Back within the grounds of her clan, Liu Mei saw servants calmly sweeping the courtyard and terraces.
A few young members of the clan who had not gone to watch the matches in the arena were training or simply enjoying the sunlight, meditating or merely wandering around.
Some children were running, playing games together.
The peaceful atmosphere contrasted deeply with her state of mind.
The children's smiles, the calm demeanor of the older members, everything she trained and fought for was about to disappear.
"Young Mistress? Are you all right?"
Noticing the sweat and panic in Liu Mei's eyes, a few maids approached her. But just as she was about to answer, Liu Bo, one of the clan's four elders, arrived first and led her farther away.
"The Patriarch has already explained the situation to me." Taking out a manual hidden beneath his clothes, he handed it to Liu Mei without waiting for her response. "You must keep this with you. It is the key."
With the book in her hands, Liu Mei did not understand. The visibly ancient book was the manual they had found in the beastmen's territory. "What is it?"
Continuing to walk, Liu Bo shook his head. "I still haven't managed to completely decipher the manual. But if the Empire has decided to exterminate us in order to obtain it… then it must be important."
Pushing Liu Mei forward, Liu Bo led her toward a hall where several members of the Liu Clan were preparing themselves.
It was an enormous hall, originally intended for banquets and celebrations. Now, the tables had been overturned to make room, while people hurried from one side to the other to organize their belongings.
"Liu Mei, you will leave with me. We will be the most important group. The others will depart in small groups in every direction to maximize our chances of survival. As long as one of us manages to rebuild a safe place, the clan will endure."
Regaining her senses, she went toward her group to prepare. For greater security, no one knew where the other groups intended to go.
Approaching her group, she saw her younger brother, Liu Jie, organizing and helping the children pack their bags.
The children were trembling, and some were crying. No one knew the reason. They had only been told to flee and that they might never see their families again.
Only the clan's elite and their descendants had been informed and told to escape, leaving the rest of the clan behind, unaware of what was about to happen.
"Little brother!"
"Big sister!"
Holding each other in their arms, Liu Mei and Liu Jie could see the fear and panic in one another's eyes.
"Do you know where we're going?" Liu Mei asked as she joined her younger brother in helping the younger children.
"Not at all. Elder Bo is so busy securing and distributing the clan's possessions among each group to preserve our inheritance that we still haven't organized our destination," Liu Jie replied hurriedly.
"And the other elders? Grandfather? What are they doing?"
"I don't know. I was only warned to flee a few minutes ago. I don't know any more than you do…"
While the hall sank into noise and crying, at the highest point of the Liu Clan's tower, four old men sat calmly cross-legged.
With their eyes closed beneath the afternoon sun, each of them held a blade resting quietly across their legs.
At the center, Liu Zhen, Patriarch of the Liu Clan, was like a tiger ready to pounce upon its prey, waiting for his moment.
The three other elders sat calmly at his sides, also prepared for their final battles.
At the bottom of the tower, more than four hundred cultivators of the Liu Clan at the Muscle Purification stage were also waiting for their battles.
If the Liu Clan had to disappear, then it would do so with its head held high.
…
Over at the arena, Akeno was resting after his fight against the other swordsman. But just as he was about to take a nap, Wang Tao rushed toward him, looking confused.
"Akeno, you haven't happened to see Liu Yan, have you?"
Smiling, Akeno did not hesitate to tease his friend. "And here I thought you were coming to congratulate me on my victory. I feel hurt, betrayed by my best friend. So in the end, our friendship comes after girls?"
"Oh, shut up… She was supposed to enter the arena for the next fight, but she never showed up. I think it's strange," Wang Tao replied.
"Damn stalker," Akeno murmured quietly enough that Wang Tao would not hear him.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing," Akeno hurriedly said with a smile. "But as for Liu Yan, I have no idea. Maybe she withdrew… How do you expect me to know? It's not like I have many friends here."
