Hou Bie had left immediately after he knew Shin wasn't going anywhere for a while and made a mad hour long ride for the city. When he got there he ignored all safety precautions dashed right through the gate, towards the biggest building in the city. When he got there he went straight to the courtroom he figured it didn't matter anymore if it was a secret not if the Lord was in danger if he stayed out there. He burst into the room and saw the Steward vassal, second vassal, third vassal, and fourth vassal all there talking about whatever.

"Lords, please forgive me for interrupting but I have an urgent report." Hou Bie said, kneeling after he reached them.

"Hou Bie you are supposed to be watching Lord…" Li Yan said coldly.

"Hold your tongue Li, if he left the Lord at a time like this, then there must be a serious reason." The 2 Vassal said.

"Give your report with haste." Gan Tong (3rd Vassal) said seriously.

Hou Bie then told them, everything he had heard at the market. He got multiple reactions, but the one he was most worried about was the Steward Vassal.

"And you left him there with no one to protect him from the fall out or that mayor." Li Yan said rage was evident.

"No, before I came in I saw Qu Ying and told him to head there until I returned. I wasn't sure if he would leave on his own volition and I didn't have the authority or the means of making him come back if he didn't want to so I immediately came here to seek your help in returning him to the city before all hell breaks loose." Hou Bie said.

We need to get him back now, we can't protect him any longer without blowing his cover, I think it's time what do you say." Li Yan said.

"I say yes. Cai Yi." Gan Tong said.

"It's time. Liang Song." Cai Yi (4th Vassal) said.

"We must move immediately to return him." Liang Song (2nd Vassal) said.

"Good Hou Bie prepare immediately to return, Qu Ying will protect him until Gan Tong and you arrives to escort him back. Cai Yi, Liang Song go find Lu Fei and begin preparing the city and surrounding villages and towns for action if he decides to get involved." Li Yan said. " Take riders with you and secure the area, I will begin pulling together some of my personal men and meet you later, in case he decides not to return with y'all. While I'm gone Lu Fei will govern, now go!"

"We send you some of our own men." Cai Yi said.

All the men separated to go about the task that they were given.

At this time

Shin was just staring into nothing, he hadn't moved but to sit down next to Hyou. Then a foot appeared in front of him, and a hand with the map in it, causing Shin to look up.

"Please don't make Hyou's death a total waste! Shin I know the truth about you, Hyou told me before he left, and I hate you for it, but everyone loved Hyou." The boy said tears in his eyes. "If I could, I would get revenge myself. I want to rip the guys who did this to him to pieces. But you need to get going. I have no idea what's going on, but I'm sure if you go here you'll find something meaning Hyou's death so you need to go to this place."

The boy held out the map.

A few minutes later Shin was run across a bridge remembering what the mayor told him.

… once you're there, if you pass the big bridge and and run along the river brings until you reach Kokuhi Village, With your speed you'll be there in three and half to four hours. This map has your destination point as here." The mayor said explaining the route. " but shit I don't think you should go. Kokuhi Village is an area where these murders in the lakes from all over live. It's a place that is fear by all because you won't return once you step foot in there and that goes especially for you if you go alone. And I'd like to know what's going on here! Why is Hyou, Who is supposed to be in the Palace dead out here? Why did he give you a map to that village? And most of all what did you mean by coup d'état?"

Honestly I would love to answer your questions but I fear that they would put you into more dangerous than you want so I'll just leave you in the dark on this one for now. Please don't take this the wrong way, it is for your safety from what I heard earlier today anyone who knows what I know is in serious trouble if it's found out that they know." Shin said. " Oh and honestly I don't know all the answers your questions either. Hyou told me to head to that village so and I will get some answers there. So I'm going."

Shin continue to run along the river bank but what he didn't see was someone staring at him from above in a straw animal costume. A while later he came upon four figures, three men and one little child.

There really is someone out here." Said a fat bald man with no shirt in two markings on his forehead said.

