"Fire! Fire!"

Panicked shouts began to fill the air as the flames engulfing the palace dungeons lit up the once-peaceful night. Guards rushed out from the singular prison entrance, coughing and spluttering, eager to get to safety. Attendants rushed to fetch buckets of water to help put out the flames, while many more simply gathered around, watching in horror as thick plumes of smoke continued rising into the sky.

While everyone's attention was fixed upon the unexpected fire, four figures slipped away in the darkness, under the cover of thick, hooded cloaks, making their way toward the western city gate. A horse carriage was already waiting for them there.

Before she boarded the carriage, Zi-ning turned and took another look at the fiery glow peeking out from behind the palace walls. Would the dungeons–that place of nightmares where she had suffered the unimaginable, where she had lived out the final days of her previous life–be razed till there was nothing left but ash and soot? She sighed, unsure of what she was meant to feel. A little catharsis, but mostly numbness.

"Miss, we should hurry before someone notices," Lianxin said, reaching a hand out to help Zi-ning up the carriage.

Nodding, she quickly stepped on board. Zhenghuan was still waiting for her.

#

It was dusk when Zi-ning and her companions arrived at the little village of Nuoli, sitting on the Duan side of the Duan-Hua border. They had abandoned the carriage and horses in the forest a while back and opted to finish the journey on foot, in case they drew too much attention to themselves. According to Mingshen, who had only accompanied them halfway before having to return to Huangcheng, there were plenty of scouts from both Hua and Duan who were out searching for Zhenghuan, most of whom likely had ill intentions. It was of paramount importance for them to keep Zhenghuan's whereabouts a secret, until he was fully recovered and ready to make the next move.

Zi-ning was slightly surprised that Zhenghuan had chosen to settle in Nuoli. Nuoli was a small mining village, with most of its inhabitants working at the nearby iron mines. Iron was a highly valued commodity, since it was used in the manufacture of weapons and armour, hence military patrols were more frequent in the area. Stepping into the village, she could already spot several Duan soldiers seated at streetside food stalls, eating noodles or drinking a spot of wine on their break.

Following the guide that Mingshen had left them with, Zi-ning and the two other girls made their way cautiously down the village's winding dirt roads until they came to what looked to be a regular sundries store. They went in.

"How can I help you?" the store owner, a chubby middle-aged man with a large bald patch asked when he saw them enter.

"Two jin of goji, six jin of licorice and eight jin of shadow," their guide replied.

Eight jin of shadow.

That had to be a pass code.

The owner exchanged a knowing glance with their guide, then lifted the curtain hiding the passageway behind his counter, gesturing for them to follow him. "What took you so long? We were expecting you yesterday, according to the note from Commander Zhang."

"Had to take a slight detour to avoid some Hua scouts."

They came to a large rosewood altar, where incense for the Goddess of the Earth had been lit in front of her clay likeness. The store owner reached for one of the bronze candle holders sitting on the altar, rotating it clockwise, then anti-clockwise, then two rounds clockwise again. The entire altar slid sideways to reveal a hidden stairway leading downwards. They made their way down the stone steps, arriving in front of a rickety wooden door.

"My lord, they are here," the owner said, knocking on the door.

On the other side of the door, someone coughed. Zi-ning's heart skipped a beat.

"Let them come in," a hoarse voice called out.

The door swung open.

Zi-ning stepped across the threshold, her eyes gradually acclimatising to the dim candlelight in the room. It was a small space, enough to fit only a single bed and a small square table. Her gaze fell upon the figure lying on the bed, now slowly trying to sit himself up. A lump rose up her throat.

"Zhenghuan."

He turned, familiar eyes meeting hers. His lips curved in a smile.

"Zi-ning, you're here."

Three simple words to send every ounce of self-control and sensibility crashing down upon her. She ran across the room and flung her arms around his neck, tears streaming down her face. The mere warmth of his arms around her felt comforting.

"It's okay. I'm fine. No need to cry," he said, gently patting her on the back. He buried his face against the crook of her neck. "I'm really okay."

"Don't lie!" she scolded. She separated herself from him, wiping away the tears that stained her cheeks. Then, she studied him carefully. Other than looking a shade paler than his usual self, there didn't seem to be any detectable injuries–at least Mingshen hadn't been lying on that account. "Have you managed to purge the poison from your body?"

