10. The Heir's Entrance

Commander Tong Mu smiled with grim satisfaction as the White Tiger Sect’s members fell into submission. He bound Feng Yin’s hands himself while his soldiers did the same to every fallen opponent.

“Emperor Huang is right, toppling your sect was no great feat. I only had to break you and the rest would obey my word. But… isn’t this too easy? You are far too weak to be an elder of a sect famed for its archers.”

*A short while earlier

Tong Mu had paid his respects to Huang Fu, then hurried back to the palace after his visit to the White Tiger Sect’s headquarters ended in disappointment.

“Well?” Huang Fu had asked.

“As expected, Your Majesty, Feng Yin refused.”

Huang Fu set his teacup down with pressure; the clink sounded sharp. Tong Mu swallowed hard as he watched the Emperor clutch the cup until it cracked.

“Marshal hundreds of soldiers for the attack! Bring three firestones with you! You only need to get in and subdue Feng Yin, then the sect will be yours. If they will not be allies, make them prisoners before that old man acts beyond my control!”

Though Huang Fu had anticipated Feng Yin’s refusal, he had still hoped the elder might consider the offer. With enough incentives, at least Feng Yin should have weighed the proposal. Instead, the man had been either rash… or foolish.

Once Tong Mu left the chamber, Huang Fu grinned thinly and sipped from another cup of tea. 'Feng Yin, you have committed a grave mistake by turning down my offer. Soon I will count the cost: you and every member of the White Tiger Sect will lose their freedom. You will become slaves and rot in prison!' he thought darkly.

***

Feng Yin and the survivors marched in a single column with their hands bound behind them. They were paraded toward the palace as rebels.

As the procession passed through the settlements, crowds gathered to watch. People stood along the road whispering as the battered warriors of the White Tiger Sect shuffled by, torn garments, blood and grime staining their forms.

“Look at them, pathetic!”

“That’s what happens when you defy Emperor Huang. I heard one of their elders was arrogant, refusing the Emperor’s goodwill.”

“Good thing my son didn’t join that sect. Otherwise… I can’t imagine him treated like that.”

Amid the jeers, muffled sobs rose from the women, mothers and sisters of the captured sect members. They knew well the punishments that awaited so-called rebels: imprisonment and worse tortures.

“Up!” a soldier barked, kicking a fallen prisoner. “Worthless weaklings! Get up or I’ll kill you!” He continued to beat the man as he spat curses.

A few meters ahead, Xiu Zhangjian narrowed his eyes at the brutal treatment of the Quzhou soldiers. His fists clenched until his nails bit into his palms. When he tried to move forward to help the beaten man, Brother Li Min gave a slight shake of his head to stop him. Zhangjian forced himself to look away, feigning ignorance of the cruelty.

The prisoners marched on without rest. While the soldiers could drink when thirsty, the captives could only swallow their dry mouths. Finally, the procession reached the capital of Quzhou.

“Open the gates!” Commander Tong Mu ordered.

When the great golden-dragon-carved gate swung open, officials stood waiting, smiling broadly as Feng Yin and the others were led into the palace as criminals.

“He has arrived!” an eunuch announced, proclaiming the Emperor’s presence in the main courtyard.

At that sound, every bowed head in the procession stiffened, Xiu Zhangjian jerked his chin up. His eyes found the tall, powerful figure wearing a crown. The last time Zhangjian had seen him was ten years ago, when Feng Yin had presented two corpses to that man.

“We pay homage to Your Majesty,” Commander Tong Mu and his soldiers intoned, falling to their knees. Huang Fu, however, frowned; something in the sight displeased him. Tong Mu noticed and moved quickly toward the prisoners. “Hurry, bow to His Majesty!” he snapped at Feng Yin, who stood at the front of the line.

Tong Mu’s command did not budge Feng Yin. The old man narrowed his eyes and maintained his rigid posture, refusing to abase himself. Tong Mu’s face went pale with embarrassment in front of the Emperor.

“Very well, since you force me!”

“Ah!” Feng Yin pitched forward as Tong Mu’s boot slammed into the old man’s back.

“You—”

“Silence, or I will truly decapitate this bastard!” Tong Mu cut off Brother Li Min’s protest and snarled, “What are you waiting for? All of you, prostrate yourselves!”

At the sight of a blade pressing against Feng Yin’s throat, the White Tiger Sect members had no choice but to obey. They dropped to their knees until their foreheads struck the ground. If a soldier saw even the smallest inch of space, he drove his boot down hard, forcing heads further into the earth. Xiu Zhangjian felt a soldier’s foot crush the side of his face into the dirt, yet he strained to keep his gaze fixed on Huang Fu.

'Smile while you can,' he thought bitterly. 'Once you sought me. Now I come willingly. You had no right to open your gate for the Heir.'