~~~

Despite his young age, Liu Jin has seen and enjoyed luxuries most people can only dream of. He has been inside vast mansions, expensive restaurants, and other wealthy establishments. Riches and luxury have long since stopped eliciting any awe in him.

Nevertheless, the sight before him makes him pause.

It is not because he has stumbled upon something outlandish or bizarre. Not at all. Liu Jin is in the middle of a perfectly beautiful garden. The grass is lush and green, the shrubs are cut in the shape of ferocious dragons, and flowers of red, blue, and purple grow all around. A few yards away, the foliage rises in a dense wall of green with only a single arch leading into a passage obscured by shadows.

There is no noise.

Even though a war rages outside, there is no noise. Liu Jin cannot feel anyone’s Qi. Not General He Bin’s or Murong Bang’s. Not even Big Sister Bai’s or Bright Sword’s. Liu Jin looks around the garden and finds the gates he came through are nowhere to be seen. The only way in or out of this garden is through the arch.

“Big Sister Bai?” Liu Jin calls out. Reluctantly, he adds. “Bright Sword!”

There is no answer, not that Liu Jin expected any.

“A different spatial realm,” Liu Jin theorizes. “Is that it?”

“It pleases me that you are familiar with the concept. That shall make things simpler.”

Liu Jin immediately blurs thirty yards away. Multiple Qi snakes hiss around him as his aura flares up. The sky turns dark, and the clouds rumble ominously, but no rain falls.

“Honored Ancestor,” Liu Jin says. “It is good to see you again.”

A deep chuckle echoes all around as dark clouds swirl in front of Liu Jin. Two crimson orbs glow from within those clouds as they take the shape of a dragon’s head. Its mouth curls into a grin that reveals many sharp teeth.

“Do not say words you do not mean, whelp.”

Liu Jin thinks it over and nods.

“Honored Ancestor, it is humbling to see you again,” Liu Jin amends. “However, the circumstances of this meeting confuse me. Are we inside the Storm Dragon Palace?”

“An interesting question.” A low rumbling sound fills Liu Jin’s ears. It is almost like the hum of a storm. “You could say that you are, but it could also be said that you are not. You are inside my body. That should be enough for you to know.”

It is not, but Liu Jin knows arguing with ancient entities is often futile.

“Where are the two people that entered the palace with me?” Liu Jin asks.

“In another part of me,” the Storm Dragon replies. His eyes glint with amusement when Liu Jin glares at him. “I speak the truth, whelp. You chose to enter my domain. Naturally, you are inside it. The same will happen to all who attempt to break into the palace.”

“Honored Ancestor,” Liu Jin says, his tone respectful, if slightly curt. “You are the one who invited me to the palace. Why do this?”

Liu Jin guesses it is amusement. His master once taught him that powerful people always do things for the sake of amusement, and that’s one teaching that has rarely failed to be correct.

“I am the guardian of this family. If my kin begs for help, how can I deny them?”

It is impressive, Liu Jin thinks, how the Storm Dragon can make such nice words sound so clearly sinister and ominous. Truly, that’s a skill one must hone for a thousand years to master.

“The emperor asked for this?” Liu Jin asks.

The Storm Dragon laughs.

“You uncle? No, that man is hiding in his room and pretending the world does not exist,” the Storm Dragon says. “It was your cousin who begged me to do something. However, that’s not who you should concern yourself with.”

The clouds swirl in front of Liu Jin and become like water. A single image is reflected on them. A woman in a luxurious room brushing her long violet hair, a scowl on her pretty face.

Liu Jin can’t breathe.

The hair is different, her skin is fairer than before, and even her face has changed far more than simple aging can explain. Despite that, Liu Jin instantly recognizes her. How could he not? How could he ever forget someone who was at his side for so long back at Eastern Port City?

“Su An.”

His Qi spikes.

For a moment, Liu Jin forgets how powerful the Storm Dragon is, forgets that he is inside his domain, and forgets that the Storm Dragon is his ancestor. The air fills with violent intent, and Liu Jin dares to aim it all at the Storm Dragon.

“Ancestor, if this is trickery of some sort…”

“What? What will you do, whelp?” The Storm asks, cutting him off. “Do not start threats you cannot finish or make oaths you cannot follow through. However, you can rest easy. There is no lie here. The girl is who you believe her to be. Partially, at least. She has been possessed.”

“Possessed?” Liu Jin echoes.

