Ave Xia Rem Y Chapter 239: Under the Storm

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I wish you could make it easier to not worry about you, Lu i says as she applies ointnt to his wounds.

I would apologize, but sothing tells I will always end in situations like this.

People call that basic pattern recognition, Lu i notes dryly.

Liu Jin laughs, and it hurts him to do so. The wounds Murong Bang left on him are still fresh. Luckily, they are nowhere near as severe as the first ti Murong Bang toyed with him. A bath, rest, and so sleep are all Liu Jin needs to recover.

Murong Bang already knew about what happened in Rainfall City, Liu Jin notes as Lu i treats his back. He knew about my lightning.

That is not surprising, Lu i says. Despite how he acts, hes still the ruler of this region. It is safe to assu he has so sort of information network in place.

It is not only that, Liu Jin says. He glances at Lu i out of the corner of his eyes. You deliberately spread the information among the people of Rainstorm City. You gave money to those who lost their hos and encouraged them to relocate, using them to spread the story.

Finding that out had not been hard. Liu Jin simply hadnt had ti to properly confront Lu i about it until now. Between his dying grandfather, the children of the Lei Clan, his tenuous relationship with his uncle, introducing Lu i to his family, and preparing for his report to Murong Bang, Liu Jin had been understandably busy.

I did, Lu i replies, not bothering to lie. I also told them that the great Qing Jin would usher the nation into a new age of prosperity.

Liu Jin puts a hand over his face.

Why?

You know why, she tells him. You might not have any desire to rule, but I have little interest in denying what is obvious. The story would have gotten out regardless. I rely ensured that your na would receive a positive connotation.

Thats just an excuse.

That doesnt make it untrue, Lu i points out. The last thing we need is for people to associate you with the Black Dragon.

A hapless smile appears on Liu Jins face.

What else can happen when I enter General He Bins territory at Murong Bangs side?

Lu i frowns.

Its decided then? Hes planning to attack General He Bins armies instead of letting General Nie Dan handle the fighting?

Letting General Nie Dan handle the war against General He Bin and the Death Fashioning Scripture would be the easiest thing to do. By sitting back as the conflict happens, Murong Bang would be free to swoop in and eliminate whoever is left. The fear of sothing like that happening has kept the stalemate between the three generals going all this ti.

However, it seems Murong Bang has no interest in sothing so boring.

Hes planning on marching to the imperial palace, and hes taking with him, Liu Jin replies.

That is not ideal at all, Lu i says. You should be entering the palace at General Dans side. Hes also a forr subordinate of the Black Dragon, but hes popular among his people and is a known ally of the Eternal Fla Clan. Is there no chance Murong Bang will let you return to General Nie Dan?

Liu Jin looks at her.

Lu i sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose

Right. That was a stupid question.

On the bright side, this ans we will not et the Eternal Fla Clan for so ti. Liu Jin tries to smile. Considering news of my parentage are bound to reach them soon enough, thats probably for the best.

It does look awfully suspicious, Lu i agrees with him. You will need support when you return.

Feng Zhi wont be happy about it. Elder Xue might speak up for . Lord Feng Guis attitude will vary depending on the results. Lady Ling might be a problem. Patriarch Feng might weigh in my favor. Liu Jin grimaces. That might not be a good thing.

Lu i shakes her head. I wish dangerous people would like you less.

I wish dangerous people would like less, too, Liu Jin says. Maybe then they wouldnt try to spread my identity around.

I will not apologize, Lu i says stubbornly.

I never expected you to. Liu Jin looks up and touches Lu is cheek. I know the sort of person you are.

Lu i falters.

Do you? She asks. Had Han not arrived and goaded you into attacking, I would probably have tried sothing similar to make you act. Do you realize that?

Liu Jin closes his eyes, yet his hand does not leave Lu i.

No, I didnt, he admits. I had no idea you were thinking of sothing like that. Now that you say it, it makes perfect sense for you to do so.

Disappointed?

Liu Jin smiles and shakes his head.

I have considered doing far too many horrible things to get angry at others for doing the sa, Liu Jin says. Besides I like that about you. Your drive. Your willingness to do things for your goals. The way you maneuver situations.

Lu i blushes.

If you had gone through with it, I wouldnt be saying this, Liu Jin admits. But you didnt, so I can.

I like you, Lu i says back. Her hand touches his. I like your vision. The magnitude of what you dare to do and imagine. Even the way you hold yourself back is endearing as it is frustrating.

I know how hard it is not to be practical about certain things, Liu Jin admits. Sotis, its impossible. In the end, I had to take the children of the Lei Clan hostage.

