Two cultivators quickly flanked Yu Di at the second realm the moment he exited his cell. A woman went into the room behind them to escort Vimala behind them.

  As they walked, there were only men sitting and talking. Many of them gawked at them as they passed. There were women, but they seemed to serve the men as they stood behind them with jugs in hand or plates of food.

  They arrived at the center at the Pavilion of Goddess’ Grace. The word pavilion didn’t do it justice. A large golden dome reached all the way to the sky, held up by silver and golden arches that had many scenes depicting the Goddess of Miryana on them. Every one was intricately carved and masked the Goddess. The floors were marble tiles that spanned the entire room.

  Line after line of unarmed soldiers walked upon the red carpeted floor toward the center where a portly man dressed in white robes with a tan shawl sat. He held a large feather in his hand, which he waved over the soldiers. Some of them cried as they stepped away from the portly man.

  Yu Di’s group, led by Kutan, had another man walking ahead that opened up the lines so they could walk directly toward the center. The soldiers grumbled until they saw Kutan and quickly bowed, muttering a prayer.

  Kutan took all of this in stride. His genial face smiled toward everyone and waved at a few of the soldiers. It was like a royal pageant.

  One female servant didn’t move away fast enough and tripped, spilling her jug of liquid onto the floor.

  Kutan scowled. “Beat her and then toss her into the streets.”

  The woman sobbed when she heard that.

  Two of Kutan’s retinue grabbed the woman by the hair and dragged her away.

  Yu Di wanted to stop them, but knew he would be no match for the two second realm cultivators standing beside him.

  Curse unlocked: .1% lifted.

  One day, when Yu Di finally lifted his entire curse, he would come back and show this Kutan some manners. He glanced around and noticed no one else coming to the poor woman’s aid. Maybe he’d need to come back and show all of Miryana some manners.

  Kutan stood and waited until another woman came and wiped the spill away. He didn’t wait for her to finish before pushing her aside and continuing his leisurely walk toward the center.

  Once they were closer, they heard the cries from the soldiers.

  “Abbot, I have sinned gravely,” one soldier said. “In protecting our borders, I had to sacrifice a little boy so that the enemy outside wouldn’t raze the village.”

  Abbot Lokenatha looked down at the soldier who had kneeled in front of him. “Is that all?”

  “No, I have indulged in gambling. I have committed a grave sin.”

  Abbot Lokenatha placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “As long as you have realized your sin, then you can fix it. Today is a good day to do so. Continue to fight for your city, for your Goddess, and you will be absolved in the afterlife.”

  “Even if I have done far worse?”

  Abbot Lokenatha looked toward Vimala and Yu Di. “The Goddess will forgive you as long as you keep your faith and do good for the city and its people. Sacrifice my child.”

  The soldier bent over, face in hands, and tears streamed down his face. “I will give everything I have to Miryana and to you, Abbot. I will not fail you.”

  “That’s all I can ask for. Enjoy your day off.”

  Before the next soldier could approach, Kutan had walked ahead and bowed to Abbot Lokenatha. “Your guests are ready for you.”

  Abbot Lokenatha’s smile was so serene as if staring into the face of the Buddha. He stood up, making his throne creak. Everyone in the large pavilion bowed their heads.

  Everyone saw a holy man. Yu Di knew that this was no such thing. This Abbot was a king. Every soldier in this room was a cultivator although none of them had reached the second realm. This Abbot had an army, a fanatical one by the looks of it.

  Had Yu Di stepped into a different city? Miryana of over twenty years ago was a peaceful trading hub, protected by the Goddess. It had turned into a military theocracy with a mere mortal as its leader.

  “I apologize everyone, but I have to take a break,” Abbot Lokenatha said. “I will be back to resume absolutions. Wait for me.”

  “Yes, Abbot Lokenatha,” the room shouted.

  Yu Di wouldn’t be surprised if the Abbot told them to bark like a dog that they would do it. This kind of government is dangerous. They would die for this portly man.

  Abbot Lokenatha gave a cursory glance toward Vimala before joining Kutan at the front. They followed their usher toward the far corner of the room.

  Vimala shivered.

  Yu Di took a step back to Vimala. His guards didn’t stop them and kept in lockstep. “Is everything okay?”

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  Vimala shook her head. “We’re going to die.” She bowed her head as she walked.

  Yu Di had never seen Vimala look so cowed before. Even when she thought he was the same powerful Demigod that attacked the city, Vimala showed a defiance that would be laughable coming from a mortal to any cultivator. Yet in front of this mortal with more chins than the Chin family registry, she looked ready to give up on life.

  This was going to be an interesting meeting. One that Yu Di hoped to leverage and survive. This time, he had given up hope that someone would come to his aid. That meant that he’d have to give up on the idea of helping Vimala.

  It hurt him to think this. As Vimala was but a child compared to his age, he had Yu Lin to think about. If there was a way to give up her identity as the Goddess to save himself, he had to do it. That, and probably a lot of groveling and bribery. Yu Di remembered the greed on Kutan’s face when he gave him the elixir.

  The group entered a small office. There was a large white statue of the Goddess behind a large cluttered desk. Different pages strewn all across it, some showing the latest reports from the invaders. The most recent one had a few lines that concerned Yu Di and Vimala.

  Abbot Lokenatha took a seat behind the desk on a large cushion. It looked as if the Goddess statue was embracing him in her arms. However, he never came close to touching the arms, probably for fear of breaking them off.

  “Who do we have here?” Abbot Lokenatha asked.

  “Reporting to the Abbot, this one here is Yu Di,” Kutan said. “He’s a troublemaker who recently arrived in our city. He’s under the employment of Ying Fusu, the merchant from the Celestial Jade Empire.”

