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Chapter 7 - Blood, War and Truths

The cell smelled of rot, iron, and despair. Yunxi's knees dug into the cold, damp floor as he sat by the metallic bars, his chest tight, his eyes red from sleeplessness. For days, hope had been the only thread holding him upright. And then, in one heartbeat, it snapped.

"Grandma's gone," a voice whispered.

Yunxi's head jerked up. Across the cell, one of the guards spoke flatly, his words like knives. "The old woman's dead."

For a moment, there was silence. Then chaos erupted.

"No!" Yunxi's cry tore through the dungeon, raw and breaking. He reached for the bars as if he could reach her, hold her, bring her back. But there was only emptiness.

"You… you monster!" one of his uncles spat from the neighboring cell, his bloodshot eyes drilling into Yunxi. "You brought this misfortune on us!"

"She died because of you!" another cousin screamed. "You and your cursed mother!"

Their voices rose like a storm, each word pounding Yunxi into the ground.

"Stop—please stop—" Yunxi begged, his tears falling fast.

Yunxi staggered back as though struck. His gaze darted to his father's cell, seeking something—anything. His father sat in the shadows, silent, unmoving.

"Father…" Yunxi whispered. "Tell them the truth! Tell them we didn't do this!"

The minister's eyes finally opened. Cold. Sharp.

"Do you want them to kill us all?" his father hissed quietly. "Do you want those we call family to slit our throats in the night?"

Yunxi froze.

"They're angry, Yunxi. Don't give them a reason to make you their next target," his father continued, voice low and deadly.

In the next cell, the other family members—the ones his father had warned him of—watched him with a twisted looks. "Wouldn't mind seeing him dead," someone muttered, loud enough for Yunxi to hear.

Yunxi's stomach turned to ice.

Beyond the shadows, up on a hidden balcony carved into the stone, the Emperor watched. Han Ji leaned against the cold railing, his arms folded, lips curved in a dark smirk.

Now you'll see, Yunxi, he thought, eyes glinting. Now you'll understand what kind of people your family really are.

He turned to the guards behind him. "Make their lives harder. Take their food, reduce their water, and give every supply person will need to Yunxi. Let see him differently...let them turn on him completely."

The guards bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Han Ji left the dungeon with silent steps, his cloak trailing behind him like a shadow of death.

---

The South, War, and a Prince's Wrath

Weeks later, the kingdom bled red in the south. The Emperor—now on campaign—returned victorious. Despite the minister's treachery, despite the leaked strategies, the southern king had fallen beneath Han Ji's brilliance.

Han Ji was a war-born monarch, sharpened by steel and carnage since youth. His sword was infamous, called the Mouth to Hell, because those it cut never returned—just as if hell itself swallowed them whole.

He had earned his reputation at seventeen, when he discovered a village harboring fleeing enemy soldiers. He didn't just defeat them; he slaughtered them. Men, women, youth—it didn't matter. They had chosen to defy him. By dawn, the village was ash and blood.

And it was in that very war that Yunxi had nearly died.

---The Boy Who Vanished

The first time Han Ji had ever panicked was when he saw Yunxi's name among the volunteer aides bringing supplies to the warfront.

"What in hell is he doing here?" Han Ji roared, storming through the camp. When he found Yunxi on the road, he grabbed him by the collar and shook him so hard the boy's teeth rattled.

"Are you insane?! Do you want to die here?! This is not a place for you!"

"I just wanted to help!" Yunxi shot back, face flushed.

"Help?! You're weak—you're nothing but a—" Han Ji's voice cracked like thunder. "—a woman pretending to be useful!"

The slap came swift and sharp. Yunxi's hand burned against his face.

"I just wanted to help," Yunxi shouted, tears welling in his eyes. "Why do you shame me?! Why do you always call me a woman?!"

He tore free from Han Ji's grip and ran into the night.

Han Ji had sent his most trusted men after him, but Yunxi had vanished. Days later, they returned with only one thing—Yunxi's necklace, a small silver charm he never took off.

Han Ji's blood went cold. He searched for him day and night until a letter came, stained with mud and mockery.

> Hello, tough cub. We have the girl. She lives or dies—it's your call. You know what we want if you want her back.

Even they called Yunxi a girl. And for some reason this didn't confuse the crown prince in any way accept his soldiers who repeated the words, "girl..?"

__

Retribution

Han Ji crushed the letter in his fist. He had searched endlessly until...

When he found them, he didn't fight. He annihilated.

The camp of deserters became a massacre. Han Ji cut them down in a blur of steel and blood, his Mouth to Hell sword singing its death-song. Young, old, crippled—it didn't matter. He would leave no one alive who dared to touch what was his.

Amid the carnage, he found Yunxi—unconscious, bound, discarded like trash. Han Ji knelt, his chest tight for the first time in his life. Carefully, he wrapped Yunxi in his own royal cloak and barked orders to his men.

"Guard him. Don't touch him."

Then he went back to killing.The Truth Unveiled

When the battle was over, Han Ji carried Yunxi himself into his tent. He ordered warm water, shut the door, and barred everyone from entering.

Gently, he unwrapped the cloak, laying Yunxi on the cot. His hands hesitated as he unlaced the boy's tattered shirt, pulling it away to reveal a slim, scarred chest.

Han Ji froze.

Slowly, his eyes widened. His face twisted—confusion, shock, something deeper flickering beneath.

"…What…" he whispered.

Yunxi stirred faintly, still unconscious, his face peaceful despite the bruises.

Han Ji's mind reeled back to that night in the woods.

Han Ji, you don't think I'm a girl, do you?

Han Ji, why do you call me 'her'? People will misgender me.

His pulse thundered in his ears. He tore at the boy's pants, sliding them down just to be sure.

The truth hit him like lightning. He stumbled back, standing abruptly, eyes wide as though he'd seen a ghost.

A boy.

All this time…

Han Ji's lips parted, a single breath escaping, almost a whisper to himself.

"…a… boy."

And the world would never be the same again.

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