[Editor: Ajax Flameborn, Rain, Author]

Lu Shao and De Zhou found him on his hands and knees, vomiting and sweating out the poison. Everywhere the black liquid touched, it left scorching holes through the wood floor and down into the ground below. His clothes, the ground, everything was destroyed and stank. Even his halberd was in a pitiful state.

The two younger brothers found buckets and poured water on top of him, crudely washing away the last vestiges of the poison clinging to his body. This was not the best method but they didn’t dare move him for fear of contacting the poison or spreading it unintentionally. It was almost an hour before he expelled all of it out of his system, leaving him weak and exhausted.

“Here, Big Bro.”

De Zhou found a thick blanket and covered Shan Hui with it.

“De Zhou? Is that you?”

“Yes?”

Shan Hui stared at him in a daze for a moment. De Zhou had been twelve when he’d last seen him. Now he was tall like all his other siblings. The vestiges of his “baby fat” had completely disappeared. There was still some ganglyness in his limbs, indicating he hadn’t quite reached adulthood yet.

What was standing before him was a young man, somewhere between 16-18 years old. Definitely a far cry from a twelve year old.

He rubbed his forehead in astonishment and asked, “How long have I been asleep?”

“About four years.” Lu Shao looked at him with raised eyebrows, “Did no one explain to you back home?”

“No one had the time with what was going on outside.” Shan Hui decided he didn’t want to explain himself and smoothly lied, then stared at De Zhou. “You are…. sixteen now?”

“Seventeen. I had my birthday last week.” He puffed up his chest.

Shan Hui squinted at him in surprise and then shook his head.

“It’s a pity.”

De Zhou looked confused, “A pity?”

“You grew up to look like the Old Man.”

“...”

Lu Shao burst out laughing at De Zhou's awkward expression, which was filled with annoyance and exasperation. This, in turn, caused De Zhou to push him angrily. Lu Shao had been sitting and fell over at being pushed. He grabbed his younger sibling’s leg and yanked in retaliation, causing De Zhou to fall over in a splendid heap.

Despite having suffered from poisoning for over an hour, Shan Hui felt warm at watching their antics. Usually there was a low-level irritation he felt at the presence of his siblings. He had to suppress his desire to chase them away thanks to that. Not only because his Mother didn’t want him chasing them away but because he also… he also loved them. In his own way. He didn’t want to hate them or be hated.

Today the irritation that haunted him wasn’t there and all that was left was his genuine care for his little siblings. There was a flash of shock when he realized something had fundamentally changed within him, but he didn’t have the time to dwell on the difference. More pressing matters needed to be dealt with.

He cleared his throat and interrupted, “Knock it off you two, we’ve more important matters to discuss.”

They both instantly arranged themselves into a proper seating position.

“As you can guess, I encountered someone from the Devil Sect.” He paused, “It’s either a rank 2 or 3 Demon.”

Lu Shao let out an audible hiss while De Zhou's whole body tightened.

“You’re sure?” Lu Shao asked anxiously.

Shan Hui continued, “Anything below a 3rd Rank I would notice at a glance.”

Lu Shao let out a heavy sigh, “Then that explains the events over the last few years.”

“Events?”

Lu Shao summarized the last four years with De Zhou adding a few details here and there.

“Shu Fu Jing is really our Uncle?” Shan Hui couldn’t help asking. The information he’d gotten back just prior to blacking out had not been detailed. He only knew something had upset the Old Man...

“Really. Married to Auntie and everything.”

“...eh… I must meet this man…” Shan Hui muttered and then said aloud, “It seems to me that the Devil Sect is just playing around, not taking us seriously at all.”

“Playing around?” De Zhou furrowed his brow, “But they’ve killed so many—”

“Naive. They have never cared about the weak. It is bad enough in Jianghu, but here in Dalu… ordinary people won’t enter their eyes. They are on the same level as bugs. Just as you’d feel no guilt for stomping on a bug or pulling out its legs, they feel no guilt for destroying common people.”

De Zhou shoulders slumped slightly. He knew the Devil Sect was vicious, but to be like this… to murder so many innocent people just for the fun of it…

“That Demon said she’d been ordered to retreat. Making me even more sure this is just a game to them. Otherwise this city wouldn’t have been let off so easily, the corruption would have been much worse...” He ground his teeth angrily, “It was that damn Devil again, I’m sure of it. He’s probably watching even now, laughing at us for not catching one of his own. I swear when I get my hands on him—”

Lu Shao shifted where he was seated, as if uncomfortable.