So you kidnapped a bunch of children, and I didnt instigate the slaughter of a town, Lu i sums up.

Were both making progress, Liu Jin says, making Lu i giggle.

I guess. Her face grows serious. What are we going to do with those children?

Liu Jin stops smiling when he sees what shes getting at.

They cannot stay here, He says.

The Lei Clan is bound to have people loyal to them here. If Liu Jin leaves the children here, the Lei Clan might find a way to recover and hide them. However, taking them along and letting them see the war would be too dangerous for them.

We have to send them away, Lu i says.

We can send them to Senior Brother Mud, Liu Jin says. He might find so way to send them to the Eternal Fla Clan. That would be better than having them stay in the Storm Dragon Empire.

Lu i looks skeptical. Would he do that?

The least I can do is ask. Liu Jin shrugs. If not, theyll have to temporarily stay under General Dans care. Or, most likely, under the care of City Lord Chu.

Considering how strong-willed his daughter is, he might see it as an improvent. Lu i laughs. I must say I did not expect this.

What?

We are already talking about what to do with the children, she points out.

Liu Jin laughs.

~~~

Qing Jianjun wakes up screaming.

It is the third ti in as many days he has done so. Just as they have done the previous tis, the guards rush into his room and find no cause for concern. There is no attack. No intruder. No danger.

How could it possibly be any other way? In Storm Dragon Palace, none can harm those of royal blood.

The emperor just had another nightmare.

Call, He Bin! The emperor yells. Call him at once!

The guards do not bother asking the emperor what is wrong. They just briskly walk away to follow his orders. Perhaps a little too briskly, as if being in his presence was unpleasant.

They all think he is a coward.

The emperor already knows this. It is what everyone thinks about him, and frankly, they are not wrong. It does not matter that he is the emperor. It does not matter that he is in the Heaven Realm. Qing Jianjun is a man who lives in fear. He makes no apology or excuses for it.

When He Bin enters his room, Qing Jianjun leaps out of his bed and rushes to grab the generals robes. The contrast between the two is striking, though not for the best reasons.

He Bin looks every bit the dignified general he is: tall, broad-chested, and even heroic. anwhile, Qing Jianjun, though not dissimilar in stature, always walks hunched as if afraid to stand tall. He possesses the refined features and striking red eyes of the royal family, but his face is gaunt, and he has dark circles under his eyes. His lips are chapped because of how often he bites them, and his head has patches of baldness because he keeps pulling his hair.

He Bin! He says, his face pale with fright. I saw him! I saw him!

Emperor, please! You rely had a nightmare. Youre letting baseless rumors cloud your judgnt, He Bin says. Though he tries his best to sound courteous, Qing Jianjun can detect the faint exasperation in his voice.

Baseless? Qing Jianjun laughs. Multiple people are saying the sa thing. The sa story is spreading across the country. A child with purple lightning appeared in Murong Bangs lands. They say hes riding at Murong Bangs side.

Just because many people say it does not an it is true, He Bin replies. How many tis have people appeared claiming to be descendants of the royal bloodline. Your Highness, youd have dozens of cousins, nephews, and more if every claim was true. This might be a ploy by Murong Bang. Ill admit its not like him to do sothing like this, but who can tell what that beast is thinking. Perhaps he simply thought this amusing.

All of He Bins words are perfectly reasonable.

All the sa...

No, He Bin. No! Qing Jianjun shakes his head wildly. I know this is different. I feel it in my bones. I feel it in my blood. I knew this day would co!

How could he not?

His brother might have left him everything, but the day he left was also the day he started fearing his return. That monsters shadow has haunted his every step since.

They say hes a boy, but I know the truth. It must be my brother after taking a new shape. Hes co back to kill ! I know it!

Your Highness, thats ridiculous. The Black Dragon is gone, He Bin says.

Then why are Murong Bang and Nie Dan cooperating now! Qing Jianjun shouts. He catches the slightest narrowing of He Bins eyes. Yes, I know about that! Im not completely hopeless, general. I hear the tales of the borders. Our enemies are gathering their forces to attack us at once. Who but the Black Dragon could make them cooperate? And when he enters the palace, who do you think the Storm Dragon will pick?

In the Storm Dragon Palace, Qing Jianjun is untouchable. The shadow of the Storm Dragon protects him. That simple fact is what has kept him alive all these years.

However, he does not need to guess what the Storm Dragon thinks of him.

The Storm Dragon will never choose him over his brother.

You need to stop them! Please! Qing Jianjun begs, falling to his knees while still holding on to He Bins robes.

Do not kneel, your Highness. Its unseemly, He Bin says, gently grabbing him by his shoulders and forcing him to stand. As long as this He Bin draws breath, none shall touch you.

But how will you stop them? Qing Jiangun sits on the edge of his bed. He grabs his hair and pulls it. Its two generals against one!

Anyone with sense in the Storm Dragon Empire would be scared by such a prospect, but He Bin smiles.

Do not worry, your Highness, he says. I have already prepared for this eventuality.

How? The emperor asks. How can one prepare for sothing like this?

I have made contact with a powerful group of people, your Highness. I was planning on bringing up this matter tomorrow at court, but perhaps it is better if you et them now.

Qing Jianguns head jerks up to look over He Bins shoulder.

The door opens slowly.

