I really hate people like the man before me, so eager to turn against anyone for a chance of survival. Little does he know he won’t be breathing for longer than the next few minutes. I reach forward and grab his face, squeezing tightly at his chin. My nose is inches from his.
“Tell me more.”
“The blond demon, as you call him, he fought your general, but he wasn’t alone. There’s a fighter in our camp, trained and favored by Jaxon. He’s little more than a small boy, but he has the skill of a warrior. He killed the general. He removed his head with one swipe of his sword.”
“A boy?” I don’t believe a word this man is telling me. Jaxon killing my man I can understand but a mere boy. It’s a lie. “You lie.” I release his chin and start to walk back to my throne.
“I don’t, I promise. I swear on my ancestor’s honor it’s true. There is something strange about the boy. I don’t understand it, but we all see it. He’s different.” The man pauses, and I turn back to face him when he continues, “I know the legends about the blond man being a hero in the war against the Jīn Long. What if you could get rid of the blond demon? I think the key is the boy. Capture the boy, find out everything about him, and you’ll get to Jaxon and win your war.”
For once, someone around me is making sense.
“What is the boy’s name?”
“Zhàn, son of Lin Zhànshì.”
“Lin Zhànshì, I know him. An old adversary. I wasn’t aware he had a son, though.”
I remember my family fighting with Lin and his grandfather over the years. The family have been a nemesis to us.
“It’s what the boy told us.”
I walk backward and sit on my throne.
“Interesting.”
Something tells me the information I’ve got from Kuo is going to be priceless. But he’s served his purpose. I smile and swipe my hand across my throat. In a swift movement, one of the men holding on to Kuo draws his sword and slits the snitch’s throat. He drops to floor, dead, as I look on. I take a deep breath before giving out my orders.
“Find out all about Zhàn, son of Lin Zhànshì. I won’t rest until I have him bowing before me so I can separate his head from his body.”
All the new recruits stand before me exercising and practicing drills. Zhàn or rather Lia is with them. I still can’t believe what happened between us the other day. Ever since then, we’ve searched each other out for moments of hidden pleasure. I’ve felt overwhelming guilt at lying to Gaozu, but I know it’s the right thing to do. Lia is an amazing fighter. She’s already proven her worth. It shouldn’t matter she’s a woman. She can fight better than many of the men here.
“Swap.” I step forward and order the recruits to change the opponent they are sparring with.
Lia is now partnered with one of the strongest recruits. Part of me wants to step in and stop the session, but I know I can’t show her any favoritism. Here, she is a man. When we’re alone, she’s a woman—a goddess satisfying my sexual needs. I’ve never thought about falling in love, but looking at Lia as she comes down from one of her spectacular orgasms, I know in my heart I’m already there. I would lay down my life for her. But for now, I really need to stop watching her. If she gets the better of the guy she’s now fighting, it’s going to make my dick hard enough to hammer nails. Talk about obvious!
I look down at my Apple Watch and reset the timer.
“Begin.” I give the instruction for each new combination to begin their session.
I need to walk away from Lia for a while, so I push off the bench I’ve been perched on and make my way around the yard, checking on the other training groups. Each of the recruits has improved so dramatically from when they first arrived. It’s good to see because we need fighters for whatever Wang comes back at us with. It won’t be pretty—I’m sure of that, and I wish the war was already over for everyone here. We need peace. It’s the reason why so many of our ancestors came to this country. I hope one day we’ll find it, but it will never happen as long as Wang rules the Jīn Long. His perversions are too dark.
Finding a group of recruits who are struggling with one of the exercises I’ve given them, I step in to help. It’s a baton exercise, my favorite.
“You need to do it like this,” I address them as I pull my ever present batons from my back and step away so I don’t hit anyone.
I twirl them around in the air, forming a quick succession of circles before thrusting them forward as if I were attacking an opponent. It provides a shield while simultaneously attacking. It was one of the first skills I learned when I came here. Gaozu was exceptionally skilled in their use, and I fell in love with them the first time I watched him. Most people prefer swords, but I like the element of surprise with batons. I show the recruits the technique again, their mouths falling wide open as they watch in awe.
“The most important thing is the flexibility in your wrists. You have to maintain a fluid momentum in the movement. If you don’t, you lose your protection.”
I look at them all. I know each one by name.
“Bao, can you show me?”
The young man steps forward. He’s an only child. His mother had a difficult birth with him, leading to a hysterectomy. Bao himself nearly died. His mother was devastated when he was drafted. Gaozu couldn’t officially protect him, but he gave his mother his word he would do what he could. It’s one of the reasons I’ve kept him on duties within the compound, so far. We’re not monsters. We can’t be seen to have favorites, but we protect where we can.
Bao attempts to spin the first baton. He hasn’t fully mastered the movement in his wrist, though.
“You need to loosen up.” I take the batons from him, and placing them down on the floor, I take hold of his arm and shake out the tension in his wrist. “Like this” his hands flop about. I step back and demonstrate with my own hands. He nods at me when he understands what I mean. “Here.” I hand him back the batons, and he tries again. This time his technique is much improved.
“Is that better?” the eager man asks.
“Much, keep practicing all of you.”
I walk away from them proud of their progress. It doesn’t take long for me to do a circle of the yard, and when I return to where I started, I find Gaozu standing there in a disguise. I recognize him immediately. I’ve seen him conceal his identity this way many times. He has to be careful and can’t walk around freely without shielding his true identity. It’s not a life I would want to lead. When I approach him, I see he’s watching Lia and the man she’s fighting. The man appears to be dominating her, but at the last moment, Lia skids underneath his legs and flips him onto the floor. She’s back up on her feet in a second and has her sword pressed to his chest. He concedes the match to her, and everyone around them cheers. Rumors of Lia, or rather Zhàn, being involved in the death of Wang’s favorite general have spread. The David and Goliath tale has made her very popular.
“He’s good.” Gaozu approaches me, and I subtly bow my head to him.
There are only a few people I would show deference to. In doing so now, my men might guess I’m acknowledging our leader.