A Power Beyond Words

by Feng_Huli

Summary:

With Jin Wei's corpse possessed by the sword spirits of Abyssal Eye and brought under the control of Ghost Physician Ye Ya and Prince Chi, Jin Xuan finds his own position increasingly precarious.

Chapter 1: The Capture

Jin Yan

 

Three things had happened since Jin Yan had fled the failed rebellion.

First, Jin Wei had been hung on the city wall as a warning to others who might think of committing treason.

Second, Jin Wei’s broken sword—the Abyssal Eye, a sword too evil for the Top Ten Swords—had disappeared.

Third, Jin Wei’s body had also disappeared.

This was information Baixiao Hall had given Jin Xian and Jin Yan freely, as it was information known by all. All except Jin Xian and Jin Yan, who had been taking shelter in the gambling house until nightfall.

Jin Yan hadn’t thought much of it then, and he thought even less of it now, as he was frantically running down the shadowed street with the world out to kill him. He was alone, and all he could hear were the whispers of the demons and spirits.

He ran faster, but the whispers wouldn’t stop. They grew louder, and the shadows grew darker. Then, at the end of the street stood a familiar figure—one who shouldn’t have been standing.

Jin Yan shouted, preparing a palm attack. The line between friend and foe had already been crossed that night by Jin Xuan, so Jin Yan could guess which one Jin Wei was.

All Jin Yan wanted was to live, but the shadows were living too. Skeletal, ghostly arms grabbed his robes, chilling as Jin Xuan’s betrayal. Jin Yan fought, but there was nothing to fight against. More ghosts crawled out of Jin Wei’s broken blade, glowing with a sickening red light, dragging Jin Yan to the ground.

Jin Yan writhed and screamed, even knowing that the only one who truly cared about his life was fighting against the greatest martial artist in the city. His resistance would sooner be heard by other enemies, but Jin Xian was his hope. And hope was all Jin Yan had left.

Jin Wei struck him with a pale hand as cold and grey as ash. Jin Yan cried out, but Jin Wei grabbed his neck. And smiled.

Jin Yan fell silent.

Whatever this thing was, it was not the Jin Wei he knew.

Glowing red eyes bore into him as Jin Wei forced him to look at him.

“Jin Wei, please, I—” Jin Yan gulped against stiff fingers. “ Why ?”

“Because even unshackled, this beast still has a master,” a familiar voice said. 

“Ghost Physician Ye Ya,” Jin Yan greeted bitterly. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

The Night Crow laughed, stepping out of the shadows. “Nor were you expecting to see your fellow eunuch, I would guess.”

“What did you do to him?”

“He was dead,” she explained, caressing Jin Wei’s oft-clenched jaw. “I changed that.”

“Why him?”

The Ghost Physician tapped the broken sword. “Because the material was too good not to work with.”

Jin Yan’s eyes widened. “Did the spirits in the sword…”

“There is no more Director of Sword,” she answered, patting the blade-torn fabric over his undead heart. “The eunuch, the sword he held, and the spirits that had been trapped in it are inseparable now.”

Jin Yan dared to look into Jin Wei’s eyes, searching for any familiarity in the strange crimson glare. Annoyance, anger, anything that would indicate that he was still there. “Jin Wei,” he pleaded, “listen to me.”

“Your words are useless,” the Night Crow gloated. “The Director of Sword is dead. All that stands here is my creation.”

Jin Wei was also smug, more animated in death than life as he squeezed Jin Yan’s neck with a smirk.

“Enough torturing him,” Jin Xuan said wearily, grabbing Jin Wei’s wrist as he lighted down. “We need to bring him to Chi Wang before we run into any other problems.”

The Night Crow smiled. “Will he resist?”

“Not now, when I’m his best hope.”

Jin Yan’s heart dropped. “Director?”

A crow’s nail scratched slowly down his face. “Oh?”

Jin Xuan didn’t respond to her, sword-torn sleeves lifting Jin Yan to his feet. “Let’s go,” he said softly.

“Did you…”

“The only way you’ll live is if you follow me.”

Jin Yan knew how powerful Jin Xuan was. Spirits of the sword still surrounded them, skeletal forms ready to stop him. There was no telling how much stronger Jin Wei was. And the Night Crow was full of tricks. “I’ll go with you.”

“Good decision.”

Dread deepened in Jin Yan’s heart with every step, but he asked no more questions as they made their way to the carriage. Ye Ya sat at the far end, while Jin Wei and Jin Yan sat across from each other. Jin Xuan was last, sitting next to Jin Yan and blocking any chance of escape.

Jin Xuan rested a bloody hand on Jin Yan’s thigh, more of a threat than a comfort. The fight he’d had with Jin Xian had destroyed his sleeves and wounded his arms, and Jin Yan could only imagine how much worse Jin Xian had fared.

He didn’t want to imagine.

“Director,” he began as the carriage creaked into movement. “What happened in your fight?”

Jin Xuan sighed. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“He was my shixiong,” Jin Yan said weakly.

It had been made clear over the years that Jin Yan wasn’t one of them. Four of the Five Eunuchs had shared Zhuo Qing as their shifu, while Jin Yan only had Zhuo Xin—who was dead now, too. Jin Yan would sometimes call Jin Wei shidi to annoy him, knowing that any rejection wouldn’t hurt because Jin Yan wasn’t being genuine. But after Jin Wei’s death, Jin Xian had claimed Jin Yan as his shidi, with a fierce loyalty that Jin Yan had rarely seen from him before, and never for him. He didn’t know what to do with it. He hadn’t even really returned the sentiment until that very moment, and Jin Xian wasn’t even here to hear him.

“Shixiong,” Jin Xuan repeated the word softly. “Do you really consider him in that way?”

“Just tell me what happened.”

Jin Xuan frowned. “He wouldn’t give up protecting you.”

For once, Jin Yan was speechless.

“Right now, you have no one else,” he continued. “Jin Yan, I advise you to cooperate with Chi Wang. He will not hesitate to kill you at this time.”

Jin Yan laughed bitterly. “And you’ll protect me? If the prince wants me dead, will you stop him?”

“Jin Xian’s sacrifice will not be for nothing,” Jin Xuan whispered low, lips soft against his ear.

Jin Yan shivered.

The Night Crow’s nails dug into his arm as she moved next to him. “I wonder what the eunuchs are whispering about.”

“It’s too bad I’m not trapped with you three under different circumstances,” Jin Yan suddenly said, smacking his lips together. “What I wouldn’t give to be destroyed by Jin Wei’s sword while—”

“Enough,” Jin Xuan said, but squeezed his thigh.

Jin Yan smirked, continuing, “Your cold fingers leaving trails of frost on my body. The hilt of the Abyssal Eye inside me, spirits clawing at my skin. The Night Crow’s drugs heightening every sense until—”

Jin Xuan’s fingers entered his mouth. Jin Yan pretended to suck them eagerly, though he barely stopped himself from flinching at the metallic tang of blood. How much was Jin Xuan’s? How much was Jin Xian’s? Was Jin Yan really aligning himself with his shixiong’s murderer?

But what else could he do? Jin Xian had made it clear: he was willing to die so Jin Yan could live. No matter what, he must live.

So he licked away the blood.

The Night Crow released him, returning to her seat. She smiled, watching his every move. 

Jin Yan tasted Jin Xuan’s skin with vigor, even as he trembled with emotions he wasn’t ready for. He knelt before Jin Xuan on the floor of the carriage, nuzzling his knee. Jin Xuan’s free hand stroked the back of his head in slow, gentle motions.

“Do everything Chi Wang says, and you’ll live,” Jin Xuan promised. “No matter what happens, I will keep you safe.”

Closing his eyes, Jin Yan whimpered.

Jin Xuan

 

Jin Xuan watched as the prince squeezed Jin Yan’s neck, feeling a tightening in his own chest. 

“All you had to do was choose me, and it would have saved so much trouble,” Xiao Yu snarled.

“Dianxia, I promised he wouldn’t be killed.”

“You shouldn’t have promised that.”

“Jin Yan entered the palace with me. If he dies, it will be my decision.”

The prince shoved Jin Yan to the ground. “What’s so special about him, that you would stand up to me?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh?” He gave Jin Yan a kick.

Jin Xuan stepped between them. “Dianxia, he gave you the name list. Leave him alone. He’s worthless now.”

“Not worthless,” the Ghost Physician spoke up. “If I could drug him as I drugged the Director of Sword…”

Xiao Yu smirked. “Fine, I won’t kill him. He’ll be yours, Ghost Physician.”

“Dianxia!” 

“Director, what are you complaining about now? Jin Yan will live. Jin Yan, do you have any complaints?”

“Whatever Chi Wang decides, Jin Yan will accept.”

Jin Xuan silently cursed. Jin Yan had heeded his advice, but at what cost? Would he really turn into a mindless beast like Jin Wei’s corpse had become? How much longer until the prince decided that Jin Xuan was disposable as well? He controlled the young head of the Demon Sect and a possessed Jin Wei, both incredibly powerful. If Jin Yan was added to that group and enhanced with the power of drugs… 

“Dianxia,” Jin Xuan interjected, “Jin Yan is most useful for his words. How could he serve you if you took them away?”

“He studied palm martial arts, didn’t he? What I need right now is an army, so I can crush any resistance to the ground.”

“Strength is not where our advantage lies!”

“Only because you refuse to act!”

“Dianxia, we have the name list. Perhaps such violence won’t be necessary.”

“You said we needed chaos.”

“We must create chaos carefully. Fire can spread to a vulture’s wings if it burns too high.”

“Director, whose side are you really on?”

Jin Xuan sighed. “Your father will die soon, and I do not wish to be locked in the mausoleum. Why are you questioning my loyalties now?”

The tension was disturbed by a weak laugh. “Highness,” Jin Yan said hoarsely, “the Director is the one who convinced me to cooperate with you. You’re the one who’s making me question whether I should have trusted him.”

The prince ignored him. “Director, you may go. I promise not to kill him.”

Jin Xuan frowned coldly, hearing another kick as he turned away.

“Please wait,” the Night Crow was at his side, “and allow me to treat your wounds, Director.”

“There’s no need,” he said, pulling free of the perverted physician’s grasp. The last thing he needed was the Night Crow poking at the cuts on his wrists from his battle with Jin Xian.

“Very well,” she said, backing away.

“And please don’t hurt him.”

“I’ll try.”

Jin Yan cried out again.

The prince’s martial arts weren’t strong enough to cause lasting harm, he reminded himself, and a crow could only scavenge. With a sigh, Jin Xuan left.

Jin Yan

 

Jin Yan still tasted blood. Most of it was his, now. He also tasted the bitter drugs the Ghost Physician had fed him, with fingers that tasted of death. They clouded his mind and made it more difficult to think about the taste of blood. But he still tasted it.

Jin Wei would watch him. He would stand there, smirking, while the Ghost Physician would work on her dark experiments. He was no longer Jin Wei.

Jin Yan was fed the Ghost Physician’s drugs again. She would whisper things to him. She would ring a bell. She would offer sweet lies. Jin Yan wanted to listen.

He couldn’t taste Jin Xian’s blood anymore. He couldn’t taste Jin Xuan. He was alone, except for Jin Wei. But he couldn’t taste him. He didn’t want to taste his dead flesh, did he?

Jin Yan wanted to live. He needed to live. Whatever it took—

The drugs started to taste sweet, but the Ghost Physician’s fingers tasted the same. Even so, Jin Yan would lick them clean.

The bell rang.

The whispers began.

Jin Yan started to listen.

Jin Xuan 

 

The Night Crow’s talons reached for a rib, but Jin Xuan moved the plate out of reach. “I brought these for Jin Yan. Our prince allowed me to visit and feed him.”

“My greedy beast will eat better than me tonight.”

Jin Xuan sighed. “Take that up with our prince.”

“Hm, perhaps I will.”

With a frown, Jin Xuan set the ribs and plum wine on a table surely used for unspeakable things. “Where is Jin Yan?”

“He’s spending some time with my other beasts.” She smiled darkly. “Otherwise he gets lonely.”

Jin Xuan said nothing. The less he knew about the dark corners of this disgusting place below the prince’s residence…

The Night Crow procured a bell from her sleeve and rang it slowly twice, then three times in quick succession. “They’ll be here soon.”

Giggles and ghostly moans echoed on the stone walls of the wretched dungeon. Jin Wei was the first to appear, followed by an entourage of spirits from the sword. Jin Yan followed, shivering as spirits reached under his robes. “Director,” he greeted, raising a finger. “I didn’t expect you.”

“I was under the impression that he would lose himself as you drugged him,” Jin Xuan reflected.

“You said his words were useful, so I let him keep them,” the Night Crow preened before turning away.

“I see. Jin Yan, I brought you food.”

Jin Yan grinned, rushing over to the ribs. “The Director is generous,” he said, filthy fingers twitching above the plate.

“Jin Yan, how did your hands get so dirty?”

“I…was doing something.” His gaze flickered briefly to the walking corpse of Jin Wei before lowering for Jin Xuan. “Could the Director feed Jin Yan?”

“Very well. Have some wine first.”

Jin Yan took the offered gulp, licking the ceramic lip of the bottle when Jin Xuan pulled it away. 

“That’s enough,” Jin Xuan reprimanded gently, though he was relieved to see Jin Yan had not lost his thirst. Nor his hunger, when Jin Xuan held up a rib for him to tear through. Once Jin Yan ravenously finished the rest of the food, Jin Xuan was certain that he had not changed as much as the Night Crow believed. For better or worse, Jin Yan would always be Jin Yan.

The Night Crow returned as Jin Yan was cleaning the rib’s juices from Jin Xuan’s fingers. She smiled at them, and said, “Bite him, my greedy beast.”

Teeth suddenly pinched the meat of Jin Xuan’s palm, hard enough to draw blood. Jin Xuan cried out, knocking Jin Yan away with the other hand. Jin Yan flew back, slamming into a wall. Jin Xuan watched in horror as he stood up, a grin on his face.

That instinctive attack, regretful as it was, should have left Jin Yan on the ground, bruised and gasping for breath. Instead, he seemed completely unharmed as he sauntered over.

Jin Xuan took a step back, glaring sharply at the Night Crow. “What did you do to him? Ye Ya!”

The Night Crow lifted her hands, and Jin Yan and Jin Wei immediately stood between them. “Make your next decision carefully, Director Jin Xuan.”

To keep the sword spirits at bay, Jin Xuan maintained his murderous aura. He relaxed his posture, however, and adopted a thoughtful frown. “Forgive me, Ghost Physician. I was…shocked by your results.”

She laughed in the way a flock of crows laughs when they find a battlefield. “My heartless beast may be perfect, but these two have their own perfections. With the three of them together, they can subdue anyone.”

“I see,” Jin Xuan said, the slightest quiver escaping his lowered voice.

“I drew out their potential, so they’re even greater than before. More powerful, more fearless. More obedient.” She looked at him appraisingly. “I wonder what heights I could reach with you.”

“His Highness needs me.”

“You saw what I did to the one you still call Jin Yan. I could enhance you, and you could keep your mind. You’re already one of the most powerful martial artists, yes? I could turn you into what the people would call an immortal.”

Jin Xuan sighed. “You’re going too far.”

“It’s a pity you didn’t bring me Eunuch Jin Xian’s body after you took care of him. I would have liked to see what I could have accomplished with someone as beautiful and skilled as he was.”

“He deserves better than the fate you would give him,” Jin Xuan said coldly.

“After all that you’ve betrayed your fellow eunuchs, you would still look down on my methods?”

Jin Xuan turned away. “I did what I had to do.”

Jin Xuan

 

Linhua Hall had diminished in the twenty-two years since Jin Xuan’s shifu had been sent to the mausoleum. It had always been somewhat humble compared to the esteem of the position, and Jin Xuan had rarely used it. His time was better spent close to His Majesty’s side, or looking out for danger before it reached him. At the same time, the hall had secrets, so Jin Xuan only permitted entry under his supervision.

It was the perfect place to hide someone.

Jin Xuan entered the hall, raising an eyebrow at how well it had been put in order. Last time he had been there, only the desk had been cleared of cobwebs, and only for uses not typical of a desk. Now, the entire hall had been cleaned, and everything had been rearranged and organized.

Even when he had traveled the Martial Arts World in his youth, Jin Xian had always managed to keep his white clothes spotless.

Cold steel sang out of its sheath, frost tickling the back of Jin Xuan’s neck.

Jin Xuan laughed. “After all I’ve done, you still don’t trust me?”

“After all you’ve done, how can I trust you?” Jin Xian asked.

“I warned you about what happened to Jin Wei, didn’t I?”

“And you made me fake my death, instead of working with me to rescue Jin Yan.”

“His Majesty’s plan required me not to lose Chi Wang’s trust at that time.”

“So you say.”

“If I didn’t want to help you, would you still be alive?”

Silence. Then, “Is he alive?”

Jin Xuan sighed. “Jin Yan is still alive.”

The sword lowered. “He is?”

“Indeed.”

“Have you found out the best time for us to rescue him?”

Jin Xuan frowned, facing him. While the hall may have been organized, Jin Xian had never looked less put together. Jin Xuan hadn’t been able to order a bath drawn without also drawing in suspicion, and his “death” from their battle had needed to be convincing. Dirt of the street and dried blood dulled the bright green of his robes. Blood from both of them, as Jin Xuan had not been unscathed. “There is no best time. Waiting is not an option.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Ghost Physican’s experiments were more effective than I thought. I believed it would take more time to turn him against me.” Jin Xuan showed the bite mark on his palm. “I’m afraid I misjudged.”

Jin Xian’s eyes widened. His make-up had been smudged, but it was a striking look nonetheless. “Jin Yan did this?”

“The Ghost Physician ordered him to. He did, without hesitation.”

“You’re saying that he won’t cooperate in his rescue.”

“It’s worse than that. When he bit me, I unleashed a palm on him. He fell back, but was otherwise unaffected. With the wounds you sustained from your battle with Jin Wei during the mutiny, and from me several days ago, I fear that if you were to fight this Jin Yan on your own, you may be the worse for it.”

“Is there any way to reach him?”

