Volume Four: Winds Sweep the Scattered Clouds, The Four Continents Sink Chapter Thirteen: The Messenger

The city gate commander drew from his bosom a roll of ochre-yellow imperial decree and shouted loudly to his soldiers, "By order of the Dragon King: Whoever captures the traitor from the An family alive shall be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and the title of Commandant. Whoever brings back his head shall receive a hundred gold coins and be made a Centurion!"

No sooner had he spoken than An Chenyu saw a horde of shrimp and crab soldiers, each brandishing all manner of weapons, charging at him with eyes ablaze with greed. He knew he was now nothing more than fresh meat in their eyes, with everyone eager to claim a share.

The most troublesome part was that the city gate had already begun to close. If he hesitated any longer, he would never make it out. His own life was of little consequence, but the hundred-odd members of the An clan would perish in vain if he fell.

He was filled with unwillingness. Why was it that just as he was about to leave the pass, someone appeared with an imperial decree to surround him? Alas, the Dragon King had long been wary of the An family. An Chenyu blamed himself bitterly for being so reckless, for now he had ruined the plans of both his elder brother and the Lady Consort.

Yet surrender was unthinkable. The An family had always built its name on martial prowess; every son of the clan was a fine general on the battlefield. To think of him as a coward was utter folly.

An Chenyu squared his stance, steeling himself for a life-and-death struggle.

Just as the two sides were on the verge of clashing, a voice rang out from the distance: "By order of the Lady Consort, let An Chenyu pass to the sea at once!"

All eyes turned to see a herald in spiral-shell court robes desperately swimming over, waving a decree in his hand.

The soldiers surrounding An Chenyu looked back to the gate commander. The commander, his face full of disdain, waved his hand and shouted, "The Lady Consort's order is not the Dragon King's command—ignore him! Attack!"

At his word, the troops surged forward, pressing in on An Chenyu.

He had hoped there might be a turn in his fate, but it was clear there was only a dead end. With a furious roar, An Chenyu drew a long blade from his waist, flashing its steel in a whirling arc before him, cutting down two guards in quick succession. With a forward roll, he broke free from the encirclement.

The soldiers, shocked and alarmed, quickly regrouped and moved to surround him again. An Chenyu had no desire to be entangled any longer; he had to escape before the gate closed. Employing sweeping, forceful moves, he cut a bloody path, leaving the sea dyed red with the blood of the fallen.

Meanwhile, the gate commander was ordering two giant clams to desperately fan their shells, trying to clear the water.

Seizing this fleeting opportunity, An Chenyu transformed into a black dragon and squeezed through the narrowing gap beneath the city gate.

No sooner had he broken the surface of the water than he heard the heavy clang of the gate slamming shut behind him. The massive gate took the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn to open or close.

"No one inside will be able to get out for a while," An Chenyu thought.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to set out for the Cloud Palace atop Beilun Isle, a storm of sharp projectiles tore through the air behind him. Instinctively, he leapt, attempting to shift fully into dragon form and escape, but emerging from the water was not as easy as on land—he could not soar away at once.

In the moment he completed his transformation and tried to take flight, two sharp arrows embedded themselves in his back and right foreclaw. Two or three black dragon scales fell into the sea, and in an instant, his blood stained a vast swath of water red.

Roaring in pain, An Chenyu forced himself skyward, wheeling north toward the Cloud Palace of Beilun Isle.

Meanwhile, the herald who had failed to deliver the message earlier now rushed into the Lady Consort's chambers, crying out before even entering, "My lady, disaster! Disaster!"

The Lady Consort and An Chenfeng, who were deep in discussion in the hall, were startled by the outburst. The Lady Consort quickly rebuked the flustered herald, "What kind of behavior is this, shouting and making a scene? Have you no sense of decorum?"

Chastened, the herald paused, then hurried forward at her gesture and spoke softly, "Your ladyship, the gate commander refused your decree and ordered the attack on General An. The general escaped in the chaos, but was wounded by a breaking-scale arrow—his fate is uncertain!"

At these words, An Chenfeng's mind was thrown into chaos. Darkness swam before his eyes and he nearly collapsed, only steadying himself by gripping the table. With a long sigh, he said, "After all, disaster has struck!"

The Lady Consort waved her hand, dismissing the herald and the surrounding maids. She motioned for An Chenfeng to sit and offered comfort: "You must not despair. Whatever else, Chenyu has managed to escape. For now, I shall go at once to the Dragon King's chambers to calm him, while you return home and have your father bring forth the royal iron token. Though Chenyu defied the king's order, he has not yet committed outright treason. With any luck, my tongue may help the An family weather this storm."

Upon hearing her plan, An Chenfeng dropped to his knees, cupping his hands and bowing deeply. "The fate of the An family rests with your ladyship."

