Two days later, one morning, just as dawn was breaking.
A military order traveled thousands of miles and was delivered straight to Shen Fan's quiet chamber.
The order hadn't come from Cang Ya himself.
Instead, an unfamiliar military clerk read it aloud in a cold, strictly official tone:
"Luo Xiu, a soldier in the Seventh Squad under former Deputy General Shen Fan, abandoned his post without authorization yesterday and has yet to return. He is to be treated as a deserter."
"As his direct superior, Shen Fan bears responsibility for failing to properly discipline him."
"Following a ruling by the military's commanders and Elders, Shen Fan is hereby removed from his position as deputy general."
"All the merits he has earned in the past are hereby erased, as a warning to others."
The order was brief.
Every word reeked of undisguised clumsiness and arrogance.
The clerk who'd read the order stood motionless outside the door to Shen Fan's secluded chamber.
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
The clerk could clearly sense that something was wrong. He swallowed with difficulty, set the metal plate bearing the order on the ground by the door, then turned and fled in a panic.
Silence returned to the chamber.
Shen Fan slowly raised a hand and picked up the cold metal plate.
The writing on it was clear and precise.
Merits erased.
Those four words wiped away all the effort and achievements he'd amassed since arriving here.
He stared at them without a word.
His fingers tightened soundlessly.
"Crack."
A faint snap.
The edict's golden metal sheet, hard enough to rival a top-grade True King Artifact, crumbled between his fingers like a brittle biscuit.
Metal fragments sifted down through the gaps between his fingers.
Shen Fan rose and walked to the window.
Outside,