“In the short term? If I knew, I wouldn’t be so concerned. No one has more of a grasp on Jin Yan’s mind than I, but even I don’t know if I can break through quickly enough.”

“So you’re saying that even if we manage to get through Prince Chi’s men and an enhanced Jin Wei, we would still need to fight Jin Yan himself.”

“That is what I fear, but it gets even worse. Do you recall how you assisted the young head of the Demon Sect in seeing his mother?”

Jin Xian smiled coldly. “You knew about that?”

“You’ve always been a terrible liar,” Jin Xuan chuckled.

Jin Xian was less amused. “Did something happen to him?”

“He is under Chi Wang’s control. We may need to fight him as well.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wasn’t important at the time, and I didn’t want you getting any foolish ideas of saving him as well. I believed that rescuing Jin Yan would be difficult enough, even before what I know now.”

Jin Xian clenched his green-gloved fist. “You!”

“If you had to choose between Jin Yan and Ye Anshi, who would you choose?”

The sword was pointed at Jin Xuan’s throat this time. “I gave my promise to Jin Yan. Even if it takes my death, he will live.”

Icy vapor stung Jin Xuan’s eyes. “Don’t say something so silly. Your death won’t help him live.”

Cold metal pressed closer to his throat. “You’re the one who told Prince Chi where Wuxin was, so he could capture him and drug him.”

“So what if I did? Will you kill me with the sword that killed his father?” Jin Xuan pinched the blade, bringing it away from his neck. “Enough of this foolishness. Forget about the one you call Wuxin. Your guilt won’t help him. And it won’t help Jin Yan.”

Jin Xian glared coldly, but sheathed his sword. “We need allies.”

“Most of the city is in a chokehold, now that Prince Chi has the name list. He hasn’t done anything with it or announced that he has it, but word spreads. His Majesty is waiting to see what the prince will do, as there is risk in taking overt action. I fear that the prince and the Ghost Physician are planning something bigger than even His Majesty expects.”

“What do you mean?”

Jin Xuan shook his head and said only one word.

Chapter 2: The Journey

Jin Xian

 

Destruction. 

That was what the Director predicted, in no uncertain terms.

Jin Xian laughed coldly in the now-empty hall. After the Director had left, Jin Xian had taken a seat at their shifu’s old desk and began writing a letter. The Director may not have been confident at his ability to find allies, but Jin Xian wasn’t about to leave his shidi’s fate up to chance, nor was he going to ignore Wuxin’s plight.

Once the ink was dry, Jin Xian rolled up the small slip of paper and walked outside into the early darkness of winter. The small courtyard was surrounded by high walls, so he had little concern for being seen as he walked over to the empty wooden cage that had once held his shifu’s treasured cockatiels, a gift from the Tai’an Emperor. Jin Xian heard that his shifu had brought them with him to the mausoleum, but the one time Jin Xian had visited him there involved more pressing matters. He hadn’t lingered then, and had no desire to linger on the memory now. After sliding the note between the wooden bars, Jin Xian turned away. And found himself facing Ji Ruofeng’s daughter.

“Do you think Baixiao Hall looks in every bird-poop-covered crevice for information?” she asked.

“You’re here.” Jin Xian smiled. “It seems Baixiao Hall really does know everything.”

Ji Xue shrugged. “I just followed Director Jin Xuan.”

“And took care of others who sought to track him, I hope.”

“Of course. I figured he would lead me to you.”

“You knew I was alive?”

“The events of that night were messy. We couldn’t be sure of anything, and neither was anyone else.” She patted his shoulder. “But I hoped you were alive.”

He didn’t respond, taking the note from the cage and handing it to her. “My shifu’s birds haven’t been here for two decades. There shouldn’t be any droppings on this.”

“I know.”

“Baixiao Hall even pays attention to birds?”

She grinned. “Only the important ones.”

Jin Xian didn’t match her amusement. “That message is for Xiao Se, but you can read it as well. We’ll need all the help we can get. Direct involvement in matters is not something Baixiao Hall is known for, but you may wish to make an exception in this case. Something is coming, and the whole city will be in danger. No one will be unaffected.” He paused, turning away. “I fear my shidi is at the center of this storm.”  

Jin Xuan

 

Jin Xuan found his emperor sitting outside, bundled in furs as he sipped tea, illuminated only by the small fire warming the pot. He wished nothing more than to hold him in that moment, but he sat across from him instead. “Bixia, I’m afraid it must happen tonight.”

Frowning slowly, Xiao Ruojin looked up from his cup. “You’re sure?”

“Things are worse than I thought. Jin Yan has fallen deeper under their control.” He absently touched his hand. “If I don’t recover him now, he may lose himself completely.”

“What happened to your hand?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Show me,” his emperor said lightly, but there was no mistaking what it was. A command, and Jin Xuan would of course obey. He turned over his hand, gasping as Xiao Ruojin’s warm fingers traced over it. “Jin Yan did this to you?”

“He did.”

“And you’re certain you can still reach him?”

“I’m not,” Jin Xuan admitted hesitantly. “I told Jin Xian that I would struggle to get through to Jin Yan while we’re rescuing him, but…I don’t know what was done to him. Bixia, I don’t know if I can get him back. Even if we can rescue him, Jin Yan may still be lost.”

Xiao Ruojin caressed the side of his face, wiping away a tear. “I’ve never seen you cry for him.”

“He hasn’t been in danger like this for a long time, and he was never alone. Even when he took the first step, when I ordered him and the others to stop—” Jin Xuan broke off, not daring to speak Ye Dingzhi’s name in Xiao Ruojin’s presence. “At one time, Jin Yan and I were closer than brothers. He would do anything for me, without hesitation. Even after I betrayed him this time, he still trusted my plan. I never thought things would turn out like this .”

“Jin Xuan,” Xiao Ruojin spoke deeply, taking his wounded hand in both of his, “what do you need from me?”

Jin Xuan shivered from the warmth. “I need a small group of elite martial artists to sneak into Prince Chi’s dungeon to retrieve Jin Yan. A distraction would also be helpful.”

“Perhaps some guards, clothed as assassins,” Xiao Ruojin suggested. “At least twenty of them.”

“Two waves of twenty may buy us enough time.”

“Very well. And I’ll have Yueli join you.”

“You want me to bring your brother?” Blinking, Jin Xuan leaned forward. “Bixia, are you sure that’s a good idea? This mission will be dangerous.”

“Which is why I’ll also be sending the State Preceptor,” His Majesty said, lifting his hand away. “Between you, Jin Xian, Yueli, and him, I don’t think anyone can beat you.”

Jin Xuan frowned, taking it and helping him stand. “It’s been a long time since I truly fought side by side with the State Preceptor. It was against a threat not dissimilar to the one we’ll face tonight.”

“You think that lad could compare to his father?” Xiao Ruojin asked low, as if afraid that the dead devil he was talking about could hear him. “Perhaps I should have told Jin Xian to kill him.”

“Jin Xian’s judgment of character is usually fair. The problem lies in how the young head of the Demon Sect has been drugged and brought under the control of Xiao Yu.”

With a grim expression, Xiao Ruojin coughed. “After Ruofeng’s death, I’ve become too merciful. I haven’t wanted to make the same mistake.”

“Bixia, no one could have guessed how far Xiao Yu would go.”

The Emperor said nothing, but the warmth of his hand separated from Jin Xuan as he walked ahead. “Do you remember my second brother?”

“Prince Qing? Of course.” A folly.

“I thought that Xiao Yu would be like him. Too weak to do anything meaningful, but smart enough to listen to someone more cunning than him.”

“Someone like my shifu.”

“Or like you. I believed that even if Xiao Yu ended up on the throne, you would be there to talk sense into him. It turns out he’s more motivated than my second brother. More stubborn. And more dangerous.” He coughed again, this time more harshly.

Jin Xuan caught up to him, taking his arm. “Bixia, it’s cold out here. We should go back inside.”

He shook his head. “Jin Xuan, I don’t want to execute him. How would I explain it to his mother?”

“I’ll talk to Consort Xuan,” Jin Xuan promised.

Xiao Ruojin squeezed his hand weakly. “Take care of Jin Yan first. Then come back to me.” 

Jin Xian

 

The fresh change of clothing brought by Jin Xuan had lifted Jin Xian’s mood more than expected. The past few days, smelling of blood and battle-sweat, had been a reminder of the past unbearable enough that he almost considered stripping to his underclothes. Almost. His desperation hadn’t yet reached that point, and it was a relief now that it wouldn’t on this critical night. The winter-green of his robes would stand out against the darkness, but Jin Xuan had explained that he was more concerned with entering quietly than with being seen. Besides, it would assist in discerning friend from foe once an inevitable clash occurred. Regardless, he was grateful that Jin Xuan hadn’t brought his purple robes. Ever since Jin Xian had chosen loyalty to Jin Yan before duty to the Emperor, he knew he would never wear them again.

Leaving the hall, he found Jin Xuan standing with his back turned, hands clasped behind him. He was looking up, apparently at nothing.

“I thought you were going to wait in the carriage,” Jin Xian said.

Jin Xuan shrugged. “I sensed a familiar presence. I was wondering if she would show herself this time.”

Ji Xue suddenly appeared, jumping down from the stone wall and calmly crossing her arms. “I heard that Director Jin Xuan was unparalleled in awareness skills. The rumors are true.”

“I know you followed me here last time. Given how you helped Jin Xian before, I assumed you intended him no harm.”

Ji Xue turned to Jin Xian. “I gave Xiao Se your message. His friends will provide a distraction while he catches up to you. He has a plan to reach Wuxin.”

Jin Xuan frowned. “Our focus is on rescuing Jin Yan. I’m not sure we can afford distractions.”

Glaring at him sharply, Jin Xian asked, “Do you want Xiao Se’s help or not?”

A sigh. “The Yong’an Prince’s assistance may be useful. And if he can break the spell on the young head of the Demon Sect, perhaps it is possible to do the same for Jin Yan.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Without a family member’s blood, the drugged subject will die. Wuxin was drugged using his mother’s blood. The antidote also used her blood,” Ji Xue informed.

“Then how is Jin Yan alive?”

“I don’t know,” Ji Xue said. “All I know is that Xiao Se’s solution won’t work for Jin Yan.”

“Director,” Jin Xian began hesitantly. “I know you entered the palace with Jin Yan back then. Could your blood—”

“That’s impossible. We may be close, but we don’t share the same blood. There are other ways to enhance a person's skills, and other ways to break a person’s mind. I wouldn’t put it above the Ghost Physician to discover ways around the limitation of that particular drug art. Jin Yan was mostly himself when I met him. He only changed after she gave him a command to bite me.” He paused. “I wonder if he hasn’t been enhanced at all. All these years, he has never broken through to the Insouciant Phase. It’s possible he has some inhibition against it, and the Night Crow has merely removed it.”

“Jin Yan is impulsive and greedy. Why would he have an inhibition against becoming more powerful?”

“I can only guess. All I know is that Jin Yan’s ambition was only ever to be a marquis.”

Jin Xian laughed coldly. “Only?”

“Think about Marquis Lanyue, and how he whines whenever his brother asks something of him. His Majesty is the only one who can ask something of him. Otherwise, the Marquis is a playboy who can do whatever he wants, as long as he doesn’t threaten his brother. Does that not sound like something that would appeal to Jin Yan?”

“You’re saying he doesn’t want responsibility,” Jin Xian stated.

“More accurately, he wants respect and indulgence, but without the cost.”

Ji Xue stepped forward. “Eunuchs, as much as I appreciate the gossip, we may be wasting time.”

With a cold laugh, Jin Xuan waved his ice-blue sleeve and turned to the carriage outside the gate. “You’re right. Besides, Marquis Lanyue is one of the people waiting in the carriage. Gossiping about him may be inappropriate.”

Jin Xian glared. “You’re the one who brought him up.”

“Let’s not assign blame right now. We have more important things to do.”

Jin Xuan

 

When they approached the carriage, Jin Xuan allowed Ji Xue to enter first. As was expected of someone so keen for information, she took the seat opposite the entrance, where she could see everyone’s reactions with ease. He followed, sitting next to the dozing State Preceptor. That left the space next to the pouting Marquis for Jin Xian, which he took gracefully. “State Preceptor,” Jin Xian greeted respectfully. “Marquis Lanyue.”

“Ah, Eunuch Jin Xian.” Qi Tianchen smiled kindly as he opened his eyes. “And could this be Ji Ruofeng’s daughter?”

“I know a lot about you,” she answered.

“Oh?” Stroking his beard, Qi Tianchen laughed. “You take after your father.”

“Knowledge isn’t something that can be inherited.”

“But the position as master of Baixiao Hall…” Jin Xuan began.

“The workings of my sect are more complicated than you can imagine,” she said coldly.

“Ah, of course. Forgive my assumption.” Jin Xuan’s tone was light, but he was surprised by the subtle shift in Ji Xue’s personality. Perhaps it was the subject matter, or perhaps there was someone in the carriage she didn’t trust. Or perhaps she didn’t want to seem too closely associated with him.

The carriage creaked into motion.

“Are you going to share the plan now?” Marquis Lanyue asked impatiently.

Suspicion clawed at Jin Xuan’s chest. Prince Chi had always been so eager to win the Marquis’ favor. Jin Xuan had never held the impression that he was particularly successful at his attempts, but the prince had never been above keeping secrets from him. Even so, accusing the Marquis of being a spy would only end badly in such close quarters, and His Majesty may not forgive Jin Xuan for killing him. “The plan is simple. Guards dressed as assassins will provide us with a distraction. Meanwhile, we’ll break into Prince Chi’s dungeon and retrieve Jin Yan. Then, we’ll fight our way out.”

“That simple? You must not know my little nephew that well, if you think something like that will work.”

“What do you suggest? He could have come up with any number of plans. He’s probably expecting an indirect approach.” Jin Xuan sighed. “Force is the only thing we can count on. Getting too attached to something more elaborate can only end badly in this case.”

Amusement glittered in the Marquis’ eyes. “I wonder if you used a direct approach when asking for my brother’s help.”

The carriage bumped, and Jin Xian and the Marquis immediately reached for their swords. “What was that?”

“A body,” the driver explained beyond the curtain. “There have been a lot of riots in this area.”

While the swords lowered, Ji Xue’s staff raised. She tore past the curtain, driving the end through the driver.

“Why did you kill him?” Jin Xian asked, shock drawn on his refined brows.

“The path we should have taken wouldn’t have led us near where the riots were. He was taking us into a trap,” she explained, taking the reins.

Qi Tianchen stroked his beard thoughtfully, but didn’t comment.

“You may be right,” Jin Xuan said. “I trust you to take the correct path.”

“I’ve memorized every street in the city,” Ji Xue assured. “We won’t run into any more trouble.”

Jin Xian

 

Not all trouble could be predicted. While Ji Xue had kept them clear of riots, fire was spreading. And the dead were rising.

The horse spooked first, but Jin Xian felt a deep horror within him as he looked past the curtain and found Ji Xue whacking away the driver who had already fallen. Jin Xian drew his Blizzard Sword, cutting through his head. Ji Xue pulled on the reins, looking back.

“What are you waiting for? We need to go!”

“Not yet.”

Jin Xian waited, wondering what she was looking for.

“Interesting,” she finally said.

“What?”

“You killed him this time.”

“Wasn’t he already dead?”

“He was. But not enough.”

“You mean…”

“You needed to cut off his head. Tell the others. We’ll probably run into more.”

Jin Xian nodded, ducking back into the carriage.

“What happened?” Jin Xuan asked.

“The driver came back.”

“You mean…”

“He had to be killed a second time.”

Marquis Lanyue’s eyes widened in terror. “What?”

Qi Tianchen stroked his beard. “There are dark forces rising tonight.”

“Damn it,” Jin Xian cursed. “I should have brought my prayer beads.”

Jin Xuan sighed. “I didn’t think of that.”

“Buddhist power may have been helpful against the undead,” Qi Tianchen said. “But it is too late to regret it now.”

“Ever since Jin Wei died, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t pick them up until he and Jin Yu were avenged.”

“I’m sorry,” Jin Xuan apologized. “I should have brought the rosary along with your clothes.”

Jin Xian shook his head. “It’s not your fault.”

“Do you think we’ll run into any more?” Marquis Lanyue asked.

“I don’t know. But if we do, make sure to cut off the head.”

“Not all of us have swords,” Jin Xuan pointed out.

“Isn’t there some Taoist magic that can take care of them?”

Qi Tianchen lifted his horsetail whisk. “I have a few ideas to keep them away.”

“What does the State Preceptor intend to do?”

“As yin is drawn to yang, the dead will be drawn to the living. If I can maintain an aura of death over this carriage, the dead will not seek us.” With great concentration, Qi Tianchen waved his whisk, and a depressing energy filled the carriage. “This may be uncomfortable.”

“Whatever is necessary,” Jin Xuan reassured. “We need as few interruptions as possible.”

Marquis Lanyue looked miserable, tightening his grasp on his sword.

Struggling against the urge to start the Buddhist chants that would dispel the aura, Jin Xian repeated the Director’s words. “Whatever is necessary.”

Whatever it took, they would rescue Jin Yan.

Chapter 3: The Rescue

Jin Xuan

 

“We have a problem,” Ji Xue said.

“What happened?” Jin Xuan asked.

“You should see.”

Jin Xuan moved past the State Preceptor, who was straining to maintain an aura that didn’t resonate with him, and found that their current roadblock was none other than the Dark River Patriarch himself, Su Changhe. “I’ll handle him,” Jin Xuan spoke low. “You can get the others to Chi Wang’s dungeon.”

“Are you sure?”

“I have been wanting to do this for a long time.” Jin Xuan flew from the carriage, palm bursting with white energy.

The Xuhuai Art collided with Yama’s Devil Palm. The carriage shook as it passed, and they both were pushed away several paces. “Director,” Su Changhe greeted, brushing off his cloak.

“Patriarch.”

“I thought you might be the one to stay.”

“We had an agreement. The Martial Arts World was yours, and the Imperial Court was mine. But now it seems you’re in my way.”

“Things change.” Su Changhe stepped forward. “I am the one who will create that change.”

“If your aims are so high, why are you still serving Chi Wang? His Majesty is sending an army to execute him for treason as we speak,” Jin Xuan lied.