~~~

Disgusting.

Su Daji looks in the direction of the emperors room and shakes her head, her beautiful violet hair swaying as she does. The Grand Storm might be raging outside, but it is nothing compared to what is happening within the palace walls.

How can you allow this?!

Dark clouds appear in her room, but Su Daji does not show fear. Though she doubts she will ever feel safe in the Storm Dragons presence, she has at least grown accustod to it.

Do not presu to levy judgnt on , fox.

Presu? How can I not judge you? Youre letting those things in here! she hisses.

The taint was initially weak, hiding at the edge of her senses. A feeling she could not place. Another mory she could not rember. However, their presence in the palace has grown stronger at an alarming rate.

Su Dajin does not know what they are, but she knows she cannot stand their foul taint.

I am a shadow, fox, the Storm Dragon says. There is a limit to what I can do if the emperor does not command .

Su Daji narrows her purple eyes at him.

Liar.

The Storm Dragon chuckles, confirming her suspicions. If it wanted to do more, it would have done so already.

If you find their presence here so objectionable, why are you still here, fox? You could have left any ti you wanted to. Its red eyes gleam as if having a joke at her expense. Are you worried anyone here will miss your music? Perhaps the prince?

Su Dajis beautiful face twists in a snarl.

I do not care about your prince, nor do I care about anyone in your pathetic bloodline!

She expects the insults to rouse the Storm Dragons ire, but it rely looks at her in amusent.

Is that so?

Yes, she says. I enjoy the luxuries of palace life far too much to leave. That is all.

Her words are not necessarily a lie. The energies in the palace make it the perfect place to recover her strength, and her popularity at court, specifically with the prince, gives her easy access to cultivation resources. She has grown by leaps and bounds during her stay here, though she is still a far cry from her forr self.

If that is what you have decided, you will simply have to learn to get along with the other guests, The Storm Dragon says. At least, until the one whose mark you bear cos for you.

Su Dajis Qi spikes.

I bear. No ones. Mark! She hisses. Her face becos distinctively vulpine as she dares to glare at the Storm Dragon.

We shall see, The Storm Dragon says. Enjoy your rest, fox. The ti will co soon enough.

~~~

Far away from the palace, two traveling entertainers sit and talk in a small, dark corner of a tavern. The place is bustling with activity. There are so many people and so many conversations going on at once that no one even thinks of paying attention to them.

This is a disaster! says Alarming Shadow. It is a struggle for him not to bang his fist against the table. We were supposed to find those dead bastards and kill them! Instead

He cannot bring himself to finish. How can he when the proof of his failure is all around him?

Every single person at the bar is talking about the sa thing. They are talking about the coming battle.

They are talking about the Death Fashioning Scripture.

Ever since General Nie Dan and later General Murong Bang revealed their existence, it is all people can talk about. Though they are in General He Bins lands, the rumors have already reached this place.

Things should have never gotten to this point, says Firm Shadow. However, that begs the question. How did things get to this point? Those from the Heavenly Sword should have prevented this from happening. It doesnt make sense.

Alarming Shadow snorts. As if we could ever trust those sword bastards to do anything. They talked big about non-interference with the other side, and look whats happening! Useless!

Is it incompetence? Firm Shadow wonders.

What else? Alarming Shadow asks him. They are supposed to oversee this side and eliminate any demons that might appear here, but we havent caught a whiff of them. They have clearly not been doing anything.

You misunderstand , brother, Firm Shadow says. Youre assuming this is an oversight of the Heavenly Sword. However, what if this is happening with the permission of the Heavenly Sword?

Why would they give permission for this? Alarming Shadow asks. Where are they if thats the case? Those control freaks would never be hands-off about anything they are involved in.

And that, brother, is the question.

~~~