Chapter 111: Far Too Young

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Fire is light.

Light reveals that which is hidden.

The moon shines brightly as Liu Jin returns from the Apothecary. Elder Xue’s words keep echoing in his ears. It would be nice if that had been the end of that conversation, but it hadn’t been. Not even close. Elder Xue had not wounded him or threatened him in any way. She had just…

“It pleases me to see a disciple with such clear goals. However, Disciple Qing would be served well by not speaking of such things outside the Apothecary, certainly not near the Division of External Relations. Elder Fa and others like him would not appreciate seeing their work criticized.”

…Implied things.

Is that a problem?

Liu Jin’s first instinct is to say it is, but he refrains from doing so. It is a risk, certainly. However, that’s not necessarily the same thing. A risk has the potential to become a problem. That doesn’t mean it will be one. Elder Xue has not made any demands of him. Not yet.

Feng Shang and Feng Gui. The two sons of Patriarch Feng Zhang. That is what it all comes down to. Perhaps, everyone in the Eternal Flame Clan will have to pick a side eventually. Elder Xue has most certainly done so already. She may have even made the choice for Liu Jin as far back as the Selection Exam.

To think his way of killing would get him in trouble. Should he laugh or cry?

Chirp. Chirp.

Perhaps sensing his mood, his eagle chick flies down to his shoulder and gently pecks his ear. Liu Jin smiles and pets him.

“It is okay. I’m okay,” Liu Jin says, and his words are not a lie.

After all, is this not what he came to the Eternal Flame Clan for?

Certainly, it is not good that Elder Xue has the upper hand on him, but does this situation not lend itself to his goals? From the beginning, Liu Jin had planned on becoming involved with the inner workings of the Eternal Flame Clan. He had not expected it to happen this way, but is there a single man out there who always manages to have everything go exactly the way he wishes? Is there a single person who can control all aspects of his life?

No. Such a person does not exist.

It is not how Liu Jin wanted it, but it is what he wanted.

He’s now one step closer to the Three Heavenly Generals of the Storm Dragon Empire.

“You must understand, my lord,” Lei Kong had told him a long time ago. “The Empire fell into disorder once the Black Storm Dragon vanished. While many had been against him, it had been his power that kept the Empire whole. It had been through terror that the Empire had been united. The current Storm Dragon… He is a virtuous man, but he lacks the power to make others obey. He cannot wield terror as the Black Storm Dragon did. That is why it did not take long for the Empire to erupt into a brutal civil war. It was chaos, my lord. Complete and utter chaos.”

And from that chaos had risen the Three Heavenly Generals.

General Murong Bang.

General Nie Dan.

General He Bin.

The three warlords had rampaged through the Storm Dragon Empire with their armies, conquering territory after territory. While the Emperor yet lives, his position has become largely ceremonial. Most Sects and Clans in the Storm Dragon Empire have pledged themselves to one of the three generals. Through brutal conquest, they brought some stability to the land.

Through brutal conquest, they trapped the Storm Dragon Empire in a never-ending civil war.

Three Heavenly Generals have been at a stalemate for years. There are constant skirmishes across their border territories. Worse still, since the generals are so focused on each other, many bands of bandits roam the land. Truthfully, the Storm Dragon Empire should have collapsed years ago. However…

“There are those who support the Three Heavenly Generals for their own ends, my lord. As you know, Murong Bang has had some dealings with the Endlessly Raging Valley. While not beholden to any faction, he will deal with whoever approaches him as long as he thinks he stands to benefit from it. As for General He Bin, it is rumored he truly is loyal to the Storm Dragon and obeys no one else, but I don’t think I can believe that. Finally, General Nie Dan…”

General Nie Dan is backed by the Eternal Flame Clan.

Chirp. Chirp.

“I said I was fine, didn’t I?” Liu Jin rubs the spot where the eagle pecked him. “You could stand to be a little more patient.”

Another peck, this one more insistent.

