Yu Di forced himself to stand, making the manacles clink against each other. Fatima’s effect was fading away fast. He used what little Qi he had left in his body to push away the technique in his body. If he survived his encounter with the Shah, he would start creating some artifacts and wards to protect his body from mental attacks like these.

  Yu Di had to remind himself that he wasn’t a Demigod anymore with the ability to resist. He was a worm compared to even the most basic cultivator.

  “Announcing His Holiness, Shah Amir al-Rahman,” a man shouted.

  All the soldiers came to attention.

  Fatima stood straight as well, fixing her robe and her mask. She smoothed back her hair.

  This Shah al-Rahman must be a powerful cultivator to affect a third realm cultivator like this. Even the Emperor of the Celestial Jade Empire would give some leeway to these cultivators. Nothing says disruption like an angered cultivator who can reshape mountains and dry vital rivers for their subjects. If Yu Di had to guess, this Shah had to be at least at the peak of the third realm or a Demigod.

  Which would have been surprising as Yu Di knew most of the Demigods in the world. At least he did a few decades ago before the curse. But there was something that didn’t add up. If this Shah was a Demigod, why would it take him so long to break the siege of Miryana? They didn’t have their Demigod goddess protecting the city.

  A large dust cloud interrupted Yu Di’s thoughts. Gentle rumbles traveled through the ground to Yu Di’s knees. Something was coming and it was massive yet quiet. It couldn’t be more sand worms as their slithering disturbed the sand differently.

  A herd of elephants broke through the dust cloud with the lead elephant trumpeting as if to announce their arrival. Each elephant had a light-colored covering on its back while large coverings hung above them, shading their heads and bodies. On the biggest of the elephants rode a man wearing a large white turban with the densest water-Qi spirit stone hanging in the center. It would have made the large diamond in the ‘Forgotten Spirit Sect’ look like a pebble. He wore gold-embroidered sashes over light silk robes. Powerful peak second realm cultivators rode alongside him on the other elephants.

  Yet despite all that, the Shah had no Qi running through him. He was no cultivator. How could he command the loyalty of these cultivators who could squash him like a worm? Something was very wrong with this situation.

  Yu Di activated his Demigod eyes for a brief flash over the other cultivators. None of them had any bindings on them that would have forced their obedience to a mere mortal.

  Maybe this was his lucky day. This Shah might want to recruit him or collect cultivators. All Yu Di would have to do was to join him for a while and then run away back to Yu Lin at the earliest chance.

  As Shah al-Rahman got closer and closer, a fresh fear gripped Yu Di. This man was not a Demigod. He was not a cultivator at all. This man was a middle-aged mortal who had god-like beings under his command.

  This man was dangerous.

  In Yu Di’s travels, power ruled most places or by religious zeal. Those ruled by power were simple, but religious zeal was another matter entirely. The complex webs of relationships in those could cause their followers to do things that no sane person would.

  The Goddess of Miryana had something similar, but ultimately ruled through might. They had their zealots, but only because they also had divine power. That’s why their city devolved so badly when they lost their goddess.

  Yu Di looked back at the barrier. He could still make a run for it now and get in before these zealots could run him down. At least, that was the hope.

  “Who do we have here?” Shah al-Rahman asked.

  Fatima lifted Yu Di’s head to face the Shah.

  Shah al-Rahman’s face lit up. “We have a very special guest today. He’s the one who almost brought the barrier down?”

  Fatima bowed deeply at the waist. “Yes, Your Holiness. This is the man we caught in the desert.”

  Shah al-Rahman waved his hand. The cream-colored sheet he was sitting on lifted into the air. It gently guided him to the ground before he stood up. He dusted himself off and sat his turban on his head as perfectly as he could.

  “First, I must apologize for our disrespect.” Shah al-Rahman bowed his head slightly.

  “Your Holiness!” Fatima said.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Shah al-Rahman waved her away.

  Yu Di stood up.

  Fatima forced him back onto his knees. “Don’t move or I will cut you down right here.”

  Shah al-Rahman frowned.

  Fatima dropped to her own knees and forced her head onto the ground. “I apologize Your Holiness. Have I offended you?”

  Shah al-Rahman took a breath and waved her up. “No, never, Fatima. You are my most faithful and loyal. I’m just disappointed in something else.” He walked up to Yu Di and studied his face.

  Yu Di could easily kill this man at this distance, but then what? The temptress next to him could destroy his very soul with a breath. Besides, there seemed to be some opportunity here he couldn’t grasp.

  Such as why isn’t he dead already?

  Yu Di cupped his hands and bowed his head. “Greetings, Your Holiness. My name is Yu Di, of the Celestial Jade Empire.”

  “He speaks our language,” Shah al-Rahman said. “Of course he does.”

  “Your Holiness, I am but a humble servant of a merchant within the city of Miryana. We had been very desperate to leave the city and when I saw the sandworms, I took the chance.”

  “Yet you demanded to meet with me?”

  Four female servants with faces covered and dressed in light robes set up a table and two chairs beside the Shah. He took a seat. One of them held a wide umbrella while two others waved two large fans. The last servant served a drink with large ice cubes from a glass cup.