Coming here at this time of night this kid must be totally empty." Set a man with a scar between his eyes.

"The sword on his waist is wood as well but the one on his back looks like it will fetch a pretty penny." Said the third who had scratch looking scars over his right eye, he tossed a coin to little child. "Nicely done Diao."

"So I'm already in Kokuhi?" Shin said.

If you handover that sword like a nice little boy, we'll sell you whole to a slave trader. But if you resist will feed you to the fishes which do you pre.." the man with the scar in between his eyes started.

But Shin blitz them and knocked them out and continued to head for the location. One of the men said something but it wasn't clear.

Earlier at the mayor house

"He said someone was coming after him, he would bet you better not to touch him. This is a little too nasty." The mayor thought before realizing someone was behind him.

There were two men, wearing long red and black robes, who had markings near their eyes.

The on the right approached Hyou and smiled.

"Ei Sei. Did he say anything to you?" The man said.

"No no we heard some noise when we came up to see what it was and found this course here." The mayor shutters.

"Lucky you, you'll live to see you tomorrow." The man said while bringing out his sword and thinking. "I'll get the credit for the kill and be able to usurp leadership of the clan."

As he was behead Hyou.

"STOP IT." screamed the boy.

The assassins look at the family surprise, then look back to the body and realize something.

"His sword is missing." They thought.

"You guys are hiding something." The other said approaching the family.

"No we're not hiding a thi.." the mayor tried to say but got hit and dropped

The man then grabbed the boy, who screamed for his dad. Then stabbed him in the leg.

"Spill the beans kid or the next one goes through your chest." The man said.

Damn it, he's gone already or he would have got involved by now. Sorry kid I need information and it will be easier to fight them if there aren't civilian that can be used for distractions, just tell him the truth and I'll handle the rest." Qu Ying said a hill on the backside of the house.

With Shin

Shin could hear a whistle sound from behind him and then saw a bunch of guys come out of a small clump of huts. He beat them while remembering the moments that had brought him to this. From meeting Hyou, to realizing their true goal in life, to their promise to become great generals.

"Does anyone still want to fight?" Shin said coldly frankly being done with shit.

"No thanks." A man said.

With that he ran on till he reached the point on the map.

"This is the spot on the map, that means this is it." Shin said, looking over to the side. "It's just a run down shack Hyou, what an earth is going on. What in the hell does this have to do with your death."

He approached and opened it and inside he saw, Hyou.

"Hyou?" Shin said confused to all hell.

What's wrong, I'm Ei."

Meanwhile

The bandits were just getting up when they saw two figures approaching.

"Hey where do you think you're.." one man started before his head was cut off.

"Wait a second here the way he's dressed red and black from head to toe he's from that assassin group. Within 200 years of written history they are one of the best known assassin groups." A bandit said.

Then out of nowhere a rider attacked the one on the right, but they both dodged. The man got off his horse and drew his sword.

I can't let you two go any further, unfortunately for you your mark is connected to someone I'm supposed to protect and I can't risk him getting involved and killed." Qu Ying said while thinking. "The man on the right was supposed to die with the first attack, but now I have to deal with both of them, kill the one on the right first he's the leader, and the one on the left will be easier to kill."

"Whichever one doesn't get engaged goes for the target Ju Kan." The one on the right says drawing his sword .

"Understood." Ju Kan responded, drawing his sword as well.

When Qu Ying attacked the one on the right, Ju Kan immediately ran ahead.

With Shin few moments after the shock ended

"Ei?" Shin said, confused.

"Would you be Shin?" Ei said.

"What the hell how do you know my name? Who are you and why do you look like Hyou? What on earth is going on here… wait…" Shin said done with all mysteries.

"It looks like I don't have the luxury of explaining all that right now." Ei said hearing something outside.

Shin recognized the look and immediately dropped into a crouch narrowly avoiding a sword that split the weight bearing pillar in half.

Shin jumped out of the shed as it collapsed and then narrowed his eyes.