Su Changhe frowned. “Even if that is true, I cannot allow you to pass. The world I wish to create has no place for you. You must die tonight.”

“Ha! I would prefer if you died instead,” Jin Xuan sneered, preparing another attack.

Su Changhe beat him to the offense. Their palms met, and this time only Jin Xuan was sent back. “That won’t happen.”

Jin Xuan spat out blood. “How did you get so powerful?”

“Have you heard about Grandmaster Tang’s death?” he asked. “I was the one who killed him. When I did, I absorbed one-tenth of his internal energy.”

“I see.” Jin Xuan pointed a single finger. “Then I won’t hold back.”

Ten points of power, cold and concentrated. Jin Xuan’s brows furrowed, and a drop of sweat froze on his forehead. In a flash, he unleashed his ultimate move.

The world had never seen this unrestrained use of the Xuhuai Art. Not from his shifu, and not from Jin Xuan himself. But tonight, he wished to kill Su Changhe.

Blinding light shot from his fingertip, frigid and piercing. It hit Su Changhe’s chest directly, forcing him to fall back. He stood, shivering as icy blood dripped down his chin.

Jin Xuan smirked, waiting for him to fall. 

Su Changhe did not fall.

He shivered violently, readying another palm. Jin Xuan quickly countered it, but this time they both spit blood.

“Enough,” a quiet voice said behind him.

The Umbrella Ghost, Su Muyu. With the energy Jin Xuan had used in his ultimate and the damage he had already taken from the Patriarch, he may not survive against them both.

But the Umbrella Ghost stepped between them. “This is between us, Director Jin Xuan,” he said, his tone polite. “You can leave.”

“Very well.”

Jin Xuan had allowed his grudge to distract him from the task at hand, but he trusted the assassin to do what an assassin does best. Besides that, he sensed another presence approaching, with a focused killing aura. He had observed it once before, leaving the Yong’an Prince’s banquet just as he had arrived. Later, Xiao Yu had told him about a woman in purple, with vengeance in her heart and a knife in her hand, but Jin Xuan was distantly familiar with Fairy Lady Rui before that. She and Jin Yan were contacts, of a sort, and Jin Xuan had previously made use of that connection to offer information that would direct her knife toward Su Changhe. It seemed the placement of that piece had finally yielded fruit. Now, he could only hope it didn’t rot.

Jin Xian

 

Compared to the rest of the city, the courtyard of Prince Chi’s residence was unnervingly quiet. Now that the situation had shifted so intensely, Jin Xian wasn’t sure if the rest of the assistance that the Emperor had offered would appear. At this point, they may not be necessary, or even helpful. A fallen friend could be more dangerous than a living foe.

Friend or foe, there was no one in the courtyard but them.

“This is strange,” the State Preceptor said, stroking his beard.

Marquis Lanyue smiled. “My little nephew is probably hiding from those scary monsters.”

“ You looked afraid earlier,” Jin Xian pointed out coldly. He usually maintained an air of respect for the Marquis, but he had seen the way Jin Xuan had been watching him during the carriage ride. With everything that was happening, Jin Xian wasn’t sure if that suspicion was misplaced. While Jin Xian had been on the receiving end of Xiao Yu’s clinginess and attention-seeking when the prince had been a child, he had also observed that the prince had not outgrown that stage when it came to his uncle.

Ji Xue brought her staff between them. “Enough bickering. We need to find the entrance to the dungeon to rescue Jin Yan.”

“I know where it is,” a lazy voice claimed.

Marquis Lanyue rolled his eyes. “We might as well have brought the whole royal family for this silly eunuch.”

Xiao Se frowned slightly. “Speaking of our family, Xiao Yu isn’t here. I saw him leave with Wuxin and Long Xie, but I sent the others to follow them.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t go with them,” Jin Xian said.

“You asked for my help, and my qinggong is faster than their carriage.”

Jin Xian shook his head. “Go to Wuxin. Your friends need you. He needs you.”

A faint smile showed itself before Xiao Se turned away and pointed. “The dungeon is through that door.”

“Thank you. And good luck.”

“You too.”

Once Xiao Se had left, the Marquis shook his head slowly. “That brat, leaving all the hard work to me.”

“Xiao Se!” A voice shouted. “Xiao Se!” With a flash of red, a youth barreled into the ground in front of them. “Where is Xiao Se?”

“Lei Wujie, what is it?” Ji Xue asked.

“I was looking for Xiao Se,” he panted, out of breath.

“Why?”

“Why?” he repeated, scratching his head. “So, we were following Wuxin—well, we were following the carriage. The carriage with Wuxin—”

“We know about the carriage. Just tell us what you were going to tell Xiao Se.”

“What was I going to—oh! That’s right!” Grinning, the lad lifted a finger. “They’re heading for the palace!”

“The palace ?” the Marquis asked, alarmed. “Are you sure?”

Qi Tianchen flicked his whisk, slow determination clearing his gaze. “I apologize. It seems I must leave you all.”

“ I should go! He’s my brother!”

“His Majesty asked you to assist in rescuing Jin Yan,” Jin Xian stated. “Why are you thinking of disobeying him now?”

But Qi Tianchen was already gone.

The Marquis wouldn’t escape so easily. Jin Xian drew his sword; though he didn’t point it at him, the message was clear. “You won’t leave, will you?”

“Of course not,” he said, with an amicable smile and ruthlessness in his eyes. “My movement skills don’t compare to the State Preceptor’s, and I would be too late to do anything.”

The Lei lad scrambled to his feet. “Woah! I remember this sword! Shen Jingzhou’s Blizzard Sword!”

Jin Xian held his shoulder. “You’ll stay here too.”

“But, Xiao Se—”

“He’s already heading back to your friends. We need your help rescuing one of mine.”

“Oh! Xiao Se said he wanted to help you! Since he left, you can have my sword instead! Well, he uses a staff, but—I have a sword, so I, uh…” he broke off, pounding his fist over his heart. “I’ll help you!”

Perplexed by his enthusiasm, Jin Xian patted his head. “Good lad.”

His face lit up, and Ji Xue rolled her eyes. “Don’t make a fool of yourself, or you’ll embarrass Xiao Se.”

“Oh, right.” Lei Wujie laughed nervously. “Could you pat my head one more time? For good luck?”

Jin Xian smiled grimly, looking into the darkness that led to the dungeon. “Down there, we’ll need all the luck we can get.”    

Jin Xuan

 

Just as the battle between Dark River’s highest-ranked members began, the State Preceptor lighted before Jin Xuan, an urgent look in his usually calm gaze. “What happened?” Jin Xuan asked.

“Xiao Yu has left his residence with Wuxin.”

“Why is that a problem?”

“They are heading to the palace.”

“You mean…” Jin Xuan didn’t finish the question. He knew what Qi Tianchen had meant, and he knew the State Preceptor knew he understood. 

The horsehair whisk pointed down the street. “I’m returning to defend His Majesty.”

Jin Xuan had known from the start that Ye Anshi would be the greatest threat to his plan. It was a pity their fight would be too far away for Jin Xuan to offer any support to Jin Yan’s rescue, but his place now was at His Majesty’s side. “I’ll go with you.”

Jin Xian would have to manage on his own.

Jin Xian

 

There was no point in waiting. Regardless of what happened in the fight between Jin Xuan and Su Changhe, Jin Xian knew that if Jin Xuan found out about the danger moving toward the palace, he would do anything to stop it. Between Jin Yan and the Emperor, Jin Xuan would always choose His Majesty. Jin Xian had made a different choice, and he could only hope Jin Xuan would succeed in his path—without killing Wuxin.

Ji Xue was the first to enter the dungeon, vigilant and cautious. The Lei lad followed, sword trembling in its sheath. Jin Xian looked at Marquis Lanyue, motioning for him to follow.

“Someone should stand guard,” the Marquis pointed out.

Jin Xian smiled coldly. “If you leave, nothing will stop me from finding you and killing you.”

The Marquis drew his sword. “The dead are walking out there. I might as well stop them from getting into my little nephew’s home.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“My brother’s, of course. After that,” he smirked, “who knows?”

Jin Xian glared, but turned away. “Our lives are in your hands.”

Jin Xuan

 

“What are you two doing back so soon?” Xiao Ruojin asked.

“Xiao Yu is on his way here,” Jin Xuan informed as he landed. “With the young head of the Demon Sect.”

“He dares to go for me directly?”

“I’m afraid that possessing the name list has made him bold. There is no telling what other allies he might have behind him.”

Xiao Ruojin frowned at the orange glow of flames beyond the palace gates. “With everything happening right now, does he really have allies?”

Qi Tianchen stroked his beard. “Many may be avoiding this conflict tonight, but after…I fear that things may get worse.”

“Is that something you divined, or…”

“The future remains unwritten. I merely speak from what I’ve seen.”

Xiao Ruojin suddenly coughed, and Jin Xuan was immediately at his side. “Bixia, is something wrong?”

“I need to see Hua Jin,” he said, squeezing his hand. “Stay out here with the State Preceptor. If Changqing asks for orders, give them.”

“Bixia, are you sure? At a time like this—”

“I trust your judgment. Do whatever you think is necessary. Even if that means—” He coughed again. “Jin Xuan, I wasn’t ready for this.”

Jin Xuan’s chest tightened as he saw the fear and defeat in his emperor’s eyes. The weariness. “Then His Majesty should rest. Jin Xuan will make sure the palace is still standing in the morning.”

Xiao Ruojin shook his head. “I won’t have any rest until I’m dead.”

“Bixia, don’t say such things,” Jin Xuan pleaded. “Once this is over—”

“We’ll talk about this later.” His emperor’s thumb brushed against his cheek. “I don’t need you crying before a battle.”

“Bixia…”

The thumb trailed down to his chin, surely still bloody from his fight with Su Changhe, before gently tilting his head upward. Their lips touched only briefly, but even that was enough to quicken Jin Xuan’s heart. “Come to me when it’s done.”

Jin Xian

 

“The Marquis isn’t coming?” Ji Xue asked, pushing open a hefty set of doors with the Lei lad.

Jin Xian shook his head. “He’s standing guard.”

“Oh! I didn’t think of that!” Lei Wujie exclaimed before shivering and hugging himself. “This place is creepy. I wouldn’t want to be trapped here.”

Ji Xue held up a finger, bidding silence. Jin Xian and the Lei lad soon heard why: clanging of chains, sounds of a struggle. Somewhere beyond the half-open doors, though it was too dark to see.

“Can you light the candles?” Jin Xian asked Lei Wujie. His own martial arts were aligned with the element of ice, but he had seen Jin Yu heat up tea with just his palm. A fiery lad like Lei Wujie should have no trouble with the task.

“Of course!” Lei Wujie took a deep breath, and his body burst into flames. The blinding light spread, flickering life into numerous scattered candles.

“Subtle.”

“Thanks!”

Eyes adjusting, the first thing Jin Xian saw was a tall man in tattered purple python robes, upright and bound in chains. “Jin Wei!”

Ji Xue grabbed his arm. “It could be a trap.”

“Trap or not, I won’t let Prince Chi keep him.”

“Fine. But be careful. Remember what Director Jin Xuan said.”

It was impossible not to. As Jin Xian approached, he could see the deathly paleness of Jin Wei’s skin and the veins running beneath like inky trails of lightning. He could see the tears in his python robe from his own blade and the cut on his neck from the Abyssal Eye. Despite this, the body was intact.  

“What happened to him?” Lei Wujie asked, his expression solemn.

Jin Wei had once told him how he and the Lei lad had fought together against the forces of Dark River in order to heal Prince Bai’s eyes. He told him how fearless Lei Wujie was, how the lad had been tireless and bold that night, even as the drugged assassins rose to fight again and again. He even told him that he believed the lad was worthy of wielding the Heart Sword.

When Jin Wei had told him all this, his lips held the barest hint of a smile by the end. 

Now, in the depths of Prince Chi’s secret dungeon, his chained corpse wore an unsettling smirk. 

Jin Xian rested a gloved hand on the Lei lad’s shoulder. “Whatever evil things were done to him, I swear he will be avenged.”

“I found Jin Yan,” Ji Xue said from behind a bookshelf.

“Stay here,” Jin Xian instructed Lei Wujie. “He still may wake. Watch him closely.”

“Got it.”

Jin Xian went to Ji Xue, finding Jin Yan unconscious and chained to a table. His clothes were disheveled and his forehead dripped with sweat. Whimpering, he pulled weakly against his bonds.

A murderous aura rose within Jin Xian. Seeing how Prince Chi and the Ghost Physician had disturbed what little rest Jin Wei’s spirit might have had hanging from the city wall already made him furious, but thinking of the ways they must have tortured Jin Yan… 

“I’ll kill them,” he vowed, icy vapor flowing from his mouth. “Whatever pain they caused you, I will unleash on them tenfold!”

Jin Yan slowly opened his eyes. “Shixiong?”

The frost breath dissipated. “Shidi!”

Ji Xue held her staff between them. “Remember what Jin Xuan said.”

Jin Xian glared coldly. “I’ll knock him out before breaking his chains.”

“Wait, what?” Jin Yan sputtered. “You can’t do that!”

“Can’t I?”

“If you hurt me, you’ll have to hurt yourself tenfold. Isn’t that what you promised?”

“You heard that?” With a grim smile, Jin Xian patted his shoulder. “Very well. After this is over, you may hold me to my promise.”

Jin Yan laughed angrily. “Or don’t knock me out?”

“That isn’t an option. With what I hear from the Director, you’re rather prone to biting right now.”

“If you knock me out, I will bite you!”

Jin Xian smiled coldly. “Is that a promise?”

“Jin Xian!”

Ji Xue bonked Jin Yan’s head with her staff, unconsciousness turning his shocked expression into an affronted scowl. “There. I did it for you.”

“We still need to free him.”

Ji Xue waved her arm, and four lockpicks shot out. In a matter of moments, the shackles unlocked. “Information is often behind locked doors,” she explained.

Jin Xian stepped forward, taking Jin Yan’s body into his arms. His sword hand supported the back of his shoulders, while the other scooped under his long legs. “I have him.”

“Good. Let’s get back to—”

Slam! “Aargh! Guys! He’s awake!”

They rushed over, finding Lei Wujie leaning against a toppled shelf, sword drawn and panting.

Approaching him was Jin Wei, free of his shackles. He held out his hand, summoning his broken blade. With a flash of red, dark apparitions of skeletal spirits surrounded the lad.

Ji Xue jumped in with her staff, sweeping them away. Spirits’ shrieking echoed through the dungeon, but more appeared. “Run!”

“And allow you to be killed and turned against us?” Jin Xian asked, setting Jin Yan on the ground. The Blizzard Sword sang out of its sheath, sending fine shards of ice through the surge of shadows. “No one will be left behind tonight.”

Lei Wujie jumped to his feet, swinging his sword through the cleared path. The Heart Sword screeched against the Abyssal Eye in a shower of sparks, and it looked like the lad would push through.

With his free hand, Jin Wei grabbed the fiery edge. Undead flesh burned, but still he did not let go. Lei Wujie screamed, and the Heart Sword began to crack.

Ji Xue and Jin Xian rushed to his aid, but the sword’s spirits blocked their way. There were said to be one-hundred-eight of them bound to the blade, but Jin Xian had never seen them all. Tonight, he did, and he would destroy them all. 

Jin Xian became a flurry of wind, snow, and steel. He cut through the evil spirits, chanting a Buddhist exorcism under his breath. He spun as they surrounded him, grabbing at his robes. A wave of cold rushed out of him, freezing the spirits and shattering them as they fell. Soon, the dungeon was filled with a cool mist.

Suddenly, pieces of metal pierced the mist, shooting out in every direction from somewhere beyond. One sliced his cheek, while several tore small cuts into his robes.  

Crack! The violent sound was followed by a sob.

Jin Xian swept away the mist, revealing Lei Wujie kneeling before the evil thing that had taken Jin Wei’s body. The lad was clutching his arm, bent at an angle Jin Xian knew immediately was wrong. What was once the Heart Sword had been reduced to the hilt. He was trembling, tears like streams of blood running down his face under the glare of Jin Wei’s crimson eyes.

“No!” Jin Xian summoned a storm with his steel, flying at he who had once been his shidi. The last of the spirits were torn through as they swarmed his path, only momentarily obstructing his sight, but before he could adjust his direction, his blade was already driven uselessly into Jin Wei’s chest.

Pale hands clutched the blade, and Jin Xian knew he’d made an error. But instead of attacking him, Jin Wei pulled it deeper into him. Looking up sharply, Jin Xian found that Jin Wei’s eyes were no longer glowing, no longer crimson. “Why?”

“You freed me,” Jin Wei answered. With a frown as soft as a smile, he fell to the ground.

“Jin Wei!” There was no life left in him. Whatever influence the sword spirits had on him was gone, but so was he. Jin Xian held his body, embracing it fiercely. “I’ll avenge you,” he promised. “What they did will not be unpunished.”

“It’s over?” Lei Wujie asked weakly.

“Not yet.” Jin Xian closed his tear-stung eyes. “This is only the beginning.”

Jin Xuan

 

The horizon was colored with chaos, and Jin Xuan couldn’t help but feel like he had been the one to spill the paint. If he had never allowed Jin Yan to fall into Xiao Yu’s hands, things would have gone very differently. At that time, Jin Xuan had still believed he could control the situation. He believed he could keep Jin Yan safe, position Xiao Yu for success, and never disobey his Emperor.

But now? Now Jin Yan’s safety was no longer in his hands and Xiao Yu’s success had more chance of danger than benefit. The only one left for Jin Xuan was Xiao Ruojin, but the stresses of this night would only hasten his fall. Even if Jin Xuan succeeded in protecting him, what would be the point? He would still be sent to the mausoleum at the end of things, forced to guard his beloved’s tomb until he joined him in death.

Perhaps he should just run away with his emperor and let the city burn, so they could watch the sunrise instead of the fire and smoke. Xiao Ruojin would be angry at him for taking him away, perhaps even hate him for it, but the death of his love for Jin Xuan would take more time than he had left. 

“Urgent report!” Li Changqing shouted.

Jin Xuan sighed. “Speak.”

The guard captain looked confused. “Where’s His Majesty?”

