Extra: Jade and Plum (1/2)

The lotuses had never before bloomed as vibrantly as they did that summer. 

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At the tender age of ten, Liu Yao had already learnt one of the most precious lessons of his life; in the dog-eat-dog world that was the upper echelons of Great Ye, only those with power deserved to get what they wanted. 

Consequently, to desire something precious without the means to protect it from the greedy hands and the prying eyes of others, was to paint a target on its back. Was to make it known to others that to rob it from him would give them the satisfaction of hurting him.