The night stretched on, the heavens still trembling with the remnants of divine judgment. Long Fei sat alone in his tent, staring at the flickering candlelight. The storm had raged for hours, and even now, distant thunder rolled like the murmurs of a vengeful god.
He usually didn't mind storms, but tonight, each thunderclap felt like mourning a lost brother. His hand tightened into a fist. The memory of delivering Long Yan's head to the Emperor replayed like a ghostly echo—the severed head, the cold satisfaction in the Emperor's gaze, the sickening realization that this had been unavoidable. He had done his duty. But duty did not erase the bitterness that clung to his soul.
A sudden rustling at the entrance of his tent snapped him out of his thoughts.
Ling Yue burst in, grinning as she flicked the tent flap aside, and held up two freshly grilled pieces of meat skewered on her sword. The scent of roasted poultry filled the tent, an oddly comforting contrast to the somber atmosphere.
Another thunderclap made Ling Yue turn and glance over her shoulder. "Hmmph... divine retribution. Serves him right," she muttered.
She dashed to Long Fei. "You look like you've been sitting here brooding for hours," she remarked, plopping across from him and leaning ungracefully against the wooden pillar, her feet crossed. "Good thing I brought you something."
He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Where did you get that?"
Ling Yue took a dramatic bite before answering, her voice muffled. "One of the army's messenger pigeons."
He gave her a deadpan look as she happily munched away.
"Would you like one? I did cook two, just in case you were hungry."
"…The army's messenger pigeons," he repeated.
She nodded casually, taking another bite. "Tastes pretty good. A bit gamey."
He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "Ling Yue, those pigeons are trained to carry military orders. They're not snacks."
"Well, this one wasn't carrying military orders. It was about to fly off, so I figured—"
Before she could finish, she reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small, neatly folded note. "Oh, better yet. Have a read; this was tied to its leg."
Long Fei took the note, unfolding it. His gaze darkened as he read the message: General Zhao has been demoted. The two warriors His Highness brought are now superiors.
He crumpled the paper. There was a mole in his army. These pigeons were trained to return to the palace. Someone other than his father wanted to monitor his every move.
Long Fei placed the note in the oil lamp, watching it light up. He had already reported the ranking order to the Emperor, clearly explaining that General Zhao, a trusted general for years, was defeated and his demotion was justified.
Who else would need to know about the affairs of his army in the palace? Could it be his mother? According to tradition, the Empress was not to be involved with military affairs. Was his father aware? Had she always been this involved?
"So, do you want a bite?" Ling Yue asked.
He waved the offer away.
"If you don't want it, more for me." She shrugged and bit into the second cooked pigeon.
Long Fei let out a sharp breath, pressing his fingers to his brow. "Keep your eye out for a mole. Next time, please don't eat the messenger pigeons. It takes a moon cycle to train one."
"A moon cycle? Pfft! Fine, I won't eat the ones that are actually doing their job. The ones like these are my target practice."
As much as he wanted to hold back his curiosity, he couldn't deny his mother was no longer the person he remembered. She used to be a warm person. Now, every time she appeared, a chill ran down his spine. He needed to know. "General Ling, how did you know my mother?"
"I don't." She picked at her teeth with the tip of her sword.
"The first time I met you, you were horrified when I mentioned her name. I feel the same now. That's revolting." He tossed her a small bamboo toothpick.
"Oh... you mean Zhen Hua?" She shuddered.
His nostrils flared. He didn't like people referring to his mother by her name.
Ling Yue laid down her sword with the bones of the pigeons still skewered. "Are you sure you want to know? You'll be mortified."
"Go ahead."
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you..."
He nodded, chin resting on his knuckles as he leaned towards her.
She took in a deep breath, hands animated as she laid out the truth. "Zhen Hua is the reincarnation of the Phoenix Empress. You're the reincarnation of the Dragon of Air, and Long Yan was the reincarnation of the Dragon of Fire."
She pointed to the sky. "Those thunderstrikes that have been going on for hours? That's divine punishment. The Celestial Emperor found out your brother didn't take the Amnesia Elixir—that's how Long Yan recognized me. You obviously followed the Celestial Law. But the fact that he was lurking around the Imperial Palace? That only means one thing: Zhen Hua didn't take it either. The three of you have millennia of history together."
She paused, and he nodded for her to proceed. "Long Yan poisoned you and Zhen Hua pushed you off the Celestial Realm. She literally pushed you off with her palm." She re-enacted wings flapping and released her palm—her energy blast made a hole through the tent. A cold breeze blew through. Her eyes widened and she mouthed, "Sorry."
He ran a hand down his face, brushing his fingers along his eyes. He gestured for her to continue.
"Fate's biggest blunder was making you her son. Or maybe that's the price she had to pay." She scratched her chin, brows furrowed.
He sat there for a moment, staring at the charred ashes in the oil lamp. That was not what he expected. His mother had been acting strange ever since she first saw him return from the military. Maybe he looked different now, taller and leaner, the baby fat gone. She had the same surprised look as Shui Yi. He shuddered at that thought.
He cleared his throat, "General Ling, I need some time to process this information."
Ling Yue was already fixing the hole she had made in the tent. She gave him a salute and swiftly exited.
The storm outside may have passed, but the real tempest was brewing within the Imperial Palace.