The Royal Palace

"Stop, state your purpose."

A group of soldiers extended their spears to prevent Jun's group from advancing further. In the eyes of others, two people dressed in black and one in white, all armed with swords, were not a good sign.

Jun pulled out a scroll from his bag and handed it to the soldier. "Read this when you reach the King. Tell him it's of utmost importance."

The soldier felt a strange presence and inexplicably couldn't stop trembling. For some reason, he felt fear.

"Be quick. I don't want to spend much time in this place," Jun said, thinking about the horrors of the royal family, a place where anyone could stab you in the back.

The soldier quickly entered the palace, ran through the halls, and when he arrived, he saw that everyone was in a meeting. So he shouted, "Your Majesty, an urgent message."

Ei Sei, who was reading important documents, looked up and asked, "Where is the message from?"

"A man in black brought it to the door."

"Idiot, didn't you think to ask for his identity?" An official couldn't help but shout angrily at the soldier.

The soldier trembled. He hadn't stopped to ask the messenger's name, but since he said it was urgent, he had avoided asking questions.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty; all I know is that it came sealed with a power seal that grants that man absolute authority to communicate directly with you."

Ei Sei intervened before the situation could escalate further, saying, "You can read the message."

"Yes..."

"King of Qin, Jun Asura visits you from a very, very distant land to discuss important matters that create mutual interests given our current circumstances."

"Is that all?" Ei Sei was stunned, and the ensuing silence was even more suffocating.

Everyone in the room was taken aback by those words. No one knew anything about this, but neither did they expect to have any answers.

"Let him in."

"Your Majesty, that's not a good idea."

Ei Sei didn't want to argue with anyone further. He dismissed everyone and ordered that Jun be invited into the palace.

"This is what I'm talking about; look at these columns; I'm sure this will be history in about five hundred years. We should sign our autographs on the columns." Jun's voice echoed through the hall.

"Sir, I don't think this is history."

"Sometimes you talk in a way that I don't understand." Kyou Kai never thought she would be in this place, nor did she understand what Jun was looking for here.

"You must be the Black Moon who killed several generals in the recent war under my orders." Ei Sei was sitting on his throne, exuding confidence with every movement, like a noble born to be perfect.

"Under your orders? No one orders me, especially not a king like you." Jun looked at him calmly and said, "And you must be the King who has been making things difficult for me lately."

"I don't understand why..."

It's an offense for a king to reveal his mistakes. A proper official should overlook all these offenses.

"I just want to tell you face-to-face that I won't be a dog you can command with orders. You know exactly who I am and the price you'll have to pay if you want to give me another order."

Ei Sei wasn't surprised by Jun's attitude. He knew something like this would happen but was prepared. "Tell me what you want. A concubine, perhaps?"

"I'm engaged. She's my fiancée." Jun pulled Kyou Kai, who was terrified by this sudden introduction.

"Then, what do you want?"

"A home that I own, where the crown has no political or judicial authority to disrupt the peace of that place. If you give me land where I can live such a life, you can ask me for something in return." Jun was offering the king a chance to act, so he said, "But right now, I'm very busy. We need to go massacre a village of assassins."

"How long will it take?" Ei Sei asked, analyzing his options.

"Two years at most. After that, my private army and I will be ready to take on a request from you."

"Can I ask you to deliver Wei to me?"

"Whatever you want, but only once. If you break your word, I won't hesitate to do what's necessary."

Ei Sei smiled faintly. He knew he couldn't play mysterious with an assassin who could kill him right now if he wanted. So he asked, "Is there anything you need?"

"Two of your best horses. We need to complete the mission as soon as possible." Jun turned and bowed, but his gesture was overly sarcastic.

Kyou Kai looked at Jun and followed him. She didn't understand much of what was happening, but she also bowed nonetheless.