Gu Jun stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
The hinges let out a soft groan, swallowed by the quiet of the evening. He shrugged off his coat, tossed it over the stand, and drifted through the house. A few chores were done out of habit—his hands moved, but his mind was elsewhere. Then, with a breath that seemed too heavy for one man, he sat down.
He picked up a porcelain cup. Steam rose from the surface—thin, twisting ribbons fading into the air. The tea was strong. Bitter. His father used to drink it that way.
Once he finished, he set the cup down and reached for a small black case.
It was smooth and had no markings. Just a simple, matte box.
He clicked it open.
Inside was a single cigarette, nestled in a black velvet-like some kind of sacred artifact.
He lit it. Flame flicked and smoke curled.
The imperial cigarette.
It wasn't something you'd find in stores—or even in this world. It was a piece of history. A mark of power passed down from Qin Di, the last true emperor, now long silent and entombed in legend.
Others had their rituals—pipes carved from jade, incense burned in moonstone bowls. Gu Jun had no interest in all that.
He preferred something cleaner. Modern. Stainless steel.
It wasn't about how you smoked it. It was about what it meant.
The cigarette was made from sky herbs and powdered flood dragon horn—ingredients that no longer grew in any place common men could reach. The scent was strange: floral and wild, like something that didn't belong in the present.
This wasn't just a habit. It was an identity. It was a declaration.
They said it brought out the ruler in a man.
And when Gu Jun took the first drag, something did change.
He didn't look like much. Five-foot-nine. A Forgettable face. The kind of guy you pass in a crowd without noticing.
He didn't talk loudly. Didn't try to stand out.
But once he smoked, the room seemed to tighten. His eyes sharpened. His posture straightened.
Something invisible pressed outward from him.
It was like watching a king step into his own skin.
He leaned back and let the smoke drift through the lamplight. Outside, dusk deepened.
Five kilometers away, someone was walking.
Each step covered ten meters. He wasn't rushing, but he moved with purpose.
People didn't see him. Not because he hid. They just… didn't notice. Like their minds slipped right past him.
He was about thirty years old. A scar across the cheek. Cold eyes. He looked like a man who'd been through things, not one who bragged about them.
He reached the estate, entered quietly, and walked straight into the hall.
No hesitation.
He bowed.
"Your Highness."
Gu Jun didn't answer right away. Just held the cigarette between two fingers, watching it burn.
The title still held—technically. The coronation hadn't happened yet.
After a pause, he asked, "What's the update?"
"Everything's ready. The council finalized the annexation plan for Tianhai. I have brought the paperwork."
He placed the documents on the low table.
This was Longwei. He was the Sixth Elder of the Gu Empire. He was also the Chief Messenger. One of only ten people alive who knew who Gu Jun really was.
"What is the situation of the Strike group?" Gu Jun asked.
"They are Prepped. Strike One hit the peak of the initial Innate. The other two just broke through to the innate; they are stable and don't have the possibility of progressing soon."
Gu Jun nodded. "Xiao family?"
"Split in three. One hostile, they want to split away from us. One loyal, they want to follow the plan and do not have any other idea, at least for now. One neutral, they do not currently have any say, they are observing. Their three parties' Power is balanced for now. We're backing the loyalists—let them clean house for us."
"How long will that take?"
"Four months, give or take."
"Longer than I hoped," Gu Jun muttered. "But we'll do it right. No loose ends. And the formation?"
"All pieces found—except one. Once everything is ready, activation will take three months once complete. After that, we will have full control over Tianhai. "
"Where's the last piece?"
"It is in Antarctica, Your Highness. "
The Heaven-Encompassing Array required multiple ancient components, each connected to ley lines buried deep in the Earth. The Gu Empire had secured them all, except one. Once integrated, the array would root itself into the planet's core.
The cigarette burned low.
"Your cultivation?" Gu Jun asked.
"Replied to Your Highness, it is close to peak mid-Innate. I should be able to make a breakthrough soon."
"Good." Gu Jun stood. "I leave for Tianhai tonight."
"We're ready, Your Highness."
Gu Jun waved a hand. "You're dismissed."
Longwei bowed again. " Farewell, Your Highness. " He left as quietly as he had come.
Gu Jun watched the door close.
Longwei had once been one of twenty chosen for something beyond rank or bloodline. Each had been trained, molded, and given resources and rare methods. They weren't pawns like the Xiao.
They were weapons.
Now, they stood behind the throne—unseen giants holding up an empire that few outside even knew existed.
The room stilled.
Then, the strange things happened, Gu Jun's shadow moved. Twisted and stretched unnaturally across the floor.
From there, two figures emerged.
A young man and a woman, both in their early twenties.
He was cold and focused. She was fire—playful, clever, quick to grin.
They were Twins, though you'd never guess it from their moods.
Yingchen and Yinglan.
The Twin Shadows.
They'd followed Gu Jun for six years.
Orphans once. Now elite.
Raised fast, trained hard. But speed came with a ceiling, and they'd hit it. They had been stuck in the Mid-Innate for a long time. Although they were both Mid-Innate, their combined attack can kill a late-stage Innate. And if they used their surprise attack, combined their special skill, and their Super Innate weapon, they could heavily injure a peak Innate.
"Master," Yinglan said, stretching her arms dramatically. " I'm so bored. When are we going to Tianhai?"
Gu Jun smiled—a rare flicker of warmth—and reached out to tousle her hair. She was the only soul in the world who received such treatment from him. Not even the elders dared such closeness.
Soon.
They would all move soon.
The plan was about to begin.