“When beings such as I pass on, we can leave behind a shadow, an echo of our existence that might pass down our power to those we deem worthy,” the Storm Dragon tells him. “However, not all choose to do that. Some will cling to life beyond all reason, even if that would damage their soul irrevocably. The one inhabiting that woman’s body is one such creature. In this incarnation, she goes by the name Su Daji.”

Liu Jin does his best to listen to the Storm Dragon’s explanation, but his mind still has a hard time coming to terms with the situation. Su An was in Eastern Port City when it was attacked. How could she be here now? How could she be possessed?

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Wait.

…It all began when Brother Sou, that’s the oaf with the ax, found a woman with violet hair lost outside the Whispering Depths…

It hits Liu Jin like a lightning bolt. Violet hair. She’s the person the one from the Brotherhood of Thunder stumbled upon in the Whispering Depths! Murong Bang’s army must have tried to sell Su An, but she escaped by fleeing into the Depths. Her hair changed colors by the time the man from the Brotherhood found her, so she must have been possessed by then. That the spirit was inside her instead of wandering the Depths could be why the Brotherhood of Thunder discovered their hidden city soon after.

Still…

“How did this happen?” Liu Jin asks the Storm Dragon.

“That I do not know,” the Storm Dragon answers, unaware of Liu Jin’s thoughts. “I only know that she found the woman that bears your mark a suitable vessel.”

Liu Jin frowns.

“You have said that before, ancestor,” Liu Jin says. “You said she bears my mark, but I never marked Su An.”

“Was it not your Qi that shaped that woman’s body and improved her meridians and dantian? If not for that, she’d have been nothing more than another pebble on the road. What do you call that if not marking someone?” The Storm Dragon asks him. “You probably only meant to create a suitable mate, but if not for that, the spirit would have never found her a suitable vessel.”

Liu Jin does not bother correcting his ancestor. His mind is caught up in the words he just heard.

If not for him, Su An would have never been possessed.

Obviously, Liu Jin couldn’t have possibly known Su An would ever run into the spirit of some powerful ancient being, but it stings all the same. Su An had helped him practice many of the techniques he learned from Old Jiang. Once the benefits to her became obvious, Liu Jin had been happy to keep doing it.

He had not done it for the benefit of some wretched creature!

“Can Su An be saved?” Liu Jin asks.

“It is not beyond the realm of possibility,” the Storm Dragon replies. “The spirit that has taken hold of her is ancient and powerful, but the fox has lost much of her power and much of her memories. She is but a shadow of her former self, and her grasp on her new host is tenuous at best. Should you overwhelm her and take hold of her soul, you might reach your woman. However, be warned, the more time passes, the stronger the spirit grows and the weaker your woman becomes. There is no telling in what state you will find her soul.”

Liu Jin takes a deep breath.

“Honored Ancestor, I have one last question.”

“Ask it, whelp.”

“I was told that, as someone of royal blood, no harm will come to me within the walls of the Storm Dragon Palace,” Liu Jin says, carefully studying the Storm Dragon’s expression. “Does that same protection apply to me here?”

“Interesting question,” the Storm Dragon says. “However, is there an answer that would change what you plan on doing?”

The Storm Dragon’s form swirls, forming a path before Liu Jin that leads to the archway.

“If you follow this path, you will encounter many tribulations. Many strong cultivators lie ahead, and many of them wish you dead. Pathetic as your uncle is, his cultivation still surpasses yours. He will not seek you, but he will not fail to seize his chance if you run into him. He Bin, on the other hand, will try his hardest to find you. If I tell you I won’t protect you, will you stay here until someone comes to help you?”

Yes.

Liu Jin is neither foolish nor reckless enough to believe he has a chance against someone in the Heaven Realm, let alone an Emperor. Waiting until someone strong enough, preferably General Nie Dan, enters the palace seems like the safest choice.

However, that’s not the answer the Storm Dragon wants to hear.

More importantly, if Su An’s situation is as precarious as the Storm Dragon says… If he really can save her…

Can he afford to waste that chance?

The Storm Dragon is trying to manipulate him. He wants him to venture into the palace. He wants him to fight his family. He wants him to take the throne. He’s using Su An’s presence to ensure that happens. Liu Jin knows this.

That does not mean it is not working.

Liu Jin dashes through the gate.

The Storm Dragon’s laughter follows him.