Pacing around Akeno, Wang Tao was clearly dissatisfied with his answer, but what could he do? Not much.
At the side, Akeno was beginning to grow tired of not being able to rest peacefully. "Fine, you win. Stop pacing like that, it's irritating. Why don't you just go ask her friends…"
"Because I don't have the balls," Wang Tao replied with an entirely serious expression.
Surprised, Akeno nodded. "At least that has the merit of being clear…"
Leaving the arena's resting rooms, they headed toward the competitors' waiting hall. "In an hour or two, it should be Liu Jie's turn. You can ask him. I imagine that since he belongs to the same clan, he should know…"
"Don't you want to ask him instead?" Wang Tao asked, somewhat nervously.
Looking his friend up and down, Akeno nodded. "Your courage is equal to the love your parents have for you."
"I was abandoned at birth," Wang Tao retorted.
"That's what I said," Akeno replied.
After several minutes of silence, the two continued bickering while waiting for Liu Jie's fight.
But when an organizer came into the hall to call for Liu Jie, he too was absent, causing him to lose by forfeit.
"Now that's strange," Akeno said.
Leaving the room to look toward the stands, his gaze passed over the upper seats where the great clans of Glory City were gathered, and he noticed that the area reserved for the Liu Clan was empty. "Wang Tao."
"Yes?"
Keeping his eyes on the Liu Clan's empty seats, Akeno asked a simple question. "How do you explain that?"
Wang Tao followed his gaze. "Maybe they left early?" he suggested, without much conviction.
Akeno did not answer immediately. His gaze slowly moved upward… toward the highest stands.
Toward the man in white armor.
Still motionless. Still watching.
"No…" Akeno murmured. "I don't think we should expect to see them again anytime soon."
Then, shifting his gaze toward the other clans in the upper stands, he could see their eyes moving between the Order's guard and the Liu Clan's empty seats. They had noticed as well, but no one dared move from their seat.
"I don't have any more matches today. We should return to our lodgings," Akeno said with great seriousness.
"Yes… You're probably right," Wang Tao chuckled as he followed Akeno.
While the matches continued peacefully, Glory City was like an anthill in full activity. The mayor had ordered a complete ban on anyone leaving the city.
The guards, who had previously been required to show respect toward the various members of the city's great clans, now acted with an authority that exceeded them.
Some merchants and other young masters from prestigious clans had attempted to pass through, only to be arrested and beaten without the slightest restraint.
Every soldier had been called to their post. The number of troops stationed on the walls and at the city's various exits had increased more than fivefold compared to normal.
No one could leave anymore.
And as night slowly fell over the city.
A man, the guard of the Order of the Shining Heavens, calmly walked through the air above the Liu Clan's estate. A vast amount of Qi escaped from him, making his silhouette and armor appear even more radiant.
In his hands, he held a scroll of immaculate white, sealed with a golden emblem representing the Imperial Seal.
His gaze swept across the Liu Clan's estate one last time.
Then, without the slightest emotion, he slowly unfolded the scroll.
His voice, carried by Qi, immediately echoed out. Imposing. Inevitable.
"By decree of His Majesty, the Emperor of the Holy Spirit."
The wind seemed to stop. Every sound froze. All of Glory City could hear his voice.
"The Liu Clan is found guilty of concealing a forbidden artifact connected to external heretical forces."
Below, some cultivators gritted their teeth. Others closed their eyes.
"Following an investigation by the Order of the Shining Heavens…"
The guard's gaze grew colder.
"The facts have been confirmed."
A heavy silence fell across the entire estate.
"Consequently…"
His voice dropped another tone.
"The Liu Clan is declared an enemy of the Empire."
Inside the tower, Liu Zhen opened his eyes. His aura slowly rose.
"All of its members shall be executed."
"Without exception."
The scroll closed with a faint sound.
The guard slowly raised his hand.
His Qi exploded.
"Immediate execution."
ILLUSTRATION