"Screw being nice, what the hell is going on?" Shin said noticing Ju Kun standing in front of them.

"I found you now soon I'll take your life. Qin's King Ei Sei." Ju Kun said.

"What the, Qin's King, The ruler of the province?!" Shin thought.

"Nearly had us with that other one. We were thoroughly shocked to figure out a way to people who look exactly alike! And to top it off that kid was amazing! He's the first person I've seen to ever be given a mortal wound by one of us and still get away. And Su Lon it's really good but I'm here to take your life king, end it is because he ran away that we find ourselves here." Ju Kun said.

"Oh, I'm an idiot, things are starting to make sense now. You are the king and you are an assassin which wasn't hard to figure out seeing as you try to cut me in half." Shin said before continuing with an ice cold voice. "From the beginning Hyou was taken to be a body double because he looks like the king. And because he look like you, he was taking it for you and then killed."

"Which means you knew about your brother's little coup d'état, didn't you? That's why you left Hyou as your double and ran here to hide. You knew he'd get attacked and made him your double." Shin said officially, thoroughly pissed off.

"That's exactly right." Sei said.

"Kuh kuh, I thought you were the king's servant. Well if you want to kill them I'll let you do it but I get to keep his head." Ju Kun said.

Hey I don't worry i'm going to get my pound of flesh from him one way or another. But before I do that you and me have some business to deal with." Shin said beginning to draw his sword. "Since you were one of the people who actually killed Hyou whether it's by your sword or not. Get your ass over here so I can kill you."

Ju Kun just smiled, Shin charged and swung his sword a bunch of times but each time it was blocked.

This kid too is something else. Power speed and technique are almost the same as the body double kid. However in terms of potential his dwarfs the other kid's. it's not even leaking fighting aura yet." Ju Kun thought, before saying. "You met me five years too early."

Rising to his full height he swung down forcing Shin to block and on to the defensive. Then he swung from the side with shin blocked as well, then he swept Shins legs and kicked him into the rubble of the shed.

"Ugh, something tells me a lot of people are going to do that and I'm gonna hate it." Shin said from the rubble.

"Oh you're still breathing? But you can no longer stand." Ju Kun said, while thinking. " you should at least no longer be conscious."

"Damn he's tough, tough as nails. if I think things through there's no way I can beat this guy, Hyou also lost to this guys, it's damn near impossible that I beat him. Well screw it this worked on Hyou, so maybe it will work on him." Shin thought trying to get up.

"Shin don't think of anything just focus on trying to get revenge for Hyou." Sei said.

"Oi, you don't get to speak his name until we have hash out our issues so can it." Shin said final raising to his feet.

"He got up," thought Ju Kun.

Hyou had his whole life ahead of them, but got caught up in some stupid ass sibling fight." Shin said.

"You're calling this stupid." Sei said.

"The situation no. What led up to the situation, you damn right. To most people who work the fields and such wouldn't be bothered who is the king as long as you kept it in the royal palace. However he's now dead, he was going to make a name for himself, build a mansion to live in, eat to his heart's content, marry a beautiful wife, then he was.." Shin couldn't finish that. " dammit he's dead now and can no longer be brought back into the world."

Then Shin raised his what Hyou called danger(battle) aura, swung down with all his might and speed forcing Ju Kun too block.

"He got faster and its attacks of more weight behind them and what is this aura." Ju Kun thought. "Wait a minute, that man from before had the same aura, is…"

From there began a fierce battle of swords blocking, striking, moving around the battlefield trying to get the upper hand on the other.

Seeing this Sei was reminded of something

Flashback

Shin is better than you are?" Sei said.

That's right." Hyou said.

"Stop being silly, you just said that you two are equal." Sei said.

"But in sparring with each other we're totally even, if however there's a foe that I couldn't beat Shin would beat him." Hyou said.

Does that mean he holds back when you two spar? Sei asks.

"No way he's always going serious. I can't tell you the reason but we always come out even." Hyou

"Hmph, that guy sounds like a royal pain in the tush." Sei says.

