Editor's Note: Okay, I decided to slice the chapter in half, for 2 reasons: 1) It'd be too long as a whole 2) It'd take lots of time before completion. Because chapter 10.1 is actually one third of the actual 'I, Righteous Tiang'-storyline.

So, here's chapter 10.1, so to speak. Thanks to all my reviewers, you're all awesome. (By the way, notice the X's between scene-transitions? :p)

Chapter 10.1: I, Righteous Tiang

"Damn heat," I softly mumbled, as I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my left hand.

I had been marching for an entire day, and the sun had unleashed its blistering rays upon the already dry landscape to give me some company. But it was not appreciated. I peered into the west, but all I saw was brown grass, as far as my eyes could see. It wasn't a very comforting sight. With a sigh, I sat myself down and took a draught from a flask of melted ice. It was still deliciously cool.

I took a map out of my backpack and looked at the distance I still had to cross. Right now, I was about 10 kilometres away from the border that separated the grassy area of the Seat of Heaven with its rocky, mountainous deserts. If my instincts were correct, that is. I just had to reach this border and head south. Simple as that.

"Come on, Tiang, one last effort for today..." I said to myself, and got up. And with renewed courage, I continued my march eastward.

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"Finally, a village," I thankfully said, as I entered the borders of what seemed to be the settlement of a tribal community. "This sure is strange," I whispered to myself. "Not a single human being around here. Not even a monkey or a dog..."

I leaned against the walls of what seemed to be a barricaded home. Another thing that attracted my attention. Every home was closed. Locked. From the inside and from the outside. This was really, really starting to intrigue me...

Wondering what was wrong, I knocked on one of the doors, not knowing what to expect. I wasn't even sure there were humans inside. But I soon got a response.

"What do you want?" a high, obviously female voice shouted. "Leave us alone, just take it and go!!"

"Take what?" I asked, immensely confused. I had no idea what on earth she was talking about.

"Just go!!!" she shouted, even harder. But what really struck me, was the terror that was accompanying the sound of her voice. This woman was obviously mortally afraid, and for what it was, I could not tell. But it was obvious she wanted to be left alone, so out of respect for her, I did as she asked. I backed away from the door, and at that moment, I caught the sound of a loud thud coming from the East. I estimated it was only a couple of houses further, but I couldn't see which house it was.

I ventured forth in the direction of the strange noise, and as I progressed I started to hear voices. Human voices. Voices that were obviously not behind closed doors. I hoped they could tell me more about what was going on here.

After a minute of walking, I saw a square. "The town square, obviously," I reasoned, and my heart relieved itself when I saw two men outside of the big house that was the main focus of the village.

"Hurry," one of them said. "They're coming!"

"I'm working as fast as I can! Don't rush me!"

I approached them, but as soon as they were aware of my presence, they shot up and took on a hostile stance.

"What do you want, stranger? You don't belong with us, nor with them, I can tell. Or are you a new one?" one of them asked me. I frowned. I had no idea what he meant.

"My kind sir, I really don't know what..."

"Forget about him," the other man said, "let's just finish up here. If I were you stranger, I'd turn around and never come back here."

"But why? Why ain't I welcome here?"

The man who asked Tiang who he was sighed. "Look, boy, we'd like to tell you, but we're in a hurry. They're coming! You can take shelter in our house, if you want, but that's it."

"That's very kind of you, sir, but I don't.." I replied, but I was cut off by the other man who screamed and jumped up in terror.

"Oh, no! I can hear them coming! Quickly, Jejna, go inside!"

The man whose name was Jejna and his companion quickly got inside, and locked the door.

There I stood, in the middle of a town square. I shrugged. Perhaps it was some sort of annual celebration of a certain event. Perhaps they were some sort of superstitious wacko's. I cared little. It was none of my concern. I had other tasks to fulfil. Then again, if it was a celebration, why did they barricade their homes and hide?

