The stem of the chrysanthemum fell with a thud.
The snow of Hassaku, arriving early before winter, had snapped it. People trampled over the chrysanthemums buried in the snow. It was a death mourned by no one.
Amidst the whirling flurries of fine snow, a young girl bound in shackles knelt, bowing her head.
She appeared to be around fourteen. Snow piled on her slender shoulders, clad in tattered kimono, causing her to shiver. Yet the gaze of the imperial minister directed at the young girl, still bearing traces of her childhood, held no pity—only hostility.
The girl was a criminal, one who had brought harm to the Kok Empire.
“Raise your head, Fei Ling .”
Urged by the emperor, the girl lifted her gaze quietly. Her face, framed by strands of silver hair, was as delicate and lovely as a flower, with an air of frailty.
She was the daughter of the previous emperor—a princess. And yet, now, she stood before them, about to be judged as a grave criminal.
“You are the daughter of the ‘Emperor of Chaos,’ who ruled with tyranny, deceived the people, and perpetrated countless massacres. Even after his execution, his malevolence continues to plague the Kok Empire. Do you have any defense for yourself?”
“I do not. I will atone for my sins with death.”
Fei Ling made no plea for her life. The emperor’s eyes softened slightly.
“However, you are also a daughter of the Bai Ze clan. The Bai Ze, healers who dispel all poisons and cure all illnesses… Even at your young age, you have inherited their wisdom.”
Thus, the emperor posed the question.
“Are you ‘poison,’ or are you ‘medicine’?”
After a moment of silence, the girl parted her frozen lips.
“I… will eradicate any poison and transform into medicine.”
“I see. Then the execution of Fei Ling shall be postponed.”
The ministers, who had remained silent, erupted in murmurs. “Your Majesty,” spoke the Left Chancellor respectfully. Anything that could sow the seeds of disaster must be eradicated here and now.
But the emperor’s decision was firm.
“Silence. It is also an undeniable fact that the land of Kok is currently plagued by poison.”
Heavenly and Earthly Poison.
Everyone present knew those words.
All things are born of yin and yang. When their harmony is disrupted, all existence turns to poison that harms humanity. Water that sustains life becomes poison when tainted. Poisoned earth rots crops from their roots. Poisonous fire emits toxic smoke that taints the clouds. These poisons corrode human bodies, manifesting as mysterious illnesses called “poison plagues.”
No doctor can cure poison plagues—save for the Bai Ze clan.
“If you prove to be a poison harmful to Kok, then you shall be executed accordingly.”
Fei Ling thought to herself:
(Father, you told me to consume poison and transform it into medicine. Yet you, yourself, became a poison that corroded the nation.)
Lowering her head in a kowtow, she replied:
“I will repay this mercy. I swear to transform this body into medicine and atone for my sins.”
