Blades of The Fallen Realm

CHPT 5

The old man with pure white hair stepped out of the luxury carriage. His long red robes swept over the dirty mud, but he did not care about the rain at all. He stared right at Leo, his mouth open in total shock and deep fear.

The entire rainy street went completely quiet as the old man moved fast toward the puddle. "Grand Master!" the lead guard gasped, dropping his heavy sword into the wet dirt. "What is this very influential person doing in a trashy alley like this?"

The Imperial Envoy ignored the guard completely and turned to the top doctors behind him. "Bring the gold medicine box right now! Save this old man this second!" Four grand doctors in silver robes ran out of the carriage with heavy red boxes.

They knelt in the brown mud next to Old Thomas without taking a single breath. "Use the Imperial Needle Art!" the Envoy shouted, his voice shaking with big worry. "If his fever does not drop right now, all of your heads will fall today!"

The silver-robed doctors quickly pulled out long golden needles and stuck them into Thomas's arm. The dark red blood on the old man's head stopped running instantly. "Wait! Take this right now!" the Envoy yelled, pulling a glowing red flower from a warm box.

"This is the rare Crimson Snow Lotus! It costs one million gold pieces!" The Envoy fed the red flower to Old Thomas with his own old hands. A warm red light covered the blind father's face, and his cold body stopped shaking.

"Father!" Lily cried out, holding the old man's hand tight. "Your face is warm again! You are not cold anymore!" "My eyes... feel warm," Old Thomas whispered, opening his eyes slowly.

"The painful dark fever in my head is gone! Who saved an old blind man like me?" Leo stood right beside his father, his dark eyes locking directly with the kneeling Envoy's eyes. With a cold, sharp glance and a little shake of his head, Leo gave a firm warning using only his body language.

The Imperial Envoy froze on his knees, reading the silent command in Leo's cold eyes instantly. He quickly shut his mouth, lowered his gaze, and bowed his head without making a single sound. Just then, a loud, proud laugh came from the end of the wet alley.

Lord Julian Vance walked over with a gold umbrella, a mean grin on his face. Clara Sterling walked right beside him, her fine silk dress dry and clean under the umbrella. She looked at the kneeling Envoy and gasped in big surprise.

"Julian!" Clara said, her eyes big with shock. "Is that the famous Imperial Medical Envoy? Why is a top imperial doctor saving a dirty beggar in the mud?" Julian sneered, stepping forward with his head held high like a proud king.

He looked at the Envoy and put a hand on his chest with a fake smile. "Do not be shocked, Clara," Julian lied loudly so the whole crowd could hear. "My noble father paid a huge fortune to the Imperial Guild last night."

"Your father did?" Clara asked, her face lighting up with wild joy and big pride. "Lord Vance sent the Imperial Envoy to our town as a special favor?" "Of course!" Julian boasted, glaring at Leo with nasty eyes.

"My father wanted to heal the sickness in your house to make the Sterling family look great! These dumb doctors just made a mistake. They thought this blind trash was the old man my father wanted to heal!"

Clara clapped her hands together, looking at Julian with shining, loving eyes. "Oh, Julian! You and your father are so kind and powerful! You saved us!" She then turned her eyes to Leo, her pretty face turning completely ugly and mean again.

She pointed her finger right at Leo's nose and spat on the ground. "Look at you, Leo!" Clara barked with pure hate. "You stand there like a brainless parasite stealing Lord Julian's glory! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"He did not do this," Leo said, his voice cold like winter ice. "The Envoy came here for my father." "Shut your dirty mouth!" Clara screamed into the rain, stepping up to insult him more.

"How dare a useless dog like you claim the Imperial Envoy came for you? You cannot buy a loaf of bread, yet you lie so big! Lord Julian's family spent millions, and you just got lucky!"

"Let him talk, Clara," Julian laughed, waving his hand like Leo was a little bug. "A beggar who sleeps in a shed will always dream of being a king." "Get up, old man!" the lead guard shouted at Old Thomas, kicking the broken stick away.

"You got free medicine from Lord Vance's doctor, so move out!" "Thank you, Lord Vance!" the neighbors in the crowd shouted, bowing low to Julian. "Lord Vance is so good! He even lets dirty beggars get healed by accident!"

Leo locked his fists so hard his nails cut right into his open palms. Bright red blood mixed with the rain, but he did not make a single sound. "Listen to me, Leo," Clara said, stepping close to him with a cruel, cold smile.

"Tonight is the Sterling Family Victory Banquet at the grand Jade Pavilion. You will come to the banquet," Clara ordered, grabbing his wet sleeve with deep disgust. "You will serve the real nobles and clean up their wines!"

"Why should I go to your house party?" Leo asked, his eyes dark and empty. "Because you live in my house!" Clara yelled into his face. "You will carry heavy wine jars and wipe the dirty tables like the low slave you are!"

