Liu Zhengde's residence was in the mountains south of the city, nearly an entire city away from the train station. Although few people owned cars these days, traffic in the city was still slow because of all the pedestrians, so the trip took nearly two hours.
Liu Zhengde was the only one with a Crimson Cloud Empire driver's license, so he drove. Liu Wenhan sat in the front passenger seat, while Liu Yun and Liu Tian squeezed Liu Wenqian between them, one on either side.
"Why did you come to pick us up yourself this time, Second Brother? Where's your driver?" Liu Yun asked from the back seat.
"Heh!" They were all family, so Liu Zhengde didn't put on airs. He was nothing like the taciturn man he was around outsiders. "I happen to be on leave. Since I have the time, how could I let the driver come get you?"
"Besides, this is my first time meeting my nephew. It's such a memorable occasion—how could I let the driver have it? If your sister-in-law hadn't just gone to visit her parents, I would've brought her along too."
"But it's lucky she went to visit them. This car's so small, we wouldn't all fit—someone's blocking the road again. Should've brought the military vehicle..."
"The roads in Pei Commandery need work," Liu Yun replied. "They should widen them properly. There are too many one-way streets, too, which makes getting around inconvenient. In the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, most roads have eight lanes, and even the narrowest ones have at least four. How have the roads here stayed so narrow after all these years?"
"Isn't it the City Lord's fault?" Liu Zhengde said with a laugh. "It's not as if the higher-ups haven't given him money for the work, but he's corrupt. He spent a fortune securing that position. How else is he supposed to make ten times that back?"
"Has the Crimson Cloud Empire really fallen this far?" Liu Yun frowned, having caught the key words. "Selling offices and titles to the highest bidder—that's a sign of a dynasty's final days. And it's only been a few years."
"Ever since we lost the war ten years ago, all three empires have been in decline, except for the newly established Dawn Alliance. Both the Crimson Cloud Empire and the Morning Star Alliance are steadily crumbling." Liu Zhengde spoke casually of things that might be classified secrets elsewhere. "We lost our biggest colony and our most profitable exploration project, but we still have to keep those people living in luxury. How could we manage without selling offices and titles?"
"An eight-hundred-year dynasty—if the storm hadn't ended at just the right time, the Crimson Cloud Empire would've collapsed long ago. It's not too late yet, though. The good times won't last..."
"Those fat, bloated parasites are like bloodsuckers. Now that they can't drain blood from anywhere else, they can only feed on their own people. If you ask me, there'll be a civil war within ten years unless we fight one abroad first. And if a natural disaster hits on top of that, heh, the Crimson Cloud Empire's days are numbered."
"Your decision to leave was the right one, Fifth Brother. Things are so turbulent and unpredictable now that we may need your help one day."
Although the Liu family was prospering, and they were still considered upper-class in the Crimson Cloud Empire, with Liu Zhengde holding considerable power in the military, he seemed to have no hope for the empire's future at all. He was even making plans for what came next.
"Enough. Let's not talk about that." Before Liu Yun could reply, Liu Zhengde changed the subject and turned to Liu Tian. "Come to think of it, Nephew, you haven't said a word. Are you shy?"
"Hm?" Liu Tian had been bored, watching the familiar sight of security guards beating up homeless people outside the window. He turned around when he heard his name. "Me? No. I just don't have anything to say."
"Nothing to say?" Liu Zhengde picked up the thread, and a torrent of questions followed. "Then why don't you tell me how you all ended up together? And, Nephew, are you engaged? Want your Second Uncle to introduce you to someone? Oh, right, I forgot—the Hundred Flowers Kingdom's beauties are famous far and wide. I'm sure you already have someone you like, don't you?"
"No." Liu Tian answered crisply, leaving Liu Zhengde no room to imagine otherwise. "Women would only slow down my progress in martial arts. Until I'm the best in the world, I have no interest in romance."