But then, I heard something I hadn't heard in a long, long while. The clatter of hoofs on the sandy, dusty roads the village was covered with. It was soft, though, and I found it remarkable the man I just saw was able to hear it from that far. Some figures on horseback emerged from behind a couple of houses. They were dressed for battle, but somehow I knew it was solely for the purpose of intimidation. These wannabe soldiers saw me, and looked at each other. The one who was riding in the middle gave a small nod, and they circled up around me. I began to feel a little bit nervous. What did they want from me? And were they the ones that stroke terror in these people's hearts? And why?

"Well, peasant. Care to explain why you're not behind closed doors, as we told you to?" the guy in front of me asked. I had to repress a grin. 'Peasant'. I was never called like that before. Obviously they didn't know who I was. And I had no intention of telling them. Not that they would believe me if I did...

"I have no idea what you're talking about, sir, I am just passing by. I am a stranger to these parts."

"Really now?" the same man, who obviously was the leader, inquired. "And what even brings you to these parts to begin with? This inhospitable landscape isn't really attractive, you know."

"I am just an adventurer, sir. Just trying to make a living."

"But so are we, boy. So are we. Men, you know what to do!"

I was actually afraid they'd all charge at me with their blades drawn, but I was lucky. They didn't. Instead, they got off their horses and began to attach large bags I hadn't noticed earlier to their horses.

"What's that?" I curiously asked.

"You know, that's actually none of your business. But since you don't seem to pose much of a threat I shall indulge your curiosity. We are loading up the rice these farmers have harvested for us."

"Why would they harvest rice for you?"

"That's an easy one. If they don't, we kill them."

"What?" I asked, perhaps a bit too loud.

"Yes, they're taxes. These are the lands..."

"Of the Emperor, and you have no right to impose your own taxes here!"

The bandit didn't really like my cross reaction, and I could tell quickly enough.

"Be careful, boy. You've got a big mouth, talking to me like that!"

I didn't care. I became very indignant and I lost my temper.

"You're all scoundrels, the lot of you! In the name of the Emperor, you should be lined up and executed! Stealing the rice of these poor farmers who are trying to make ends meet just so you can enjoy your life of luxury and plunder! Filthy swine, that's what you are! You should be ashamed."

The leader of the bandits grinned and dismounted. He was easily three feet taller than me, but I cared little about his length.

"You've got some spirit, boy. One word of advice: turn around and leave this place. That'd be best for all of us."

"Not for me, it isn't."

"Well, that's a shame, then. Are we fully packed? Let's go, boys!"

The bandits were indeed finished attaching the bags to their horses, and were looking to ascend their mounts.

"Halt!" I shouted. "No one leaves here with a single grain of rice! Over my dead body!"

The bandits all stopped, and looked at each other. Then, they all started to laugh out loud.

A bit surprised, confused, but most of all angry and upset, I looked around.

"I mean it!" I yelled, drawing my dual sabres from their sheaths.

This seemed to stir something. The bandits all drew their weapons or conjured rings of green toxic around their wrists.

"Hold it!" the bandit leader said. "I will deal with this kid. Tell you what, boy. If you can defeat me, we shall leave the rice and not bother these people any more. If you can't beat me... Well, you shall know the consequences of that soon enough!"

"Agreed," I said in consent. I didn't realise I was thinking irrationally, but I had little choice in the matter. It was too late to chicken out.

"Very well," the bandit leader said, as he drew a giant broadsword from his back. "Let's settle this."

I swallowed. I didn't like this at all.

The man swung his broadsword at me. I rolled out of the way. He planted it in the ground, and I took advantage of his immobile status by throwing one of my sabres at him. Unfortunately, his arm had such a wide reach he took it by the handle. The blade itself was directed towards his face, but it was nowhere near even scratching him. He threw my sabre to the ground, and pulled his broadsword out of the ground with a powerful tug of his right arm. He drew himself up, and slowly walked over to me. Hoping to take advantage of my speed, I leapt over him, hoping to be able to attack him from behind. But he managed to grab me by the waist in mid-air and slammed me down so powerfully it knocked the wind out of my body.

