~~~

It is harder to cultivate when one is in motion.

While high-level cultivators passively take in Qi regardless of what they are doing (much like how one breathes without thinking about it), the process is far from optimal. When compounded with the ever-changing quality of ambient Qi and the many distractions of the outside world, it is easy to understand why sitting behind closed doors near a substantial dragon vein is by far the best method to cultivate.

Liu Jin does not have the luxury to do that right now.

As his men march to Cloudburst City, Liu Jin sits inside one of the Flame-Wheeled Wagons. He closes his eyes and disables his ears to cut himself off from distractions. His body does not move. Even his heart barely beats.

And yet, no matter how still his body is, Liu Jin is still in motion. The Flame-Wheeled Wagon keeps moving, so his location relative to the dragon veins running under the earth keeps changing. If Liu Jin knew this land a little better, he would have tried to make their journey follow the path of dragon vein, but that’s not the case.

Under other circumstances, cultivating as he’s doing now would be a waste of time.

However, Liu Jin has felt it building up inside him ever since his fight with Han. A door waiting to be opened. Power ready to be unleashed. It is not a matter of forcing it.

He just needs to let it happen.

After days of sitting still, Liu Jin is rewarded. His acupoints sing as impurities are purged from his body. His meridians enlarge as new energy passes through, and his dantian vibrate in unison.

True Realm, Eighth Level.

The power floods his body. It spreads through his meridians and reaches every nerve, every bone, every acupoint. It wants to rage. To be unleashed. However, Liu Jin does not let it. He controls it. Harnesses it. He makes it his own and takes the next step.

True Realm, Ninth Level.

Again, his meridians enlarge, and his body glows with power. Liu Jin does his best to contain it so as to not scare the soldiers. With every breath he takes, it quiets down a little more.

It takes nearly nine thousand breaths to bring it all under control.

Liu Jin finally opens his eyes. He allows the world outside to exist for his senses once more.

Murong Bang’s presence shines like a beacon.

~~~

Cloudburst City feels quiet.

The city has not changed in the slightest. The number of people in the streets has gone neither up nor down. The bars and whorehouses are still many, and the places where the officers live are the only parts of the city not completely miserable. There’s no reason why the city should feel any different to Liu Jin.

And yet, it feels quiet.

Liu Jin gives his soldiers the day off. They have more than earned it. The children of the Lei Clan, he leaves under the care of Ten Zichun. As for Lu Mei, Liu Jin lets her accompany him to Murong Bang’s estate, but no more than that.

Liu Jin enters Murong Bang’s grand hall alone.

It feels entirely too much like walking into a tiger's den.

“General Murong, I have returned victorious,” Liu Jin proclaims. His steps echo on the weapon-covered walls. “The bandits have all been punished. They will flout your laws no more.”

Murong Bang raises an eyebrow.

“You have stones, brat. I’ll give you that."

Liu Jin's face betrays nothing. If he shows the slightest hesitation, the slightest weakness, Murong Bang will pounce on it.

"I sent you to kill bandits. Instead, you killed the leader of the Lei Clan, nearly destroyed Rainstorm City, and put a group of bandits, the same damn bandits the Lei Clan kept complaining about, in charge of it.” Murong Bang scratches the inside of his ear. “Maybe old age is catching up to me, but I don’t remember telling you to do any of that. Care to explain?”

“You sent me to deal with thieves. I just happened to find more thieves than expected,” Liu Jin says. “The Lei Clan were selling your people as slaves.”

“I don’t care about that,” Murong Bang says bluntly.

“They were also underreporting how much money they were making from the slave trade,” Liu Jin says. “They were stealing from you, general.”

“I don’t care about that either.”

“I assumed as much,” Liu Jin says. “However, I did care about it, so I did something about it. If General Murong wanted things done differently, he should have specified. As things stand, I fully complied with General Murong Bang’s orders. I took as many people as you wanted with me, and I let the soldiers handle all the fighting unless dealing with someone in the Spirit Realm or higher. There’s not a single order General Murong gave me that hasn’t been fulfilled to the letter.”

Murong Bang flicks a finger in his direction.

