~~~

“You seem to enjoy courting death.”

Liu Jin almost laughs. It would have been terribly rude to do so, but how can he not feel the urge to after hearing those words? He has taken far too many risks and upset far too many powerful people. At what point can it be argued that he enjoys doing so? Why didn’t he try to live a quiet life after Eastern Port City fell? Why didn’t he try being a normal disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan? Why can’t he be a normal emperor?

Has he become too twisted to ever live a quiet life? What a pity.

“The world is not what it should be," Liu Jin replies. "Arrogant as it is, I try to breach that gap.”

“It is arrogant. Supremely so,” the Duke says. “Child, when we last met, you told me you would seek to mend my country. Two years ago, you sent that one to me.”

He gestures at Xiao Nan with a tilt of his head.

“He said you had taken over the Storm Dragon Empire. That you claimed to be a Qing.”

“I know it must sound-”

“It is not surprising or unbelievable in the slightest. I knew your grandfather. I always knew what your blood was.”

Liu Jin blinks.

“However, I told you. If I am not satisfied with the state of my country after I become an Emperor, I will kill you,” the Duke says, glaring at him. “Now, you come to me, invite me to return to my country, and offer to do all you can to accelerate my ascension? Are you mad, boy?”

“He absolutely is,” Su Daji says from behind Big Sister Bai. “Understand that he was born that way. Please, do not be hard on him.”

“I understand the risks involved,” Liu Jin says. His eyebrow only twitches slightly after hearing his friend speak. “However, at the moment, I cannot afford not to have someone of your power at my side.”

“Little Brother, you do not need to do that,” Xiao Nan speaks up, placing a hand on his shoulder. It does not escape anyone that his body is facing the Duke, ready to act in case he needs to defend Liu Jin. “This Xiao Nan will be glad to lend his aid. There is no need to make this stubborn old man any stronger than he already is.”

Liu Jin frowns and shakes his head.

“No, that will not work. Elder Brother, you are a prodigy. I will never deny that, but your strength alone is not enough. If I do not gather as many allies as I can, I might as well tell the Duke to kill me right here.”

He bows his head.

“Duke, I need your strength for the sake of the Storm Dragon Empire. Will you come with me to our homeland?”

The Duke crosses his arms and considers him in silence. His large beard hides the expression on his face.

“You will not ask me to rethink my stance?”

“We are who we are because we follow our paths. Our way of living strives to be unshakable. I will not insult you by assuming your words are so light that you can take them back when it’s convenient,” Liu Jin says. “See with your eyes, then decide whether you need to kill me or not. If I cannot overcome your judgment, I clearly have no chance of surviving what awaits me.”

“You truly are an arrogant child.”

For some reason, the words sound almost fond.

~~~

“I begin to think there is wisdom in bringing Lady Meng Yue to the Storm Dragon Palace.”

Big Sister Bai looks directly at him as she speaks. The rest of the Flame-Wheeled Wagon is silent as they make their way over the Dead Plains. Xiao Nan and the Duke are not with them, preferring to fly with their own power. Liu Jin suspects Xiao Nan is only doing so to keep an eye on the Duke.

“I…am not sure if I would reject that,” Liu Jin admits.

Everything he has heard about Lady Meng Yue paints her as someone far too unpredictable to be kept close. He already has the attention of the Wandering Wind. He does not need another powerful cultivator who will do whatever she wants near him.

And yet, her power cannot be denied. The entire reason Liu Jin has gone on this journey is so he can recruit two Renegades to his side and hopefully turn them into Emperors. However, Lady Meng Yue is already on the Ninth Level of the Emperor Realm. She is stronger than even General Nie Dan, and unlike the Wandering Wind, she is far more likely to fight on their side, if only to protect Xiao Shuang.

“At least, you recognize it,” Big Sister Bai says. “I am not sure if that makes your behaviour better or worse.”

“I meant what I said. If I cannot overcome a single newborn Emperor, what chance do I have in the future? If I cannot turn someone like the Duke into my ally, I have to be able to defend myself against someone like him. I have talked this over with Lu Mei and Xiao Shaung. I have the Storm Dragon Palace, a Renegade on his level, and an Emperor with far more experience than him. I’m not carelessly putting myself at risk.”