“Resting. You may tell me what you were going to tell him.”

“But he said that this mission was secret.”

“The Director has been charged with command of the situation,” the State Preceptor explained. “He has His Majesty’s trust.”

Li Changqing nodded. “His Majesty sent me and a squad of Brave Tiger Guards to protect Consort Xuan. Unfortunately, she escaped.”

“Escaped?” Qi Tianchen looked alarmed.

Jin Xuan wasn’t surprised. Consort Xuan had always possessed a free spirit waiting to take flight. A disaster like this would be the perfect time. Besides, both her sons were at the center of it.

Yes, he wasn’t surprised. But he was concerned. If Xiao Yu reached her before he did, there was no telling what might happen. Xiao Yu’s behavior was becoming entirely more dangerous and unpredictable than Jin Xuan anticipated. What if Xiao Yu threatened his mother, in order to force His Majesty into the open? Xiao Ruojin had always been foolish in matters relating to her, even refusing to hide from the demon who had once taken her away. Now another demon was approaching, and Jin Xuan was even less confident in his likelihood of victory than he was back then. “Where did you see her last?”

“Near Lihe Street.”

Jin Xuan turned to the State Preceptor. “For now, I trust him to you.”

Into the chaos, he took flight.        

Jin Xian

 

The mist dissipating, Jin Xian looked around the dungeon. This was where Jin Wei had been corrupted and twisted into a host for one hundred eight evil souls. He would find no rest here. 

“I can carry him,” Lei Wujie offered.

Jin Xian shook his head. “You’re injured.”

“He had my back once, I can give him mine!”

“He said that you were worthy of wielding the Heart Sword. I can see why.”

“He did?” Lei Wujie lifted the hilt of his sword, and his expression immediately dropped. “The Heart Sword!”

“It could be fixable,” Ji Xue said, leaning on her staff. 

“She’s right. Can you still feel the sword’s spirit?” Jin Xian asked.

Lei Wujie frowned, concentrating. “I do, but not inside the sword.” He patted his heart. “In here.”

“Perhaps it went there to stop Jin Wei’s attack from going too far.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that it likely saved your life.”

Lei Wujie threw aside the now-useless hilt, wrapping Jin Xian into a one-armed hug. “You saved my life,” he said with emotion. “I don’t know how I’ll make it up to you.”

Jin Xian pulled away. “You were only here because I asked you to be. Your injuries are my responsibility.”

“No!” the lad insisted, hugging him tighter. “Eunuch Jin Wei was my friend too! I would have gone down here anyway!”

“You barely knew him,” Ji Xue pointed out.

“We went through life and death together! Of course I knew him!”

“Very well,” Jin Xian said, gently patting his shoulder. “I thank you on his behalf.”

The lad released him, wiping away his tears. “Can you, uh, help me lift him? I don’t think I can do it with one hand.”

Jin Xian smiled sadly. “Of course.”

Ji Xue helped as well, and they managed to lift the body onto Lei Wujie’s back. Jin Wei was tall, but so was the Lei lad, and he managed to keep him up with his good arm. Once Jin Wei was secure, Jin Xian looked for Jin Yan.

He was gone.       

Jin Xuan

 

Lihe Street was usually bustling with commoners, tasting the local delicacies at the many food stands and shops. The smells were rich and mouth-watering, irresistible even to those who couldn’t afford it. Before Jin Xuan and Jin Yan entered the palace, it had been one of their favorite places to find food. Jin Yan, with his clever words and nimble fingers, could flatter his way into free samples from the more generous shop owners and steal from the stingier ones. Just by passing through, he could get them entire meals worth of food to survive on. 

Jin Yan would also take many sweets, and once they were in the clear, they would find a quiet courtyard to enjoy their feast. When the meal was finished, Jin Xuan would feed Jin Yan every sweet by hand, as though it was a reward from him for keeping them alive. Eventually, Jin Yan wanted more than the sweets, and Jin Xuan would allow him to taste his fingers, his lips. Anything to satisfy the hungry mouth he would have died without.

Food wasn’t the only thing they would find on Lihe Street. Sometimes, Jin Yan wasn’t quick enough, and they would get caught. Jin Xuan would take his beating, when he could, and trained to be strong enough to beat others when he couldn’t.

Then a winter came when the street was empty, and neither food nor beatings were to be found. Only two men in purple python robes and elaborate black gauze hats accented in gold. One with dark hair and one with silver. A golden ornament had hung from the silver-haired man’s belt, and Jin Yan had stolen it as he passed. The men stopped Jin Yan and asked him what he had done, and Jin Yan had almost talked his way out of trouble before the silver-haired one had enough of his lies and attacked. Jin Xuan defended him, but was no match for the silver-haired man, who turned out to be none other than Grand Eunuch Zhuo Qing. Still, the Grand Eunuch was impressed by his skill, and asked him to be his disciple. Jin Xuan accepted, believing that he would spare Jin Yan. He never would have guessed that the Grand Eunuch would immediately try to kill him. If not for the other eunuch, Zhuo Xin, wanting to take Jin Yan in as his disciple and blocking the Grand Eunuch’s attack, Jin Yan would have died and Jin Xuan would have been forced to follow his murderer.

Indeed, Lihe Street had been spared the sight of death that day, but it had not been this night. Corpses, some dead, some walking, were scattered along the narrow street. Instead of the smell of local cuisine, there was only acrid smoke and dead flesh. Fires were spreading along one side of buildings, while the other would be spared as long as there were no strong winds. Jin Xuan rushed along it now, hoping to catch a glimpse of Consort Xuan.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to leave the palace at this time. Even if Jin Xuan found her, would she agree to come along? Was bringing her back even a good idea? Jin Xuan’s priority would be protecting His Majesty, and there was a strong possibility that Xiao Yu’s focus would be on his mother. Distraction could be beneficial, but at what cost? Perhaps he should just—

A needle flew by his head, scratching his ear. He turned around, finding the very woman he was searching for. “My Lady,” he greeted.

“I thought he might send you,” Consort Xuan said. “It seems as though you’re always the one to ask me back to the palace.”

“Jin Xuan is afraid the situation is more dire this time around,” he sighed. “Actually, My Lady, I offer two options this time.”

“A choice, or an illusion of one?” Consort Xuan scoffed. “Just tell me where my sons are, and you can go back to protecting His Majesty. On a night like this, you belong by his side, not mine.”

“What My Lady requests is not that simple. Your sons are headed for the palace to kill His Majesty. You must either leave the city or remain under my protection.”

“Leave the city? If what you say is true, how can I leave?”

Jin Xuan frowned. He had been hoping that leaving was the option she would choose. While it could cause His Majesty to lose face, it would also threaten Xiao Yu’s reputation. In the long term, it would offer the most potential for a back-up plan if Jin Xuan failed to defeat him. “Then, My Lady, I ask you to accompany me to the palace.”

Jin Xian

 

While Lei Wujie was encumbered by Jin Wei, Jin Xian and Ji Xue rushed out of the dungeon. Standing outside was Marquis Lanyue, covered in blood and surrounded by beheaded bodies. “I found the men my brother sent,” he panted. “They were already dead, and I had to kill them again.”

“Have you seen Jin Yan?”

“I thought you were looking for him.”

“He escaped.”

A giggle echoed in the courtyard, and Jin Yan sauntered out of the shadows. “Looking for me?”

Jin Xian stepped forward. “Jin Yan, you’re being controlled, but we’re here to rescue you. Fight it, and we can leave. I promised I would keep you safe, and I will.”

“Safe?” Jin Yan laughed angrily. “I thought you were dead! Jin Xuan told me you had sacrificed yourself for me, and whatever doubts I had disappeared with every day I endured in that place. Because I knew you would never abandon me if you were alive!”

“Don’t listen to him,” Ji Xue said. “He isn’t himself.”

Jin Xian shook his head. “But he’s right. As soon as I regained consciousness, I should have stormed this cursed place and freed him. Even if it took my life, I never should have waited!”

Marquis Lanyue grabbed his arm. “What do you think you could have accomplished on your own? You would have given your life for nothing.”

Jin Yan beckoned with his finger. “You can make it up to me by giving me your life now.”

Jin Xian closed his eyes, imagining Jin Yan driving his palm into his chest. Grabbing his heart, holding him as he took his last breath. Would that be enough to free Jin Yan from the Ghost Physician’s spell? To make amends for his broken promise? 

Would that be enough for Jin Yan to forgive him?

With a cold smile, Jin Xian looked at his shidi and drew his sword. “My life is yours, but you’ll have to fight for my death.”

Licking his lips, Jin Yan’s palm crackled with a warm orange glow. “You always know how to excite me.”

Jin Xian glanced back at Ji Xue and Marquis Lanyue. “This is my fight alone. Once Lei Wujie catches up, bring him to safety and head for the palace.”

Ji Xue’s staff tapped his head. “Like hell! We all came here to help you rescue Jin Yan. Why do you think we’d leave now?”

“Please,” Jin Xian whispered. “I think I can reach him.”

“Fine, we’ll try it your way. But I’m not leaving you.”

“Very well.”

The Marquis shook his head. “My brother wouldn’t forgive me if I abandoned the son of General Lei and Guardian Li. I’ll bring him out of this place alive.”

“Thank you.”

“Ha!” Jin Yan smirked. “You better go to the boy quickly. Jin Wei wasn’t the only drugged subject in that dungeon. The others should be escaping their chains soon.”

“Damn it!” the Marquis cursed, rushing into the darkness.

“I’ll help him,” Ji Xue said, turning briskly. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Jin Xian looked at his shidi. “We’ll see,” he said once she left.

Giggling, Jin Yan stepped forward, energy pulsing around his hand. “It’s just you and me now, shixiong.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Jin Yan’s palm pressed forward. Jin Xian swept to the side, his sword sending a surge of snow at his shidi. The palm aura shielded Jin Yan, heat easily vaporising the snow to mist.

“Ha! It’s too bad I’m trying to kill you,” Jin Yan laughed. “I bet that breeze would’ve felt nice on my face.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you, but it seems you’re stronger than before.” Jin Xian pointed his blade toward Jin Yan. “Now I won’t hold back.”

He swung the Blizzard Sword as he sprinted, carving a ribbon of ice into the night air. Dancing on the wind, he wrapped it around Jin Yan, encasing him in the cold.

Within seconds, it shattered. Jin Xian barely had time to land before being pummeled with a series of palm attacks. The ice had cooled Jin Yan’s hands only briefly, and each one that hit him was hotter than the last. If not for an ice chunk tripping up Jin Yan’s footwork, Jin Xian might have been burned. 

Taking the chance to put some distance between them, Jin Xian leapt up and spun in the air with his sword, filling the courtyard with snow. Jin Yan’s warmth melted every flake that touched him, obscuring his sight with the resulting vapor.

Jin Xian smiled, sending another series of quick flurries. Soon, the courtyard was even foggier than the dungeon had been. While the lowered visibility affected him as much as it would affect Jin Yan, Jin Xian had trained for years on Kunlun Mountain. He was no stranger to having chunks of ice and stone underfoot, and would have no issue navigating the terrain that had resulted from his failed attack. In addition, the heat from Jin Yan’s body would influence the path of the fog far more than Jin Xian’s cold, careful movements.

Behind him, ice crunched.

Jin Xian whipped around, slicing empty air before retreating. By the time he realised it was a trick, he had already backed into Jin Yan. Jin Yan held him tightly, warm palm pressing against his chest. A warning, like the hot breath against Jin Xian’s neck. “I got you.”

Heartbeat quickening, Jin Xian closed his eyes and dropped his blade. “Then kill me.”

“Our game only just started, and you already want it to end?” Jin Yan’s tongue flickered out, warm against his skin. “Not until I’ve tasted you.”

Would it take eating his flesh for Jin Yan to be freed? Jin Xian was already prepared to sacrifice his heart. Even if it took his body, his blood, Jin Xian would give everything for his shidi. “So be it,” Jin Xian accepted.

Jin Yan’s lips brushed against his jaw. “Thank you for your generosity.”

Hungry teeth scraped down his neck, weakening Jin Xian’s resolve with every teasing bite. His legs hadn’t trembled like this since the Immortal Li Changsheng had used his power to force Jin Xian to kneel before him. Even then, while he was crushed on the ground, unable to protect his beaten shifu as the Immortal began stripping away his realm, Jin Xian had never felt this much fear.

At the crux between his neck and his shoulder, Jin Yan bit down.

Eyes snapping open, Jin Xian cried out. Jin Yan held him tighter, licking his open wound as blood dribbled out. “Shidi,” Jin Xian spoke through the pain. “Listen to me. I know you’re in there. You need to fight it! No one is greedier than you. I know you want more than to be Prince Chi’s servant. You deserve to be free. You deserve to be safe.” Jin Xian’s voice shook. “You deserve to be loved.”

Jin Yan giggled, licking his throat. “And you can give me that?”

Jin Xian swallowed dryly. “I can.”

“What percent certainty?” he asked, loosening his hold.

He turned to face him. “One hundred percent.”

Jin Yan shook his head slowly, palm heating against his heart as he laughed bitterly. “Even you would lie to me.”

Even though it burned, Jin Xian held Jin Yan’s hands in his. “As long as I breathe, I will honor my promise.”

Jin Yan lowered his palm slowly. “Then I guess I should keep you breathing.”

Stepping back, Jin Xian gasped. “Does that mean that you’re free?”

Jin Yan smiled softly. “I think so.”

Jin Xian embraced him fiercely. “Shidi!”

“Thank you.” Jin Yan’s eyes shined with tears before he buried his face in Jin Xian’s chest. “Shixiong.”

Jin Xian smiled, placing a kiss on the top of his head. “My shidi.”

Somewhere in the fog, a bell rang three times.

Chapter 4: The Siege

Jin Xian

 

Jin Yan’s body tensed against him at the bell's third ring. Before Jin Xian could react, he was hit by a strong palm that brought him to his knees. He spat blood, looking up at his shidi. “I thought you were free,” he said, trembling as Jin Yan's hand grabbed his neck.

“Did you think undoing my work would be so easy?” a woman’s voice asked, cruel laughter muffled slightly by the mist.

“Ghost Physician Ye Ya,” Jin Xian gritted, swallowing the rest of the blood. “You hurt my shidi.”

Dark blue and red clothes, pale skin, and an evil grin finally became visible as the Ghost Physician stalked out from the cool silver vapor. “If not for you, I wouldn’t have been able to.”

Jin Xian looked up at her. “What do you mean?”

Ye Ya smiled, running a finger down the trail of blood on his chin. “What do you know about my process?”

“Ji Xue said that you used a family member’s blood to drug Wuxin, but Jin Yan doesn’t have any family by blood.”

“If a family member’s blood was so important, why do you think I needed the consort’s blood? Remember, the prince is the half-brother of the one you call Wuxin.”

Jin Xian frowned. “Was the blood just a distraction?”

The Ghost Physician laughed. “No, the blood was important. But there’s something more important: the strength of the connection between the owner of the blood and the subject. It’s why I was able to drug the assassin Yue Ji with her partner’s blood. Your allies may be facing her right now, although she has been more resistant to my experiments.”

“Then Jin Yan…”

“Director Jin Xuan was wounded the night we captured my greedy beast. Thanks to you, I was able to take a sample of blood off of the Director’s arm. As for whether it contained his or yours,” she smirked wickedly, letting Jin Yan lick his blood off her finger, “I would guess it was both.”

Jin Xian gasped. Was his shidi’s suffering because of him? If the Ghost Physician hadn’t been able to drug him, would he have been spared from being subjected to her experiments? Or would he have been seen as useless and killed? Whose blood was being used to control Jin Yan? Between Jin Xuan and Jin Xian, who had the stronger connection?

“You don’t need to think so much,” the Ghost Physician said, taking out a slender knife. “Whether it was your blood or the Director’s that controls him,” she cut shallowly over Jin Yan’s collarbone, “his blood will definitely be able to control you .”

Fury quivered fiercely within him, but Jin Xian didn’t dare move for fear of the knife further hurting his shidi.

The Ghost Physician flicked a few drops into a vial before letting Jin Yan’s blood flow down the small blade. Before it reached the hilt, she tipped it down to Jin Xian’s lips. “Try it. A taste of what is to come.”

Jin Xian closed his eyes, not wishing to look upon the liquid pain that from his shidi had been shed. The steel nicked his lips as the knife slowly slid between them. Blood filled his mouth, and he no longer knew what was his and what his shidi’s. Jin Yan’s warm hand softly squeezed his neck, urging him to swallow. He did, even as tears carved through the battle-grime on his face, shuddering at the twisted laughter of the Ghost Physician. 

“I thought you would be as difficult to break as the assassin Yue Ji,” she crowed over him. “If only I had been able to keep her partner around, perhaps my progress would have gone further. She may not be fully mine yet, but you will be. I’ll make you obedient, my beautiful beast. Stronger, faster, more deadly. Once I’ve added you to my collection, the Director will be next. Then the whole world will fear me, even the Emperor himself! Hahahaha!”

“Who’s there?” the Marquis called, sword sweeping away the remnants of the mist with a single strong slash. “Get away from him!”

Jin Xian smiled bitterly. If the Marquis had looked exhausted and bloody before, he was even more battered and wounded now. The battle in the basement had left all three of them spattered in black ichor. Even Ji Xue, who used a staff and would have bashed in more heads than beheaded them, had half-transformed her white robes to black. Slung over her shoulder was a woman in blue, who Jin Xian could only guess was the assassin Yue Ji that the Ghost Physician had spoken of. Meanwhile, the already severely injured Lei Wujie was maintaining his support of Jin Wei’s corpse, but he was trembling and looked almost as pale as his burden.

That was the state of Jin Xian’s rescuers.

He laughed coldly, attracting the Ghost Physician’s attention. “What is it?” she asked, resting the cold metal of her knife against the side of his face, where it would be easy for the others to see.

“You saw what you’re up against. How about you save some time and let them go? Don’t you want to drug me before Prince Chi takes the throne? If he succeeds, Jin Xuan won’t stay in the city for long.” Jin Xian stood, even as Jin Yan’s fingers tightened slightly around his neck. “If you wait, you’ll lose him.”

“Is what he says true, my greedy beast?”