Liu Jin’s body is violently blown back. His legs dig twin trenches in the grand hall as he forces himself to stop. Blood drips from his forehead.

Yet, Liu Jin remains standing.

“For your cheek. Count yourself lucky I didn’t break your skull,” Murong Bang says. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to congratulate you on a job well done? Do you think I care about the exact content of my words like some mouthy little prick?”

“No, I believe General Murong knew this would happen from the start,” Liu Jin says.

Murong Bang smiles.

“Oh?”

“You knew what the Lei Clan was doing. You didn’t care, but you knew. Always did,” Liu Jin says.

“Did I?” Murong Bang leans back on his chair and scratches his beard. “That’s a new one. Usually, people tell me I’m an unthinking beast.”

“You saw how I acted in the arena,” Liu Jin continues. “That’s why you sent me there. You wanted me to find out about the Lei Clan because you wanted to see how I’d deal with them.”

“I suppose after seeing you talk all high and mighty, you’d have been a sorry excuse for a man if you couldn’t put any of that into practice. I’d have killed you on the spot for it.” Murong Bang says. “All that said, I told you to bring me the head of every bandit and those involved with them.”

Murong Bang makes a show of looking over Liu Jin.

“I don’t see any heads with you,” Murong Bang says. “From what I hear, you haven’t done any head-hunting at all. You left one group of bandits in charge of Rainstorm City-”

“The Brotherhood of Thunder are not bandits,” Liu Jin interrupts. “By acting against the Lei Clan, they were securing your property and have been rewarded accordingly.”

Murong Bang stares at him.

Liu Jin endures the man’s gaze in silence.

“Alright.” Murong Bang snorts and shakes his head. “If you’re willing to shovel so much shit from your mouth, I’ll pretend it doesn’t smell. But what of the Lei Clan? Where are their heads?”

“General Murong, you told me I could deal with the bandits whichever way I wanted as long as I reached gold lightning.” Liu Jin says.

“Oh?” Murong Bang leans forward. “And did you?”

“Yes.” Liu Jin glares at him. “But you already knew that. You have already heard. That’s not what you are really asking about.”

Liu Jin raises his Qi. Gold lightning appears around his body. Liu Jin clenches his fist and holds it for Murong Bang to see.

His Qi spikes.

Purple sparks flash.

“This is what you wanted to see, isn’t it?”

Murong Bang’s laughter fills the grand hall. His grin threatens to split his face in half.

“Oh, how long has it been since I saw that color!”

Liu Jin narrows his eyes.

“You knew this would happen,” he says. “That’s why you were so keen on me reaching gold lightning.”

“When someone of royal blood achieves gold lightning, an annoying dragon will show up and open the way for them,” Murong Bang says, waving a hand dismissively. “I might have heard something like that once.”

“You wanted me to out myself,” Liu Jin says. “You wanted people to know there was someone of royal blood. Why?”

“Why not?” Murong Bang chuckles. “The world has been boring for far too long. Your uncle will start hiding under his bed when he hears about it. He’ll probably beg that bastard He Bin to kill you before history repeats itself. That should be amusing.”

Liu Jin frowns.

“I am not the Black Dragon.”

The hall goes silent.

“No,” Murong Bang agrees after a while. “You are not. The Black Dragon would not have been nearly as soft with the Lei Clan. Those brats you’re keeping as hostages will try to kill you. Eventually, you’ll need to kill them, and the Lei Clan will rise against you. You’ll wipe them out, and when you do, you’ll realize you took the long route for no damn good reason.”

“Not a long route,” Liu Jin says. “A different route.”

“You’re stupid if you think that,” Murong Bang says. “People will be lining up to be your enemies if this is what they can expect from you.”

“I am still young, so I must be stupid,” Liu Jin says calmly. “Every day, I become more aware of my inadequacies, my flaws, and my weaknesses. Frankly, it’s annoying. However, I am certain of one thing: I will not become the Black Dragon.”

Liu Jin raises his gaze to meet Murong Bang’s eyes.

“It was the Black Dragon’s cruelty, which you all seem to place on such a high altar, that gave rise to someone like you, General Murong,” Liu Jin says. “And any path that gives rise to someone like you can only be called a failure. I have no interest in it.”