The bandits around us cheered, and I knew I had lost. My opponent held his menacingly sharp broadsword to my throat.

"You lost, boy. And I didn't even have to try hard."

I was mortified. He seemed ruthless.

"But fear not. I have no intention of killing you."

"What?" one of the other bandits shouted in disappointment. "Why not? Just finish him, so we can have a bit of fun, eh?"

"No!" he shouted. "I shall let him live with the shame of defeat pursuing him, and the chimera of achieved honour paining his thoughts. Besides, Count Zong ordered us not to kill anyone this time. We need to keep a low profile."

My heart skipped a beat, and my eyes widened. 'Zong'? Perhaps he was talking about Zong the Wicked!? The bandit leader read the surprise off my face.

"Why, you seem taken aback, kid. Do you know Count Zong?"

"Do you mean.. Count Zong the Wicked?" I asked hopefully, but afraid that the up and down movements of my Adam's apple would touch the extremely sharp blade that was still hovering closely above my throat.

"Indeed," he said, and he stood up, removing the blade.

"Yes," I said. "I know him. Not personally, though."

"Then you must know, that he is not to be messed with. But remember this, kid: next time I see you and you try to stop us, I won't be this forgiving. Let's go, men!" he shouted. They mounted their animals, and rode off, with the harvest of the poor farmers bumping against their horse's thighs.

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"What you did was brave, stranger, but foolish," the old man whose name was Jejna said to me when he helped me up. "Those thugs are bullies. They want to control us."

"Yeah, I've noticed," I replied, while wiping the dust off my pants.

"Come on, join me and my family inside for a cup of tea."

"Sure. Thank you, kind sir."

I followed Jejna inside, and followed his example by sitting down at the table that took up most space of what I presumed to be the living room. But I immediately rose to my feet again when 2 women entered the room. I presumed they were Jejna's wife and daughter. They were followed by the man I had seen earlier. I could now see he was much younger than Jejna, which made me believe he was his son, although he looked a lot more like his mother.

"Wee, Jene, Zu,... This is... I'm sorry, I don't think you've told me your name before...?"

Erm, its... Jin," I quickly said. I didn't want them to know my real name. I wasn't sure why. Tiang wasn't that uncommon a name in the Jade Empire. But just to be safe...

"Jin, it is, then. Jin, these are my wife, daughter and step-son."

I quickly observed his daughter. She was somewhat chubby, but it complemented her female curves very well. She was quite pretty too, but she was not in Linmei's league. No woman other than her was.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, stranger," Wee and Jene chorused in unison. Zu just greeted me with a small nod.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Jejna suggested. Not knowing what else to do or suggest, I sat myself down again. Jene took the chair next to me. I caught myself looking at her breasts for a second. They looked very soft. I had to expel some erotic images from my mind, when Jejna asked me a question.

"So, Jin, what is your business here?"

"Well," I answered, "I'm just a warrior, a wandering adventurer trying to scrape enough food together to starve a few days longer."

"Ah, but so are we, my boy. Life has become difficult for us, especially with that bastard Zong making life even harder on us."

"Why do they want taxes, anyway? They're not allowed to..."

"Of course they're not allowed to. But the law isn't enforced around these parts. We're too far out from the Imperial City. The arm of the officials don't reach this place. Word has it that the Emperor has lost his interest in the western part of the Seat of Heaven..."

"That's not true!" I replied, way too fanatically.

"How do you know?" Zu sneered, confirming my suspicions he didn't really like me.

"Well, erm... He's the Emperor, isn't he? It's his job to care about us."

"Yeah, right," Zu said, accompanying his sceptic words with a faint, mocking grin. "Either he doesn't care, or either he can't do anything. Either way, we're screwed."

