0007.

As Commander Fang's gaze swept across the room, he recognized several individuals. A shadowy figure, the guard of Su Jin, its form cloaked in darkness, standing over the unconscious Patriarch Wu Zhi. 

Near Wu Zhi, a young stranger clutching his stomach struggled to draw breath, his eyes darting between Su Jin and the dark figure in fear. Commander Fang figured this must be the son of Wu Zhi the elders had mentioned earlier.

In a corner of the room, Fang spotted Yi Qing, the mayor's daughter, cowering in terror. Her face was trapped in a horrific nightmare.

Standing apart from the chaos, at the center of the floor, illuminated by the only lamp was Su Jin, seated comfortably, his arms wrapped around a woman in a loose robe. The seductive glint in her eyes and the way she clung to him hinted at another layer of intrigue in this unfolding tale.

"Su Jin," Fang growled, his voice echoing. "Explain yourself. What in the nine hells is going on here?"

Su Jin, unshaken by the commander's imposing presence and booming voice, offered a slow, sly smile. "Commander Fang," he said, his voice dripping with false innocence, "why are you looking at me like I am the villain here?"

"If you aren't the villain," Commander Fang countered, his voice tight with suspicion, "then who is responsible for all this?"

A sly smile was maintained on Su Jin's face. "Tell me, Commander," he began, his voice low and smooth, "if a rabbit driven by greed trespasses into the lion's den and suffers the consequences, can you blame the lion?"

Commander Fang's gut churned with suspicion. Every fiber of his being screamed that Su Jin had a hand in all of this somehow, yet he couldn't abandon logic entirely. 

The elders had mentioned Wu Zhi instigating the chaos, bringing the Shadow Wolf Gang along with his seemingly exiled son into the struggle. They came to steal from Su Jin, and now they were all dead, their greed leading to their demise. It seemed clear-cut, yet a gnawing unease lingered.

Commander Fang felt a headache. This scene was a tangled mess, but he couldn't afford to get bogged down. The city's defense against the Bestial Tide was far more crucial. 

"Fine," he conceded, his voice laced with frustration. "Consider yourself lucky, Su Jin. I have far more important matters to attend to than this farce." He turned, his gaze landing on the trembling form of Yi Qing. 

The Earthly Mandate of Serene Jade City, a sacred relic essential for the city's protection is with her. Returning it to the Mayor took priority over cleaning up this mess.

He sheathed his sword and approached the young woman cautiously. Kneeling before her, he lowered his voice, a touch of genuine concern in his usual gruffness.

"Young Miss Yi Qing," he spoke softly, "are you alright?"

However, beneath his clear concern, a tiny spark of satisfaction was hiding, perhaps, at the sight of the once arrogant young lady humbled by the harsh realities of the world. 

Her privileged life, shielded by her father's position, had often granted her a sense of entitlement that bordered on arrogance. Perhaps, just perhaps, this experience would serve as a harsh lesson, a reminder that the world outside the gilded cage held consequences for even the most privileged.

"Where is the Earthly Mandate of our city?" He asked concerningly as he noticed Yi Qing did not possess it. Both of her hands are empty and she is not wearing it like jewelry anywhere.

Yi Qing remained unresponsive, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

Commander Fang's patience snapped. He immediately turned and glared at Su Jin. "Su Jin! Where is the Earthly Mandate of our city?"

Su Jin scoffed at the accusation. "Again?" he mocked with a smug amusement. "Why do you only accuse me? Why do I only look like a Villain to you, again?"

"Then where is the Earthly Mandate?" Commander Fang demanded, his voice dangerously low. His patience wore thin as he felt like a pawn on a chessboard, manipulated by unseen forces. 

The arrogance oozing from Su Jin's smug face was a constant taunt. If Fang hadn't been reminding himself to be careful against this very person - the one who delivered the mysterious silver armor he was wearing and the power it potentially held - he would have already beaten Su Jin and spilled out all the answers, even resorting to lethal measures if necessary. He longed to wipe that smirk off Su Jin's face, but he knew he had to tread carefully.

Commander Fang gripped the hilt of his sword, at the edge of taking action when the dark figure stepped forward and stood guard between Su Jin and Commander Fang to face him directly. One dark, one silver, one mysterious, one valiant, one dreadful, one majestic, they stood face-to-face.

