"Ngh.. someone.. someone.."
Midnight. Shen Yufeng rose with agonizing slowness, his forehead resting heavily in his palm, skin slick with cold sweat.
The chamber was stark. A plain wooden desk sat by the window, brush and ink aligned with military precision, the scent of burning incense still thick in the air.
A landscape painting hung on the eastern wall, its signature left blank.
A wooden sword rack sat in the corner, empty.
A maidservant, who had kept a silent vigil through the night, rose. She moved to the brass washbasin, soaked a cloth, and wrung it tight.
Crouching beside him to dab the sweat from his neck, she murmured, "Young Master, did the nightmares return?"
Shen Yufeng snatched the cloth from her grip, scrubbing roughly at his own face.
Lowering the rag, his right hand clamped onto the hilt of the sword resting by his bed. His voice was frail but sharp. "Go. Alert the Steward. Have the guards search the grounds! Inside and out, leave no stone unturned!"
"Yes, my lord." The maidservant bowed her head and scrambled out of the chamber.
Before long, the clamor of boots and shouted orders shattered the night.
"You lot.. secure the eastern courtyard! Do not break formation!"
"The rest of you, sweep the perimeter! Check every shadow in the streets!"
Listening to the martial commotion outside, Shen Yufeng’s ragged breathing slowly leveled out.
He pushed himself upright and crossed the room, pulling a suit of silver, beast-patterned armor from its stand and strapping it on over his sleepwear.
Right on cue, the Steward pushed through the doors. Seeing Shen Yufeng fully armored, lines of worry etched deeper into his aged face. "Young Master, please, force yourself to rest. You have been tormented like this for half a month without reprieve."
"At such a critical juncture, your body cannot endure this exhaustion. The Master and Madam are deeply concerned."
Shen Yufeng ignored him, gripping his sword as he strode toward the threshold. "Two days ago, I asked Father to requisition the archives from the Disaster Phenomenon Chart Bureau. They should be in his study. Bring them to my quarters immediately, and order the guards to execute anyone who interrupts me!"
"Young Master, intruding upon the Master's study at this hour.."
"I gave you an order! I will explain myself to him at dawn!"
..
Four hours later, the sky bled a pale grey.
Within the study, Shen Yufeng remained hunched over his desk, eyes buried in the scrolls.
Dossiers, ancient records, and sprawling maps suffocated the massive oak table.
From time to time, he snatched up a brush, slashing ink across a blank ledger.
The suffocating silence broke only when the Steward's voice echoed through the door.
"Young Master, the Master and Madam summon you to break your fast."
"Understood."
Shen Yufeng exhaled a heavy sigh. He set the brush aside, stacked the chaotic pile of reports, pinched out the oil lamp, and marched toward the main hall.
..
"Father, Mother." Shen Yufeng bowed his head, taking his seat at the long table under the bewildered stares of his younger siblings.
Shen Yuan wore a faded, threadbare robe, the collar meticulously buttoned. In the morning light, the brutal scar tearing across his face seemed somewhat muted.
He said nothing. He simply lifted his porcelain bowl, sipping his congee with slow, measured breaths. The rhythmic clink of his chopsticks against the ceramic was the only sound in the room.
A suffocating aura of oppression hung over the family meal.
The younger children swallowed their words, keeping their eyes glued to their plates.
As the servants stepped forward to clear the empty dishes, Shen Yuan finally locked eyes with his eldest son. "Leave the table. The rest of you, depart and attend to your duties."
As the patriarch, his word was absolute law.
Within moments, only father and son remained.
Shen Yuan lifted a fresh cup of tea, letting the steam curl past his scarred cheek. "The nightmares again. What did you see this time?"
"The same," Shen Yufeng sighed. "Father, these are no mere illusions. They are a waking reality. The entire realm drowned in a tide of demonic rot. And that man.. this time, I saw his face clearly."
"What manner of man?"