  The last one reminded Yu Di how dry his mouth was.

  “I beg your forgiveness Your Holiness, for making such a demand,” Yu Di said. “I hoped that as a man of great wealth and power that you would be open to negotiations with my master.”

  Shah al-Rahman took a sip from his drink, letting a little of the liquid drip into his beard.

  Yu Di was being measured. He could tell from that piercing gaze that what he asked would either get him executed or a chance to escape.

  “It’s a shame, you know,” Shah al-Rahman said. “If you had shown up two months ago or even two weeks ago, this conversation would have gone differently.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what Your Holiness is talking about,” Yu Di said.

  Shah al-Rahman stroked his beard with a napkin.

  “Your Holiness, this man is a danger to our cause,” Fatima said.

  Yu Di stopped himself from glaring at the woman. He wanted to shake her and ask how that was possible. Of course, that meant touching her, though. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to let go afterwards.

  Yu Di shook his head. Her earlier technique was still affecting his judgment. He had to get away from her as soon as possible.

  “I know that, Fatima, but this is the man I told you about all those years ago,” Shah al-Rahman said.

  Fatima lifted Yu Di’s face. Her brown eyes looked him over as if finding a silver tael among all the copper coins.

  “That can’t be, Your Holiness,” she said. “This man’s powers barely register. There is no way he is the Demigod you spoke of.”

  Shah al-Rahman got up from his chair and offered Yu Di his napkin. “Wipe your face off.”

  Yu Di did so, wiping off as much grime as he could as slowly as he could. His heart was racing now that his secret was out. How did this Shah know who he is? He had disappeared from the world for over twenty years. This man would have only been a few years old during his fight with Vimala.

  Shah al-Rahman then handed Yu Di his glass cup of chilled liquid. “Drink.”

  Yu Di didn’t need to be told. He tipped the cup a little too fast and choked on the first sip before he kept going. The liquid was a honeyed drink that refreshed him like nothing else. It also had strong traces of Qi within. The drink began reviving Yu Di’s internal organs and meridians, flooding it with dense pure Qi.

  Why would a mortal be drinking something like this? It easily cost more than some elixirs he had in Yu Di’s storage ring, if only because it allowed a mortal to drink it and not die from Qi poisoning.

  “Now tell me, are you the Demigod that fought the Goddess all those years ago?” Shah al-Rahman asked.

  Yu Di wanted to lie, but he couldn’t after being given such a gift. To do so would have gone against not only common courtesy, but his own reputation as a Demigod.

  “Yes, it was me, Your Holiness,” he said.

  Shah al-Rahman smiled and waved Yu Di over to sit beside him.

  Yu Di looked between the Shah and Fatima. When the woman didn’t object, he sat down in the offered chair. The gentle breeze from the two servants and the partial shade from the umbrella made this an oasis.

  “I hope you don’t mind the disrespect, but may I have your name?” Shah al-Rahman asked.

  “It’s Yu Di, Your Holiness,” Yu Di said.

  “Stop with the holiness nonsense. You are on the same level as the Demigod Emperor and the Goddess of Miryana. I’m not sure what happened to you, but whatever it was does not diminish your achievements.”

  “Thank you.” Although Yu Di wasn’t sure of what achievements he had made. Compared to all the other Demigods, he’d done the least.

  “You know, I saw that fight when I was a child. It inspired me more than you’ll ever know. It’s why I came to be who I am today. While I owe all my success to God, that fight made me realize how big the world is. All the same though, it’s a shame you showed up now.” Shah al-Rahman picked up another glass to drink.

  “Why is that?” Yu Di watched as the Shah sipped it, gulp after gulp of that sweet, sweet nectar. It would do nothing to this mortal, but it would help Yu Di so much.

  The servant girl offered another glass to Yu Di.

  He nodded his thanks as he gulped his own drink. Again, the Qi-dense nectar revived Yu Di’s entire mind and body. All the grime, sweat, and blood he felt throughout his body was now a passing thought. Not even the dreadful sun mattered anymore.

  “It’s because I’m going to have to kill you, my dear Demigod,” Shah al-Rahman said. He placed his cup on the table and leaned back in his chair.

  Yu Di paused his drinking.

  “Your Holiness, we shouldn’t be telling him something like that,” Fatima said. She moved toward Yu Di.

  Shah al-Rahman waved her away. “There’s no need to fear Yu Di. He’s drunk my offering. He wouldn’t harm his host.”

  “That’s only if, as my host, you weren’t planning on killing me,” Yu Di said.

  “I didn’t mean right now or even soon,” Shah al-Rahman said. “But someday I will have to. Until then, I invite you to be my guest for a while longer.”

  “I can’t leave?” Yu Di was so close to leaving this cursed city. He could feel his daughter calling to him.

  “I’m afraid not. If you try to escape, I will have to order your immediate execution.”

  Fatima narrowed her eyes.

  At least Yu Di would know who his executor was. He took another sip of his drink, savoring it this time as much as he could while he thought of a way to get out of this.