Jin Yan bit his lip. “I’m not sure. The Director would probably leave Tianqi if he fails to reconcile with our prince—which he will try if he runs out of options—but we don’t know if it will get to that point, do we?”

“You think he stands a chance of winning?”

“If anyone can, it’s him.”

The Ghost Physician smirked, taking out a small bottle. “Then I’ll need more subjects. It would be a pity to waste such strong martial artists with death, but I have no other way to control them than poisoning their corpses. No, leave the Marquis alive. I’ll bleed the prince to break him. You can kill the rest.”

“No!” Jin Xian roared, struggling out of Jin Yan’s hold and diving for his discarded blade.

“Subdue him first!”

His gloved fingers reached the Blizzard Sword, but Jin Xian knew he would be too late. Slowed by his injuries, he would be no match for Jin Yan’s speed.

Behind him, he heard a harsh thump and a gasp. Had Jin Yan gone for Ji Xue? Lei Wujie? 

Jin Xian whipped around, but found that the one who had fallen was the Ghost Physician herself.         

Jin Xuan

 

Outside the palace, the swarms of undead and opportunists roamed, making it impossible for a regular person to pass through. There were efforts to attack the gate, but fires had been lit and arrows had been loosed to discourage trespassers. The situation within, however, had not changed much, save for the pile of bodies surrounding the State Preceptor. His breath was strained and his eyes were dim, but there was not a speck of blood on his white robes. “Director, you have returned.” He smiled gently. “And Consort Xuan. It’s been so long since we last saw each other, and you haven’t aged a day.”

Consort Xuan raised an exquisite eyebrow. “State Preceptor, you’re too kind. You look even younger than you did over twenty years ago.”

“But I don’t look young , do I?” he asked, laughing at himself as he stroked his white beard. He coughed weakly, but waved away Jin Xuan’s support with his whisk. “Don’t worry, Director. I still have enough life left in me for one more fight.”

“Report!” Li Changqing yelled as he limped over to them.

“Oh?” Qi Tianchen frowned thoughtfully. “It appears it will be sooner than I expected.”

The guard captain barely made it to them before collapsing in the field of bodies, many of which appeared to be members of Dark River. If not for the contrast between the dull luster of his armor and the black clothes of those under him, he wouldn’t have looked out of place among the dead. Jin Xuan turned him over, finding that he was still breathing, though a broken arrow shaft was sticking out of his shoulder where his left pauldron was missing. “Tell us what happened.”

Li Changqing spat out blood, indicating internal injuries as well. While his power level paled in comparison to Jin Xuan’s or the State Preceptor’s, he was still captain of the guard and commander-general of the Imperial Army. His martial arts skills were above average, and whatever had injured him in this way was surely not a light threat. “Chi Wang is coming. I assisted Yong’an Wang and his allies in delaying him as long as I could, but he sent me to warn you.” He coughed up more blood.

“You did well,” Jin Xuan said, removing the guard captain’s helmet. “Would you like to rest now?”

Li Changqing grimaced, attempting to sit up. “I’ve served His Majesty for seventeen years. I won’t stop until I’ve taken my last breath.”

Jin Xuan frowned softly, stopping his efforts by placing a cold hand over his chestplate. “But the problem is, after your last breath, you’ll begin to serve Chi Wang.”

In his journey to escort Consort Xuan, Jin Xuan practiced subduing the undead and learned there were other ways of silencing the drug art than beheading. The cold spread quickly, and the light left Li Changqing’s eyes in mere moments. Jin Xuan rose, knowing the guard captain would not.       

Jin Xian

 

After the Ghost Physician’s body fell, the courtyard was silent. Everyone was staring at Jin Yan, who had apparently turned against his master. He stepped away, hand trembling.

Jin Xian stood slowly with his blade, cautiously approaching his shidi. Jin Yan’s gaze flickered from him to the blade, and he backed further away. “Shidi,” Jin Xian spoke softly, lowering his sword. “Are you free?”

Jin Yan laughed bitterly. “After everything, would you even believe anything I say?”

“I don’t need to believe you.” Closing his eyes, Jin Xian relaxed his fingers, letting the Blizzard Sword fall. “I just need to trust you.”

“Then you’re more of a fool than me.”

“Watch out!” the Marquis called, and Jin Xian feared the worst. He braced himself, wondering if he had been wrong before. Were the moments before that bell rang just a deception? Had the softness of his shidi’s smile been a lie?

But when Jin Xian opened his eyes, he found that Jin Yan was gone and the Ghost Physician had risen in his place. The Marquis blocked death-enhanced attacks, knocking her away as she slid her knife through his golden robes, between his ribs.

He clutched his side, spitting up blood, but easily deflected the small bottle that she threw, the ceramic shattering on his blade. A strange dark substance burst out, but it didn’t stop the steel from meeting her neck next. The Ghost Physician fell just as suddenly as she rose.

Marquis Lanyue staggered back, grip tightening on his sword. “Stay away,” he said low. “I don’t know what she used on me.”

Jin Xian glanced sharply at the ceramic shards littering the ground, recalling how the Ghost Physician had taken out the bottle when she had been planning on poisoning Ji Xue’s and Lei Wujie’s corpses. “That was the corpse poison.”

“The corpse poison?” Ji Xue asked as she approached, still carrying the assassin. She was leaning on her staff, but seemed unwounded. “I was wondering how she pulled this off, but things finally make sense. The Night Crow must have spread the poison throughout the city recently—or else the element of surprise would be ruined—and it would activate when the subjects died. Prince Chi would then encourage riots, which would result in corpses.” She frowned in thought. “But that wouldn’t be enough. The poison must be able to spread through the undead subject’s blood. I only have internal injuries, but—Lei Wujie! Do you have any open wounds?”

“Lots!” Lei Wujie called weakly as he struggled toward them with Jin Wei on his back.

“Damn it,” Jin Xian cursed. 

“But he’s still alive,” Marquis Lanyue said. “You should bring him to the Divine Healer. If anyone knows what to do, it will be her. Protect Hua Jin, and the city won’t fall.”

“What about you?” he asked, eyes widening as he noticed the blood spreading through the Marquis’ poison-spattered golden robes, the knife still sticking out of his side.

The Marquis raised his sword to his neck. “Her life is all that matters.”

    

 

Jin Xuan

 

Stepping away from Li Changqing’s chilled, silent corpse, Jin Xuan sighed. Other than a handful of the undead before, this was the first person he killed this night. The first person he had killed since Jin Yu, in fact, though he supposed that Jin Xian would eventually decide to blame him for Jin Wei as well. Once all this was over, would Jin Xian finally figure out who was behind Jin Yu’s death? Or would his thirst for vengeance be satisfied with the death of Xiao Yu? Perhaps Jin Xuan should keep the prince alive just long enough for Jin Xian to drive his cold blade through his heart.

Jin Xuan was getting ahead of himself, of course. The young head of the Demon Sect was on his way at this very moment. Had the Yong’an Prince failed to free him? What were his capabilities? A pity Jin Xuan hadn’t kept Li Changqing alive long enough to answer a few more questions. Doubtful as Jin Xuan was about the quality of the guard captain’s insight, it may have been better than nothing. No, there was no telling how soon he would have turned or whether Ye Anshi would have interrupted, and any moment fighting Li Changqing was a moment wasted. It is better to take care of problems when they are small, or, in this case, before they become problems.

There was, unfortunately, a new problem. Consort Xuan and Qi Tianchen were looking at him as though he murdered someone. Which Jin Xuan supposed he did, however necessary it was. “It was only a matter of time before he turned against us.”

“You really are Eunuch Zhuo Qing’s true successor,” Consort Xuan said coldly.

Qi Tianchen stroked his beard, frowning thoughtfully.

Jin Xuan turned away from them, facing the palace gate. “My Lady, any blood that is spilled tonight is on your son’s hands. I hope you won’t blame me for being ruthless.”

“If you hurt him, I will blame you. That goes for either of them.”

Jin Xuan said nothing. She would soon see the monsters her sons had become, one poisoned with ambition and the other by his own half-brother. It didn’t matter whether she forgave Jin Xuan, only that she didn’t stop him from doing whatever he needed to.

Qi Tianchen stood at his side, staring ahead with a distant look in his eyes. “I remember the last battle I stood with your shifu for. That day, Mr. Li had landed on top of Tianhua Gate, and gave us quite a scare. Everyone thought he was going to kill the emperor and anyone who tried to stop him, and Zhuo Qing admitted being afraid that his years of cultivation would be for nothing.”

Jin Xuan blinked. “State Preceptor, why are you telling me this now? Are you saying that you have the same fear?”

Qi Tianchen shook his head. “I found my years of cultivation to be worthwhile, but I wish I could have had one more sweet pancake before the end.”   

Ahead of them, the palace gates blew open, large doors shattering on the stone. A lone figure walked through, clad in dark robes. 

Ye Anshi.

Chapter 5: The Shattering

Jin Xuan

 

Ye Anshi raised his palm. A murderous aura surged in a wave of golden light, causing Jin Xuan to spit blood. Waving his whisk, Qi Tianchen formed a shield of white light around the three of them, but the field of energy began showing cracks in a matter of seconds.

Jin Xuan turned to Consort Xuan, who had been spared the worst of her son’s attack by standing behind him. “My Lady, you may wish to fall back.”

She frowned, looking from him to her son. “Very well, but remember what I said.”

He inclined his head. “Jin Xuan understands.”

As soon as Consort Xuan was out of range, Qi Tianchen asked, “What is the Director’s plan?”

“We must assume that the Yong’an Prince’s plan to cure Ye Anshi has failed. If the State Preceptor can trap him, I can subdue him.”

“Do you intend to break your promise?”

“What promise?” Jin Xuan asked, unable to keep the sneer out of his voice.

The State Preceptor frowned, brows straining as another wave hit his shield. “This shield will soon fall. Is the Director ready?”

Cold white light charged at the tip of Jin Xuan’s finger. “I am.”

“Then it begins.” Qi Tianchen’s whisk snapped forward, sending a bolt of white energy. It hit Ye Anshi directly, forcing him back several paces.

Ye Anshi shook off the blow, black robes billowing as he rushed forward with his fist. Just as it was about to hit him, Qi Tianchen disappeared, in an instant appearing in another place entirely. Ye Anshi chased him, but the State Preceptor was too quick, disappearing again.

Jin Xuan had seen such skills practiced by his shifu before, though it seemed the State Preceptor had mastered them even beyond Zhuo Qing’s capabilities. The only downside was that it was so fast that it deprived Jin Xuan of time to aim his attack. And, as more energy charged, it became increasingly important that he didn’t miss.

Fortunately, there was purpose behind the places the State Preceptor teleported to. After the eighth occurrence, the ground began glowing with white light in the shape of eight trigrams. Qi Tianchen had created a Bagua Formation, trapping Ye Anshi at the center of it.

Jin Xuan smirked, unleashing his first attack. Xuhuai Art, ten points of power.

Ye Anshi grunted at the impact, coughing up blood. His body shook violently, and his robes were coated in a layer of frost. He may have been able to remain standing this time, but that wouldn’t be the case for long. Jin Xuan caressed the air, dissipating the remnants of his attack before preparing another.

“Wait!” A woman’s voice called, but it was not Consort Xuan’s.

Jin Xuan frowned. “Miss Ye, I hope you won’t interfere in what must be done.”

Ye Xiaoying’s daughter, Ye Ruoyi, landed next to him, clothed in light green and bearing a sword in one hand. With the determination in her eyes, the sight almost reminded him of Jin Xian. “Xiao Se gave the cure to me.”

“Was he unable to administer it himself?”

“He and Qianluo are delaying the Lone Sword Deity,” she answered quickly. “We don’t have much time.”

The Lone Sword Deity, Luo Qingyang. Even if the Yong’an Prince hadn’t already been worn out by fighting Ye Anshi in his efforts to delay Xiao Yu, he would likely only last mere minutes against the likes of the Lone Sword Deity. With the situation being what it was, that number would be even less. 

Luo Qingyang had been cultivating in his city alone for over twenty years. No one knew the extent of his power. Even if Jin Xuan and the State Preceptor had been at full strength, Jin Xuan wasn’t sure how smoothly a battle between them would go. The trick Qi Tianchen had utilized on Ye Anshi may not be so effective on someone with a clear mind. If they wanted to stand a chance against Luo Qingyang, they surely needed Ye Anshi on their side.

But on the other side of the Bagua Formation, Qi Tianchen’s body trembled with the effort of keeping Ye Anshi trapped. He had predicted only being able to survive one more fight. Even assuming Ye Anshi was willing to cooperate with Jin Xuan after being cured of the Night Crow’s drugs, Qi Tianchen may not be able to join them in the battle.

“Give the antidote to me,” Jin Xuan said quietly.

Ye Ruoyi’s eyes weren’t without suspicion, but she placed the pill in Jin Xuan’s hand and tightened her grip on her Taoist sword.

Ji Xue had claimed it wouldn’t work for Jin Yan, but perhaps the antidote could be adjusted. It wouldn’t necessarily be easy for Jin Xuan to take away both Hua Jin and His Majesty, but it would surely be more so than fighting Luo Qingyang. Convincing Jin Xian to leave the city wouldn’t be a simple matter, especially if Jin Xuan were to kill Ye Anshi, but the promise of curing Jin Yan would be too important for him to deny Jin Xuan’s request. Jin Xian could bring Jin Yan, and Jin Xuan would have Hua Jin work on undoing the drug’s effects. The city would be lost, but Jin Xuan would have saved his martial brothers and his beloved, and a healer to tend any wounds and illnesses they may have. It would still be a loss, but at least he wouldn’t need to part with those he cared for.

Jin Xuan sighed. It was a foolish, sentimental plan, full of potential issues. He should just destroy the pill and kill Ye Ruoyi, then Qi Tianchen after. Chi Wang may still be willing to forgive Jin Xuan for turning against him, especially if he were to assist him in such an irrefutable way. Perhaps Jin Xuan would even be able to negotiate terms that would allow Xiao Ruojin a few more days to live, so he could comfort his dying emperor before serving the new one. There were still risks involved, but Jin Xuan would be able to anticipate them and act accordingly.

A thin needle poked the side of his neck, not yet penetrating the skin. Regardless, Jin Xuan tensed. “My Lady—” 

“Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t,” Consort Xuan spoke softly in his ear. “Give the cure to my son, or we’ll see if I can kill you with a single needle.”

If Jin Xuan killed Consort Xuan, it was likely that neither Xiao Yu, nor Luo Qingyang, nor even the drugged Ye Anshi would hesitate to kill him. Even Xiao Ruojin… Jin Xuan blinked away tears. “As My Lady commands.”

“Shi’er!” Consort Xuan called, and Ye Anshi turned to face them.

Recognition seemed to lower his aggression, so Jin Xuan took the opportunity to crush the antidote in his palm and send the powder at his face. Ye Anshi inhaled it, and the light returned to his eyes. “Mother?”

“Shi’er,” she repeated, lowering the needle and embracing him.

Jin Xuan stepped back, watching the Bagua formation lower. Qi Tianchen swayed on his feet, but Ye Ruoyi caught him. While not officially his disciple, she might as well have been for how much she was said to have learned from him. Though, perhaps Jin Xuan had different standards for what he considered a disciple. He had never publicly acknowledged Long Xie, after all, and wasn’t terribly impressed by his ability. The only thing Long Xie truly had going for him was his loyalty to Xiao Yu, and even that was turning out to be disadvantageous. When Jin Xuan first began training him in secret, he had been intending Long Xie to be a piece that he could place next to Xiao Yu and manipulate into giving him more information than might be readily shared by someone as cunning as the prince. Though, of course, Long Xie wouldn’t have lasted very long by Xiao Yu’s side if he could be manipulated. 

Jin Xuan had made many mistakes, but taking a disciple may have been one of his worst. He frowned, turning away from the reunions to face the gate, finding that a carriage was rolling through the wreckage that Ye Anshi had left of the doors and the State Preceptor had left of Dark River. Long Xie was the one driving the carriage, and Jin Xuan calmly prepared another attack. Long Xie may have been of little use to him in life, but perhaps his death would discourage the prince. More importantly, it would close off any possibility of reconciling with him. As much as Jin Xuan wasn’t looking forward to the prospects of fighting Luo Qingyang, Consort Xuan may be able to reason with her shixiong before anyone dies. At that point, Xiao Yu would have no one, and would surely turn to Jin Xuan for help. The last thing Jin Xuan would need in a scenario such as that would be Xiao Yu’s right-hand man calling him shifu . Indeed, Long Xie must die.

Jin Xuan lifted his finger, releasing a full ten points of power. It may not have been necessary, but it was a death befitting his disciple and would ensure he wouldn’t rise again. He watched as the cold white light pierced him, but his attention was soon drawn to something else. Golden ribbons of light cutting through the night sky. A killing intent strong enough to level a city. Sorrow, and a sword.

It was heading for His Majesty.

Jin Xuan had just used his ultimate for the third time that night, so naturally Qi Tianchen was faster. He flew up, blocking the attack with his whisk. His white robes and his whisk fluttered wildly as the sword bore him to the ground. Jin Xuan supported the State Preceptor’s back, transferring his qi as quickly as he could. Behind him, Ye Anshi and Ye Ruoyi did the same.

“Shixiong!” Consort Xuan spoke, and her voice seemed to echo through the palace and beyond. Had she used the Sound Mirror? “Come to me.”

The killing intent dispersed, and the sword flew back as quickly as it had arrived.

Qi Tianchen fell. Jin Xuan caught him, lowering him onto the palace steps. “State Preceptor!”

“Director, watch out,” he warned faintly.

Behind him, something pierced his shoulder. Jin Xuan cried out, his blood staining the white robes of the waning life beneath him. He glanced back, finding his prince approaching, two arrows drawn on his bowstring. “Director!” Xiao Yu roared, fury in his eyes. “I know that was you!”

“Your godfather isn’t here yet. Why are you being so brave?” Jin Xuan sneered through the pain.

Xiao Yu smirked angrily. “Yifu will come here soon enough. And when he does, he’ll bring what’s left of Xiao Chuhe. You’ll regret ever siding with him.”

