Chapter 343: Empty and Full

~~~

Old Jiang had been a demanding teacher.

Every day meant a new challenge. A different poison to defeat. A different puzzle to solve. His master seemed to derive great joy from Liu Jin’s constant struggles. The only time he showed regret was when he made him undergo the trial of the Nine-Head Snake God at the grand age of nine. Liu Jin is sure that Old Jiang would have waited longer if he had more time to live.

Regardless, harsh as his lessons were, Old Jiang never imposed any obligations on him. He never warned him about misusing his teachings or told him to use them only in specific ways. On the contrary, Old Jiang was very upfront about the fact that Liu Jin could do whatever he wanted with the knowledge passed down to him.

Most likely, Old Jiang did not want what happened to his father to repeat itself. That is why he allowed Liu Jin the freedom to act as he pleased. To that end, he hid much from him. His enemies. His allies. His history. Old Jiang only showed him what he thought was absolutely necessary.

Had Liu Jin ever tried to get him to tell him who poisoned him, Old Jiang would have probably laughed at him and told him not to think about stupid things. Liu Jin knows that.

However…However…

Somewhere out there are the people who murdered his grandfather!

Liu Jin breathes deeply. The Wandering Wind has done what she wanted and left after answering some of his questions. The others are gone as well. He asked them for a moment of privacy to gather himself, and that was no excuse. The Qi around him is dark, heavy, and carries a light scent of death. No matter how much Liu Jin tries to bring it under control, dark thoughts keep bubbling to the surface of his mind. He looks into his soul, and all he sees is a poisonous ocean boiling with wrath.

“Boss, you are going to mess up your face if you frown so much.”

Liu Jin slowly turns away from the pillar he had been glaring a hole into. Su Daji is standing there with her hands behind her back. Her expression is nonchalant, but the thin layer of Qi around her body says much.

“I asked for a moment,” Liu Jin says.

Su Daji gives him a flat look.

“Has leaving you alone with your thoughts ever worked out, boss?” she asks, waving a hand through the air, literally pushing his dark Qi out of the way. The motion makes the divide between the normal air and the one saturated with his Qi clear. “Look, you’re literally darkening the room.”

Liu Jin glares at her in silence for several seconds. The purple-haired girl refuses to budge.

“This is serious.”

“And that’s why I am not leaving you,” Su Daji replies. “The others listened to you because you gave them a lot to think about. You’re good at that, but this Su Daji has entirely too many half-remembered memories to be swayed by something as small as a war between humans and demons. More dangerous than that would be to let you act as that woman wants. You know that’s why she told you, right?”

“I know,” Liu Jin replies.

The Wandering Wind is many things, but subtle is not one of them. She does not care enough to be. From the moment she told him that information, she knew he’d feel compelled to follow it through. Even if he knows she is trying to manipulate him, no amount of reasoning can temper what his soul cries for.

“So?” Su Daji asks, throwing her hands up. “Don’t give her the satisfaction! Annoy her! Spite her! Make her mad! If you’re in doubt, always act in the way that will create more spite, Boss.”

“It’s not that simple,” Liu Jin tells her. “They will come after me regardless. I always knew revealing myself would attract the people who killed my master. I don’t have the option not to deal with them.”

“You’re just lying to yourself,” Su Daji says, crossing her arms. “There is a difference between attention and fixation, and you are about to let this become the latter. From there, it’s a short trip to obsession. He wouldn’t have liked that.”

“What do you know?” Liu Jin asks her in a quiet voice. “As you told me days ago, you are not Su An.”

She flinches. A glimmer of hurt appears in her eyes, but it is gone in an instant, replaced by pure stubbornness.

“Maybe,” she says. “But I do remember things. Maybe not enough, but bits and pieces. She knew him. Not as much as you, obviously, but she liked him well enough. Maybe I don’t remember everything, but I know one thing for certain.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“He loved you,” she says. “Your entire family is awful at showing emotions, but he was always so happy when he was with you. He was so proud. Do you really need me to tell you he wouldn’t want you to be stupid on his account?”

No.

She doesn’t.

His master never wanted him to take up his feuds.

Liu Jin looks away. His vision blurs for a moment before he blinks it away.

“I…I am sorry. I seem to always need you,” Liu Jin says. “I thought I’d grown a little more by now.”

“Hmph, you have grown lots, but that’s exactly why you need more people to give you advice, boss,” Su Daji says. “That’s fine. There are plenty of us here. Now, are you going to stay in this room and brood, or will you come with me and see the others?”

She offers her hand. Liu Jin takes it.

“Others?” he asks before she pulls him out of the empty room.

~~~

“Brother-in-law, how I have missed you!”

Liu Jin is the Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire. None can harm him as long as he is inside the Storm Dragon Palace.

Feng Zhuo’s bear hugs are, quite unfortunately, not a method of harm.

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“Senior Brother,” Liu Jin says as Feng Zhuo lifts him off his feet. He is pretty sure he hears Su Daji snickering a few feet away. “It has not been that long.”

“Not that long? Preposterous! I could swear it has been months!” Feng Zhuo says. “You made us all very worried, you know?”

“I am aware… You can let me go now.”

“Certainly, it was all very impressive,” Feng Zhuo continues as though he had not heard him. Liu Jin knew he would. “I must say your match against Chen Guo was my favorite. It was such a strong clash of Dao.”

“I take some offense to that,” Xiao Shuang says. Lu Mei’s genteel laughter reaches Liu Jin’s ears moments later.

“In particular, I appreciated the moment where-“

“Unhand him already, you fool!” says a new voice. “He’s the leader of a nation. Treat him with the appropriate respect.”

“He’s my brother-in-law,” Feng Zhuo says, but he finally lets Liu Jin go. “Am I not allowed to show love for my family?”

Bai Wen crosses her arms and raises a very unimpressed eyebrow.

“You can show your love without being a nuisance,” she replies.

“This Feng Zhuo? A nuisance?” Feng Zhuo sighs melodramatically and places a hand over his heart. “What a terrible thing to say! What a cold place the Divine Frozen Palace must be!”

Bai Wen’s eyebrow twitches. Feng Zhuo’s smile grows.

Liu Jin senses imminent danger.

“As pleased as I am to see you both here,” Liu Jin hurries to say, “I must admit that I was not expecting you. Not today, at least.”

The look Bai Wen gives him almost makes him take a step back.