Qilin Kai stared at his son with a cold unfeeling gaze but inside a sharp piercing pain stabbed at his heart. Like all Qilins no matter how indifferent and aloof they are they loved their cubs. He suddenly felt the same pain Qilin Hao felt when Ji Yao resisted her when she tried to reconcile.
He didn't want his relationship with Tong Tong to be as strained as Qilin Hao's relationship with Ji Yao but he also had the desire to protect his son. Torn between doing what is best for his son and building a good relationship with him he chose the former.
"Knock him out and take him away. Find a place to hide and when the dust settles I will come to find you," said Qilin Kai to his father before turning on his heel.
Tong Tong who had been listening in on what they were saying raised his head abruptly and silently shook it in refusal. His grandmother that was patting his back in comfort tried to reason with him but how could things be so easy?
The boy picked up the pillow on his bed and harshly threw it at Qilin Kai. With a soft dull sound, it accurately struck Qilin Kai's back causing the older man's steps to pause.
Clenching his fist he glared at Tong Tong from his peripheral view and spoke through gritted teeth, "Don't make trouble," before walking away.
When he spoke a flash of blue lit up in his threatening gaze causing chills all over Tong Tong's body but the cub maintained his composure like he wasn't affected at all. After Qilin Kai opened the door his breath hitched when he saw two Qilin men seriously guarding outside. The identities of these two were obvious. They were sent by Qilin San to send a message. War had descended upon the capital but instead of fighting alongside Qilin San, they were standing outside the door where his family was.
This entire thing was ridiculous but Qilin Kai knew these were Qilin San's tactics to control him. If he weren't confident of his father's strength he wouldn't have left Tong Tong with them.
He swept a casual glance towards these men before slowly walking away his steps powerful and intimidating. "If anything happens to my son I will make you suffer a fate worse than death," he said making the two men's blood run cold.
According to Qilin Kai's personality, his words weren't mere threats. He would surely do as he says and bury the both of them six feet under.
Meanwhile, the once blue skies of the imperial city were covered in clouds of dust and smoke creating a fog as thick as the Delhi fog that overruns the city from December to January.
Screams and wails could be heard from the thick fog as the buildings burned to the ground. Hordes of citizens fled the city without hindrance as Qilin Hao wasn't here for them.
At the heart of the smoke and dust was a woman dressed in a blood-red robe with a whip sword twirling around her body. Her eyes took on a more stern, defined shape, sporting red-coloured irises, and visible pupils. A murderous air surrounded her body as she glared at the imperial palace.
From within the fog, a green whip sword engulfed in turquoise flames shot out aiming at her chest but Qilin Hao grasped the tip of the whip sword just as it was about to strike her and yanked it with great force.
The Qilin who attacked her emerged from the other end and due to inertia he almost collided with Qilin Hao. But before that could happen she let go of the whip sword and curled her fingers like claws striking the Qilin's abdomen. Her fingers pierced and charred his flesh grasping at his aether.
Feeling that fragile core in her fingers her lips quirked up but her gaze remained ice-cold freezing the man's blood. "Yo-you heartless bea-beast," spoke the man with great difficulty as blood seeped from the corners of his mouth and abdomen.
"You aren't the first to say that to me but let me ask this elder.... who made me this way?" After saying this she directly crushed the aether with her seraphic energy burning it to ash. The energy from the man's crushed aether dissipated into the air.
Disgusted she shoved the man's body down and wiped her hand clean as she shifted her gaze back to the imperial palace. She felt heated gazes boring through her skin so she turned to stare back only to find the Huishe couple and other Nocru staring at her with complicated looks.
They had heard of clansmen killing other clansmen but it was so rare that throughout history only three cases were heard of but today they just witnessed Qilin Hao kill one of her own with no hint of remorse.
She tossed the bloodied handkerchief away with a cold grin before saying, "What? Isn't this the price I have to pay to keep my son safe?"
Huishe Nan was about to say she can sit this one out and let them take care of everything. At least it would be less terrifying than watching Qilin Hao ruthlessly kill her own kind. But before he could say anything Huishe Shushi flew towards her and handed her a wet wipe before pointing at Qilin Hao's hands.
"It's not clean enough," she said before placing it into her palms, "if I had the power I would have done even worse to protect my twins." After saying this she turned to leave.
What she said was the truth and it was spoken from the heart. If she had the kind of power Qilin Hao has and the opportunity she would have massacred anyone who stood in her way in order to protect her babies. Whenever she imagined the pain her daughter went through under that man she regretted not finishing him up herself.
Meanwhile, streaks of lightning flashed within the clouds of dust as Ji Wen took on half breed Nocru that had been recruited by the Qilin. In other words, they could be described as mercenaries for hire.
He had already managed to push them back deep into the imperial city with the Concord fighting alongside him. The skies were mummy's business while the ground was daddy's playground. As for the kid, his business was to flirt with his soon to be husband annoying his grandfather to death.
At the heart of the conflict on the ground, Lan Wu who had almost gotten roasted by a lightning spark yelled at Ji Wen saying, "Your majesty watch where you are pointing that thing at. You are misfiring everywhere."
While saying this he stomped his foot to get rid of the smoke at the corner of his boot that was at the edge of a blackened dent on the ground from the lightning strike.