The Central Plains was ravaged by the fires of war.
Two kingdoms, the Jin Empire in the west and the Qingya Empire in the east, had been engaged in a fierce conflict over territories for a long time, laying waste upon the lands and plunging the comm...
Zhao Jing received this form of address full of reverence with a smile. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the guard standing by the door to have him wait outside. Only after the latter left did the Qingya Minister rise to his feet, nodding several times towards the mysterious person as if in approval.
"The Scorpion King of Huangsha is willing to venture across the great desert on such short notice. This old man is truly flattered," he said, "Xie Wang, please have a seat."
He gestured for the empty chair next to him. When he saw this, the person addressed as "Xie Wang" smiled and raised his arms to remove the black hood covering his head. The sleeves of his robe slid off as he did so. On the pale skin, a large, black tattoo of a terrifying scorpion was inked on the back of his hand, with his black-painted nails complementing the macabre art.
Of all the various tribes making the vast desert of Huangsha their home, there was one most despised by both the Jin and Qingya Empires alike and most feared by their fellow Barbarians: the Scorpions of Huangsha. Just as their name suggests, they were easily identified by the drawings of the venomous animal on their bodies, as well as accessories of similar shapes on their clothing. It was believed that the tribe was made up of mix-blood, those born from a Barbarian and a Central Plains native, but no one in the entire Huangsha or Central Plains could claim to know all there was to know about the Scorpions, for they were extremely secretive and all those who attempted to dig too much information regarding the Scorpions never came back alive.
Some said the Scorpions lived far and deep in the desert, in a place not written in any maps to have ever been made by men. Others said the Scorpions actually didn't have a "home," that members of their tribe were actually spread among all the Barbarians of Huangsha, infiltrating every clan in silence for an unknown purpose. There had been numerous rumors and conspiracies surrounding this particular tribe, but only one was confirmed to be right: The Scorpions were the most vicious raiders among all Barbarian tribes who made stealing from the Central Plains their way of living.
They did not only rob food and gold, but would also kidnap the helpless common people as part of their loot, mercilessly killing every single one who dared to fight back. When plundering from the Central Plains' villages did not produce a satisfactory result, they wouldn't think twice about raiding their fellow desert dwellers next. They would set fire to the nomads' tents, forcefully take the cattle the villagers had painstakingly raised amidst the harsh climate, and leave a bloody trail on the yellow sand after committing the deed. Every member of the Scorpions was equipped with a poisonous weapon; the deadliest of all would be their poison-laced scythes which resembled the raised tail of a giant scorpion.
And now, the leader of this mysterious, cold-blooded tribe, the King of the Scorpions bestowed with the title of "Xie Wang," was standing before a Venerable Minister of the Qingya Empire.
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Once the cover of the hood was removed, the face unveiled beneath the dark fabric could only be described as devilishly charming. The Scorpion King was a young man in his early twenties. Bearing a pale complexion, the corners of his eyes were curled upwards ever so slightly with a pair of thin, sharp brows. The refined shape of his nose gave him a dash of elegance, but his thin lips exuded unspeakable malice buried deep within. When he smiled, it was like both childlike innocence and cruelty were mashed into an indescribable appeal—one that was both intriguing and terrifying, especially when combined with his calm, yet unsettling gaze. His long black hair was made into numerous small braids, adorned with a silver headdress.
