Tale of QiLong

Chapter 1: The Grand Escape (II)

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Location, TianAn Palace. Setting, Ascending cloud estate.

After meeting up with XiLan and running alongside him to the 9ChengYun Gong, XiLan forced XiYang down onto his knees with one swift kick to the back of his legs. With firmness in his tone, XiLan interrogated his younger brother. "Spill, where did you learn how to use witchcraft?" XiYang hesitated, but replied calmly to his elder brother. "It's not witchcraft, it's cultivation." XiYang muttered with a hint of sass. "To hell with whatever it's called! You know fairly well that in Sardonyx, whoever practices sorcery will either be hanged or beheaded. You'd be remarkably lucky if you only got off with your hands being chopped off!" XiLan exclaimed. "I did it so I could save you!" XiYang fired back. "It didn't matter if you did that or not! I could've easily dealt with a few archers! What you did was against the law! Just because you're the prince, doesn't mean that you can get away with such things. Your reasoning doesn't matter! Rules are rules! Break the rules, receive punishment! See for yourself!" XiLan bellowed. His hand slammed against the cold surface of his jadeite desk harshly as he spoke in a heated manner.

Laying on that very surface, was a paperback law manuscript that he had been studying prior to the siege. As he threw the law manuscript at his brother, XiYang flinched for a brief second as the cover collided with his face unintentionally in the process of landing. Displeased with XiLan's treatment, XiYang scoffed. He picked the blue booklet up, and with some careful skimming, XiYang flipped it to the correct page. In silence, he read the law repeatedly, the words echoed in his empty mind. "Whoever practices the arts of cultivation or witchcraft, will be subjected to the death sentence. By hanging, 10PaoLao, or beheading." After having enough, XiYang slammed the booklet shut and casted it aside. Offended that his prized tome was being treated as if it were discarded trash, XiLan angrily raised his finger in XiYang's direction. "You!" XiLan couldn't even get a chance to finish before he was cut off. "I'm fully aware of our rules! Don't treat me like I'm stupid! But there's one reason as to why I don't always follow every damn rule. Do you see how these rules are written?" XiYang asked as he pointed at the book.

"And what is wrong with how they are written?" XiLan asked, seething with rage. "They have ABSOLUTELY no reason as to why we have to follow them. Following rules requires principle and reasoning doesn't it? Same with making rules, otherwise what's the fucking point of following them or making them in the first damn place? What's the point of aimlessly following rules when there is no reason as to why we have to follow them? Every rule in this world will eventually be broken at some point, but instead of looking into the reasons? Most people nowadays just blindly believe that whoever breaks the rules is automatically evil and punish them accordingly to this-" XiYang retrieved the book and held it up for his enraged brother to see. "This DUMB book that is nothing but sheets of 11xuan paper stained in ink! What about their reasoning for why they committed these so-called crimes? Where is your sense to tell from right to wrong? We have rules written, but where are the reasons why these rules were made?

Did some drunk politician shit this out of his ass in his free time, or were they really that simpleminded to believe that everyone in this world would follow these bullshit laws without questioning them? Or... Was it because these idiots believe that there's no reason to tell people about the reasons why these rules were made? Maybe if they included the reasons, then there wouldn't be rebels in the first fucking place, now would there?" XiYang spat with disdain. Bewildered by XiYang's disobedience, XiLan stood in silence as he gripped his sword tightly. "Have you ever considered any of this as the future emperor? What if you wrongfully punish someone and make many families lose their parents, children, or loved ones? All because of a few sentences written down in paper and ink? It isn't fair, now is it?" XiYang asked. During XiLan's silence, XiYang stood up and stumbled towards his brother. Although his leg was still in pain, XiYang grabbed his brother's hand that gripped tightly onto his sword, and made him pull the sword out.