*SIZZLE* *SIZZLE*

Before a clash could erupt, a sizzling noise tore the silence, drawing everyone's attention. Their gazes fell upon Wu Yan, who stood up gripping an object tightly in his fist. Light and crackling lightning danced ferociously around his hand, escaping his grasp and illuminating the room in an otherworldly glow.

The terror that previously clouded his eyes had vanished, replaced by a burning intensity fixed solely on Su Jin.

"No!" Commander Fang roared, immediately recognizing the object in Wu Yan's grasp. It was the Earthly Mandate of Serene Jade City, pulsing with an energy it shouldn't possess.

A wave of confusion washed over him. Only the bloodline of the one who first refined the Earthly Mandate could activate it. How could Wu Yan, a seemingly ordinary young man, have achieved such a feat?

A disturbing possibility ignited a spark of recognition in Fang's mind. Could the Wu clan be descendants of Serene Jade City's founder, a lineage that had fallen from grace for unknown reasons? Perhaps even the Wu's themselves were unaware of their true heritage. Or, was Wu Yan acting out of a hidden knowledge, wielding his birthright as a weapon in his desperate attempt?

Questions swirled in Commander Fang's head, his mind struggling to grasp the implications of this unexpected development. 

"Do you remember now?" Su Jin's voice, though calm, boomed with a sudden intensity, silencing everything around them as if a deity had spoken. His question was directed at Wu Yan who found his rage, his pain, and his helplessness all vanished. 

It was a question that seemed to bypass the chaos, the accusations, and the confusion, reaching straight for something deeper within Wu Yan.

The effect was immediate and profound. The rage that had contorted Wu Yan's face just moments ago seemed to melt away, replaced by a profound bewilderment. The anger, the pain, the helplessness that he had gripped onto so tightly - all of it seemed to dissipate like smoke in the wind.

Wu Yan stared at Su Jin, his eyes filled with utter confusion. "What?" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. He couldn't comprehend what had happened. The emotions that had fueled him moments ago had vanished, leaving him feeling hollow and lost.

Su Jin, no longer wearing a smirk, his face devoid of any enjoyment in the chaos and pain around him, stood up. He left Madam Wu in his seat instead, bewildered and equally vacant as Wu Yan. Slowly, he stepped forward until he was face to face with Wu Yan.

"Do you remember now?" Su Jin repeated his question. "Do you recall everything now, Wang Changsheng?" He addressed Wu Yan by another name, Wang Changsheng.

The light from the crackling Earthly Mandate in Wu Yan's fist illuminated his face, revealing a bewildered and utterly confused expression. Deep within, however, something stirred, a memory struggling to resurface.

"Eight or Nine?" Wu Yan asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Eleventh," Su Jin replied calmly.

Hearing this answer brought clarity to Wu Yan's eyes. "Why? Why are you chasing me?" he questioned, though he didn't fully understand why he asked.

"Answer my question and I will let it all go, or else, I will keep chasing you. I have nothing better to do anyway," Su Jin's voice remained resolute, cruel, and decisive.

Wu Yan nodded.

Su Jin raised his palm, and it lit up, projecting a hologram displaying a capsule-like object with a visible core at its center illuminating. "Have you seen this?" he asked.

"Yes," Wu Yan answered.

"You denied it on the first, fifth, and tenth attempts," Su Jin pressed, his voice laced with suspicion. "How can I be sure you're not lying again?" he asked rapidly as if he had done this many times.

"I lied because you are not the only one who is after it." Wu Yan answered vacantly.

"Then why are you cooperating now?" Su Jin asked.

"Because I no longer have with me what you are looking for," Wu Yan replied. He felt a deep sense of relief revealing this information as if he had lied so much that the weight of it all was leaving his body with this simple truth.

Su Jin, unfazed learning the truth, nodded slowly. "Did you give it away willingly or you were forced to?" 

"I…I…" Wu Yan found a struggle to answer this question. "Please spare me."

"If you do not answer then I cannot." 

"Why does it matter? I don't have it with me anymore, spare me already!" A strange surge of frustration and helplessness washed over Wu Yan as he dejectedly complained, his voice tinged with bitterness.