While waiting for the physician, Emperor Sun’s attention was drawn to the little tiger cub happily munching on pastries at the table.
“Is this your pet, nephew?” he asked, leaning forward in an attempt to pet Yin’er.
“Why does everyone call Yin’er a pet!? Yin’er is Daddy’s daughter, old man!” Yin’er shouted, her voice sharp with indignation as she backed away from the Emperor's outstretched hand.
For a mont, silence hung in the air as everyone processed her outburst. Then Emperor Sun burst into hearty laughter.
“I like this one! Where can I find a little beast like this, nephew?” Sun Quan asked, rocking back and forth in his seat, tears of mirth forming in his eyes.
“As far as I know, Yin’er is one of a kind,” Jin Shu replied, picking up a teacup from the table. “She was born from a normal Winged Tiger but underwent a rare mutation.”
“Well then, when she has cubs, let have one,” Sun Quan said, his laughter subsiding, his tone now entirely serious.
Jin Shu froze mid-sip, nearly choking before spitting out the tea he had just swallowed.
“You’re a weird old man!” Yin’er stomped her paw on the table, her tail thumping against it in frustration.
“Ah, right. Since she calls herself your daughter, I suppose that was an inappropriate thing to ask a father,” Sun Quan remarked, stroking his beard, though he made no effort to retract his request.
Jin Shu opened his mouth to respond, but the doors creaked open, drawing everyone’s attention.
An older man with gray hair and a neatly trimd beard stepped into the room. His calm deanor and the spectacles perched on his nose gave him an air of wisdom.
“Ah, here is the Divine Physician,” Emperor Sun said, gesturing for the man to co forward. “Nephew, this is Dr. Chi. He will accompany you ho and treat your friend. You may keep him for as long as the treatnt requires, but after that, I will need him back.”
“Thank you, Uncle. I am deeply grateful,” Jin Shu said, bowing his head slightly. “Since my friend is in urgent need of treatnt, I would like to leave imdiately. Would that be acceptable, Dr. Chi?”
“I am ready whenever you are, young man,” Dr. Chi replied gently, his voice calm and reassuring.
“Then, if you’ll excuse us, Uncle, we’ll take our leave now.” Jin Shu stood, the anxiety in his movents betraying his eagerness to depart.
“Alright, off with you, then,” Sun Quan said, waving him off casually. He leaned back in his chair, adding with a chuckle, “But rember, my request still stands.”
Jin Shu froze mid-step, glancing back at his uncle with a strained expression. “Your request…? Ah, uh… s-sure,” he stamred before hastily exiting through the side door, followed closely by Dr. Chi.
As the door shut behind them, Sun Quan’s amused expression faded. He turned to the decrepit-looking eunuch who had remained silent and still throughout the exchange. “Old Zhu, what do you make of my nephew?”
The eunuch’s voice, surprisingly youthful despite his frail appearance, responded without hesitation. “He is a brilliant young man. I sensed sothing unusual about his body—he is not following a conventional path of cultivation.”
Sun Quan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And his mother? He lied about her.”
“That much is clear,” Old Zhu said, his tone asured. “As for his cultivation, I could not discern the specifics without examining him directly, but there is a special energy on his skin. It is pure and untainted, so there is no risk of him falling to the Demonic Path.”
The Emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair. “Go on.”
“There is a faint scent of blood clinging to him. He has killed recently—multiple lives, by my guess. But there is sothing else, mingled with the blood. A strange, acrid scent unlike anything I’ve encountered before.”
“Hmm…” Sun Quan leaned back, his fingers steepled as he pondered this information. After a long pause, he shifted his focus. “Once that eunuch delivers the ssage to my eldest son, take care of him.”
“As you command, Your Highness.” Old Zhu took a step back, vanishing from sight in an instant.
Left alone, Sun Quan chuckled softly to himself. “What an interesting nephew. I hope he delivers on my request soon—that little beast was so adorable. She reminds so much of my sister when she was young.”
His smile faltered as an unpleasant mory surfaced. His brow twitched. “No, never mind. Little Sister wasn’t nearly as cute…” He shuddered as the vivid recollection struck him—his ten-year-old sister beating him black and blue when he was sixteen.
“She was—no, is—a monster,” he muttered, rubbing his temples as though to erase the thought.
***
Jin Shu left Dr. Chi to gather his dical instrunts and made his way to Shen Gong’s mansion to collect Li Xue.