Chirp. Chirp.

Liu Jin is left blinking as the young bird jumps twice on his shoulder and takes off.

One day, his eagle will soar through the skies at dizzying speeds, but today is not that day. Even though Liu Jin is still balancing a nest on top of his head, he has no problems catching up. He could easily grab the bird and put it back on his nest but decides to let him keep going instead.

The eagle keeps flying for several yards, showing he has grown remarkably in just a few days. He leads Liu Jin to one of the few green areas between the Apothecary and the Inner Disciple’s quarters.

“You wanted to drink something?” Liu Jin asks as the eagle approaches the pond and takes a few sips.

To his surprise, the eagle shakes his head no. Although with how small and round his body is, it’s more accurate to say he shakes his whole body from side to side.

“What is it then?”

The eagle jumps twice and gestures at a tree with one of his wings.

Chirp. Chirp.

Ah, so he had noticed. Smiling, Liu Jin turns around and looks up.

“I believe he wants to meet you.”

Liu Jin can almost feel the surprise radiating from the tree. There is a moment of silence. Then the leaves rustle as the person there jumps down. He is a young child with black hair and golden eyes that seem to shine in the darkness. Despite his youth, he is already wearing the red and black robes of a Core Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan. Of course, that is only to be expected, considering how strong he is for his age.

Nascent Realm, Seventh Level.

He is the child he saw during the Selection Exam. Back then, he had been on the Third Level of the Nascent Realm. That had been mere weeks ago.

Just as Elder Xue said. A prodigy among prodigies.

“I did not mean to hide,” the young child says at last. His whole body is tense, as if he were about to run away at any moment. His gold eyes look dubiously at them.

“No harm done. We did not mean to intrude,” Liu Jin replies, smiling.

Chirp. Chirp.

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The child looks down at the eagle, who chirps several times at him and jumps up and down.

“He seems to have taken a liking to you,” Liu Jin says. The child, however, does not react to his words. He is locked in a staring contest with the baby eagle. After a while, the child reaches into his robes and takes out a small paper bag.

“Ah, so that’s what it was,” Liu Jin says as the child takes out some sweetened bread from it. His eagle had probably smelled the sweet treat and came here looking for it.

It is a good thing, Liu Jin realizes, that he has all his sweets hidden inside his spatial pouch.

“Don’t let him convince you to share,” Liu Jin says as the child keeps shifting his gaze from his sweet to the eagle. “He is wily. He’s been playing cute all day, so people would give him treats. At this rate, I fear he might grow fat.”

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

“Your anger merely betrays your guilt,” Liu Jin replies, unfazed by the eagle’s angry chirping. “You are not going to be cute forever. How will you convince others to give you food then?”

Through sheer strength, most likely, but the eagle does not know that yet. The bird huffs and puffs, turning his back to Liu Jin. Meanwhile, the young child keeps alternating his gaze between the bird and the bread.

“Can I… ?” He looks at Liu Jin for permission, holding up the sweet bread. “Even if it’s like that… Can I still?”

“If you wish to,” Liu Jin says.

The young child’s face brightens. He kneels down and holds out some bread for the eagle.

Chirp.

His eagle approaches slowly, taking only small nibbles at first. Liu Jin wonders if he does so to avoid startling the child.

“May I… May I pet it?” The young child asks.

“I don’t see any problem with that,” Liu Jin replies. Once again, the young child’s face lights up with childish glee. He looks at the small bird with awe as he starts petting his plumage.

Chirp. Chirp.

“He seems to like that,” Liu Jin notes.

As if realizing what he’s doing, the child takes a step back. He almost seems embarrassed. It makes Liu Jin regret speaking up.

“You have a nest on your head,” the child says as if just now noticing it.

“That I do.”

The kid keeps staring at Liu Jin. His face does not show any trace of humor but merely pure curiosity.

“Thank you,” He says before vanishing with a movement technique, leaving Liu Jin and his bird alone.