~~~

Bai Wen looks left and right.

She is somehow in the middle of a large corridor. The gates through which she entered the palace are nowhere in sight, and she cannot feel Qing Jin’s Qi. Most likely, this means she has been transported to a different spatial realm, one that is superimposed over the Storm Dragon Palace.

Her Qi rises. The wood under her feet cracks as the temperature drops sharply. Even the air seems to freeze over, and the sound of glass shattering rings throughout the corridor.

Nothing happens.

Bai Wen lets out a disappointed sigh. It would have been nice if it had been that simple, but it seems like she’ll actually have to travel through this spatial realm.

Best she does not waste time then.

~~~

“Dog of Murong Bang! Die!”

“This is quite interesting,” Bright Sword says as he cuts down the man who foolishly tried to attack him. He was in the Heaven Realm, so he must have been a direct subordinate of General He Bin. “Storm Dragon, I assume this is your work.”

The Storm Dragon does not answer him, not that Bright Sword ever expected him to. Nevertheless, he can feel the Storm Dragon’s Qi permeating this realm. He can also feel Qing Jin and Bai Wen. Both have been transported to different areas. That will make things easier.

Still, to think things have progressed to the point where General He Bin has resorted to begging the Storm Dragon to manifest his spatial realm so blatantly. He must be quite desperate.

Well, there is no harm in playing along with this for now. Besides…

For the first time, surprise appears on Bright Sword’s face as his senses finally reach far enough.

“Oh dear.” The words escape his mouth without his meaning. “That is… that is quite something.”

“The same could be said of you.”

Bright Sword immediately blurs away as the Storm Dragon manifests in the room. Bright Sword is confident in many things, but even he does not wish to challenge a shadow in its domain.

“Ancient One, you honor this one with your presence,” he says, politely bowing before the Storm Dragon.

“You are carrying something very interesting with you,” the Storm Dragon says, not acknowledging his words.

Bright Sword’s hand immediately goes to the pouch tied to his waist.

“It is merely a spatial item, Ancient One. Hardly something that could be of interest to someone like you.”

The Storm Dragon chuckles. “You lie poorly.”

“Truly?” Bright Sword asks. “I thought of myself as a rather accomplished liar.”

The dark clouds grow in size until they have completely filled the room. The Storm Dragon’s voice echoes all around him.

“What is someone from The Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak doing here?”

“Ancient One, I do not dare to lie to someone like you a second time, so you will have to forgive me for choosing silence,” Bright Sword says.

“Is that so?” the Storm Dragon asks, chuckling. “Very well, we shall see if you can keep silent when we next meet, disciple of The Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak.”

“Oh.”

A single voice reaches Bright Sword’s ears. A voice that most definitely does not belong to the Storm Dragon. Before his mind has finished processing it, he’s already turning around.

How could anyone have gotten so close to him without him noticing it?

As the dark clouds fade away, a disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan looks back at him with no small amount of surprise.

“It seems this Mud has intruded.”

~~~