“You think the Devil is directly involved?”

De Zhou couldn’t help adding, “Yeah, couldn’t it be the Dragon Head instead?”

From what they’d gathered over the years, the Devil Sect’s leader was called the Dragon Head. They made a deal or had a pact with a Devil. The details of the relationship were tightly guarded. All anyone knew was the Dragon Head was one of— if not the most— powerful cultivator in the Evil Faction.

“The Dragon Head is too vicious and he hates my guts,” Shan Hui chuckled maliciously. “If he wanted to come after me, he wouldn’t play around like this. In fact, based on his character, he should have come after me a long time ago. But he never did… why do you think that is, Ninth?”

“Eh? You’re asking me?”

“I’m asking you.”

De Zhou scratched his head in thought and then finally answered, “Dalu is not good for cultivation. Lanhua repulses evil. Even if he came over, he couldn’t do anything directly…?”

Shan Hui shook his head, “That’s not it. Indirect suffering would have made him just as happy. I have many indirect weaknesses…”

De Zhou saw Shan Hui’s gaze flicker between himself and Lu Shao. He felt a strange mix of gratification and shame, knowing that Shan Hui valued them so much they could be counted as his weakness.

“There is only one person who restrains the Dragon Head, and that is the Devil. And even if the Devil Sect lacks virtues and ethics in every other area, to the Devil’s Word they will always be loyal. Loyal and disciplined and highly obedient… ah, the only time they’re a true pain to deal with is if they’re under direct orders from the Devil.” Shan Hui rubbed his temples, irritated just thinking about it. Then he turned to De Zhou and continued: “Demons are the worst of the Devil Sect. They are impossible to find because, unlike the lower ranks, they don’t make it obvious what Sect they're associated with or how powerful they are… they hide their auras… even their moral stink… quite impressive really…” Shan Hui's voice went low near the end and grimaced.

“Often they pretend to be people in the Righteous or Neutral Factions… they will even save people and act generous, all the while being vile in the dark.” He gave De Zhou an intense stare, “Remember: a Demon’s greatest strength is always deception. Don’t be fooled by them. Underneath every gentle word, every rational argument, they’re trying to tear everyone down and apart. Sometimes the only way I’ve known a Demon is nearby is because of all the dissention they’ve caused.”

De Zhou hadn’t been lectured by his Big Bro in years. He felt moved and almost got teary eyed.

“Thank you Big Bro. I’ll take that information to heart.”

“Good.” Shan Hui turned to Lu Shao, “Where are all the other little brothers?”

Lu Shao, who hadn’t been little for a long time, coughed slightly, “Our other brothers are dealing with the clean up. Many of the monsters had been human. They are separating them from the animals to give them a proper burial and also dealing with the surviving towns and cities and talking to the army… De Tongran and Uncle is at this city's entrance even as we speak, taking to the soldiers and local law enforcement.”

“Then,” Shan Hui stood up, “I might as well see this Uncle and then see Mother. I won’t be able to find that Demon now anyway. They’re going to be long gone from this place…”

He took a few steps but Lu Shao grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

“Big Bro…”

“What?”

Lu Shao looked at his brother's tattered outfit, which was barely holding on, and pleaded, “Let me get you some clothes first, you’re an absolute disaster right now.”

———

“No matter how upset you get, it doesn’t change the fact that the Princes of the Lanhua have an unilateral right to judge and execute as we see fit.”

De Tongran was currently arguing with a small mob of elders, high ranking officials, and leaders within the city.

“He killed the heir of the Tang family!” One of the elderly men recounted bitterly. “That was their only son! Their family line has been cut off!”

“Tang? Who are the Tangs to this prince!?” De Tongran glared. “And don’t pretend as if this Tang Heir was some virtuous young man. Look this prince in the eye and say his reputation is above board.”

The elderly man looked shocked. He didn’t dare lie. Everyone knew Lanhua Princes could tell when people lied.

“How many times must this prince say?” De Tongran was frustrated with how obtuse these people were being, “The First Prince will not kill a person for no reason. He is ruthless, but he is not cruel. Those that died had done some great evil.”

“Then what about the Young Miss from the Song family? She wasn’t even seventeen!” Someone else brought up angrily. “The family doesn’t even have anything to bury now, the wind blew away the ash!”

“Consider the First Prince doing all the respectable families in the city a favor then. If that Young Miss had married into their homes, likely they’d have found a dead body in the pond within a week!” He smacked his hand on the arm of the chair in annoyance, the wood split at the impact but the crowd was too busy arguing to notice.