"Haha!" Liu Zhengde laughed. "You really are your father's son, Fifth Brother. You've always had lofty ambitions. The best in the world? I wanted that when I was young, too, but how could it be possible? The world is too big. There's no first place in literature, but there is in martial arts!"
"Don't get me started." Liu Yun sighed. "My son's too stubborn. No matter how much I try to talk him out of it, he won't listen. He's set on becoming the best under heaven, and won't turn back until he hits a wall."
"Hey, that's not so bad. Young people should have dreams. They'll change naturally as they grow up," Liu Zhengde said, offering comfort instead. "I remember you used to say something like, 'I'll roam the green hills while I'm still young.' You insisted on going to sea to see all the sights of the world, and no amount of talking could change your mind. But in the end, you still got married and had a child. You just never came back. Father still talks about you all the time."
"Don't try to comfort me, Second Brother. Father has five daughters and seven sons, and every one of them has made something of themselves. One more or less makes no difference." The years had passed, and he could laugh off his past mistakes as if they had happened to someone else. Liu Yun's expression was calm. "Especially with you around, Second Brother, why would Father miss a disobedient son like me? The last time I went back, he didn't even recognize me."
"Father's old now, too. He's a hundred already. Who knows how much time he has left? We'll just take it one day at a time," Liu Zhengde said. "If things were stable, I'd definitely try to talk you out of returning to the Hundred Flowers Kingdom this time. But now... sigh. We'll just take it one day at a time."
"Don't be so pessimistic, Second Brother. Even a battered ship still has a few nails holding it together. The Crimson Cloud Empire has been around for all these years. It won't just collapse overnight," Liu Yun said, trying to reassure him. "By the way, my son's been quite interested in antiques from the Lost Empire lately. Didn't you fight over there? Did you bring back any souvenirs? Let my son see something interesting."
"Sure, sure. I actually kept quite a few things. They're not especially valuable, so consider them a meeting gift for my nephew," Liu Zhengde said generously. "They're all in storage. When the time comes, Wen Tian, pick out a couple of things you like and take them with you."
"Thank you, Second Uncle." At the mention of the antiques, Liu Tian perked up and hurried to thank him. "But you don't have to. I can just have a look. Just looking is fine."
"How can you just look? You have to take at least one thing with you. Otherwise, I'll just smash one at random later. I can't let you leave empty-handed. Your father and I are full brothers, born to the same parents, and we grew up together. Surely I deserve that much consideration?"
"Then I'll thank you in advance, Second Uncle." Seeing that Liu Zhengde had made up his mind, Liu Tian stopped refusing and accepted. At this rate, something was bound to happen sooner or later. He'd just have to put in a little extra effort to protect his second uncle's family.
Late at night, in a small manor, an unremarkable-looking man knelt on one knee. He braced one fist against the ground and rested his other hand on his knee as he reported on the day's work.
"You're saying a boy spotted you?" The speaker was a man hidden in the shadows. His voice was low and slightly hoarse. "To notice you amid a crowd of people coming and going... It seems the Liu family still has some foundation."
"It was my failure that disrupted your plans. I deserve to die for it," the man said, bending forward with his head bowed. "Please punish me, Master!"
"Heh." The man seemed to sense his subordinate's fear and gently helped him to his feet. "Don't worry, Rat. Even if you hadn't been discovered this time, I would've found an opportunity to let them know there's a force watching them from the shadows."
"I know Liu Zhengde as well as I know myself. He'd never change his mind over a potential threat. He'd only prepare more carefully and make a show of it, so he could catch everyone watching him in secret in one fell swoop."
"If Liu Zhengde doesn't know, if he doesn't do his best and confidently believe everything is foolproof, how could the sweet taste of this revenge make me drunk with pleasure?"
Hearing his master's words, the man, who had been uneasy and afraid, immediately relaxed.
"As you command, Master."
"Go. Don't worry too much about it. Just make sure you aren't caught for the time being, Rat."
"As you command."
With that, the unremarkable-looking man slipped away.
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