A sickly, mocking smile played on Sun Xiaochuan's face as his snake-like gaze swept slowly over the gathering in the Cemetery.
He saw the officials trembling with fear, the soldiers burning with anger, and the more than two hundred wounded fighters whose eyes were as fierce as wolves'.
At last, his gaze settled on the two flower baskets displayed in the most prominent spot.
When he read the names on their memorial ribbons, surprise flashed through his clouded eyes.
Zhao Mengsheng? Xiao Tian Ce?
The War God of the Northern Frontier? The War God of the Eastern Frontier?
Of course Sun Xiaochuan had heard those names.
They belonged to men at the very top of the Dragon Kingdom's hierarchy of power!
On any other day, Sun Xiaochuan would have gone out of his way to avoid them.
But today, he felt no fear. The surprise in his eyes quickly gave way to an even more feverish, more reckless excitement!
So what?
So what if they were War Gods?!
Once a man was dead, he was nothing but bones and a handful of ashes!
Could even the grandest title or highest Military Rank stop the blades of the three thousand men under his command?!
Could they restore the face Sun Xiaochuan had lost?!
No!
And if they could not, those empty honors were worthless to him!
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
Sun Xiaochuan suddenly burst into shrill, brazen laughter. In the cold rain, it sounded especially jarring and eerie.
He raised the hand that wore the Jadeite Ring and pointed at the two flower baskets representing the military's highest honors. In a voice dripping with mockery, he shouted to the three thousand men behind him:
"Brothers, do you see that?"
"War Gods! What grand titles!"
"Too bad the dead aren't worth a damn! Can