She reached out and lifted him up, saying, "Our fortunes are now bound together—there is no more distinction between us. Go quickly, then."

An Chenfeng bowed again and hurried home.

As expected, when he arrived at the Duke An's mansion, a cordon of palace guards had already sealed off the estate.

A sergeant of the guards, holding a long halberd, blocked his carriage and barked, "The Imperial Guards are carrying out official duties ahead—unauthorized vehicles must turn back!"

An Chenfeng poked his head from the carriage and replied sombrely, "Do you not see the Duke's crest on this carriage? Surely I may return to my own home without violating the law!"

The sergeant, momentarily at a loss, nonetheless muttered for the sake of appearances, "Those inside are about to be arrested, yet you rush home to die with them. Let's see how long your bravado lasts." With a wave, he ordered his men to move the barricade.

An Chenfeng's carriage barely halted before the gates when he leapt onto the steps. An Chenlei and An Chendian, leading the household guards in readiness, rushed over, calling, "Elder brother!"

He wasted no words. "Where is father?"

An Chenlei pointed to the inner courtyard. "In the main hall. He doesn't know yet."

An Chenfeng nodded and cautioned, "Do not act rashly!" before hurrying into the inner yard.

Passing down a winding path and through a moon gate, he saw the old Duke An being wheeled toward him by a maid.

An Chenfeng quickly stepped forward. "Father, I greet you. Your unfilial son has disturbed you."

With deliberate effort, the old Duke said, "The enemy… is at… our gate…!"

These words set An Chenfeng's blood aflame. The battle-hardened instincts that had long lain dormant surged anew.

The group wheeled the old duke to the front gate, where the sight of him rallied the An family sons and guards, who parted to make way for their patriarch.

Though advanced in years and long ailing from wounds suffered in the ancient wars, the old Duke now donned full armor, sitting proudly in his chair—no less imposing for it. The aura of a veteran who had truly seen battle was something the palace guards, trained only in ceremonial drill, could never hope to match.

With his appearance, the An family's fierce spirit reached its zenith, intimidating the encircling guards so thoroughly that none dared step forward to accuse them.

The old duke raised a trembling hand and pointed at the golden-armored officer opposite, demanding with effort, "Who… are… you…?"

To ensure the question was heard, the sons and guards of the An family bellowed in unison, "Who are you?"

The words thundered through the air, startling the golden-armored general so badly he tumbled from his horse, his men scrambling to help him up.

With the old duke addressing him, the officer could no longer feign status. Straightening his attire, the commander strode forward and saluted with a fist to his left shoulder. "Liang Shengwu, Commander of the Imperial Guards of the Dragon Palace, greets General An. Forgive me for not offering a full bow in armor." He struck his shoulder again, producing a resounding clang.

An Chenfeng, now fully armored, returned the gesture and asked, "Commander Liang, for what reason do you bring troops to surround our house?"

Liang Shengwu drew an ochre-yellow decree from his belt and declared, "By order of the Dragon King, I am to detain all one hundred and thirty-two members of the An family and escort them to the palace prison to await investigation by the Inspectorate." He presented the decree to An Chenfeng with both hands.

An Chenfeng took the decree and saw the great vermilion seal of the royal house. An overwhelming sense of sorrow rose within him. After reading, he respectfully handed it to his father, whispering, "Father, it bears the royal seal."

The old duke snorted, glanced at it, then turned away, signaling with a grunt to a maid behind him. She stepped forward and presented a brocade box to An Chenfeng.

Opening the box and seeing its contents, An Chenfeng felt his resolve steady. He swiftly lifted a plaque of black iron above his head and proclaimed, "This is the iron token bestowed by the late king, inscribed in his own hand: 'Pillar of the nation, co-ruler of the realm.' No one may punish the An family or arrest its members!"

At the sight of the relic, Liang Shengwu bowed low, inwardly cursing, "The king never mentioned this token! If I'd known the An family had such a thing, I would never have taken this assignment." Then he wondered, "They've never shown this token before—could it be a forgery?"

He ventured, "Young Lord An, forgive my boldness. The king gave no word of this iron token, and none of us have heard of it. May I take it to the palace for the Dragon King to examine?"

An Chenfeng laughed coldly. "Do you take us for fools? If we gave it to you, it would be as good as handing you our heads."

Liang Shengwu was at a loss. If he pressed for the token, they would not yield it, and if matters came to blows, his forces would be no match for theirs.

While he hesitated, a herald in the distance rode up on a dragon-horse, shouting as he came, "By order of the Dragon King: Liang Shengwu is to return to the palace at once!"

At these words, both the besiegers and the besieged breathed a collective sigh of relief. "Just in time!"