Upon arriving, he was greeted by the sight of Li Xue standing beside an enormous pile of luggage. If not for his space earring, he might have had an aneurysm at the sheer scale of the load—stacked taller than the seven-foot-tall mansion walls.
Shortly after Jin Shu’s arrival, Shen Gong erged from the mansion, his expression stern. “Li Xue tells you’re taking her with you?”
“My apologies, General Gong,” Jin Shu replied, his tone calm and respectful. “But I fear my eldest cousin might have unsavory designs for Miss Li if I were to leave her here.”
Shen Gong’s gaze lingered on Jin Shu for a mont before he gave a curt nod. “Hm. Let speak with Li Xue for a mont.”
“Go ahead,” Jin Shu said, stepping aside.
Li Xue followed Shen Gong through the gates, disappearing around a corner of the mansion.
“Shen Gong is scheming,” Nano suddenly warned in Jin Shu’s mind.
Jin Shu’s eyebrows rose in surprise. You noticed that?
“Of course.”
His intentions are pure, he only wants to protect his daughter. So, I'm willing to play along. Jin Shu thought with a slight sigh.
***
Behind the gates, Shen Gong stopped and turned to face Li Xue. His expression softened as he placed a hand on her head.
“This is all I can do for you, child,” he said quietly.
“What do you an?” Li Xue asked, her confusion evident in her wide eyes.
Shen Gong smiled faintly but didn’t elaborate. Instead, he pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect you on my own.”
Li Xue didn’t fully understand his words, but her heart ached at the sadness in his voice. Tears welled up in her eyes as she returned his embrace. “Thank you for raising … Dad.”
Shen Gong’s grip tightened when he heard her call him “Dad” for the first ti. He closed his eyes, savoring the bittersweet mont as tears threatened to escape his own.
***
anwhile, in a luxuriously decorated office, Sun Ming sat behind a desk carved with coiling dragons, listening intently to Er Lu’s report.
“A Divine Physician, and that girl is Shen Gong’s adopted daughter…” Sun Ming mused aloud, his fingers drumming lightly on the desk. He fell silent for a mont before issuing his orders. “Send assassins to kill the physician. Injure my cousin but make sure he survives. As for the girl… don’t kill her.”
Er Lu bowed low before quietly exiting the room, leaving Sun Ming to sift through letters and reports.
Neither the prince nor his eunuch noticed the decrepit old man lurking in the corner, his presence blending seamlessly into the shadows.
***
Er Lu stood in the center of a decrepit shack tucked away in a forgotten corner of the capital. The faint flicker of a lone lantern cast long, wavering shadows against the peeling walls. He shifted nervously, waiting for the assassin he had summoned.
Suddenly, a voice erged from the darkness, low and cold. “A asly assassin at the 7th Stage Qi Realm is nowhere near enough for the Golden Prince.”
The words were followed by a dull thump as sothing rolled across the floor, stopping at Er Lu’s feet. He glanced down—and froze. It was the severed head of his most trusted assassin, lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.
“W-who’s there!?” Er Lu stamred, stumbling backward toward the door.
From the shadows, a figure stepped forward, the flickering lantern light revealing a wrinkled face twisted into a chilling grin. It was Old Zhu, the Emperor’s aged eunuch.
“The Emperor has ordered your death,” Zhu Fu announced, his tone devoid of rcy. “You dared to play with fire. Now, you’ll feel the burn.”
Er Lu’s knees buckled as cold terror gripped him. “Z-Zhu Fu! H-how can this be!?” His voice cracked with panic. If it were anyone else, he might have stood a chance. But not Zhu Fu. He was the Emperor’s hound—a predator who never relented once he caught the scent of blood.
Zhu Fu said nothing more as he began to stalk forward, each step deliberate and soundless.
In desperation, Er Lu turned to flee, but the mont he reached the door, he found Zhu Fu already standing there, blocking his escape.
“P-please, spare !” Er Lu begged, dropping to his knees. “I’ve always been loyal to the Empire!”
A sudden, sharp pain tore through his back, silencing his pleas. Er Lu looked down, his eyes widening in horror. A hand had pierced through his chest, clutching his still-beating heart.
“Don’t worry,” Zhu Fu whispered, his voice almost tender. “I’ve sent far stronger assassins in your place.”
With a sickening crunch, Zhu Fu crushed the heart in his hand. The world around Er Lu darkened as his lifeless body slumped forward, his final thoughts drowned in the silence of death.
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