Each pill is tracked by the Taixu Palace."
"So, your life is not your own," Xiaochen concluded, his voice flat. "You are merely a high-grade animal, kept on a longer leash, to tend the farm."
The King's face crumpled, tears streaming freely now. "It is a cursed existence. I dream of freedom, but I know it is impossible. The Taixu Palace is omnipotent. They see all. They hear all. To defy them is to invite instant annihilation."
He is right, in his own pathetic way, Xiaochen thought. His fear is real. His imprisonment is real.
"Your fear is your master," Xiaochen stated, his voice hard once more, but without malice. "And that fear, amplified by the Taixu Palace, is the true chain that binds this world."
He turned away from the King, his gaze sweeping the opulent study. He saw scrolls,
