~~~

His neighbor screams as Liu Jianguo resets his leg.

Under different circumstances, the sharp, cracking sound would have made those around them flinch. This night, however, it is just one of many painful sounds.

The street outside Liu Jianguo’s house is well on its way to becoming a field clinic as people from all around bring their wounded to him. There are five rows of injured people laid on the ground, and they are growing longer by the second. Some people get to lie on blankets. Others must resign themselves to the cold, dirty ground. Liu Jianguo’s voice is growing hoarse from shouting orders, trying to bring some semblance of order to the mob that comes to him in hopes of saving their friends and loved ones.

Seventeen people brought to him have light injuries. Forty-seven have fractures, moderate burns, or both.

Twenty-one will not survive the next ten minutes.

Many would find the sight of so many dead and wounded harrowing, but not Liu Jianguo. He has seen much worse than this.

He has caused much worse than this.

“Swallow this.” Liu Jianguo gives a pill to the man whose leg he just reset, one of the easier cases he’s had to deal with tonight. “It’ll help with the pain and blood loss.”

“Thank you, doctor! Thank you!” The man’s wife says, her husband too tired to speak. Liu Jianguo barely hears her. He’s already moving to the next patient.

Had Liu Jianguo been at his best, that pill wouldn’t be needed. Had Liu Jianguo been at his best, he wouldn’t have even needed to touch the man to mend his leg. With but a snap of his fingers, he’d have been able to heal every single person around him.

It is one of the reasons why Liu Jianguo’s army was so successful. No matter what happened to his men, he’d always be able to get them back to fighting shape, usually overnight. From the perspective of the enemy, his army never tired, and his men never died. It was a horde of immortal monsters that could not be stopped.

Yes, if Liu Jianguo were at his best, he’d be able to stop all these people from dying.

In fact, these people wouldn’t have been hurt to begin with. Liu Jianguo would have quickly noticed the attack before it struck the city. He also would have fixed the political mess that is the relationship between the Xiao Sect and the Yun Sect a long time ago. The Crimson Cloud Empire would have come next, clearly. The four-way struggle between the Four Great Sects with the imperial family caught in the middle is something that can simply not be allowed to continue for much longer. From the beginning, it has never been a sustainable state of affairs. After that—

Breathe.

There is a reason, Liu Jianguo reminds himself, why he crippled himself. Some people can be trusted with power. He is not one of them.

Yet, when caught in a situation like this, Liu Jianguo can only curse his lack of power. It is not the first time he has done so, and like always, he starts thinking about how much better things would be if he had his old strength back. Sometimes, his treacherous mind would even start coming up with methods to repair his meridians. It is an enticing trap, and one he must never allow himself to fall for.

He is Liu Jianguo, father of Liu Jin, a humble doctor without the ability to use Qi.

He cannot save an Empire. He cannot lead a country. Someone like him has no business even thinking about saving a city.

Liu Jianguo is but a simple, weak man who can only help the few people around him.

That is all.

The thought allows Liu Jianguo to center himself. He takes a deep breath and gets back to work. At least, that is his intention. The eruption above the city knocks him to the ground just as it does everyone else. In his case, it is even worse since he cannot use Qi. Liu Jianguo feels one of his ribs crack when he hits the ground.

By the time he gets up, the people are running scared. In the distance, Liu Jianguo can see a section of the walls has been torn down. He frowns. No, it isn’t just the wall. It might be hard to make out from his position, but a huge trail of devastation has been cut through the city. From the center all the way to the city walls. Liu Jianguo is sure of it.

This type of attack… Isn’t it something he has done countless times in the past?

“Invaders!”

Someone shouts from the rooftops, likely there to better observe the situation, useless though the gesture may be. That person would have been better served by running away, though at this point, that may be useless too.

“They are riding into the city!” The man from before shouts.

He keeps saying things, yet Liu Jianguo doesn’t hear him. Even though he has yet to lay eyes on them, Liu Jianguo’s heart knows exactly what the invaders look like.

Armor as black as the darkest of storm clouds. Blue plumes on their helmets meant to evoke the color of lightning. They are the claws and fangs of the Storm Dragon.

At least, that is what they should have been.

Liu Jianguo lets out a short, sharp laugh as the people do their best to flee with their wounded.

Truly, the Heavens make fools out of everyone!

A part of him cannot help but find the situation fitting. Another feels guilt and wonders if his presence has brought these men into the city. A third part tells him it doesn’t matter either way.

He already knows what he has to do.

Perhaps that is why he asked Liu Jin to bring out the red case instead of anything else.

One of the patients he has treated falls, trying to get away. Fighting the pain, Liu Jianguo goes to him and helps the man to his feet.

“Go to the port!” Liu Jianguo shouts, hopefully loudly enough for everyone to hear. “They’ll probably have the rest of the city surrounded! The port is your only chance!”

Liu Jiang hopes there are still some boats there that haven’t been burned by the fire from earlier.

“Do not waste time trying to hide! Go!”

“Doctor, what about you?”

Liu Jianguo doesn’t answer. He is already running.

Towards the sound of the soldier’s horses.

Is there any point in doing this, Liu Jianguo wonders as he clutches the lone pill he took from the red case. Will it make any difference if he tries to serve as a distraction? Even in the best-case scenario, it is unlikely those people will make it out alive. Right now, the city depends on whether Xiao Zheng can defeat whoever is behind this attack or not. Even if he does, it is safe to say the people in the outer districts will not survive the night.

“Over here!”

And yet he shouts at the soldiers like the idiot Master always said he was, trying to draw their attention away from those trying to flee to safety.

“Honorless dogs, this Liu Jianguo challenges you!”

Ah, how long has it been since he said those words? To think he could say and mean such things in the past. How embarrassing.

The riders charge towards him, yet Liu Jianguo shows no sign of stopping his mad dash towards them.

The outcome can only be one.

A spear pierces Liu Jianguo’s side. His body goes flying through the air and crashes into the ground, blood pooling around him.

To think they’d aim for a vital spot so flawlessly. Whoever trained these men did a good job. Such a useless thought drifts through Liu Jianguo’s mind as life slowly drains away from his body.

The poison pill he held tightly in his hand explodes.

A dark cloud of poison engulfs everything within a few yards of Liu Jianguo. The soldiers around him cough and fall over, dying a few seconds later.

To think, he’d kill people again towards the end of his life. Hopefully, this will help the others reach the port safely.

“Father!”

Ah.

Even though Liu Jianguo can barely see and hear by this point, there is no way he can fail to recognize his son’s voice. There is no way he can fail to see Liu Jin’s red eyes, brimming with tears a man like him does not deserve.

To think he’d die in his son’s arms. How joyous.

He is Liu Jianguo, a miserable worm of a man who has received blessings beyond measure.

He is Liu Jianguo, the proud father of a dragon who will have no equal.

~~~