Taming a fox

The fox's execution

Luo An sat in his cells, his limbs bound, making him unable to move. His mind kept drifting to the day before when he got to feel everything he never could before. Why was he sad? Were the things that happened in the past really that bad? It didn't matter anymore. He was gonna be executed the next day and there was nothing he could do about it. It's not like he wanted to in the first place. Since he went back to his emotionless self, he couldn't care less about what happened. 
     The door of his cell creaked open but he didn't even spare the person that entered a single glance. Footsteps entered from outside and lead all the way in front of him where they stopped. Luo An finally looked up and his eyes met those that belonged to the person who sentenced him to death only about an hour ago. "You were such a thorn in my side the whole time you stayed at the palace. You were always a freak and you'll die just like one," he said angrily. "I can't believe a kid like you could cause so much trouble. You are just like that bitch of a mother of yours." Luo An looked confused at the last part which made the emperor sigh and elaborate: "You know, I once had the unfortunate encounter with your mother. She was a prostitute and was pregnant at the time. She has committed a great offense so she has been punished. I made her drink poison."
     It clicked faster than it should've. This was the poison Qin Yaozu was talking about! 
     "I'm only a freak because of you," Luo An mumbled.
The emperor let out a laugh. "So you already know what the poison does? You're smarter than I thought," he said mockingly. "Yet, you weren't smart enough to get out of my grasp. I'm grateful to you for letting me get to the throne faster but you did make my life hard before then. Death should be a fitting penalty for that." With that, he made his way out of the cell, leaving Luo An all alone.
     All of it made sense now. He must've hated Luo An since the day he showed up since he realized he's the child of the woman who offended him and then when the late emperor paid a lot of attention to that bastard, he got angry. It seemed like Luo An was destined to die since the start. 

The day of the execution came. A lot of people came to watch as the 'rabid fox' has been brought out from the cell and finally get what he deserved. Along with the people that came to watch also arrived Qin Yaozu, Qin Shihong and Xia Li who rushed there as soon as she found out that Luo An was brought to the palace. She cried and clung onto her shixiong who tried his best to keep his cool and ignore her. 
     The star of the show was soon brought up, bound in chains and covered in marks, held by a pair of guards. He must've gotten a beating before he got there. Everyone's eyes were now on him as he stepped onto the platform and was forced to get on his knees. His eyes were staring at the floor the whole time and only raised to search for the young cultivator who brought him there. 
     The emperor stepped onto the platform along with a couple of guards, stepping in front of Luo An. "Greetings to all the people that came to watch!" he started. "After years of terror, the rabid fox has been finally captured and we're glad we could share this magical moment with all of you as we get rid of the monster terrorizing all of us." The crowd instantly went into an uproar, cheering for the emperor. He waited for them to tone it down before continuing. "Luo An has been brought to us yesterday in the evening by the sect leader of the Shengkai sect and his son, who captured the beast." His gaze swept towards the two that he mentioned. "We'd like to call forth young master Qin as a reward."
     Qin Yaozu was very hesitant but after peeling off his crying shimei off of his arm, he made his way to the platform. A guard brought forth a majestic sword and handed it to the emperor. "The reward shall be the honor of riding this world of such an impure being and beginning the celebration." Qin Yaozu's eyes widened but he quickly returned to his senses and fixed his composure. He looked past the emperor and his gaze landed on the 'impure being'. Luo An kept his head down. He didn't want to make things difficult for him so the second he heard the proposal of the emperor, his head fell down to hide his face. 
     The emperor offered the sword to Qin Yaozu who accepted it with both hands and bowed before making his way to Luo An's side. Guards stepped away after brushing the hair from Luo An's back, exposing the pale neck. 
     Qin Yaozu looked towards the crowd of cheering people, yet there was a pair that stayed silent. Qin Shihong kept a straight face but Xia Li wasn't as strong. She cried and whined, looking at Qin Yaozu with pleading eyes as if she was begging him to not do it. Qin Yaozu looked back at Luo An and swung the sword before he could change his mind. The slash went right through that exposed neck and his head soon fell off, his body collapsing right after.
     The emperor was pleased and continued on with his speech but Qin Yaozu heard none of it. His body began to shake and he dropped to his knees. Without thinking, his hand grasped Luo An's. It was getting cold. Qin Yaozu squeezed the dead hand and didn't even notice the tears that ran down his cheeks.
     Qin Shihong wasn't paying attention to the emperor, turning all of it towards his son so the second he saw this, he rushed forth and lead him away, almost having to tear him away from the corpse. He led him to the carriage and they left before the banquet to celebrate even started.
     The carriage felt empty. Even though Luo An was replaced by Xia Li so there was still the same amount of people, it just wasn't the same. Qin Yaozu didn't snap out of it the whole time, staring down at his hand that held a pair of earrings. The morning Luo An was brought to the palace, he gave that pair to Qin Yaozu without a word. But he was gone now. They didn't even have a chance to say anything to each other and now it was too late. 
     The second they got back to the sect, Xia Li punched Qin Yaozu in the face right when he got out of the carriage, making him almost fall down. Her face was covered in snot and tears. "You killed him! How could you?!" she cried out towards him. Qin Yaozu could only take her anger head on. He stayed silent. Xia Li threw another punch at him, followed by many more until she was stopped by Qin Shihong. "That's enough. He murdered the late emperor and paid for his crimes," he said, furrowing his brows. Xia Li immediately snapped back: "Then why does shige feel guilty about it?! Look at him! He knows he did something wrong!"
     Qin Shihong was speechless. He looked at his son but before he could think of anything to say, Qin Yaozu left. Maybe it was a mistake. Qin Yaozu sat on his bed all day, fidgeting with the earrings while thinking about many things. Maybe it could've gone differently and Luo An didn't have to die. He didn't deserve it.

Qin Yaozu went into seclusion shortly after, staying there for 9 long years. Many people thought he died of qi deviation or killed himself until he emerged one day. His father welcomed him back with open arms and his shimei has left by then, going her own way and exploring the world. To everyone's surprise, when he came out a pair of earrings hung from his ears, the red crystals shining in the sunlight.