The fact that no one noted the sound of wood splitting really left De Tongran mute in his heart. These people had faces so thick it blocked their ears and eyes!

“The Young Miss was a virtuous young lady, not like that Tang Heir!” Another objected loudly. This statement got a mixed response, apparently some disliking him for slandering the Tangs and others appreciating his honesty.

De Tongran internally groaned. Local politics were so aggravating. It was all family feuds going back generations and power plays over pittance. They mercilessly treated their own family members like chess pieces to gain prestige while acting like it was all for the greater good of ‘the clan’. They were outwardly virtuous, while being inwardly mean spirited and arrogant. To an outsider like him, they were all petty, small minded people arguing over an anthill.

Usually there were at least one or two leading families that remained respectable. Usually these would be the families De Tongran would work with, gaining reliable knowledge of the political landscape and avoiding pitfalls. Before he left, he would help stabilize their power and make them the official contact to Lanhua. In this way, a good family would gain greater influence and the common people’s lives would improve through better leadership.

But this time there were no respectable families. Not a single leader here was trustworthy. Their souls were all equally murky and morally ambiguous. They had done questionable things but not to the point of being a lost cause. These kinds of people were vexing to deal with because they weren’t worth killing but they also weren’t worth dealing with either.

At times like this, he envied his Big Bro’s apathy towards most of humanity. Shan Hui wouldn’t give these people any face, going so far as to tear them off and trample them into the dirt. And none of these men would dare argue with him, no matter how infuriated they were in their hearts. They’d be too scared to talk back. Because they knew if they dared, they’d die. He didn’t care about them and because he didn’t care he could do as he liked.

De Tongran wasn’t ruthless enough to be that way. Fundamentally he liked people and found them interesting. Even though these men weren’t worthy of his respect, that didn’t mean everyone in their family was the same. It didn’t mean that this city was a lost cause. So, even though he didn’t like them, he wouldn’t slaughter them or talk to them in a way that stripped them of all their face.

Though he sometimes envied Big Bro’s cavalier attitude, De Tongran really wished this older brother of his would think through his actions a bit more... The city had been thrown into a huge panic because of Shan Hui. The prefects called the military to deal with the situation. The military was forced into running around trying to figure out what was going on while also trying to defend the exterior city from possible undead attacks.

Not to mention that once people realized the killing had stopped, they’d all got worked into a mad froth, turning into roaming mobs that destroyed everything around them. Considering how afraid most of the population had been at first, De Tongran suspected there was foul play involved. Usually when Shan Hui went on a rampage, people ran away from him but in this case they were actually hunting him down and trying to pick a fight with him.

He didn’t know if the people here were brave or stupid….

That’s what he and his Uncle had walked into and had to sort out.

De Tongran was tired.

He’d spent all day chasing after, and being chased by, undead. He just wanted to take a nap at this point. But he was forced into this all because the only other brother nearby with diplomacy skills, Fourth Brother, had dumped it on him.

That guy was so much more powerful, hadn’t even broken out into a sweat, still looking so glamorous after dealing with those corpses, but he ran away and left him to deal with this. He, the poor eighth son, who barely had any cultivation compared to Fourth, only just a little stronger than the average man. This kind of treatment was really unfair… it was abusing the authority of older siblings, ah!

While he was contemplating how to get revenge on Lu Shao, Shu Fu Jing had come through the door. He didn’t knock, nor did he bother with introductions. Usually such a lack of courtesy would have caused several people here to kick up a fuss, but Uncle Fu held an indomitable air about him that suppressed dissent. Therefore, they only stared at him indignantly.

Walking up to De Tongran, he cupped his hands and bowed his head without saying a word. De Tongran understood his Uncle Fu was being respectful of his status in front of outsiders and was heartily grateful. At least someone, unlike a certain fourth brother, cared about him!

He waved his hand. “Speak General Fu.”

At the name “General Fu” all the leaders and elders stiffened. They hadn’t realized General Fu was in the city. Rumors had been going around that this man could make people fall to their knees with just a glance.

“Eighth Prince, this one has organized the soldiers and prefects to disperse the mobs and assure the citizens of their safety. However, there are some families that refuse to leave and are demanding justice for their killed kin.”

De Tongran grimaced. What justice? They didn’t want justice, they wanted compensation! Though De Tongran was privy to the details of this particular city, he had a decent understanding of the surrounding areas culture.