Zhenghuan placed a hand on her cheek, stroking it gently. He nodded. "I already said, I'm fine. It took a little while to recover from the side effects, that's all."

Zi-ning narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Somehow she sensed that he was not revealing the complete story. Reaching for his wrist, she quickly did a check of his pulse. It was a little weak, as expected of someone recovering from poisoning, but there was nothing else out of the ordinary. Her heart settled back down.

Perhaps she had been overreacting after all.

"What happened?"

"We were double-crossed. By Princess Xuan."

"What! Didn't she die? It was all an act?"

Zhenghuan nodded, proceeding to recount the entire story about what had taken place in Hua and on their journey back to Duan. Alarm rippled within Zi-ning as she listened to the harrowing encounter. After what she had experienced in her past life, she had thought that she was immune to the callousness of the world, but to hear of how the princess had turned on her own to help an enemy kingdom still shocked her nonetheless.

"It was my fault. I shouldn't have trusted her. Ru-quan's death is on my hands," Zhenghuan said, shaking his head ruefully.

"No, it's not. No one could have expected the princess to pull off such an act," Zi-ning replied, giving Zhenghuan an encouraging squeeze of the hand. "If anyone is to blame, it's her. She's committed treason!" The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Treason. The crime that had been wrongfully pinned upon her and Ru-wen in her previous life, leading them both to their tragic ends. Yet in this life, Hong Xuan would get away with committing that very same crime.

"How did you manage to escape then?" she asked. If the princess was in cahoots with Situ Zhiren, then the entire assassination attempt must have been a set-up. Situ Zhiren did not seem like the sort who would leave loopholes in his plans.

"I had some help. From Ambassador Caron."

"The Shon ambassador?"

"He'd already suspected that something was amiss—perhaps he had chanced upon something in the Hua palace—so he sent a group of men to tail us on our way back to Duan. I crossed paths with them while on the run from Situ Zhiren's assassins. They were the ones who helped me escape."

"Why would Caron do that?"

Zhenghuan shrugged. "Who knows? In exchange for a favour that he'll no doubt call for when the time is right," he replied. "Doesn't matter. We can worry about that when he actually comes knocking."

Zi-ning made a mental note about this ticking time bomb. Nothing was free in this world, certainly not from the hands of a seasoned politician like Caron.

"What's your next move? Mingshen reminded me several times not to reveal your whereabouts to anyone. Are you not intending to return to the capital yet?"

"Since everyone thinks that I'm either dead or on the run, I thought to use this opportunity to head to the southern wastelands."

"You want to investigate the Eagle Warrior?"

"Clever girl." Zhenghuan smiled, pinching her affectionately across the nose. "Although Situ Zhiren is clearly the main driver behind this entire set-up, I'm not entirely sure that the southern tribes don't also have a hand in this. The tribes have been a little too restless as of late, and I'm tired of coming up against a faceless enemy."

The poison that had been used on the crown prince, Wang Chuan, came from tribal territories, as did the gu-du that had plagued Zhuiya not so long ago. It was evident that the Eagle Warrior had bigger plans in store, but the limited knowledge of who this mastermind actually was would make it challenging to weed out the problem from its source. Situ Zhiren was an enemy in the light, while the Eagle Warrior was an enemy in the dark.

Zi-ning was lost in her own thoughts when Zhenghuan suddenly took her hands in his. "I'm sorry, Zi-ning," he said.

"Sorry? Whatever for?"

"I promised you a wedding, but it looks like that might need to be delayed."

"How about delaying it indefinitely then?"

"What! No!" Zhenghuan yelped.

The look of distress on his face made Zi-ning laugh. She leaned in, resting her head upon his shoulder.

"You're just pulling my leg, right?" he ventured hesitantly.

"If you dare land yourself in such a dangerous situation again, then maybe I'll reconsider whether or not that should be a joke," she said.

They sat quietly for a long while, fingers intertwined, listening to the sounds of each other's steady breathing. It was peaceful, harmonious—something that Zi-ning thought she might be able to get used to.

"You don't have to come with me. The southern wastelands is not like any of the three kingdoms. It's unpredictable. Dangerous," Zhenghuan said.

"Then all the more we should go together," she replied quietly, with a firmness that reflected her resolve.

A soft, mirthful laugh escaped from his lips, and the arm that he had wrapped around her shoulders tightened ever so slightly.

"Mmm. Together. I quite like the sound of that actually."