"Striking and masculine, built like a veteran warrior. His garments lacked any noble refinement, yet his martial aura was terrifyingly profound. Furthermore, his hair was sheared short to the scalp. And.. a voice whispered to me. It promised he would come to our aid."
Shen Yufeng leaned forward. "Father, I spent the morning studying the Disaster Phenomenon Chart Bureau's archives. The Demon Spring has spewed its filth for five centuries without fail. Yet, over the last few decades, the eruptions have grown pitifully weak. In my youth, I would have celebrated this."
"But since these visions began, a cold dread has seized me. Our guards have torn the estate apart for weeks—perhaps there is no Suzai poisoning my mind at all. How could a harbinger of doom dare to infiltrate the Zhenguo Estate, right beneath the Emperor's nose? Father, what if the Demon Spring is merely gorging itself beneath the earth? Is our world truly counting its final days?"
"Hold your tongue!" Shen Yuan slammed his palm against the table, the timber groaning under his might. He leaned in, his face a mask of fury. "The Emperor himself ordered you to garrison Jiuzhao City. Has cowardice taken root in your heart? Do you fear death?"
"I do not fear death! But these omens gnaw at my soul, and I refuse to march blindly!" Shen Yufeng held his ground, his gaze burning into his father's.
Shen Yuan slowly leaned back. The fury bled from his eyes, replaced by a grim, weary satisfaction.
"The truth is.." Shen Yuan began, his voice softening. "When I was your age, I believed this realm was already a corpse. The Demon Spring vomited horrors unending. It was a cataclysm beyond mortal defiance. Before I drew my first breath, two of the Five Great Dynasties had already been erased from history. Our Suyuan forged iron pacts with the surviving two, yet we were doing nothing but bleeding to buy time."
"But after your birth, the tides shifted. The rotting slowed. The entire empire now preaches that the Demon Spring has run dry, and for a time, I allowed myself to believe them."
"Even if these anomalies point to a darker truth, I refuse to believe it can grow any worse. This world may be destined for ash, but it will absolutely not burn during your lifetime!"
"My son.." Shen Yuan sighed, the weight of his years pressing down on him. "I raised you. I know the iron in your blood. To reach the rank of a Four-Tattoo master at your age requires relentless courage. I know you do not fear the reaper. But I have watched a thousand brave men break. Until you have waded through true, unadulterated despair, your heart remains untested."
"During your five-year garrison at Jiuzhao City, the Demon Spring will inevitably erupt. It will hurl itself against the Great Wall. You will not only command the slaughter; you must govern the terrified masses! When the blood flows, we shall see if a hero or a coward stands upon those battlements."
"Father, I understand my duty," Shen Yufeng replied, a bitter edge of frustration in his voice. "But we are speaking of these apocalyptic visions."
"It is either the manifestation of your own latent terror, or the venom of a Suzai. There are no other truths." Shen Yuan's tone was icy and pragmatic. "If your courage is true, then a walking disaster has marked you. The Suzai have been multiplying like rats these past few years. It is no shock they have slithered into the capital. The Tanyu Temple and the Xuanjia Army have already redoubled their purges."
"But to what end? What does a Suzai gain by haunting my sleep? My strength remains undiminished." Shen Yufeng furrowed his brow.
"Who can fathom the malice of those blights? Those demonic whores harbor an apocalyptic hatred for the empire. Perhaps your martial aura prevents them from taking your soul, so they settle for eroding your sanity and feeding on your dread."
"The entire nation hunts the Suzai. Jiuzhao City is the absolute linchpin of our defense. It is entirely plausible that these disasters are trying to sabotage our future commander before they migrate north to escape the purges."
"Cast these shadows from your mind. I have bled my entire life to earn the Emperor's trust. Now, he extends that same grace to you. Do not squander it," Shen Yuan declared. "I stood before the throne yesterday. His Majesty, wary of the arduous trek north, has bestowed a Wind Demon Kirin to carry you to your post."
"The beast arrives in two days. Strip away all unnecessary pageantry. When it arrives, you march immediately. We have bled enough time."
"By your command, Father!"