Big Sister Bai stares at him in silence. Finally, she sighs.

“It does seem you have put more thought into it this time. Still, I worry.”

“It seems I do that a lot to the people around me,” Liu Jin says. “I would like to say I won’t do it anymore, but considering what the future holds, that promise would be empty.”

“Yes, yes, it would,” Big Sister Bai says.

“Eh, excuse me,” Su Daji says, raising her hand. “I would just like to remind you that Big Nose and I are still here, and this conversation feels like it is a little too private to be had in the presence of others."

“Endure it,” Big Sister Bai says.

~~~

Before leaving the Dead Plains, they make a short stop at the Eternal Flame Clan’s temple. It would be rude not to say goodbye to Senior Brother Lotus, and the last thing Liu Jin wants to do is accidentally give him the impression that he never returned from his quest. However, it’s a straight path to the Storm Dragon Empire after that.

That is when the problems begin.

The Duke has been silent for most of the trip, yet that silence becomes deeper after crossing the border. There is a stern air of disapproval around the man, and it is very easy to figure out the cause. The Duke became a Renegade long before the civil war and even before the death of Liu Jin's Imperial Grandfather. He knew the Storm Dragon Empire as a prosperous nation, not a wasteland ravaged by war. Seeing the change with his own eyes is different from merely hearing about it.

Then they reach Cloudburst City.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

The Duke’s voice is a thundering roar that shakes the earth. His aura sends the soldiers cowering in fear. Xiao Nan is immediately behind the man, his arms under his shoulders to hold him back from doing anything rash. Liu Jin’s instincts scream at him to flee. Several people are already doing that. However, he manipulates his body into staying still while taking note of the soldiers who form up around him. They are foolish, but brave. That bravery deserves a reward. Not now, though.

There is a Renegade in front of him.

“It is as I said,” Liu Jin says, forcing his voice to remain calm. “This is Cloudburst City.”

“This?!” the Duke shouts in outrage. Xiao Nan grits his teeth as he holds him in place. “Cloudburst City was a shining jewel of the Empire! People from all over came to Cloudburst Arena! This was a place of beauty and power! You have brought me to a withered husk!”

The Duke’s reaction is far from unexpected. Unlike Liu Jin and a large part of the Storm Dragon Empire, the Duke lived during the halcyon days of the Empire. For the Duke, seeing this must be akin to a nightmare. Liu Jin can relate. There is a reason why he can still find the ruins of Eastern Port City whenever he dives into his soul.

“Murong Bang was very thorough in his destruction,” Liu Jin says. “He killed all those who were mighty and stripped the city of all that made it beautiful. This became a place for his soldiers to abuse whoever they wanted, and for the weakest to fight in the arena for the amusement of the crowd.”

“Little Brother!” Xiao Nan shouts. His own aura is rising as he struggles to keep the Duke in place. “I understand you have always been an honest person, and this Xiao Nan appreciates that, but you are not helping right now.”

Judging by the painfully tight grip Big Sister Bai suddenly has on his shoulder. She does not disagree with that.

“I will kill him!” The Duke roars.

“He is already dead.”

“Then give me his corpse so I might desecrate it!”

“After Murong Bang fell, no one saw any need to stay here anymore. No one wanted to,” Liu Jin continues. “The survivors have been relocated to other cities and towns. That is how it became the empty husk before you. However, that’s exactly why it was deemed perfect for housing you.”

The Duke’s Qi spikes higher. Liu Jin’s knees almost buckle. His pressure is a heavy weight on his back, a hand that demands his forehead to touch the ground. Liu Jin endures it.

“You mean for me to stay here!”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Liu Jin catches sight of Su Daji frantically making multiple gestures with her hands, all of which convey the general idea that he should not answer the Duke’s question honestly. As always, he can trust her to give sensible advice.

“It is the safest place. Cloudburst Arena was made to hold battles between high-level cultivators,” Liu Jin says. “However, if the mental burden is enough that it will severely hamper your cultivation, another place can be chosen, though it will still be in the former territories of Murong Bang.”

“The areas ravaged into a wasteland?”

“Would you trust a Renegade to be anywhere else?” Liu Jin counters.

While he could bring the Duke to the palace—it would make it far easier to subdue him should the need arise—that would require the Duke to cross several populated areas. There is no telling how he would react.

The Duke glares at him in silence, as if trying to bend his will through the weight of his stare. It might have been effective if Liu Jin weren’t such a naturally stubborn person. Really, that the Duke hasn’t exploded into violence yet bodes well for the future. Xiao Nan has even let go of him already, sensing there is no longer any threat of immediate violence. The man’s control over the Renegade Realm is incredible.

“Very well,” the Duke says at last. Several people sigh in relief. “But after this is over, I will explore every inch of this Empire. You will have my judgment then.”

Turning on his heel, the Duke marches into the arena.

Su Daji bops Liu Jin on the head.