"If you do not show up to serve Lord Julian tonight," Clara added in a harsh whisper, "I will throw your sick father and little sister back into the mud!" Leo looked down at his crying sister and his weak father sitting in the dirt.

He swallowed his deep rage and nodded his head once without looking at her. "I will be there," Leo said quietly, his heart burning with pure, dark hatred. Night came fast, and the grand Jade Pavilion was filled with bright, glowing golden lamps.

The richest nobles of the city sat at long tables, drinking sweet expensive wine. Music played loudly, and rich lords laughed while eating plates of warm, costly food. In the corner of the room stood Leo, dressed in torn, dirty servant clothes.

He carried a heavy iron wine jar that weighed fifty pounds on his sore, cut shoulder. His bare feet were red and cold against the slick, smooth marble floor. "Hey, useless boy! Move faster!" a fat noble shouted, throwing an empty cup at Leo's chest.

"Fill my gold cup right now or I will break your legs!" Leo walked over silently and poured the deep red wine into the noble's cup. His hands were shaking from the heavy weight, but he did not drop the jar.

"Look at the live-in dog of the Sterling house!" another rich lord laughed out loud. "He looks just like a beaten street pup serving his real owners!" Clara sat at the main top table next to Julian, wearing a sparkling red dress.

She drank her wine and laughed at the joke, not looking at Leo even once. "Mother, look at him," Clara said to the sharp-faced old woman beside her. "He is so slow and stupid. He makes our noble family look bad in front of everyone."

Lady Margaret, Clara's old mother, snorted with deep disgust and stood up from her chair. She grabbed a big wooden bowl full of greasy, dirty dishwater. She walked right over to Leo while the whole room went completely quiet to watch.

She raised the heavy bowl high and poured the cold dirty water right on Leo's feet. The greasy brown water soaked into Leo's torn trouser and covered his bleeding bare feet. The rich nobles in the hall broke out into loud, clapping laughter.

"That is where you belong, beggar!" Lady Margaret barked, pointing her wooden spoon at him. "Your only worth in this world is keeping the floor clean for real men!" "Look at his wet shoes!" Julian laughed loudly, shaking his head with big enjoyment.

"He looks so funny standing in the dirt! What a great dog you have, Clara!" "Clean it up with your torn sleeve, Leo!" Clara commanded, her eyes full of cold pride. "Do not let your dirt ruin my mother's fine party tonight!"

Leo stayed frozen in place, his head hanging low under the warm golden lights. He clenched his fists so tight that fresh blood dripped down onto the wet marble floor. He fought back the hot, silent tears stinging his eyes for his family's survival.

He knew if he fought back now, Julian would send guards to kill his blind father. "Excuse me," Leo whispered in a low voice, turning his back on the laughing crowd. "I need to go wipe my shoes in the back yard."

"Go, you smelly trash!" Lady Margaret sneered, tossing the empty bowl at his feet. "Do not bring your bad stink near our rich guests again!" Leo walked away fast, stepping out of the bright hall and into the dark, quiet VIP garden.

The night air was very cold, and the tall green bamboo trees shook in the wind. He stood near a large black stone, taking a deep, long breath to cool his wild rage. He pulled his dirty sleeve up and wiped the dark mud from his bleeding feet.

Suddenly, a phone in his inner pocket began to vibrate with a faint blue light. It was a small, hidden, encrypted satellite phone that no one knew he had. Leo took the phone out and pressed his bleeding thumb against its smooth top.

A tiny, deep voice came out from the phone right into his ear. "Dragon Master!" the secret voice said with big fear. "The Vance Family's giant trade ships are at the north sea border right now! They want to trade!"

Leo's dark eyes turned completely cold, all his painful weakness disappearing in a single second. His low voice became as grand and heavy as a terrifying god. "Stop every single ship approaching the northern border," Leo commanded, his voice deep and icy cold.

"I want a complete trade freeze on all overseas luxury imports coming into this territory." "Yes, Dragon Master!" the voice answered fast. "Should we freeze their local distribution hubs too?"

"Shut down every high-tier import clearance by midnight," Leo said coldly into the glowing phone. "Leave those greedy merchants with no stock, no leverage, and no shipping profits by the time the sun rises." "It shall be done at once, Lord!" the voice replied before the blue light went out.

Leo placed the small phone back into his pocket and took a heavy breath. But before he could step back toward the path, a sharp laugh came from behind the trees. Clara walked out from the dark bamboo shadows, her arms crossed over her red dress.

She looked at Leo with pure contempt, her mouth twisted in an ugly smile. "Are you so desperate for attention that you pretend to control world trade on the phone?!" Clara yelled, laughing hysterically at his face.