand. The assailants kicked off the air using their Qinggong, raising their swords in defense.

Zhu Mo Shi shook his head, watching them flail to the ground, and tapped his foot as he retook his seat. “You're one hundred years too young to fight me. Shi Liu... Shi Jiu, stop toying with them. End. This.”

“YES, MASTER,” The Dingshes said in unison.

The battle raged on, ensuring the silence of the forest stayed quelled. In a breathtaking display of synergy, the two fighters joined forces, their contrasting styles melding together to form an unstoppable force.

Shi Liu’s unwavering defense repelled a coordinated strike from a pair of assailants while Shi Jiu seized the opportunity to surge forward, his movements like a torrential downpour, raining blow after blow upon the vulnerable enemies.

Four assailants broke off from attacking Shi Jiu, aiming for the defensive Shi Liu, thinking he was nothing but a boulder.

That was a mistake.

Shi Liu appeared in front of them in a flash. He struck the acupoints in their thighs and swept each one of them off the ground.

The moment they took to the air, another assailant appeared behind him, blade in hand. The hooded figure thrust his blade forward, barely missing Shi Liu.

As he spun out of the way, he swirled the Qi within his Core Dantian and surged it through the meridians within his hand.

A loud crack bellowed through the forest, followed by a howl of pain. Shi Liu kicked the assailant in the chest, then held him in the air for half a second. The other half of the second was spent kicking the other three assailants who’d tried to attack him from behind.

The four men crashed into a tree to his left, groaning in pain and struggling to get back on their feet. But Shi Liu didn’t give them the chance. He moved precise, hiding his power within footsteps. He struck each assailant in their vital acupoints, immobilizing them.

Shi Jiu evaded and countered every move his opponents made. His relentless dance of death left them disoriented and off-balance, with a smile flashing across his lips.

He stepped back when another assailant appeared to his left. He stepped in, landing a series of lightning-fast strikes, leaving him reeling from the blows.

All twelve assailants lay on the ground, rolling from the pain. Zhu Mo Shi landed with a thud and turned to his left, eyeing a line of trees in the far distance. “Are you satisfied... Eunuch Song?” He said calmly.

The Eunuch walked from the tree line, wearing a yellow and blue cape, and a black Futou with a small gold-plated emblem embedded at the center of it. The emblem was a semi-circle with a line slashing it in half, symbolizing his ministry.

The Ministry of Rites.

The older gentleman stumbled over a few trees, making his way to Zhu Mo Shi, and eyed the damage done by the Black Cauldrons. Zhu Mo Shi could sense the skepticism within the Minister, but he was satisfied to have noticed his presence early. If not, these men would've been killed if he hadn't had Shi Liu and Shi Jiu incapacitate them.

As Eunuch Song’s men groaned in pain, lying on the ground after being bested by the unparalleled skills of Shi Liu and Shi Jiu, Eunuch Song eyed his men. Zhu Mo Shi could tell relief was racing within his heart, but that quickly faded as he stared back at him.

Zhu Mo Shi maintained an air of stoic composure, with an icy atmosphere enveloping the area. “This wasn’t my idea,” Eunuch Song said calmly.

“Of course it wasn’t. It was Prince Zheng’s. I know his methods well enough. But that's beside the point. Do you have the information we need?”

“I have what you need…Zhu Mo Shi.”

The Eunuch pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve pocket. He handed it to Zhu Mo Shi cautiously. He took it from the Eunuch and browsed the contents. “Humph... not much has changed.”

“You have our way in?”

“Of course. The palace is being restocked tomorrow. We’ll get you in that way.”

“Then after that?

“You have two days to survey.”

“Two days?” Zhu Mo Shi growled.

“Yes... rain’s tentative.”

“Rain, again? Why are you so hot on RAIN?!”

“It’s as I told you. The people have been disgruntled for a while now. In the past six years, the rainy season has barely provided rain for us to survive, and people are saying that the Emperor has swayed from the will of heaven. If you can kill him... then that's the motive we have to push for a new Emperor.”

“I don't like this...”

“You don't have to! But let me remind you, Dingshe. This is what Prince Zheng desires…and you have no say in it. Your duty is to play your role... understood?”

“As the Prince commands,” Zhu Mo Shi said calmly. “As. The. Prince. Commands.”