Descendants of the Dragon, Book One: The Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 12: To Be Immortal

After dropping Aiden off at his new bedroom in the Jade Palace, Elder Chen led Sam down the hall toward his own bedroom. Jia, who was already well familiar with the palace, had already returned to her own quarters to retire for the night.

The palace was absolutely incredible. Sam could see why the people believed the gods had built it, because it was certainly fit for a god. Everything was made of jade, gold, or some other precious rock or metal. Red and gold, which Sam knew were the colors of royalty, adorned the walls and ceilings. Sam wondered if the citizens ever got tired of seeing the same three colors everywhere.

There wasn't any electric lighting, or any electricity at all in the city, now that he thought about it. Instead, hanging lanterns lit the hallways, casting towering shadows across the walls. Sam wished he could be as big as his shadow was, because he was feeling very, very small.

"I sense that you are upset with me," Chen commented after a long silence.

Sam snorted. "I forgot you're like some Jedi Master of China." He nodded. "But yeah, I am a little. Where were you when that Mongolian kid was going berserk? And then after that, when all hell broke loose? And don't give me some crap about not caring for Mongolians. I know you could've done something."

"Do not judge me so harshly, Sam," Chen chided him gently. "I do not hold to all of the customs of the people here. I have been around much longer than all of them, so I know how rooted in extinct beliefs they can be. I withheld my aid, not because of prejudice, but because it was not my place to intervene. You three—er—four are the Heirs, not I. If you wish to be worthy of the Throne, then you will have to prove it time and time again. I cannot step in every time there is a problem."

Sam looked away. He still hadn't told Chen that he didn't even want the Throne. He wasn't there for any other reason but to find out how to get rid of his strange mark. If the only way to do so was to step aside and let someone else take the Throne, he would gladly comply.

"If it makes you feel any better, you handled the situation perfectly," Sun Chen said warmly.

It didn't, but it allowed his mind move on. "Why do the people hate that kid so much, and why do they only call him the Mongol?" he asked.

Chen inhaled and then exhaled slowly. "His name is Liang. Liang Jūn, and yes, he is a Mongolian. To truly understand his predicament, you must understand history. Liang was granted asylum in the Jade City as an orphan, but it was discovered that his family proudly traced its lineage back to Genghis Khan, ruler of the Mongolian Empire. The Elders offered him a small mercy in granting him citizenship, as he was an orphan, but that has been the extent of their kindness."

"I've heard of Genghis Khan," Sam said. "He conquered a whole bunch of Asia."

"He conquered over twenty percent of the world," Chen corrected him. "He was a brilliant military leader and an effective ruler. I would have liked to meet him, but while I am very old, he was before my time.

"While he was an effective ruler, he is infamous for the brutality of his campaigns. There was much bloodshed and many atrocities. It was very long ago, but hatred has very deep roots."

"So why do the people here hate Mongolians?" Sam asked.

"They do not hate Mongolians," Chen answered. "They hate the Mongol. You see, it is probable that over half of the population in the city has some amount of Mongolian blood in them, or they have had a Mongolian in their ancestry. There are some who are probably more Mongolian than even Liang. But because Liang is so closely tied to Genghis Khan, he is a pariah. If you have not noticed, lineage plays a great role in the city's society."