"Oh he really is, especially when he's hiding something from you." Hyou says.

Flashback end

"Shin really is something else, you'll see if you ever meet him."

Shin and Ju Kun had just finished their latest round of strikes against each other. As they separating each realized they had a few wounds.

"Damn kid." Ju Kun said, shocked.

Then they struck at each other again and succeeded in wounding each other more.

Damn you." Ju Kun said, trying to cut Shin in half.

But Shin just jumped up and came down extremely quickly.

"My king if ever I were to fall to the hands of the enemy please seek out shin. He will definitely fly higher than anyone else."

Ju Kun was only able to get a partial block up, before Shin came down with a lot of force. Slicing Ju Kun from right shoulder blade to his abdomen, the weak guard he put up mostly prevented Shin's blade from going past muscle and bone.

"Now that you understand hell Hyou felt before he died we can truly begin." Shin said, slide Ju Kun's sword just behind him.

"Please wait, it wasn't me who killed your friend. There was two of us we had to separate because your friend could've taken two different paths my colleague chose the path that your friend took, and did what you saw! I have a family and four kids! If I die they'll be some orphans who live the rest of their life as slaves!" Ju Kun said.

This paused Shin.

"Thanks, I'm grateful to you. Thanks so much." Ju Kun.

"We are not done yet what you do next decides if you live or not." Shin stepping forward. "Give me a reason because I get the feeling the King wants to kill you, show me why I couldn't let him."

I'll do anything.., let me swear everything to you, I will serve you." Ju Kun putting his head into the ground. "If you're capable of rising above me by fighting me once, I have no doubt that you will be able to handle anything else you see during this situation. Just spare me and my family from your vengeance and I will tell you everything and serve you until the end of my days and my family will serve yours until the end of theirs."

I don't need an assassin right now, but his skills could help me elsewhere in the future. I'll test him there's only one thing he can do now that will convince me that he is being 100% truthful and will be loyal." Shin thought as he cut his palm, then slid Ju Kun's sword back at him. "If you're as observant as you say you are, you know what you have to do."

In a quick movement Ju Kun cuts his hand open, and simply lets the blood drip to the ground. Then clasped his hands together and got on one of his knees.

"If I break my word, on my blood may the Earth take me immediately!" Ju Kun said. "I swear fealty unto you, as my lord. I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any clan, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen without your permission and that I will support and defend you. Your command is my desire and your request my desire. May my service always please, and may my sight grow dark if it does not. As the tides to the moon, my will to yours, my liege. I vow to treat your needs as my own and your people as my people."

When Ju Kun finished he put out his cut hand, and Shin grabbed squeezed it a bit.

"Now let's see if I can remember what that guy said my part was." Shin thought before saying. "I add my oath of protection to the bone, to you now, your family, any children you have or may bear in the future. You will have my protection as long as this oath isn't broken."

With that shin released his hand and wrapped up his hand.

"Tell me everything that you know about the coup d'état." Shin said.

The royal palace

A bunch of men in the quart room when the doors opened up. In came a little boy and a large man if he could even because of that behind the boy.

Haven't of gotten my brother's head for me yet? Chenjiao 2nd in line to the throne said.

"Please be a little patient. I've sent an assassin after him so you should have his head presently." An advisor said.

"Should? What do you mean should?" Chenjiao said.

Now, now, please remain calm." Jie Shi The chancellor of the left says.

Since you're saying that you must have a good back up plan right?" Chenjiao asked.

"Of course I do." Jie Shi says.

I've never heard of any assassins better than the vicious scarlet!" The advisor said.

"When did I ever say it was an assassin? We have a group that can turn that place into hell in a single night." Jie Shi says.

"Are you kidding me? Jie you mobilized them without proper notice, are you trying to piss off the 12 Zodiacs, that area might be ungoverned, but it's by choice, and it still their lord's territory." The advisor said.

"That's the way my Prime Minister needs to be." Chenjiao said.