  “Welcome to our humble city,” Abbot Lokenatha said. “By the looks of it, you’ve been here before so I apologize for how much it has changed since last you visited.”

  Yu Di cupped his hands and bowed. “Yu Di thanks you for the warm welcome.”

  “And who is this woman?”

  “She wouldn’t give us her name,” Kutan said. “She was caught riding on a giant worm in the deserts outside of the city walls. Our forces intercepted four more large worms and would have killed her along with her worm if I hadn’t recognized her earlier. She’s also in the employ of Ying Fusu.”

  “Interesting.” Abbot Lokenatha leaned back slowly, carefully avoiding the white hands of the Goddess until he was against her abdomen. “Both of you are linked to the most successful merchant within Miryana. At least one of you is also linked with the Celestial Jade Empire. Tell me, Yu Di, do you have anything to do with the sudden appearance of the Celestial Jade Imperial Army headed toward our city?”

  “No, Your Eminence,” Yu Di said. “I didn’t hear about them until Shah al-Rahman mentioned them to me earlier. And no, I don’t have any connection with the Shah either. I was his captive.” He raised his hands to show the bruise marks left behind by the manacles.

  “Then this is a conundrum. I hoped you were a spy for one of them or at least had a way to penetrate that barrier. That would help our suffering city.”

  Yu Di held his tongue. He had a way to breach the barrier. All he’d have to do is connect with it again and he could easily control it if given enough time. But something about this Abbot made him feel paranoid.

  “I apologize your eminence, but I don’t know how I appeared here,” Yu Di said.

  Abbot Lokenatha chuckled. “Maybe a Demigod sent you in here. No matter. We have something better.” He turned his attention toward Vimala.

  Vimala had her head bowed, not daring to look up at the portly man. She shivered again, but this time it wasn’t from the Goddess Qi washing over her.

  “You are a hard person to find, Goddess,” Abbot Lokenatha said.

  Vimala froze, her hands balled into fists.

  Abbot Lokenatha sighed. “I know who you are. I was your high priest after all. I have been looking for you for years after the great calamity. You look a little older, but that beauty and that grace are still there. Those dangerous green eyes.” He tilted Vimala’s head up.

  “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vimala said. “I am not the Goddess or any kind of deity. I’m just a humble innkeeper under Ying Fusu’s employ.”

  Abbot Lokenatha released Vimala’s chin. “Of course you are. I’m sure that’s why an Imperial Prince of the Celestial Jade Empire would spend so much time with one such as you.”

  Those words hit Yu Di and jogged a bit of conversation he had with Ying Fusu. He remembered the merchant claiming that he was saved by a Demigod. It was him.

  Yu Di remembered the incident not too long ago during his visit to the Demigod Emperor. There was a child who almost drowned in the raging river right outside of the city. He had recognized him because of his princely robes. Since the Emperor himself was too busy and no one else had sufficient power, Yu Di grabbed the boy from the river and brought him back to the palace.

  It wasn’t until later that he heard it was an assassination attempt on the prince by another prince’s mother. Imperial politics, especially one of the Imperial family, scared Yu Di more than anything. It was worse than sect politics.

  “I do not know what you are talking about,” Vimala said.

  “Of course you don’t,” Abbot Lokenatha said. “His spies have infiltrated the top levels of our government. One of them could be in this very room.” His eyes landed on Yu Di. “The worst part is, we can’t do anything about it since his funds and his food have kept our city alive for the last fifteen years. But that all changes today.”

  Abbot Lokenatha got up from his cushion and walked over to the far corner of the room. He pulled a circular rug off the floor, revealing a trapdoor.

  Vimala tensed. “No.”

  Abbot Lokenatha smiled. “Oh yes. It took me many years and quite a few missteps before I found one of your handmaidens willing to tell me what I needed. They could have saved themselves all that pain and torture if they had just told me where this was. With this, I can finally unleash the power of the Goddess, protect our city, and cleanse the filth.” Again the Abbot stared right at Yu Di.

  Yu Di cupped his hands. “I apologize Your Eminence. I would gladly leave your city if you gave me leave. You would never see me again.”

  “If only that were true,” Abbot Lokenatha said. “You have wanted to find this secret location since the last time you were here.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean, Your Eminence.”

  “I know who you are, Yu Di. You are the Demigod that fought the Goddess all those years. You are the Menace of Miryana. I was there for the fight and I will never forget that face. For all your sins, you will be punished severely. I have already set up your public execution for later today. Kutan has the glory of killing a Demigod.” Abbot Lokenatha laughed. “To think a mere mortal is going to kill a Demigod that has plagued us for years. I will use your corpse as the glue that binds the people and then become an Immortal myself.”

  Yu Di gulped. He realized nothing was going to save him now. Not the items in his storage ring or even the solution to the barrier around the city. It would take a catastrophe or a miracle to save him. Looking at the statue of the Goddess, he knew that would not happen in this city.

  Deafening gongs rang throughout the room. Louder gongs were heard outside the office.

  “Abbot Lokenatha, high priest Kutan, we’re under attack!” a man shouted from outside. “It’s Shah Amir al-Rahman’s army. They have finally pushed past the wall and into our city.”

  Abbot Lokenatha froze for a second, looking between Yu Di, Vimala, and Kutan. “Kutan, throw these two into the cells. We’ll deal with them after we beat those dogs back.”

  “Yes, Abbot.” Kutan motioned the guards to grab Yu Di and Vimala.

  Chaos works for Yu Di. He glanced up at the Goddess. She might not have favored him, but he would gladly do his part to save this city, not only from the invaders but also from the rot within.

  Curse unlocked: 1% lifted.

  Yu Di smiled.