"I wouldn't say that," I argued. "But... Could you tell me a bit more about the exact situation here?"

"Well," Jejna said, "there is little to know, really. It's been going on for a couple of years now. Every time we harvest our rice or other things, they come to claim half of it. If we don't give it, they'll kill us and take all of it. So, we give it to them."

"And why does everybody barricade their home?"

"Fear, of course. The first time they showed up, they ran over some people with their horses, threw fists of poison in open doors, stuff like that. They just wanted to send a message. But we're all afraid things like that will happen again."

"Hasn't anything been done to stop them?"

"Stop them?" Jejna said on a tone that was much cooler and much more serious. "Why?"

"Simply because! What they're doing isn't right! So why does nobody stand up and fights for justice?"

"We're just farmers, kid. No soldiers."

"So you prefer it if they just walk all over you?" I asked, with a red blush starting to form on my cheeks.

"I prefer being walked all over on, than being beat down AND walked all over on."

"But... This injustice shouldn't be allowed to continue!"

Jejna let out a deep sigh. "I agree. But we'll talk about it later. It's getting late. I'm off to bed. By the way, stranger, tomorrow we're celebrating the new season. I'm sure the other villagers won't mind your presence. Stay with us for a while, it'll be fun."

"Thanks, sir, I will," I replied. I figured this place was a good way to gather some more information about Zong the Wicked. I just didn't understand the way these people allowed themselves to be walked over. To me, a Prince, someone of royal blood, born to be a deity's replacement on this Earth, it made no sense at all...

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"Jin!" I heard someone shout. "Jin!"

Annoyed, I turned around, and mumbled, something. "Jin, for Heaven's sake, someone's calling you..."

"Jin, I'm talking to you. You have to get out of bed!"

Shocked, I realised they were talking to me. I opened my eyes, and saw Jene, Jejna's daughter, sitting on the edge of the small bed I was given yesterday evening.

"Good morning," she said.

I blinked, and the image of the world around me sharpened. I was lying in a very small room, on an even smaller bed, with a woman sitting next to me. The materials were cheap. Unpolished pine. Low ceiling, too. What a contrast with my bedroom in the Imperial Palace. It made me shiver and smile at the same time.

"How are you doing?" Jene asked. "Are you recovering well from the beating those scumbags gave you yesterday?"

"Well, erm..." I was a bit embarrassed. It didn't like to talk about failure. That was also one of the reasons I never spoke a lot. "I'm recovering very well, thank you. Just a bit stiff in the right shoulder, but that's about it."

"Oh dear," Jene said, and she reached for my shoulder with both her hands. I straightened my back a bit, sitting some inches higher. I was surprised by what she did and felt very uncomfortable. Slowly, she began massaging my right shoulder, which luckily wasn't at the far edge of the bed.

"How does that feel?" she asked.

"Eh... Great," I said, according to the truth. It felt surprisingly well, and I closed my eyes to intensify the feeling. Her strong fingers pushed the stiffness out of my muscles and I could almost swear she was manipulating my right shoulder with her chi.

"So, Jin, tell me about yourself."

"Well, there isn't much to tell," I replied, not really knowing what to say. I was getting more nervous with every passing second. "I was... born in a village South of the erm... Grandfather River, yes, yes. I've... travelled a lot since then, and... That's about it."

Jene smiled. "You're a strange man, Jin," she said. "You seem to have the courage of a thousand soldiers, yet you are as shy as a newly-born puppy."

"Shy? I don't know what you're talking about," I said with a languid voice.

"I think you do," Jene said, and with a firm sweep, she swung her left leg over mine, and sat on me. I tried to crawl away, but she held me by the shoulders. "See what I mean?" she grinned.

"Well, erm... I don't... What are you actually doing?" I stammered.

"Seducing you of course, you silly boy. Can't you tell?" she said with a lascivious smile, and she softly stroked my left cheek with her right-hand fingertips. Then, with determined keenness, she grabbed my crotch with her left hand.