With Shin

He knew the oath of lordship. That boy isn't who he says he is but what would a young lord be doing out here. Much less why would he be friends with a commoner." Sei thought as he listened to the report.

So you two are the only ones that were hired by that guy." Shin said.

Ju Kun nodded, wrapping his chest.

"Well I'm going to go ahead and say that we will probably have more company soon or later. I wouldn't put it past the other members of the court to try and earn some favor by being the ones who hired the killer of the king of Qin. And the chancellor is the biggest problem. In short, we will have company soon." Shin said.

As he finished Sei Crouch down and fell the ground.

"Oh please don't tell me I was making a calculated guess, meant to happen and half an hour from now not immediate!" Shin whispered, crouching down as well, then he felt it thinking. "Did the ground shake? Last time I felt something like this was when we watched the Mangou Battle. Oh shit."

"This isn't good." Sei said coldly.

Going through the village was an army with a guy on a horse leading it firing rossbows at everyone.

"Why do I say things like that? It always comes back to bite me in the ass." Shin said.

"It's an army and quite a large one too." Sei said.

"It can't be that large, if they brought in a large army the region troops would definitely retaliate." Shin said.

"As annoying as it might be, the region might be our saving grace. Considering it you're probably right and they didn't send all of their troops out of fear of retaliation from the Lord." Sei said. "He know about the regions isolation. So he's from this region or one close by, he's not the son of one of the Vassal Generals I've meet them all. So he is a low ranking vassal son or a medium ranking vassal from a surrounding region."

"The noises are coming from both ways so we're probably pretty much surrounded on land. River." Ju Kun said.

"That's sealed off too." Sei said, pointing to the ships in the river.

"When did they get there?" Shin asked exasperated.

"If the Royal army is moving without the seal that means the head of military affairs decided to side with my brother." Sei said before thinking. " The seal is Royal seal. Proof that you're the rightful successor and the only person that has the authority to command the royal army. If anyone tries, it's capital punishment. Since I don't have the power and it's already to calm all this down it looks like I lost this fight."

"Well it looks like we're not going to get any rest right now, huh Ju Kun, you good to move." Shin raising his sword.

"No my Lord it doesn't, and I'm good to go." Ju Kun responded.

"You're going to fight against the army?" Sei asked, shocked.

Yes and no. I have no intention of dying here. We don't have the energy or strength to fight the main force head on, so will head up the riverbank. Make sure to stay right behind us." Shin said.

Get serious! We have a better snowball's chance in hell to get throu… stay behind you?" Sei said.

"We've yet to hash out our issues, so until then you make sure to stay close to me." Shin said.

"Find let's do this." Sei said.

"Let's go." Shin took off but seeing a figure drop from above he stop, he could have sworn he had seen the person before.

"I know a secret passage, this way." The straw animal dressed person from before said.

"A secret passage? Is this a passage that can get us away from the pressing army?" Sei asked.

"Of course. This is a village of criminals and drifters there are enough underground passages and secret passages to call it a labyrinth." The person said.

"Wait a minute I remember you. You little bastard you're the reason I had to fight for the entire village to get here." Shin said.

Why are you helping us?" Sei asked.

Overheard your entire story. You are a king right? In other words you're rich." The figure said.

"So you're after money." Shin says.

"Got a problem with that." the figure says.

"No, that makes it easier to trust you." Sei says.

"Not to be rude at all but you seem to have the entire story on us but we have no idea who you are." Shin says.

"My name is Ka Ryo Ten." The figure said removing the head of the costume.

It revealed a little girl with blue eyes and short hair giving her a tomboyish appearance, she was wearing a tunic with a zigzag collar and something underneath, she also wears bandages on her feet and legs.

"That is a child." Shin said, looking at Sei with are you serious look.

"Every field with my face in my name, so what will you do now? you don't have much time you know." Ten says.

"Find, show us the way Ka Ryo." Sei says.

"Just call me Ten." Ten says.