Jin Xuan frowned, unsure whether to deny it or not. Even if he wasn’t the Yong’an Prince’s ally, Xiao Yu would surely see him as such. After all, in Xiao Yu’s eyes, the world was against him, and the world was Xiao Chuhe.

“What about Qianluo?” Ye Ruoyi asked, trying to stand.

“Probably dying on the street,” the prince answered. “Yifu stabbed her when she got in his way.”

“Go to her.” Qi Tianchen coughed weakly, staining his beard with blood. “Before it’s too late.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“Get me a sweet pancake.” He placed a peach blossom coin in her hand, sword side up. “Please.”

She looked at the coin, confused. “State Preceptor…”

“Miss Ye,” Jin Xuan spoke softly. “Please go to your friend before anything happens.”

It was a pity to lose an ally at a time like this, but the possibility of an aspiring spear deity joining Xiao Yu’s number of undead warriors wasn’t one that Jin Xuan wished to consider. 

“Who says you can leave?” Xiao Yu taunted, releasing the arrows.

Ye Ruoyi deflected one as she left, while Ye Anshi caught the other. “Half-brother,” Ye Anshi said lightly as he snapped the shaft, “it seems you are now unarmed.”

“Am I?”

The Yong’an Prince’s body fell first. Then Luo Qingyang’s sword, between them and the body. Even so, Jin Xuan could see the look in the broken prince’s eyes. It was a level of resolve not unlike that which he had seen in Jin Yu’s before they closed for the last time. 

“Xiao Se!” Ye Anshi shattered the arrow shaft in his hand, tightening it into a fist until blood dripped from it.

“Little prince,” Qi Tianchen murmured, taking his last breath.

Jin Xuan closed his eyes, not wishing to see the shed tears freeze as he sealed the State Preceptor’s death. 

                       

 

Jin Xian

 

Having taken over for Lei Wujie, Jin Xian lowered Jin Wei’s body onto the table of Xiao Se’s closest safe house. He frowned, tracing a finger over the wound on Jin Wei’s neck. Marquis Lanyue would have matched, had Jin Xian not needed to deepen the cut, separating his head from the rest of his body to ensure the permanence of his death.

With the Marquis’ corpse covered in poison, Ji Xue had warned against bringing him along, saying that it was likely more concentrated than the regular blood of the undead. In addition, the presence of his dead body in Prince Chi’s estate would further implicate the prince. Jin Xian’s stomach twisted at the idea of leaving the Marquis at that cursed place, but the Lei lad’s strength was failing and they needed to hurry. 

“I’ll contact my network of spies,” Ji Xue said, setting down the assassin Yue Ji and beginning to tie her to a chair. “They’ll keep tabs on Jin Yan’s location. If he leaves the city, I’ll know.”

“Thank you,” Jin Xian said, though he wasn’t optimistic about their chances of finding him. His shidi had already demonstrated his elusiveness once before, and this time he might not show himself to Jin Xian so willingly. “I’ll bring Lei Wujie to the palace and ask the Divine Healer to help him. Speaking of which,” he glanced at Lei Wujie, “what are you doing?”

Lei Wujie grinned weakly, wrapping a coat with a collar of blue fox fur around himself. “Don’t I look like Xiao Se?”

Ji Xue smirked. “He’s going to facepalm as soon as he sees you.”

“Then I’ll leave it on!” Lei Wujie giggled. “I like it when he does that.”

Jin Xian sighed sadly, thinking of the one time that Jin Yan stole his robes. Jin Xuan and Eunuch Li may have tolerated violations of their wardrobes, but Jin Xian hadn’t taken the theft so well. He stormed into the Directorate of Imperial Seals, Blizzard Sword in hand and fury in his eyes, only to find Jin Yan practicing techniques with the sword Jin Wei had used at the time—Jin Yan had never been a swordsman, of course, so his form was terrible. Jin Xian had demanded his robes back, as well as the sword to return to Jin Wei. Jin Yan stripped shamelessly down to his underrobes, but when he returned what he had stolen, Jin Xian noticed he was holding back tears. At the time, he thought Jin Yan was just angry at himself or embarrassed at being caught, but perhaps he had been disappointed at Jin Xian’s reaction. Back then, what had Jin Yan been trying to get? His annoyance? His amusement? Or simply his attention?

Less than a week ago, when Jin Xian was hiding Jin Yan in Hongqing Hall, and the Director had told him that Jin Yan wasn’t one of them, Jin Xian had written Jin Xuan’s words off as discouragement from committing treason at best and as manipulation to isolate Jin Yan at worst. Jin Xian had refused to believe the truth of them in his heart, but after everything, he was beginning to doubt. 

Because Jin Xuan hadn’t lied about Jin Yan spending most of his time with Zhuo Xin, and he hadn’t lied about Jin Xian being closer with Jin Yu and Jin Wei. All of them were dead now, and Jin Xian had done everything to make sure Jin Yan wouldn’t join them, but did that change the loneliness that Jin Yan felt? Growing up, Jin Xian usually ignored Jin Yan unless they were bickering, and Jin Xuan was busy studying with the prince who would become emperor. Who did Jin Yan have, other than his shifu who was then locked in the mausoleum for over twenty years?

“Ji Xue,” Jin Xian said suddenly. “At the gambling house, you mentioned Jin Wei’s body disappearing. What about Eunuch Zhuo Xin?”

“His corpse is still hanging from the city wall, as far as I know. Why?”

“I think I know where Jin Yan is.”

Jin Xuan

 

As soon as Luo Qingyang landed next to Xiao Yu, Ye Anshi attacked. The impact of the clash between sorrowful sword energy and a murderous fist burst in a wave of golden light.

A second exchange, a third. Ye Anshi’s determination never wavered, but Jin Xuan could already see where the cracks in his power were beginning to show. However strong he was, one did not simply walk away from the Xuhuai Art unaffected. Even if Consort Xuan’s attempts to de-escalate the situation reached her shixiong, her son wouldn’t be so easily dissuaded from his anger over his friend’s death. 

Jin Xuan predicted Ye Anshi would only survive another four exchanges, unless he acted. Rising from where the State Preceptor had fallen, he raised his finger. If he killed both of them, that was a price he was willing to pay.

An arrow pierced his chest, and his attack was released into empty air. A cold streak of white lit up the night sky before the darkness swallowed it.

Jin Xuan tore out the arrow, frowning at the blood running down the shaft. “Dianxia,” he said quietly, “Consort Xuan didn’t want me to kill you. It seems I will have to disappoint her.”

Xiao Yu smirked, ringing a bell. “I wouldn’t be so confident if I were you, Director.”

In an instant, the Yong’an Prince was at Xiao Yu’s side, eyes glowing crimson and staff pointed at Jin Xuan.

“Chuhe,” his emperor whispered behind him.

“Bixia!” Jin Xuan gasped. “It’s too dangerous for you to be here.”

Xiao Ruojin ignored him, finishing his way down the palace steps. “Chuhe, what happened to you?”

Laughing bitterly, Xiao Yu took out another arrow. “Even when Xiao Chuhe is dead, Father still pays more attention to him.”

“Dead?”

“Bixia, please, get away from here. I can take care of this.”

His emperor would have already seen the arrow sticking out of the back of his shoulder, but he was finally close enough to see the arrow that had been in Jin Xuan’s chest and the way it had soaked the light blue silk of his robe where he had pulled it out. “Jin Xuan, you’re injured.”

“That isn’t important right now,” Jin Xuan said, dropping the arrow and lifting a trembling finger.

Xiao Ruojin supported his arm, strong and steady as he had been when he was a young man. “What do you need me to do?” he asked low, breath warm against his ear.

“Xiao Yu is controlling him,” Jin Xuan answered quietly, shivering as his emperor’s body pressed against him. “Getting rid of him first may be most effective.”

“Very well.” Xiao Ruojin adjusted his aim. “Yu’er, I’m sorry.”

“Xiao Chuhe, kill Father!” Xiao Yu snarled, releasing his arrow.

Jin Xuan unleashed his ultimate at the same time, hoping it wouldn’t be his last.

Jin Xian

 

The city wall was quiet that night. The fires hadn’t yet spread to the outer reaches of the city, and most of the guards would have been focused on managing the chaos. There was still a curfew in effect as a result of the rebellion, so most of the citizens of Tianqi remained in their homes at an hour like this.

Jin Xian found the vice commander of the city guard slumped against the battlements, knocked unconscious. Jin Yan was lifting a rope attached to the wall, careful not to jostle what was at the end of it. Finally, he brought up Eunuch Zhuo Xin’s dead body.

“Shifu,” Jin Yan said respectfully, laying him gently on the floor and untying the rope from his neck, “your disciple is here. Jin Yan is sorry, for everything.” He bowed his head, trembling as he knelt. “I never should have asked you to leave the mausoleum. I never should have trusted Jin Xuan and Prince Chi. It’s my fault you got hurt.” He laughed softly and bitterly between sobs. “It seems like everyone who helps me gets hurt. Shifu… I hurt Jin Xian, and I’m afraid I’ll hurt him again. I still feel the Night Crow’s poison in my mind, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Shidi,” Jin Xian spoke softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m here.”

Jin Yan flinched, glaring at him tearfully. “You should get away from me. I might bite you again.”

Taking off his glove, Jin Xian offered his hand. “I made a promise to you.”

“Forget it.” Jin Yan pushed it away, looking at his dead master. “Forget about me.”

“Ever since you came to me for help, you were all I could think about. Jin Yu and Jin Wei were dead, but keeping you alive was all that mattered.”

Jin Yan laughed with fake scorn. “You’re more obsessed than me.”

“Shidi, I meant what I said at Prince Chi’s residence.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Jin Yan asked quietly. “I’m just afraid that you’ll end up like the only other person who’s cared about me.”

“What about the Director?”

“What about him? My shifu risked his life to make sure I wouldn’t end up alone in the mausoleum like he did. Jin Xuan didn’t even bother to show up to rescue me from the dungeon.”

“He did,” Jin Xian told him. “The Director organized the rescue mission, but we were stopped by Su Changhe, so he left us to fight him. Then Prince Chi was going to kill His Majesty, so he likely went to stop him.”

“Oh.” Jin Yan paused, raising an eyebrow. “And you didn’t go? What about your revenge? Or your duty to the throne?”

“You mattered more.”

“Than the Emperor?” Jin Yan smirked softly. “Jin Xian, what you just said could be considered treason.”

“Treason or not, you are my choice. Back when you were afraid and had nowhere to go, you chose me. From now on, I’ll always choose you.”

He offered his hand once more, and this time Jin Yan turned it over, slowly kissing his palm with warm, soft lips. “Shixiong,” he whispered, tearfully nuzzling the bare skin of his hand, “I’m still afraid.”

Looking to the palace, Jin Xian felt the sting of ashes on the wind. “So am I.”        

Chapter 6: The Burning

Jin Yan

 

Ever since Jin Yan had been captured, the shadows had never stopped moving. Now, in the flames of the burning city, they appeared to dance.

But as he and Jin Xian hurried to the palace, there was one place where the shadows were silent and still. Two shadows in the middle of the street, both dead, one sitting knelt and the other held in his embrace. Needles from the Tang Clan’s Pear Blossom Needle Cloudburst were scattered on the ground around them, and more had surely found their mark by piercing their clothes and skin, made clear by the blood from both of their bodies that pooled beneath them. “The Patriarch and the Umbrella Ghost.”

Jin Xian frowned. “You recognize them?”

“I only saw the Umbrella Ghost in passing, but the Patriarch of Dark River was often at Prince Chi’s residence these past few months.” It had been Jin Yan’s responsibility to keep the Patriarch entertained, and he could still remember the strange feeling of Yama’s Devil Palm slowly draining him. It felt so close to the Xuhuai Art. Less cold, but just as intoxicating. A sweet darkness that Jin Yan could drown in as he closed his eyes and yielded under the Patriarch’s potent touches. 

Of course, Jin Xuan had stepped in and put a stop to their sessions as soon as he found out what Su Changhe was doing to him. After that, Jin Yan wasn’t asked to attend the Patriarch anymore, and he could focus on preparing for the rebellion. “I wonder who finished them off. This definitely isn’t the Director’s work.”

“Perhaps the Black Tortoise came to the city to avenge his fallen disciple,” Jin Xian suggested.

“Maybe. Though it looks like they did most of the damage to each other before the Needle Cloudburst even got to them.”

Jin Xian’s eyes saddened. “It was said that Su Changhe and Su Muyu were closer than brothers. What could have happened to turn them against one another?”

“Probably betrayal. Sometimes you think you can trust a person, and sometimes they stop you in a dark street and make you fear for your life.” 

“Are you talking about the Director?”

“Maybe I am.” Jin Yan shrugged, moving on.

“Jin Xuan said that he was following the Emperor’s plan that night. He didn’t want him to lose Prince Chi’s trust yet.”

“So I was just a piece to be sacrificed in their game,” Jin Yan laughed angrily. “Knowing Jin Xuan, he was probably playing on more than one side.”

“I didn’t trust him either, but without the Director asking for His Majesty’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to rescue you. Marquis Lanyue only listened to his brother, and would never have come otherwise. He kept us from being overrun by the undead when we were looking for you in the dungeon.”

“So the Marquis made up for the Emperor’s mistake—which had allowed me to be poisoned and tortured. Do you expect me to thank him?”

Jin Xian had been following him, but he suddenly stopped. “He died saving my life,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“After you left, the Ghost Physician rose again and poisoned Marquis Lanyue before he killed her. I had been so focused on reaching you and showing you my trust that she would have killed me with my eyes closed and arms open.” Jin Xian laughed coldly, eyes glistening. “You were right to call me a fool.”

Breathing in the heady scent of the blood on Jin Xian’s robes, Jin Yan held him close, feeling the tired strength of his body relax against him. “I would have died already if you weren’t one.”

Jin Xian kissed his forehead, gentle and fierce. “After Jin Yu and Jin Wei, I refuse to lose any more of my family.” He backed away, frowning slightly. “We should hurry to the palace. I have the feeling that Jin Xuan is in danger.”

Jin Yan raised an eyebrow. “He was clearly on the better end of that fight with the Patriarch, considering that he’s not lying on the street dying. However strong Prince Chi’s secret weapon is, the Director once held his own against Ye Dingzhi himself and was still able to walk afterwards. I wouldn’t be too worried about him, he’s practically indestructible.”

“That secret weapon is Ye Dingzhi’s son,” Jin Xian said.

Jin Yan’s heart dropped. Jin Xuan could handle the Patriarch, but then facing the next Demon Head right after? Jin Yan had heard the young Demon Head’s reputation from Prince Chi, and one could say he became acquainted with the prince’s secret weapon during his time in the Night Crow’s dungeon, but Jin Yan never made the connection between the two figures. As it turned out, the Demon Head and the Night Crow’s heartless beast were one and the same. 

For the first time he could remember, Jin Yan found himself worrying for Jin Xuan’s life.        

Jin Xuan

 

Warmth spread from his new wound, blood like fire consuming the icy blue of his robes. Jin Xuan staggered back, caught by his emperor as he watched Xiao Yu’s frozen body fall and shatter on the palace stone. Xiao Ruojin lowered him to the ground, applying pressure as he pleaded for him not to die. “I’m sorry, bixia,” Jin Xuan tried to say, but choked on the blood filling his throat.

Xiao Yu’s death seemed to discourage the undead Yong’an Prince’s advance long enough for Jin Xuan to start gathering power for a final attack. It would take everything he had left, but there would be no further threats to His Majesty. 

Through tear-blurred eyes, Jin Xuan saw someone, with white hair and wielding a staff, land between him and the Yong’an Prince. Had Ji Ruofeng returned to interfere with the conclusion of that rainy night over four years ago?

There was another person, clad in red under a coat of blue fur, blazing with the aura of the Heart Sword. “Xiao Se!”

Jin Xuan blinked quickly, recognizing him as the son of Lei Mengsha and Li Xinyue. The companion of the Yong’an Prince, who had been there with him the night he killed Jin Yu. Oddly, the Lei boy didn’t seem to be carrying the Heart Sword, but its presence was undeniable to Jin Xuan’s senses.

Ji Xue, not Ji Ruofeng, was the one who had her staff leveled at him. Jin Xuan sighed. She must have discovered who injured her father back then. It was a pity that she had been quicker than Jin Xian in figuring out who to direct her vengeance toward, but it wasn’t surprising. “You won’t hurt Xiao Se,” she said.

Ah, it was a misunderstanding. Lowering his finger, Jin Xuan almost laughed.

Behind the youths, the undead prince attacked.

Jin Xian

 

When they found Wuxin, Jin Xuan was not the one he was fighting. The Lone Sword Deity’s swordsmanship was unmistakable, even if it had been years since Jin Xian had last seen him. Swords and fists tore through the buildings outside the palace gate as the two experts clashed.

“Doesn’t that guy have his own city?” Jin Yan complained. “Why’s he wrecking ours?”

“I don’t know,” Jin Xian said, frowning slightly. Was Wuxin free? Why else would he be fighting Prince Chi’s godfather?

“I still can’t believe he got a whole city just for protecting the old emperor. Didn’t Grand Eunuch Zhuo Qing do that all the time?”

“One could argue that my shifu had more than a city.”

“Are you saying that old Emperor Tai’an showed his gratitude in other ways?” Jin Yan giggled, making a suggestive motion.

Jin Xian glared at him. “What I meant is that my shifu’s influence could be felt throughout the entire kingdom of Beili before he died. In some ways, even afterward.”

“Not that it did him much good. I’d take a city over the mausoleum any day.”

“I prefer the Martial Arts World,” Jin Xian said. “But right now, we need to stop Wuxin and Luo Qingyang from destroying all of Tianqi.”

“Are you crazy? With the state you’re in, they’ll destroy you !”

Jin Xian shook his head. “Think about it: why would Wuxin be fighting Luo Qingyang if he was still under Prince Chi’s control? Xiao Se must have succeeded in freeing him, or the Lone Sword Deity must have turned against his godson. Either way, that means one of them is on our side. We just need to find out who.”

“And then what? Even if that guy Wuxin is on our side, how could we take down a Sword Deity? If he’s not, would you be willing to kill him? And just because the Lone Sword Deity might have turned against Prince Chi, doesn’t mean he’s on our side. There’s only one side he’s always been on.”

