Shocking Changes in Silence

Outside the Red Dragon Hall in the imperial city, the Grand Preceptor and Grand Commandant of the Blood Qin Empire—two high ministers who held military and political power in their grasp—along with the eight cabinet ministers of the pavilions and terrace, knelt in a neat row before the hall gates. Their backs were straight as rods as they stared unblinkingly at the two doors of the Red Dragon Hall, crimson as blood.

The Red Dragon Hall lay beneath the blood-colored stone platform at the heart of the imperial city. It was where the emperors of Blood Qin usually cultivated their minds and nourished their Iron-Blood origin energy. With the vast grand formation of the imperial city, they could draw upon the natural power of hundreds of miles around and pour it into their bodies. Thus, every successive Blood Qin emperor advanced by leaps and bounds in the Iron-Blood Emperor Art, far surpassing any so-called genius of the mortal world.

Bao Yunge, the current Grand Preceptor of the Blood Qin Empire, was a veteran minister who had served three reigns. More than half the civil and military officials in court had been raised by his hand, and his loyalty to the imperial house was beyond question.

The current Grand Commandant, Ling Bijun, was a newly elevated high minister after Ying Zheng ascended the throne. Born into the ranks of the army, Ling Bijun had accumulated military merit to earn the title of Duke. His word carried absolute weight in the Blood Qin military, and thirty percent of the empire's commanding generals had once served beneath his banner.

Bao Yunge had a face black as ink, a majestic and imposing bearing, and a tall, burly frame. He looked every inch a military general. Ling Bijun, on the other hand, despite having come