Chapter [B4] 16 — Changing Tides

Chapter [B4] 16 — Changing Tides

Something had changed. And I wasn’t talking about the Azure Dragon. I’d felt it while on the way back, the change in the world around me. I hadn’t truly understood what it had been, but it filled me with a bad premonition nonetheless. I’d had a thought gnawing at my chest for some time now. If the demons had known the Azure Dragon would be in the Cradle, and had even managed to get there before us, then why had Yang Shen himself not arrived there to get the Divine Beast? I would not have had a chance against him, and the entire idea had been to get there faster than him. Even with Xuanwu’s help, things would’ve been difficult, but sending one of his demons instead... It left me with a bad feeling.

Just what was he doing instead?

The carriage thudded around us as we arrived back at Seventh Peak city, and I found the air filled with a buzz of energy. But not in a good way. There was anxious nervousness filling the winds, whispers flowing through the air, something had happened and whatever it was, it was not going to be good news.

As we arrived at the Lord’s manor, a servant rushed out in a hurry, looking incredibly panicked. Before I could even ask, the servant bowed. “The lord is requesting your presence immediately. Please head inside.”

I glanced towards my companions and then gave a nod as we headed inside.

***

“Heavens damn that demon!” I heard Lord Zhou cursing as he slammed a fist into his desk and for a moment I was afraid it’d shatter into a million little pieces. This was the first time I’d seen him lose his cool like this.

I stood there, bowing my head, waiting for him to get his calm as we all arrived.

The lord finally noticed us, raising his head and then sighed, nearly sinking into his seat. “Apologies, Lu Jie. There have been... changes while you were gone,” the Lord said.

“What has Yang Shen done?” I asked, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer.

The Lord looked at me, and then glanced down at his desk, clenching his fist. “He massacred the Tu clan. All of them, including the patriarch. The ancient formation that had been holding the demons from burrowing through the earth and striking directly from underneath is now gone and almost every place in the empire is vulnerable to an attack from the demons now,” the Lord said, an incredibly exhausted expression on his face.

“We’re receiving news of skirmishes on all the peaks, and the fourth peak where the army had been making its way in from, is on the brink of collapse. It’s only thanks to some of the early shipments of weapons we could send in with your help, that they’re still standing at all. It is... chaos,” the Lord said.

My expression turned grim, as I heard the news. The Tu patriarch... the old monk who had guided me? I had not known the man, and I did not particularly feel strongly about his death, but from what I’d seen, he’d seemed like a wise and kind figure, instead of the arrogance and power that was often seen with cultivators of that rank.

To have one of the great clans just be wiped out entirely... I could hardly imagine it.

I gave him a nod, putting a hand on my chest.

“The Azure Dragon is with me, my Lord. And so is the Black Tortoise. If the demons know what’s best for them, then they wouldn’t dare step in this direction,” I said. Anger surged as I bared my teeth. “I’ll tear each one of them to shreds. One deathless at a time.”

That was a promise. Both to myself, and to the Lord.

The Lord nodded, getting up. "We believe in you,” he said, walking up to me as he put a hand on my shoulder. And then I saw something I hadn’t noticed up to now.

The anger burning in the man in front of me.

I had been blinded by my own emotions that I had failed to notice the Qi surging around me with shivering, palpable rage that burned with a simmering promise underneath. I looked into the eyes of Lord Zhou and found a cold flame there, that made even my body freeze for a moment.

The Lord paused, glancing towards me as I noticed, and for a moment there was a sense of understanding. He knew what I’d seen. And I had to wonder just how he stood here, with so much rage pulled inside of himself, unmoving, cold, waiting for the right moment, for the chance to unleash it.

This place had been my home. But I forgot that it had been his home for much longer than me.

The demons, if they knew what was best for them, may just have to come to me. Because while I had no mercy in my heart for them... my wrath would be nothing compared to the man in front of me.

“We head out at sundown, and we’ll be leaving you in charge of the seventh peak in our name” the Lord said.

I simply bowed my head, accepting that responsibility as Lord Zhou turned and headed out of the chamber.

A swirl of emotions pulsed in my chest as I watched him leave.

We all had our roles to play in this war. I’d need to make sure I played mine well.