I let out a cry of pleasure and amazement, and jumped up, throwing her off me. Luckily, she landed on the bed.

"What's wrong?" Jene asked with confusion.

"I erm... It's just that, I've... You know. I already have someone else." I didn't know if it was shyness, fear or sheer hope that made me say this, but I just couldn't do it. I loved Linmei, and I would not throw her away for a quick satisfaction of my own lust.

"Well," Jene said. "In that case. I've never been rejected before, you know, certainly not like this..."

"It's not your fault," I quickly said. "I just can't do it."

Jene looked at me with one eyebrow raised. Suddenly, she giggled.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"You're still a virgin, aren't you?"

I blushed. It was true.

"How cute," Jene said, approaching me. She gave me a peck on the cheek. "If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," she whispered in my ear, leaving the room. "Oh, and by the way, my father could use a hand in the preparations for tonight's party. It's in the large house across the square," she shouted without looking back. Quickly, I closed the door, and sat on the edge of my bed. I looked around the room, and found it ironic that the girl who lived in this house was as cheap as the materials it was built out of.

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"Thanks for the help, kid," Jejna said when laying the last carpet on its spot. "Couldn't have done it without you. Guests should be arriving soon."

"Who's coming?" I inquired. "Must be a lot of people."

"Yep. The entire town is coming."

"What are you, their... leader?"

"Jejna grinned. "There's no leader here, Jin. We're all equal."

"What?" I said, frowning curiously. "But who takes the important decisions? Who enforces the rules? Who..."

"We all do," Jejna replied. "It's not that hard, you know. You just have to be friendly to one another, and everything lands on its paws."

"But some people must listen to others..."

"Of course. That's a matter of influence. Not a matter of power or authority."

"That's the same," I said.

"Maybe. But it's not official, nor recognised."

"Then who is the most influential man in the village?" I asked.

"Well... That'd be me, I suppose. I guess I've been the closest thing we have to a leader over the years. But I don't like to think in such terms. We've always been a relatively happy community."

"Yes, until some bandits came to rob you off..."

"We've talked about this before," Jejna interrupted me. "Please don't bring it up again."

"Sorry," I said, diverting my eyes from his. I felt slightly annoyed by the old man's unwillingness to do something about the situation.

"Ah, there are the first guests. Jin, get some tea, would you?"

"Yes, sir," I replied, not at all happy with the fact I was being given orders by a peasant. But common courtesy and the sake of keeping up appearances forced me to do so. "Tiang," I mumbled to myself, "when you become Emperor, don't lose people like them out of sight." And at that moment, I made an important decision. I was not going to let these people down. It had to stop.

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We were all sitting on our knees. Before us, there was a very low table, loaded with food. Next to me, was Jene. She had sat herself next to me without asking, and I wasn't so rude as to tell her to go sit somewhere else. I could not get the image of her offering herself to me out of my head. It seemed so surrealistic. Something that only Tang would ever experience. Of course, I didn't go through with the actual deed. People like Tang, if those indeed existed, wouldn't have any moral objections.

"So, Jin," Jene asked, "how long do you intend to stay?"

"I don't know," I replied, raising my voice to make myself intelligible through the many voices of the villagers. "No longer than a couple of days, probably. I think I'm going to Zong's castle after I head out."

The clattering and bustling abruptly stopped. Almost every villager in the room was staring at me, including Jene. I looked around, not knowing what I had said wrong. Some gazed at me with their mouth half open, some looked with widened eyes. Some others looked with a menacing look.

"Jin..." I heard the demanding voice of Jejna ask at the end of the table, "what did you say?"

"I er... I said, that... I was going to Zong the Wicked's... castle?" I spoke, in a shrieky voice I barely recognised as my own.

"Why? I demand to know why!" Jejna shouted. I was not used to being shouted at, so I felt quite intimidated, even though he was just an old man even I could wipe the floor with.