Waving to the chair near him, De Tongran said, “Sit with me.”

There happened to be someone sitting there already. He opened his mouth to object at getting kicked out of his seat, when General Fu turned to him and said, “Move.”

There was nothing particularly special about how he said the word “move” but the man who was spoken to felt an intense pressure suddenly descended upon him. His whole body trembled and he broke out in a sweat all over. His instincts cried out that he was in imminent danger. Whatever he’d meant to say was immediately forgotten. He almost lept off the chair, as if his pants were on fire, and got as far away from the General as possible, too scared to care about being humiliated.

The other men saw this reaction and felt their hearts shake. They faintly felt that pressure too and it made them shift in their seats uncomfortably. If it had been directly aimed at them...

Their initial snobbery and condensation disappeared.

After sitting down, General Fu looked at the people around him coldly. They all instinctively shrank into their chairs.

De Tongran mentally cheered for his Uncle. This intimidation technique was really impressive and he’d been trying to imitate it the last few years but had thus far had not succeeded. Considering his Uncle’s age and experience, he knew it wasn’t a skill that could be mastered quickly so he was patient with himself. But really, it was amazing to watch Uncle Fu put everyone in their place with just a word or a look.

General Fu stopped staring at the group and turned to his nephew, asking, “Have these lowly peasants been cooperating with the Eighth Prince?”

“Mmm…”

De Tongran saw the leaders and elders faces pale noticeably and mentally chuckled.

“Elders, leaders,” De Tongran spoke to them very politely, “do you have any further complaints to give this prince?”

“We wouldn’t dare!” “Never.” “Hahah, Highness jests, what could us lowly ones complain about?” “We are very happy with everything!”

Seeing their fake humility and platitudes, De Tongran pretended to be surprised.

“Ah, is that so? This Prince thought you all were going to make demands—”

“Your Highness, how could we commoners possibly make demands?” The most powerful man there, who had been giving De Tongran the most problems, knew it was his head on the chopping block.

He instantly reassured, “As the Eighth prince already said, Lanhua royalty has all authority. We only need to obey.”

“Then these elders and leaders will deal with the families demanding “justice”?”

“O-of course your Highness!”

“And this Prince won’t be hearing from these elders and leaders weeks from now about compensation for the city’s grievances?”

There was a slight hesitation from the crowd.

“Compensation?” General Fu asked.

“En. General Fu perhaps does not know… but in this area it is common courtesy to monetary compensate families and businesses for the unexpected loss of a family members or workers.”

General Fu’s face turned ugly. “They plan to demand money from the Huang Family?”

“No, no, no—” The spokesman hurriedly intervened, his back soaked from sweating. “We lowly ones wouldn’t do such a thing. It is only a local tradition, that is all. For the Lanhua royal family, of course, such recompense won’t be demanded.”

General Fu turned to the man speaking, his expression black, “Peasant, you speak as though you are doing the Huang Family a favor.”

“No, no, this lowly wouldn’t dare—!”

“Silence!” General Fu cut him off, speaking as if he was breathing flames. His menacing aura was unleashed on those around him. “Does this one need to remind you that Lanhua is above and you are below? Does this one need to say the distance between these mighty Princes and your lowly selves is like that between the sun and the earth? Does this one need to mention that making demands of the Huang Family is courting death?”

Not just the spokesman, but all that were there felt an invisible weight descend on them. It was suffocating, making it so they could barely breathe. Their limbs trembled, some fainting directly while others slid off their chairs in a heap, their eyes rolling into the back of their heads.

“Ah, General Fu, let’s not scare them.” De Tongran played the righteous prince and pretended to save them, “They are loyal subjects, they know their place.”

General Fu cast them a sinister eye as if he didn’t believe, but retracted his aura.

“This prince takes it,” De Tongran lips lifted slightly, “that everyone is now satisfied and would like to return home?”

No one said anything, not because they agreed or disagreed, but because they were busy recovering.

“This prince will take the silence as universal consent!” With that he stood up, put his hands behind his back and left the room at a leisure pace. General Fu waited until De Tongran had passed him before standing as well and leaving.

After they left, they heard several people shouting, either scared or angry, it was hard to tell.

———

Shu Fu Jing exhaled noisily as they left the building and walked onto a deserted street.

“Going around killing people without any kind of trial or even a decree—” He shook his head, finally expressing his real opinion. “Inappropriate.”

Though Fu Jing had been intensely disapproving of what his nephew had done, for the sake of a unified front, he had not objected in public.

