Yase stared at the assassin on the floor with nothing but cold irritation.
"They never let my Lord rest, do they?" he muttered. The alcohol still burned in his veins, but his mind was crystal clear.
Ignoring the man, he approached Lord Yue with steady steps, much contrasting his drunken appearance. But when his eyes fell on the breathtaking panorama before him, his steps froze midway, unable to carry himself forward.
The ruins of the temple seemed to shrink away from the altar, where the black timber coffin lay with a regal grace. Its golden carvings and jade embellishments captured the moon's silvery light and flickered like forest spirits watching the figure resting within. Lord Yue sat amidst the silk, his white robes flowing around him like a shining cocoon.
The veil he had draped over the Lord fell like a waterfall, hiding his features beneath.
To him, Lord Yue looked less like a human and more like a celestial being whose feet should never be allowed to touch the dirty mortal land below.
Yase lowered his eyes and kneeled on the ground, leaving a five-foot distance between them. He was afraid that if he moved any closer, he might become a stray brushstroke that would break the harmony of the living art.
"My Lord," he called softly.
A breath of silence passed between them, but Yase received no reply. His knuckles turned white, his fingers digging into the mud of the temple floor as he knelt.
"Let the world call you rot, let them call you a curse or monster. But do not look at yourself with their eyes.
"They aren't worthy of even the dust beneath your nails, My lord."
Yase bowed and stood up. He walked back to the wailing man on the ground. Reaching down, he grabbed the leader by his collar and dragged him across the stony debris of the Tianlu Temple.
The assassin's heels scraped against the stone, his broken grunts fading into the distance as Yase hauled him out of the sacred space where his lord rested.
Inside the temple, Lord Yue finally moved. Through the veiled cloth, he observed the sturdy figure dragging the man away into the dark. His scaled hand slowly rose to pull the veil the man had placed over him.
Lord Yue's gaze drifted from the retreating backs of Yase and the assassin to the muddy ground below. The stagnant water on the floor mirrored the fractured moonlight—a reminder of the storm that had washed over Yan State two days prior, the very reason his coffining had been delayed.
He remembered the stories of this place. The Tianlu Temple was a monument to his own bloodline's glory. His grandfather and father had bled to win the Northern War, and in return, the late emperor raised these sacred walls to thank the heavens.
This place used to be thick with the scent of expensive incense, the chanting of monks, and the vibrant colors of silk banners. But now, the deities of the temple lay toppled and buried under mud, much like the honor of the people who once worshipped here.
A frown touched his lips when his eyes settled on the black timber perched defiantly atop the altar.
That man, Yue thought.
Among this vast expanse of ruins, he chose the holiest ground to place the rotting corpse!
Outside the temple, Yase dragged the assassin despite his pleas. The leader clutched his broken wrist all the while, throwing disgraceful words at Yase.
"Leave me right now, you lowborn!" he yelled.
But Yase didn't flinch at the "lowborn" slur. He simply adjusted his grip, continuing to drag the man away from the temple.
Yase came to a halt a short distance away, his eyes resting on the Tianlu ruins solemnly. He finally dropped the man onto the rain-slicked earth, watching as he rolled, his chin catching on a jagged rock.
The assassin flinched at the sharp pain. "How dare you! I am a nobleman of the third rank! You will be hanged for mistreating me!" the man threatened. With much difficulty, he managed to sit straight on the ground, but even before he could recover, a powerful blow landed on the right side of his face causing his heavy body to fall to the ground again.
The black cloth covering his face loosened, his head whipping to the side from the impact of the punch.
Yase calmly walked toward him, his battered leather boots pressing down on the assassin's shoulder, keeping him pinned under his foot.
The assassin gasped from the pain, afraid he would end up with another broken bone tonight.
"A lowly gravekeeper daring to attack a noble?" he spat, his voice cracking with indignant fury.
"Do you even know who I am?"
Yase's lips twitched, his irritation bubbling up not from the man's insults, but because of this pathetic creature who had made his lord feel disgust with himself.
He looked down at the man, his eyes hollow. "My lord was right…" Yase murmured. Removing his foot, he crouched down beside him, his hand shooting out to seize the man's face in a crushing grip.
"Your heartbeat is noisy, and so is your mouth." Yase tilted his head, a pleasant, terrifying smile stretching across his face.
"Worry not, I have very effective ways of ensuring silence."