“Mine,” Consort Xuan said, walking ahead of them.

“Lady Consort Xuan,” both eunuchs greeted respectfully.

“Eunuchs, my shixiong isn’t the one you should worry about,” she said. “I told him to hold back.”

“Then is Wuxin still being controlled?”

“Only by his anger.”

“What happened?”

“My shixiong killed the sixth prince on Yu’er’s command. I have reason to believe that Yu’er was using his connection to me to control him. Shi’er may partially blame me for my shixiong’s actions, so he hasn’t been listening to me.”

Jin Xian’s grasp on the Blizzard Sword’s hilt tightened. “Xiao Se is dead? Are you certain?”

She raised an eyebrow at the frosty air drifting from where the sword’s guard met the scabbard. “I didn’t have time to check.”

“If he is, isn’t it possible that he rose again?” Jin Yan asked, terrified. “We should hurry and help at the palace.”

Consort Xuan frowned. “The Director was alone, badly injured, and threatened by Yu’er when I left just now. If the sixth prince becomes a thing like Shi’er was, stopping him might be more urgent.”

“Not before we help Wuxin,” Jin Xian stated, drawing his sword. “If Xiao Se has been transformed into one of Prince Chi’s subjects, Wuxin will be the best person to reach him.”

“If he’s already dead, what is there to reach?” Jin Yan hissed. “Let’s just make sure he stays dead and Jin Xuan stays alive!”

Jin Xian ignored him, charging into the conflict. With a slash of his Blizzard Sword, a stream of ice crackled between the battlers. 

“Shixiong!” Consort Xuan shouted. “Stop fighting!”

Jin Yan was yelling similar things, but frantically and with more anger.

Jin Xian smiled coldly, creating a wall of ice to cover the Lone Sword Deity’s retreat.

“Thank you,” Luo Qingyang said.

Jin Xian eyed him with frigid hostility. “If you killed Xiao Se, we may still cross blades.”

Luo Qingyang had never been a man of many words. Without responding to Jin Xian’s threat, he landed at Consort Xuan’s side. Jin Xian turned away from their reunion, focusing his attention where the conflict remained to be settled.

Fists pummeled through the ice, revealing Wuxin’s fury. “Eunuch Jade Deity, why are you keeping me from Xiao Se’s murderer?”

“Because Xiao Se might not be gone yet, and I need your help to stop him.”

“What is the eunuch talking about?”

“Prince Chi might be controlling Xiao Se the same way he controlled you," Jin Xian answered, stepping forward. "There is a more urgent battle for you to fight, is there not?”

Wuxin laughed, though the anger didn’t leave his eyes. “If what Jade Deity says is true, then there is.”

“Then you’ll join me?”

“I’ll help Xiao Se,” Wuxin said, leaving in the direction of the palace.

Jin Yan landed next to Jin Xian. “His help better be worth it.”

“If anyone can save Xiao Se, it’s him.”

“I don’t care about Xiao Se,” he snapped before he left.

Jin Xian followed, bleakly wondering if his delay had killed their da-shixiong.        

Jin Xuan     

 

The undead Yong’an Prince attacked Ji Xue first. She must have gleaned enough information from Jin Xuan’s reaction to block it, but it seemed she underestimated his strength. The prince was already on a level that normally wouldn’t be very easily crushed by Jin Xuan, but with the enhancement of his drugged death, his potential power was terrifying even to him.

The blood flowing from multiple wounds on Jin Xuan’s body should have terrified him more. It was making his emperor worry, after all, and there was even less Jin Xuan could do to stop it.

“Hua Jin!” Xiao Ruojin shouted, dragging him up the stairs. “Hua Jin, help me!”

The pill that Hua Jin had made worked so easily on Ye Anshi, had it not? Surely she would be able to cure Jin Yan. Perhaps Jin Xuan had been wrong to assume that his blood wasn’t what was utilized to drug him in the first place. It was certainly worth a try. Jin Xuan spat out blood, trying to tell his emperor his thoughts.

“Save your strength,” Xiao Ruojin commanded gently, lifting him up as he hadn’t been able to in years.

Jin Xuan obeyed, closing his eyes and relaxing in his emperor’s steady arms. He supposed it was possible that he was dying, and there was only one other person he would want to be held by when that happened.    

Jin Xian

 

The last time Jin Xian had protected Jin Xuan was over twenty years ago. That day, rain soaked Jin Xian’s robes as he rushed out of the city, leaving his injured shifu’s side. He found Jin Xuan closing his eyes at the edge of the precipice, blood dripping down his chin. Jin Xuan had been ready to die by Baili Dongjun’s sword, and Jin Xian had been willing to join him in that fight to the death. After they were allowed to flee, Jin Xuan leaned on him until their shifu’s carriage was within sight. When Jin Xuan asked their shifu for his punishment, Jin Xian knelt in the mud beside him.  

Since then, the distance in their power had grown, and the number of martial artists that could threaten Jin Xuan had subsided. Jin Xian hadn’t protected him for so long, he didn’t even consider that protection might be something Jin Xuan would need tonight.

The palace grounds were full of dead bodies. If Jin Xuan was among them, how long would it take to find him? As Jin Xian imagined digging through them and uncovering white hair stained in blood, his eyes began to burn with tears.

“Lei Wujie! Don’t do it!” A metallic clang of staff meeting staff sang from the palace steps.

“But Xiao Se can’t end up like Eunuch Jin Wei!”

A staff rang against a fist. 

“You don’t know if it will work!”

“I have to try!”

Wiping his eyes, Jin Xian tried to make sense of the blur of metal, fists, and flames in the distance. Ji Xue was there, as well as Lei Wujie, Wuxin, and Xiao Se.

Suddenly, Lei Wujie’s whole body was on fire, burning brilliantly through the blue fur he had found at the safe house. He ran forward with one fist. “Formidable Heart Fist!” he screamed.

Jin Xian expected the impact to knock Xiao Se back. Instead, as soon as it hit his heart, his body went limp.

Lei Wujie swayed on his feet before collapsing as well.

“No!” Jin Xian rushed forward, but it was Ji Xue who caught him.

“No, you can’t die,” she muttered, attempting to heal him, “Lei Wujie, you fool, you can’t die.”

“Did it work?” Lei Wujie asked, shivering even as sections of his clothing still burned.

Wuxin was chanting what seemed to be an improvised purification ritual over Xiao Se, but Jin Xian wasn’t sure how to answer.

“It did,” Jin Yan quickly answered.

Lei Wujie smiled weakly. “Thanks for telling me.”

His smile faded, and his body went still.   

Jin Yan

 

Jin Yan had lied to the dying youth, of course. He had no idea what that Demon Head Wuxin guy was doing, but it seemed cruel to let the kid die without hope. If Jin Xian ever got mortally wounded trying to save Jin Yan’s life, Jin Yan would want whoever was around to tell him he succeeded, even if he didn’t. Knowing he’d failed would probably kill him twice. Lei Mengsha’s kid and Jin Xian both were of the selfless sort, so it was probably the right thing to do.

Jin Xian squeezed Jin Yan’s shoulder. Tears streaked his face yet again that night, and Jin Yan wondered if they’d be able to find any good wine in the palace even with everything going on. The last thing Jin Xian had drank was Jin Yan’s blood, and he was guessing he’d be thirsty. Jin Yan knew he was. Even the patch of half-dried blood on Jin Xian's neck was tempting to him. Just a little bite, and it would flow again. The richness and the saltiness it offered his tongue, the clarity it offered his mind. Just a taste.

Before he knew what he was doing, Jin Yan began prodding at the bite wound with his tongue to release its delicious juices.

“Shidi!” Jin Xian whispered sharply.

“I’m sorry, shixiong, it’s just—the blood—”

“It helps with the poison, doesn’t it?”

Jin Yan nodded.

Jin Xian offered his neck. “Take what you need to. Hua Jin will cure you soon.”

Smiling his gratitude against his skin, Jin Yan began sucking at the wound.

“Ji Xue, should I…”

“Better safe than sorry,” Ji Xue responded quietly.

Jin Xian swung his sword, and Jin Yan heard a slice and a thump.

“Thank you,” she said, standing. “What the hell—no, don’t answer that.”

“It helps Jin Yan stay in control,” Jin Xian answered anyway, sheathing his sword.

“Oh.” Silence, then a dry sob. “I tried to stop him.”

Jin Yan let go of his shixiong, figuring that Ji Xue needed him more. Jin Xian patted her shoulder, and she looked up at him, eyes reddened by the smoke that had drifted from the now-headless body she’d been holding in her arms. “I know you did everything you could,” he said gently.

“He thought he could give Xiao Se the Heart Sword’s spirit, to bring him back like the Abyssal Eye did for Jin Wei,” she explained, every word coming closer to breaking in her voice. “I tried to tell him it was more complicated than that, but he wouldn’t listen.”

“Lei Wujie would do anything for his friends, no matter what danger he faced. In the end, he gave his Heart.” Jin Xian’s voice trembled. “It was my mistake to ask him to go down into that cursed dungeon in the first place. It’s not your fault.”

“Knowing him, he’d probably have gone anyway.” Ji Xue tried to laugh shortly, but it turned into a sob. Her eyes shining with tears, she embraced Jin Xian, hiding her face against his shoulder. “I shouldn’t be crying, I barely knew him.”

“But he made you feel less alone, didn’t he?” Jin Xian asked, glancing at Jin Yan. 

Ji Xue sniffled. “Yeah, he did.”

Jin Yan backed away, feeling tears prick his own eyes. He thought of the years since Grand Eunuch Zhuo Qing’s death, when his shifu was the only one left in the mausoleum. He thought of how his shifu held on even as his strength diminished, his eyes only brightening whenever Jin Yan snuck in to play weiqi with him. How he had warned him of the dangers of bringing out the Dragon Seal Scroll. How easily he fell from the horse Jin Yan had brought him on after the scroll was destroyed. 

He also thought of when Jin Xian offered his hand on the battlement. At that moment, Jin Yan realized that he might not have completely hated staying in the mausoleum, if it meant his shixiong was with him.         

“Ji Xue! Wuxin!” 

Jin Yan recognized Ye Ruoyi’s voice. He’d spent too much time at her father’s residence not to. When she wanted to get better at playing weiqi in order to challenge her friend—the sixth prince, Xiao Chuhe—Jin Yan had been her teacher. He wasn’t as busy as the State Preceptor, after all, and didn’t have as much to offer in terms of martial arts as he did. Really, Jin Yan just used the lessons as an excuse to see and flirt with the General—and his wife, Wan’er, while she was still alive—but he found their kid charming in her own right. She was cunning and a careful learner, and caught on quickly to Jin Yan’s motives for teaching her. So, after a lesson was complete, she made sure to give her parents and him plenty of time alone—so long as she was satisfied with the material she had been taught that day. Jin Yan, of course, was then incentivized to hunt for and study the best strategies he could in order to impart his knowledge to her. Of course, that all stopped when Lord Langya died and the sixth prince was exiled. The General was no longer in the mood for flirting, and Ye Ruoyi had lost her favorite opponent. 

Ye Ruoyi was supporting an injured girl with a broken spear. Jin Yan had seen the girl once or twice, and guessed she was Sikong Changfeng’s daughter, Sikong Qianluo. The going was slow; the spear girl was limping and clutching her bloody side, and there were so many dead bodies for them to navigate.

Not wanting to wander by where the young Demon Head was doing whatever he was doing to Yong'an Wang’s body, Jin Yan decided to take a poke at the dead bodies a little further away while he was waiting. He wasn’t sure if the Demon Head would remember him from their time in the dungeon, but it was better to avoid him in case.

He almost tripped over a random frozen limb before recognizing the clothing on it as Prince Chi’s. There were more scattered on the palace stones, and it didn’t take long for Jin Yan to put them together. “Highness, it looks like the Director made you a little chilly. Do you want me to warm up a fire for you?” He giggled morbidly, but cut himself off when he noticed Lady Consort Xuan and the Lone Sword Deity watching. “Uh… I’m going to check on the State Preceptor.”

“Is that Yu’er?” the Lady Consort asked in horror.

Hoping the Lone Sword Deity wouldn’t chop off his head with his back turned, Jin Yan began nudging the State Preceptor with his foot. It wouldn’t be the first time he found him taking a nap in a position that made him look dead. “Hey, I think the battle’s over. You can stop pretending.”

The State Preceptor didn’t move.

Jin Yan sat on the step next to him, shaking his shoulder as he tried to ignore the Lady Consort’s grieving and his growing fear that she would ask the Lone Sword Deity to off him for his mockery over Prince Chi’s death. He also tried to ignore the bloody spot on the State Preceptor’s white robes like the one that stained his shifu’s. The fabric wasn’t torn this time, so the blood must have come from someone else. “State Preceptor, this isn’t funny. Can’t you at least tell me where the Director is? He was supposed to be with you, wasn’t he? Well, he can’t be dead if there’s not a body, right? Ha! I bet he ran off. Couldn’t decide where to place his loyalties, and realized that everything here was falling apart. He can’t be sent to the mausoleum if they can’t find him.” Jin Yan shrugged. “He’d lose his influence, but at least he’d have his freedom. And with the chaos of the whole situation, maybe no one would look for him. I’m guessing a lot of people will be presumed dead tonight. You’re not dead, right?”

The State Preceptor still didn’t answer.

“You can keep your secrets, I guess. I’ll just look other places.” Jin Yan glanced at the bloody path leading up the palace steps, but thought better of investigating that. Whatever it led to wasn’t something he wanted to see. “On second thought, I’ll just ask Ji Xue. She knows everything.”

Jin Yan left the State Preceptor to his nap, certain the old man was laughing at him behind his back. By the time he meandered back to where things were actually happening, things were definitely happening . That is, the prince who was dead but not in a cold way was somehow not dead now. 

The Demon Head Wuxin guy was on the ground next to him, helping him sit up. Xiao Chuhe’s legs looked badly broken, and he’d probably never walk again, but he looked alive in a not-undead way. Ji Xue and Jin Xian were standing in front of him, and Ji Xue was saying something about taking him to Xin Baicao, who was Ghost Physician Ye Ya’s shixiong and may have an understanding of her drug art in case of latent effects.

“Can you take me now?” Xiao Chuhe asked, trembling with pain. “Please, Wuxin.”

Ji Xue shook her head. “You should at least see Hua Jin first. I don’t even know the Medicine King’s location yet.”

“I can ask the birds,” the Wuxin guy said, picking him up. “Until we meet again.” 

Once he left, Jin Xian turned to Ji Xue. “You should have let me tell Xiao Se about Lei Wujie. He deserves to know.”

“Knowing might kill him right now. He already died once, do you want him to die again?”

“You know I don’t.”

Ji Xue turned away from him. “I should leave. There’s no telling what damage was done to my network tonight, and it’s more important than ever that we have all the accurate information about the situation in the city.”

Jin Xian sighed sadly. “Thank you, Ji Xue. I wouldn’t have been able to rescue my shidi without you.”

With a bittersweet smile, she glanced at Jin Yan. “I’m glad I could help this time,” she said, giving him a shoulder pat before she left.

“Oh! Wait!” Jin Yan called after her, but she was either too far away at that point or ignoring him. “Ah, nevermind, I guess.”

Jin Xian frowned slightly. “What is it?”

“I was going to ask her about Jin Xuan. Now, the only lead I have is—”

A scream of mourning, of horror.

With trembling hands, Ye Ruoyi was holding the Lei kid’s head. The wounded spear girl, either discarded or set down by her companion, dragged herself to his corpse, sobbing quietly into his chest.

“Wait!” Jin Xian said suddenly.

“Who did this to him?” Ye Ruoyi asked, her voice clear and deadly, eyes burning with emotion.

Without a doubt, Ye Ruoyi has her father’s fury. His beauty, too, though Jin Yan had only ever seen her mother’s reflected in her before. The General had a different sort of beauty from his wife. Wan’er had understood it better than anyone, and Jin Yan had appreciated it with her.

Observers might think the General too uncouth and coarse to find beauty in, but observers had never seen the burning passion in his eyes without also fearing his merciless sabers. They had never massaged the weary muscles of his back after a battle or kissed his tired thighs after a long day’s ride. Jin Yan had responsibilities in Tianqi, but sometimes he got bored of those responsibilities. If he couldn’t convince the Emperor to let him join in on a campaign for a little while, Lei Mengsha would do it for him, either with a very long letter or an also-very-long speech in person when the Emperor refused to read. Lei da-ge—as he always liked Jin Yan to call him—was one of the very few people who could out-talk Jin Yan, and Jin Yan delighted in his eloquence every time he saw it in action. Lei Mengsha died too young, but he spoke at least two lifetimes' worth of words before he did.

As the fury in Ye Ruoyi’s eyes burned brighter, Jin Yan began fearing her sword as the General’s enemies had feared his sabers. Green Taoist flame fueled by killing intent flickered to life along her blade. “Who did this to him?” she shouted, rising from the severed head of Lei da-ge’s kid.

Jin Xian’s grip on the Blizzard Sword trembled, but he didn’t draw it. “It was my fault,” he answered hoarsely.

Jin Yan’s eyes widened. “Jin Xian, are you insane? Explain to her what happened!”

“But it’s true; I was the one who cut off Lei Wujie’s head.”

“Jin Xian!” Jin Yan hissed. “She’s going to kill you!”

Jin Xian frowned slightly. 

“Don’t say anything else!” Jin Yan snapped, tapping Jin Xian’s lips with the flat of his finger before turning to Ye Ruoyi. “What my shixiong meant is that he cut off his head after he died. To stop him from becoming undead. He wasn’t the one who killed him.”

“But he died because of me.”

Jin Yan covered Jin Xian’s mouth without looking away from his former student. “He just blames himself. The Lei kid sacrificed himself to resurrect Yong'an Wang. You probably saw that Wuxin guy take him away. Your best friend is alive because of the Lei kid… though I’m guessing he’s your friend too.”

Ye Ruoyi looked at the Lei kid sadly before sheathing her sword. “He was more than that.”

“Ah.” Who would’ve guessed, the children of the golden and silver generals had fallen for each other. It would have been cute, if one of them wasn’t dead.