“I know, Uncle.” De Tongran responded, looking exasperated. “But who is going to stop him? Only the Old Man is stronger than him and he’s asleep. There’s Mother but… even with Mother… if no one complains to her, she can’t do anything...”

“Then I will complain to her.”

“Eh… would you really complain?” No one seriously complained about Shan Hui because they all knew that was akin to tattling and Shan Hui hated tattlers.

“Of course.” Fu Jing’s eyebrows came together harshly, “Royalty is not just about getting one’s way, it’s also about setting an example. His behavior dishonors his family.”

“Even if you say that…” De Tongran tilted his head and then shrugged, “It might be worth trying. Maybe from an outside perspective…. Well, regardless, good luck convincing Mother to really put her foot down.”

Fu Jing raised his eyebrow.

“Why would I need luck for that? Sister-in-law is a forthright, virtuous person, how could she not understand where her son erred?”

De Tongran laughed. “It’s not that she won’t understand what you’re saying and it’s not that she won’t agree with what you’re saying but, you see, Mother is a big softy.”

Fu Jing frowned slightly, “You think so? I would say she is more frank and honest than soft—”

The younger man lifted up a finger and wagged it, “No, no, you only say that because most of what you’ve seen is her dealing with her royal duties, where she must be firm and put on a strong front. She isn’t naturally like that though. Haven’t you noticed how she is with friends and family?”

He hesitated. “She does dote on you, her sons, but that is common for mothers…”

“Ah, Uncle, Uncle… Mother has a bottom line, but her line is very, very low. Easy to avoid. You know why? Because from a young age she’s had to put up with Uncle Ye and the Old Man. If her bottom line was high, she’d have died from anger already between those two. So as long as we, her sons, don’t touch her bottom line, we can get away with just about anything.”

Fu Jing stared at his nephew in astonishment.

“Are you saying that Sister-in-law has low standards and that’s why your brother, the First Prince, can get away with this kind of behavior?”

“En. Not just First Prince. We’re all like that, even the Old Man.”

Fu Jing was silent for a long moment before saying, “Should you really be telling me this? What if I tell her that her husband and sons are taking advantage of her?”

“What’s so bad about it, ah?” He then teased, “Is there any child who doesn’t know their parent’s weakness and makes every effort to exploit them?”

“Is that a common way of thinking? I thought...” Fu Jing frowned slightly and shook his head, “I don’t know, my parents died when I was young. And my son…” He sighed, a little nostalgic, “...did not try to exploit me, just butt heads with me all the time, ah.”

“Oh.” De Tongran felt guilty for accidentally bringing up such a tragic past. He cleared his throat and tried to push the conversation forward, “Going back to what I originally said: Mother is soft. Though we take advantage, we also protect her from outsiders because we know she is like this. You can get her to scold Big Bro, that’s easy to do. The problem is that Big Bro will feign obedience in front of Mother and then turn around and do whatever he likes behind her back. His ability to rationalize his behavior is godly. The Old Man can’t compete with him. If Mother finds out later, she will forgive him. She always forgives him, as long as he’s not touching her bottom line. And even if he touched her bottom line, she would not love him any less, just be horribly disappointed.”

“So it’s like that.”

“Mm hm.”

“He’s just a spoiled rotten brat with a crown. Tsk.”

De Tongran raised his eyebrows and burst out laughing.

“If he’s spoiled, so are the rest of us.” He wrapped his arm around his Uncle’s shoulder. “Because you are part of the family, you are being spoiled too. You now share the same guilt as the rest of us. But don’t worry, it’s nice to be spoiled, ah! You will soon forget all about the guilt, hehehehe!”

Fu Jing glanced up at his tall, silly nephew and rolled his eyes.

Who wants to be spoiled by their Sister-in-law? There was only one woman he wanted to spoil him.

When he thought that, the light in his eyes dimmed slightly.

~*~

Author’s Note: My long time editor, Rain, passed away. This was the last chapter she worked on. I just wanted to say how much I’ll miss her snarky comments, thoughtful suggestions, and sometimes malicious desire to end a character’s life. She was the life of the party in our group. I can’t express how much I’ll miss her “voice”. We love you Rain, we miss you.

Editor’s Note: I met Rain reading this story over a year ago, we hit it off immediately and eventually both began editing for queeny together. She died of pneumonia because the hospitals refused her entry because of covid, hers was a very unnecessary death. Rain we miss you may you find someone hilarious to pester in your rest.