Interlude: The House

~~~

How many years has it been?

Three? Four? Liu Jin is not quite sure. The older he grows, the harder it becomes to keep track of time. Sometimes, the years feel like months. Sometimes, the months feel like years.

Sometimes, it feels like no time has passed at all.

“Are you sure you wish to do this, Your Majesty?” General Nie Dan asks. As if there is even the slightest chance that Liu Jin will change his mind. Not here. Not now.

Not with Eastern Port City right in front of him.

“More than anything, General.” Liu Jin looks back at the man and smiles. “Thank you for bringing me here, but I believe I will do the rest of the trip alone.”

General Nie Dan inclines his head.

“I thought as much,” he says. “I suppose it does not matter. I cannot protect you here.”

Liu Jin wishes he could contradict the general, but any attempt would be a lie. They can both feel the large presence that looms over all. Mighty as the Heavenly General is, he cannot hope to compete with someone in the Ninth Level of the Emperor Realm. It is already enough that General Nie Dan trusted him enough to bring him here despite knowing the risks.

Giving the man one last nod, Liu Jin goes on ahead.

Eastern Port City is waiting.

The image of the city has been a constant companion to Liu Jin. Every time he dives into his soul, he sees it in never-ending flames. According to the notes Old Jiang left him, that is a sign of how deeply its destruction scarred him. Liu Jin thought that would mean the real Eastern Port City would hold no surprises for him.

He was wrong.

Unlike the one in the depths of his soul, the fires of the real Eastern Port City have long since faded. Liu Jin walks through the narrow streets and sees nothing but desolation. The earth is blackened in the spots where Murong Bang’s fireballs struck, the aftermath of the attack not allowing even plants to grow where his power touched the earth. The buildings that did not burn down during that terrible night have fallen prey to time. Dust and ashes have settled over everything, painting the city brown and gray.

Everything is quiet. Everything is ruined.

The houses of the patients he used to visit. The streets where he used to walk. Liu Jin thought he’d recognize them, but he doesn’t. Is his house nearby? Was it perhaps a little more to the west? He couldn’t have forgotten that, right?

Liu Jin walks through his old home and feels like a stranger.

Familiarity only starts to set in once he gets nearer to the center of the city. The arena, what remains of it, is distinctive enough. It is where he fought in his first tournament and met Song Daiyu. The memory feels bittersweet now.

The Xiao Sect’s compound comes next.

Even broken and burnt down, it is unmistakable. Once upon a time, it had been the seat of the most powerful sect in the city. Now, it is nothing but a husk. Liu Jin walks through the old training grounds that used to be full of disciples and can only be grateful that there are no corpses. Most likely, they were all cleared out and buried before Murong Bang’s army sold those who survived as slaves.

Anger brews inside Liu Jin, but there is no one for him to direct it at. Murong Bang is dead. His army is broken.

Their deeds cannot be undone.

Liu Jin breathes. There is no time for thoughts like this. Getting angry is not what he came here for.

She is waiting.

Liu Jin’s steps take him deeper into the Xiao Sect’s compound. There is a small house there. The windows are broken, and vines have climbed over the walls and roof. However, it is still standing.

Liu Jin enters.

He sees her.

“Xiao Shuang,” he says, breathless.

After so long, she is right in front of him. Xiao Shuang is a vision of blue and white in a world of dull brown and gray. She looks so out of place in the ruins of their former house that Liu Jin can almost believe this is a dream.

“Husband!” The moment Xiao Shuang lays eyes on him, she immediately turns away. Her face is covered by a veil, but that does not stop him from detecting what is wrong.

“You have been crying,” he says.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

“I… no… this is…” Xiao Shuang tries to shield her face further but realizes the futility of it. “Forgive me. This is unseemly.”

Ah…

How foolish of him not to warn her ahead of time.

Xiao Shuang was not here during that terrible night. While she already knew the fate that befell their city, that is not the same as seeing the devastation first-hand. Mere words cannot convey the magnitude of the tragedy.

She has come home for the first time in years and found it ravaged by savages.

“I already knew it was like this,” Xiao Shuang says softly, looking down at the ruined floor. “I read your letter, and yet… I…”

“There is nothing unseemly about grief,” Liu Jin says. He moves closer to her and raises his arm, hesitating only for a moment before putting it on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. As he does, his eyes take in what Xiao Shuang has already seen.

There is nothing here. All of it has been taken.