Return of the 13th Zodiac

4: Forgiveness Comes After Death

A cool breeze swept through the trees, rustling the leaves. Liwei, who was resting on a tree branch, opened his eyes and held out a hand to catch a falling leaf. He stared at it for a few moments, his silver eyes as lifeless as stagnant water, before crashing it in his hand.

His lips curved up in a mischievous grin as he remembered Shu Yue and how she defeated a man twice her size and strength, a warrior of higher rank than her. But there was only one level difference between them, so it wasn't as shocking to Liwei. And he already knew she'd win the match--of course, that was his plan, after all. What caught his attention was the woman's style of swordsmanship.

She possessed such unique martial arts that he hadn't seen used by other disciples of the Ophiuchus Clan. Could it be the clan's secret art that only the leaders possessed? So they managed to keep such a powerful technique out of the hands of the greedy Zodiac Clans?

Seems like the heiress of the Fallen Zodiac is quite capable. Now I'm more confident in my plans.

Liwei was surprised himself when he saw her fight. He didn't expect Shu Yue to be that good. The human girl did nothing more than avoid the enemy's attacks. Her every move was calculated. There was no luck involved; it was all a matter of timing. That made him feel more excited. Shu Yue could be a far more powerful tool than he imagined. The Ophiuchus Clan, which was regarded as the weakest clan in the Empire of Luo, seemed not to be as hopeless as some claimed.

He turned his head when he heard the sound of crunching leaves. Footsteps. Two men in similar black robes were approaching, their long dark hair tied in a half-bun. Liwei frowned when he noticed Yu Xuan, the taller and younger of the two, dragging the other man by the front of his robe. Liwei's eyes flickered with interest. He hopped off the tree branch onto the ground and landed with a thump. Dust and dry leaves puffed out from the impact.

Yu Xuan came to a halt and bowed his head before Liwei. "My lord," he said then pushed the man forward. With his hands tied behind his back with a glowing purple cord, the man spat a curse as he stumbled a few steps.

Liwei drew a black folding fan from his robe and snapped it open over his chest. It was embroidered with a silver crescent moon.

"Well, what do we have here?" Liwei asked as he looked at the captive, but the man turned his face away.

"My lord," Yu Xuan started. "I saw him wandering in the forest; he tried to flee when he saw me. Such suspicious behavior. He clearly didn't have your consent to be here."

Liwei slowly flapped his fan twice, his predatory eyes raking at the man as he closely scrutinized him.

Layered robes of black with silver embroidery and leather vambraces, identical to Yu Xuan's. He wasn't just a demon--he was a soldier in an army under the command of Liwei. But what was a demon soldier doing here? A soldier was not allowed to cross into another realm unless they were given an order to do so. Liwei had no recollection of giving him--or any other demons under his control aside from Yu Xuan--permission to come here. Was he sent here by someone in power, or did he come here on his own? Certainly not the latter.

"Don't be shy. Let me see that face of yours," Liwei cooed and closed his folding fan. He stroked the man's cheek with the fan and forced him to look at him. He was an inch or two shorter than Liwei and had the appearance of a mortal man in his mid-forties despite having lived for over two hundred years.

Liwei's mouth twisted into a bitter smile as he looked at the man's familiar face. "Ah, if it isn't Jianyu."

Jianyu averted his gaze, shame on his face. His mouth was stained with blood, probably Yu Xuan's doing. Since he was taken by force, he must have not intended to be discovered.