Murong Bang’s anger floods the room.

His Qi breaks the columns and rattles the blades hanging from the ceiling. The temperature rises rapidly. The air is so hot the steel begins to melt. Just breathing feels like it could melt Liu Jin’s lungs.

Murong Bang roars fire at him

Liu Jin dodges, and that’s enough for him to know Murong Bang is not serious. Had Murong Bang been serious just now, he’d be dead.

This is another test.

Arcs of gold lightning rise around Liu Jin and take the shape of snakes. They slither across the room by the dozens and swarm around Murong Bang.

Murong Bang stomps.

That’s all it takes to destroy them all. Pain erupts in Liu Jin’s chest as he’s suddenly blasted away.

“You see!” Murong Bang yells. “Speak all you want, but what are we doing now?”

[Art of the Roaming Thief]

Liu Jin does not answer. He moves into Murong Bang’s blind spot, perfectly hiding his Qi. It is the fastest and quietest he’s ever been.

Murong Bang backhands him with enough force to send him flying into the wall.

“Violence! It all comes down to violence!” Murong Bang yells as he advances towards him. The columns are breaking one by one. “There will always be people like you who treat violence as a mere means. Something distasteful. Something to be abandoned in the name of–” He snorts. “--Civility.”

“Violence is a means and nothing but,” Liu Jin says, standing up and wiping blood away from his face. “Perhaps you’ll call it a language? I am afraid I have become fluent in it even if I do not wish to.”

Murong Bang laughs.

Liu Jin doesn’t notice when the fiery whip appears around his ankle. He can only yelp in surprise as Murong Bang yanks and swings him around the room.

“Wrong!” Murong Bang says, slamming him down. “Violence is not the means. Violence is not the end. Violence is. At every moment. At every second. Everything else is a denial of our nature. The clothes we wear. The words we speak. Our so-called laws. They are illusions. Lies.”

Liu Jin coughs weakly as he gets up again. Murong Bang lets him.

“Violence has its time and place, but only because people like you exist, general.”

Liu Jin looks at Murong Bang and sees everything wrong with this world.

Liu Jin looks at Murong Bang and tries to reach the same conclusion he did against Han.

“Exactly!”

However, Murong Bang’s presence is overpowering.

“People like me exist,” Murong Bang says, grabbing Liu Jin by the throat. “People like me will always exist. That’s why you will always be wrong. I’m not the exception, brat. People like me exist because everyone is like me. I’m just more honest than most. Eventually, everyone drops the mask. Let that be your final lesson. Because only this is true. Only this…”

Murong Bang immediately drops Liu Jin. Suddenly, he’s three yards away from him and looks almost startled.

“You just tried to kill me,” he says.

“General Murong, I hardly believe that should be a surprise,” Liu Jin says.

Murong Bang chuckles.

“Talking to you is incredibly nostalgic,” he says. “But no, you know exactly what I mean, brat. You tried to kill me just now.”

Liu Jin had.

He had been about to use one of his needles imbued with Nine-Headed-Snake God’s poison on Murong Bang. The poison of the fallen god should have been enough to fell even an Emperor Realm cultivator. Liu Jin had hoped that Murong Bang would see this as nothing but an extension of their first match and let his guard down because of it.

Unfortunately, Emperors are not so easily caught unaware.

“Not bad,” Murong Bang says, impressed. “Keep your secrets if you want to. Deny it till the end of your days, but blood doesn’t lie, boy. You’re a monster. You’re just playing at being human. Just like everyone else.”

“What of General Murong then?” Liu Jin asks, wincing from the pain in his chest. “If you’re a monster, why play at being a ruler? Why play at being a teacher? Do monsters need those?”

Murong Bang laughs.

“What else is there to do but play nowadays?” Murong Bang asks him. “Go rest. Your teeth are not sharp enough to scratch me. Why don’t you try your luck with He Bin? See if you can fit him in your stomach.”

Liu Jin blinks.

“Does that mean…?”

“It means exactly what it means,” Murong Bang says as he walks away, leaving Liu Jin in the crumbling room. “We’ll pay your uncle a visit. That should be good for a laugh.”

~~~