~~~

Xiao Nan laughs as he pats Liu Jin on the back. The two are sitting atop a Flame-Wheeled Wagon. Hardly a dignified position for the Emperor, but there is really not much else around.

“Truly, we live in interesting times. Can you imagine if that had gone wrong, Little Brother?”

“Please, do not joke about such things, Elder Brother,” Liu Jin says. He does not need to imagine it. There is a giant chasm in the Dead Plains that serves as a perfect visual example of what happens when a Renegade decides when he wants to destroy everything.

“Oh, Little Brother, if your life is going to be one of repeated danger, you must learn how to take joy in every time you deny death,” Xiao Nan says to him with that unfailing wisdom of his.

“You might be right,” Liu Jin admits.

“I am as right as the sun is shining,” Xiao Nan says. “Such is the burden given to me by the Heavens. I bear it with poise and grace.”

“Humility, too. It seems.”

Xiao Nan laughs again and hugs Liu Jin with one arm. Liu Jin does not push him away.

“I missed you a lot, Little Brother.”

“I…I am happy to see you alive and well,” Liu Jin says. “It is not that I doubted you, but the Renegade Realm is a dangerous thing.”

“Oh, it was not as hard as you think,” Xiao Nan says, letting him go. His face makes a complicated expression. “I don’t want to admit this, but that pearl helped. When I was inside that thing, I held back my cultivation as much as I could to not give that bastard the satisfaction. In the Dead Plains, I simply needed to let it happen. The rest was a matter of refining my Dao as much as possible.”

The common wisdom is for Renegades to seclude themselves and do their best to power through the Renegade Realm. However, Xiao Nan shared with him that he had different ideas. Rather than trying to power through the Renegade Realm, focusing on one’s Dao to gain greater awareness of the self might yield better results. Considering he is one step away from becoming an Emperor, he might be right.

“I am pleased to see you have been successful, but… how exactly did entering the True Dead Plains fit into this?” Liu Jin asks.

“Oh, that was an interesting idea I had. You see, the True Dead Plains actively try to take your Qi. For a Renegade, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Having to constantly fight that drain makes it extremely easy to be aware of one’s mortality. It also doubles as a wonderful control exercise. You should try it someday.”

Liu Jin stares at him.

“I am not sure that I will.”

“I suppose it is not for everyone,” Xiao Nan says, laughing. “Besides, I would be lying if I said having that guy around didn’t help things.”

Liu Jin sighs. Being the only building in remotely good shape, Cloudburst Arena dominates the city’s skyline. The Duke’s moody Qi radiates from the center of it all.

“Will he be able to handle it?” Liu Jin asks. “I owe him much, more so now that he has helped you. I do not want to accidentally hurt him by making him stay here.”

Xiao Nan snorts.

“Little Brother, if he didn’t want to stay here, he’d have left already. The same goes for me,” he says. “There is a part of me that wants to go hunt Bright Sword and another part of me that wants to take down my treacherous aunt. Glad as I am that Xiao Fang has prospered, I am still irritated that I wasn’t able to see it. I… should have been there when you two became men. I should have been there for Xiao Shuang, too. I wasn’t. That time was taken from me. Now, I want to take theirs.”

“How do you resist the urge?” Liu Jin says, thinking back to his own experiences.

“Oh, that’s the simplest part of it all, Little Brother,” Xiao Nan says. He flashes him the same confident grin that Liu Jin has seen hundreds of times since he was a child. “You focus on what’s truly important. If my Little Brother needs me, who am I to refuse?”

~~~