"I've got a request."

"What kind of request?"

"I wanted to ask him if it was possible to stop exploiting this village."

A loud gasp erupted from the villagers. Apparently I had said something terribly wrong. Because they glanced at me with a filthy look.

"I forbid you to do that, boy!" Jejna said in his cold, unsympathetic voice he used the first time I met him.

"What? Why?"

"Do you realise how dangerous that is? Not only to you, but also to us?"

"I don't see..." I began, but Jejna cut me off again.

"Zong the Wicked is a ruthless demon! He kills anyone who stands in his path! The only reason he hasn't wiped our little village out is because our pathetic lives amuse him. The moment we just raise our hands as a manner of opposition, he will send his soldiers to burn this village to the ground and decapitate every single corpse just to be sure they're dead. Men, women and children alike! Trust me, boy, you do not want to do what you're going to. I forbid you, you hear me? I forbid you!"

"I don't understand," I replied. "You say you're happy, but you live in constant fear. You organise parties like this to create a delusion of richness. You could have so much more! You could actually be free! You can throw off the yoke!"

"No, we can't," Jejna persisted. "We're no warriors. We're no adventurers. We're no magicians or priests. We are farmers. And we can't do a damn thing about it!"

"But I can!!" I shouted forcefully. "I can help you!"

"No, you can't. You're just a kid."

"Why does everyone say that? Why doesn't anyone trust me? I can help you fight those bandits! I can help you conquer them! I would do anything in my power to..."

"That's enough!" Jejna shouted with so much fire in his voice I though he was going to flare up. "We shall leave it at this, or you shall no longer be welcome here!"

"If that's the case," I said, rising to my feet, "I don't want to be welcome here any more." And while mumbling the word "cowards" underneath my breath, I walked out of the door, grabbing my weapons, into the hot night.

"Jin!" I heard an all too familiar voice shout behind me. It was Jene, but I didn't look back. I was mad. Mad at her. Mad at them. Mad at myself. Mad at the world. Mad at Zong the Wicked. Mad at the first law of nature.

"Jin, stop!" Jene said, grabbing my shoulder. She must've ran, I thought, as she was panting and covered the distance between me and the hall in only a couple of seconds.

"What do you want?" I asked, stopping out of politeness. But I was still angry.

"I agree with you," Jene said.

"You do?"

I slowly turned around, facing her. "We've been suffering from those bullies for as long as I can remember," she said. "It's time we put an end to this."

"I can't do this alone, Jene," I observed. "The others won't help me. And I shall need them."

"You said you'd do anything that lies in your power to help us, right?" Jene asked. "If I can convince my father to listen to you and persuade the other villagers, will you still help us?"

"Of course, I replied. "But I don't think it'll be that simple."

"You just wait right here," Jene said with a grin.

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"Okay, then," Jejna said. "We'll do it."

Relief came over me like a waterfall. "Thanks," I replied, slightly bowing my head. "I swear, you shall not regret it."

"I certainly hope so. If this doesn't work, we're all going to be slaughtered, you realise that, don' t you?"

"I do, sir. But we're not going to fail," I said with a determined look on my face. I actually wasn't sure at all, but my pride forbid me to just walk away and do nothing about it.

"Your confidence assures me somehow. And you do look like a man that keeps his promises. We, we shall begin preparations from tomorrow, I take it?"

"Exactly, sir," I said, not really knowing what he meant by 'promises'. But I shrugged off the thought.

"Good. You can go to your room now. Rest."

I bowed, and went to my room.

As I was lying on my bed, thinking of the days to come and the inevitable upcoming battles, I wondered: "What would Tang do?" And I was ashamed of thinking it.

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Next chapter: Tiang has to form an armed and skilled battalion out of a bunch of peasants. His valour and skill are tested on numerous occasions. How will the heir to the Imperial throne walk away after this experience, if at all...?