Chapter 1

Volume One: I Was Born an Exile

Chapter 1: Cold Wind

"Prince Jianxing David Sullivan was defeated at Chashi River in the northeast, and the Dunzhou front fell soon after. Thirty thousand soldiers were buried alive in the Chashi Sinkhole. You were among them—why are you the only one who survived?"

William Sullivan's gaze was vacant; he did not answer.

The interrogator slammed the table hard, leaning in with a sinister look. "Because David Sullivan had long been colluding with the twelve tribes of Biansha, intending to hand over the six states of Zhongbo to foreign enemies. You wanted to coordinate an attack from within to break through Qudu, so the Biansha cavalry spared your life, didn't they?"

William Sullivan's dry, chapped lips moved. He strained to listen to the interrogator's words, his throat working slowly as he replied hoarsely, "N-no... that's not it."

The interrogator barked, "David Sullivan burned himself to death out of guilt, and all the secret correspondence has been submitted to His Majesty by the Jinyiwei. Yet you still dare to deny it—truly stubborn and unrepentant!"

William Sullivan's head was heavy; he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept. He felt as if he were suspended by a thread over a bottomless abyss—one slip, and he would be dashed to pieces.

The interrogator spread out the confession, glanced at it, and said, "Last night you said you survived the Chashi Sinkhole because your elder brother saved you. Is that true?"

A hazy scene floated before William Sullivan's eyes. The pit was so deep, countless soldiers crowded together, but no matter how they tried, they couldn't climb out. The pile of corpses beneath their feet grew thicker, yet they could never reach the edge. Biansha cavalry surrounded the sinkhole, the whistling of stray arrows mingling with the cold night wind. Blood soaked up to their calves, wails and dying breaths pressed close to his ears.

William Sullivan's breathing quickened; he began to tremble in his chair. He clutched his hair in a panic, choking back sobs he could not suppress.

"You're lying."

The interrogator lifted the confession and dusted it off in front of William Sullivan.

"Your elder brother is Prince Jianxing's eldest legitimate son, Brian Sullivan. Before the Chashi Sinkhole, he abandoned thirty thousand soldiers and fled with his personal guards, only to be lassoed and dragged to death by Biansha cavalry on the official road by Chashi River. When the twelve tribes of Biansha slaughtered the soldiers, he was already dead—he couldn't possibly have saved you."

William Sullivan's mind was in chaos; the interrogator's voice seemed to come from far away. All he could hear were endless cries and screams.

Where was the way out? Where were the reinforcements? The dead pressed against the dead, the stench of rotting flesh beneath his hands. Brother Ethan shielded him, and he lay atop blood-soaked corpses. He heard Brother Ethan's ragged breathing, but the sobs in his own throat were from utter despair.

"Elder brother has three heads and six arms." Ethan Carter forced a smile through tears, his voice choked as he continued, "Brother is as strong as iron walls! Just hold on a little longer, and the reinforcements will arrive. Then brother will take you home to see father and mother, and he'll go find your sister-in-law..."

The interrogator slammed the table with a bang and shouted, "Confess the truth!"

William Sullivan struggled, as if trying to break free from invisible shackles, but was pinned to the table by a swarm of Jinyiwei.

"You've entered our imperial prison. Out of consideration for your youth, I haven't used severe torture. But if you keep being ungrateful, don't blame us for being ruthless. Guards, bring the instruments!"

William Sullivan's arms were bound with rope and he was dragged to the open space in the hall. The bench clattered down, and his legs were tied to it. A burly man nearby hefted a prison staff, weighed it, and brought it down.

"I'll ask you one more time." The interrogator stirred the tea foam, sipped slowly, and finally said, "Did David Sullivan collude with the enemy and betray the country?"

William Sullivan stubbornly refused to yield, shouting intermittently through the beating, "N-no, he didn't!"

The interrogator set down his teacup and said, "If you had shown this kind of backbone on the battlefield, your family wouldn't be here today. Keep beating him!"

William Sullivan was reaching his limit, bowing his head and rasping, "David Sullivan did not collude with the enemy..."