“Miss Sikong,” Jin Xian suddenly said to the spear girl after pushing Jin Yan’s hand off his mouth. “I meant to tell you, Lei Wujie’s body is covered in corpse poison. I’m sure you plan to see Hua Jin for your wound anyway, but she should know about that as well.”

With grief-reddened eyes, Sikong Qianluo looked up from the body she had been silently weeping over, leveling a glare at Jin Yan. “Did you say that Wuxin took Xiao Se away without me?”

Jin Yan gulped, taking a step back. “Uh, yes. To Xin Baicao.”

“Ruoyi jie-jie, tell Hua Jin to heal me quickly. I have a monk to chase.” She lost consciousness then, her face falling over a heart that no longer beat.

“I’ll chase them with you,” Ye Ruoyi said softly, putting Sikong Qianluo’s arm over her shoulder and beginning to lift her. “Can you please help me carry her?”

“Me?” Jin Yan asked, brows raised.

“Yes. You don't have as many open wounds, so the poison is less of a danger.”

Jin Yan giggled nervously. “That poison isn’t a danger to me, but not for the reason you think.” He gave Jin Xian’s neck a quick lick before sucking the wound a little. “I’m already poisoned.”

Jin Xian gave him a side-eye. “Are you going to explain that, or should I?”

“Why should we?” Jin Yan asked, supporting Sikong Qianluo’s other arm. “I’m sure she’s walked in on me doing weirder things to her father, though maybe not to her mother. We were more careful back then.”

Jin Xian’s eyes widened in realization. “You and General Ye…”

Jin Yan smirked.

“Shifu!” Ye Ruoyi whispered sharply.

“I told you not to call—oh, the State Preceptor. Don’t worry about him, he’s just taking a nap. You know how he is.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, because she did know how he is.

Jin Yan shrugged. “That old guy still has his head, doesn’t he? He’d be trying to kill us otherwise.”

Ye Ruoyi frowned slightly. “I hope you’re right. He asked me to get him a sweet pancake, but I only had time to get Qianluo.”

“Of course he’d ask for a sweet pancake when the city is burning.” Jin Yan smiled sadly, though he didn’t know why. The State Preceptor had practically served the Emperor for a century, hadn’t he? There was no way he would stop when he was needed more than ever. “Well, what matters is that you and your friend are safe.”

With a wistful fondness, Ye Ruoyi adjusted a section of Sikong Qianluo’s bangs that were sticking to the blood on her face. “I suppose so.”

“That reminds me, have you seen the Director? I was wondering if he fled the city with everything happening.”

Ye Ruoyi froze, glancing at the bloody path leading up the palace steps.

Jin Yan followed her gaze, slowly coming to the conclusion that he had been avoiding ever since he got here.

Jin Xuan was dying.      

Jin Xian

 

“ That … is the Director’s blood?” Jin Yan asked quietly, voice shaking.

“He was with Shifu when I left,” Ye Ruoyi answered, her voice also low. “Prince Chi shot him with an arrow when he was helping him.”

Jin Yan laughed furiously. “You’re telling me that Prince Chi did this? I’d understand if it was the Patriarch, or the Demon Head, or the Lone Sword Deity, or the Grand Eunuch Zhuo Qing himself risen from his tomb! But Prince Chi ? No, you’re lying. Prince Chi could kick me all night and still not spill this much blood!”

“I saw Director Jin Xuan fight at least two of the people that you listed.”

Sensing his shidi’s rage, Jin Xian took over his support of Sikong Qianluo’s unconscious body before he let her fall.

Jin Yan ran up the steps, stomping on the trail of blood. “I don’t care if all four of them beat him within an inch of his life! Prince Chi would never be able to finish that last inch!” He glanced around wildly. “This is a trick, isn’t it? Director, I know your lies better than anyone. This time, I won’t believe you!”

Helping Ye Ruoyi carry her injured companion, Jin Xian watched his shidi storm inside the hall, his heart saddening as he heard him kill any guards that got in his way.

This whole night, whether it was Jin Yan, Xiao Se, or Wuxin, Jin Xian had put them all before Jin Xuan. They would all likely be dead if he had not. But because of his choices, Marquis Lanyue and Lei Wujie died instead. And now, Jin Xuan was either on the brink of death or already gone.

Jin Xian had saved his shidi, but had he lost his shixiong?

Every step was heavy as they followed the trail of blood. Blood that never would have spilled if Jin Xian had been there. 

Deflecting an arrow was the first skill he had asked his shifu to teach him after he had recovered from being purified. Zhuo Qing raised an eyebrow and asked him if he had any archers as enemies. Jin Xian told him how the Iron Cavalry of Wei had stormed his city, but his shifu waved his hand and informed him that Baili Luochen crushed the Wei after that tragic event. Jin Xian insisted that he wanted to learn, saying that his father died with a back full of arrows while protecting him. His shifu didn’t ask any more questions, but the next day took him to the archery range, empty except for a training sword, a bow, and a basket of blunt arrows. Zhuo Qing readied an arrow and told him to pick up the sword. Jin Xian took every bruise, knowing that one day it wouldn’t be a wound on someone he loved.

He was wrong.

Two arrows, matching the black and red fletching of the ones that had been scattered on the ground before the palace steps, were laid parallel on a table in the Imperial Bedchamber, along with a pile of blood-soaked scraps of white fabric. Jin Xuan’s robes, discarded on the floor nearby, were barely in a better state. And Jin Xuan himself…

He had never looked so small, shivering and moaning in the field of gold that blanketed the bed, the bandages wrapped around his chest and shoulders already soaked in red. Normally, even though Jin Xian and especially Jin Yan were much taller than him, Jin Xuan’s presence had a way of making himself the center of the room, almost as though he commanded the dimension of height itself. But now? Now, he looked like an injured dove dying in a dragon’s nest, the gore-splattered fox that was Jin Yan whining and sobbing, curled around him as he screamed. Emperor Mingde and Hua Jin were standing back, both horrified by the guards with palm-sized holes in their chests scattered dead on the floor before them. The Emperor had his sword drawn, and the Divine Healer’s little hand on his sleeve was the only thing holding him back. “Your Majesty, I don’t think he wants to hurt him,” she said, observing Jin Yan carefully.

Emperor Mingde frowned, noticing Jin Xian approach with Ye Ruoyi, Sikong Qianluo supported between them. “Jin Xian, is what she says true? And spare the formalities.”

Jin Xian let go of Sikong Qianluo and bowed anyway. “Yes, Your Majesty. My shidi is partially free of the poison. I don’t believe he will hurt Jin Xuan, but you can punish me if he does.”

The Emperor stepped forward. “What do you mean, partially free?”

“I was able to clear his mind with my blood, but he still has the poison in his body.”

“Jin Xuan was saying something about using his blood in the cure. Do you think it requires yours?”

Jin Xian inclined his head further. “Your Majesty, I don’t claim to be an expert on the drug art. What I do know is that a mixture of my blood and Jin Xuan’s was used to control Jin Yan.”

Emperor Mingde glanced at Hua Jin. “Does what he’s saying make any sense?”

The Divine Healer nodded. “I’m following.”

“Good, at least one of us knows what’s going on.”

“Does the Divine Healer wish to take my blood for the cure right now?” Jin Xian asked.

Hua Jin lifted a finger, and a needle shot out from her sleeve, pricking both him and Jin Xuan before returning to her. “It may take some time, but I’ll make the cure as soon as I can,” she said, tipping the needle’s blood into a vial.

“But Jin Yan needs it now.”

“It takes time,” Hua Jin repeated. “Do you think that just because I’m the Divine Healer, I can just wave my hand and cure everything?”

“I apologize. I just…” He glanced at Jin Yan nuzzling a tear-streaked cheek against Jin Xuan’s bandaged chest.

Hua Jin’s expression softened. “You’re worried about your friend.”

“I’m worried about both of them,” Jin Xian admitted.

“I’ll do everything I can for them. And Miss Qianluo too.”

“Thank you,” Ye Ruoyi said, gently lowering her companion to the floor.

“Jin Xian,” the Emperor spoke up, “why don’t you take Jin Yan away from here after Hua Jin tends to both of your wounds? I’ll send Jin Xuan with the cure once he recovers.”

Jin Xian’s hope about Jin Xuan’s condition was suddenly darkened by his concern for Tianqi. “Does His Majesty expect the city to be dangerous to stay in?”

“Don’t ask questions that shouldn’t be answered.”

“My apologies, Your Majesty.” Jin Xian paused. “Your Majesty… Marquis Lanyue is dead.”

“Dead?”

“At Prince Chi’s residence. He was covered in a concentrated solution of corpse poison, so I had to cut off his head when he died. Hua Jin, he said that you would save the city.”

“I understand.” Fighting tears, Hua Jin turned to the Emperor. “Your Majesty, I need to study the poison on the Marquis. Can you have him brought to me?”

Jin Xian frowned slightly. “But the Marquis said that you would know what to do with Lei Wujie. He was splattered with some less potent poison from fighting the undead.”

“The poison on Marquis Lanyue will be much more helpful.”

Emperor Mingde shook his head slowly. “Hua Jin, I’ll entrust Yueli’s body to you. Please, save Tianqi.”

She wiped away her tears. “I’ll try my best.”

Taking a deep breath, Emperor Mingde sat next to Jin Xuan and held his hand. “Jin Xuan, you were right. It was too dangerous for my little brother.” He rubbed the bite-marked palm with his thumb, frowning at Jin Yan. “Jin Yan, I hope you know how much Jin Xuan cares for you. He was worried to tears when he saw you like that in the dungeon.”

Jin Yan sat up on the bed, laughing breathily before raising a skeptical brow. “Shengshang, don’t lie to me. I know that the only one he cries for is you.”

“For three decades, that was true. But today was different.”

The corners of Jin Yan’s lips slowly lowered. “It was?”

“He said that you had never before faced such danger alone. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get you back.”

“Danger?” Jin Yan repeated, his voice small. “What about the times I wasn’t in danger?”

Emperor Mingde sighed, placing Jin Xuan’s hand in Jin Yan’s trembling grasp. “Jin Yan, what’s past is past. Once Jin Xuan recovers, I’m entrusting him to you.” He nodded at Jin Xian. “Both of you.”

Jin Xian’s eyes widened and he immediately bowed. “Jin Xian accepts His Majesty’s charge.”

Jin Yan tilted his head. “Why is His Majesty feeling so generous?”

“Because you suffered because of my strategy. It’s time for you to be free of the Imperial Court and its plots. All three of you.”

“You admit your mistake?”

Everyone in the room held their breath, knowing that Jin Yan had just spoken treason.

Emperor Mingde nodded. “I do.”

Jin Yan lifted Jin Xuan’s hand and licked it, slowly, without looking away from the Emperor’s unflinching gaze. “Then I accept your apology, and your offer.”

He strutted out, leaving those who remained shocked and wordless.

Jin Xian fell to his knees immediately. “Your Majesty, I apologize for my shidi’s behavior. Please, punish me instead.”

“No need,” Emperor Mingde said. “Jin Xian, I want you to protect Jin Xuan in the future.”

Jin Xian bowed lower. “I apologize for failing this time.”

Emperor Mingde sighed deeply. “I want you to protect him from himself. I fear how he’ll handle the change that’s about to befall Tianqi.”

“What does His Majesty mean?”

“You’ll know when he comes to you. Go now, and make sure Jin Yan stays out of trouble.”

Chapter 7: Epilogue

Jin Yan

 

The dirt was cold and hard at first, but when it came time to cover Zhuo Xin and Jin Wei’s bodies, it fell apart too easily.

“They deserve better than an unmarked grave in the woods outside Tianqi,” Jin Yan commented quietly, backing closer to the fire he had made to light their process. 

It was small, controlled, and pleasant—not at all like the blaze they had left behind after washing off the night’s blood and packing their saddlebags. Fresh clothes, ointment for tending wounds, some food for the road, and other things they would need on their travels. Of course, Jin Yan’s horse also carried a small fraction of the gold he had hidden away over the years. He wished he could take more, but the conditions in the city wouldn’t have allowed them to take a carriage. Instead, he let Jin Xian tell his disciples Bo Yong and Ling Jun where to find it, to give it to people who needed it more than him. After all, with everything Jin Yan had done and said, he would never be able to return to Tianqi.

Jin Xian stepped forward, swinging his sword to create two blocks of ice. On one, he carved shidi . “Marking their graves will only lead to trouble, given their status as traitors. But as long as we’re here, we should give them something.” He glanced at Jin Yan. “What should I put for Zhuo Xin?”

Jin Yan smiled softly in gratitude. “My shifu told me to be careful in my words and walk on thin ice. I’m his only legacy to this world, and any mark I’ll leave on it is because of what he did.” He knelt down, melting a palm print into the frozen block. “Thank you, Shifu, for saving me back then.”

Setting down his sword, his shixiong knelt beside him, a comforting arm across his back as Jin Yan watered that layer of disturbed earth with a few quiet tears. He had already mourned his shifu twice, once when the spear pierced his heart and the other when he lifted his corpse onto the battlements. A third time wouldn’t come to him so easily, but it was the least he could do.

When there was nothing in him left to give, Jin Yan rose from the grave. Still on the ground, Jin Xian removed a glove and took the palm soaked by the ice Jin Yan had melted, gently freezing the water still dripping from it. It became a thin layer of ice, easily swept away as freshly fallen snow. Jin Yan shivered pleasantly, his body instinctively recognizing the Xuhuai Art.

Jin Xian rested the other hand, still gloved, on his shoulder. “They were recognized as traitors to the throne. No matter what we think, that will not change.”

Jin Yan blinked away what was left of his tears. “We? You never told me, what happened after I left the rebellion? I mean, I know Jin Wei died, but…”

“He wanted to follow our shifu’s wish. I had to stop him.” Frowning, Jin Xian closed his eyes. “Before the end, he told me something. Neither one of you killed Jin Yu.”

Jin Yan laughed lightly. “As if that’s surprising. Neither of us would’ve been strong enough. Wait, did you really suspect me?”

“With your lack of improvement in martial arts over the years, I thought it was possible that you had been hiding your power to kill him. Of all of us, you and Jin Yu had never been close, especially with your clear alliances to opposing princes. Then, with your behavior at his funeral and involvement with the rebellion—”

“Jin Xian, if I had gone to you without Jin Wei telling you my innocence, what would you have done?”

He frowned slightly. “I would have questioned you.”

Of course, Jin Yan had his theory on who was behind Jin Yu’s death, but in such a situation, would Jin Xian have believed him if he told him? Would Jin Yan have even been daring enough or willing to give the Director up? “And if I hadn’t satisfied you with my answers? What if you thought I had killed Jin Yu?”

Jin Xian sighed sadly. “Jin Yu was our family. For killing him, I would want you to atone.”

“Atone?” Laughing angrily, Jin Yan pushed the hand off his shoulder. “Would you have turned me in or killed me yourself?”

“His Majesty would be the one to decide your fate.”

“You would let an executioner do it? You wouldn’t even look me in the eye as you drove your blade into my heart or chopped off my head?”

Jin Xian frowned softly. “Would you have wanted that?”

“If I trusted my fate to you, that’s where I would want it to end!” Jin Yan shouted, regretting his rage as soon as he saw the sadness shining in his shixiong’s eyes.

“I understand.” Sighing quietly, Jin Xian turned away from the fire’s light. “Things could have gone very differently if Jin Wei hadn’t thought of you in his final moments. To think that afterwards, Prince Chi and the Ghost Physician would twist what was left of him to hurt you. If they weren’t already dead, I would kill them again.”

“The Director and I beat you to them, I guess,” Jin Yan said, laughing shortly to diffuse the tension. “Sorry for taking away your vengeance.”

Jin Xian shook his head. “What matters is that neither of them can hurt you or him again.”

“Are you worried about him?” Tears pricked his eyes again just thinking about how he had found Jin Xuan in that bed. He had felt so small against him. His breathing had been so quiet and weak, and his moans… Jin Xuan had never allowed Jin Yan to hear a sound like that come from his lips. No matter how badly injured he was, no matter how much pain he was in, the Director would always be in control.

“His Majesty seems confident in the Divine Healer’s ability to help him recover, but seeing him as he was…” Jin Xian shook his head. “It had been so many years since I needed to protect him, but in that moment I wanted to. More than anything, even when there was no longer any danger left to protect him from.”

“Like how you wanted to protect me?”

Turning to face him, Jin Xian smiled sadly, placing a cool hand on his cheek. “You and Jin Xuan are the only family I have left. Anything I would do for you, I would do for him.” Freshly applied makeup began to trail in two faint red lines down his face. “This time, I didn’t do enough.”

Jin Yan closed his eyes, kissing the hand. “Jin Xian… the way I held on through the Night Crow’s experiments as long as I did was by remembering how you and Jin Xuan tasted. I held onto that as long as I could, and tasting you again helped me come back to you.”

“What are you saying?”

“I might have bathed since my skin last touched him, but maybe you can still taste him. Maybe it’ll help.” Jin Yan offered his neck, which had been smeared with red when he left that bandaged chest behind. He hadn’t wanted to lose that trace of Jin Xuan, so there was still some left.

Resting his nose against the dried blood, Jin Xian inhaled sharply. “This is his?” he asked low, lips soft even as he bared his teeth against his skin.

“It is.” Jin Yan shivered against him, sliding his fingers between green leather until their hands interlocked. “Shixiong, you can have as much as you want.”

Jin Xuan

 

Careful to avoid his stitches, Xiao Ruojin gently kissed over a heart still quickened by the tenderness of their lovemaking. Jin Xuan moaned softly, as that was all he could do with the comforting weight of his emperor’s body on top of him.

Early sunlight filtered through the golden canopy which surrounded them, warming Xiao Ruojin’s already-flushed cheeks. Jin Xuan wanted to kiss them, to feel their warmth, but his emperor had commanded him to relax. He did, gratitude and relief blooming in his heart at his emperor’s recovered health. Even with Xiao Ruojin holding back the fullness of his strength, Jin Xuan could feel the vitality flowing through him with every movement he made.

Jin Xuan didn’t question it, nor did he wish to. His emperor didn’t want him to worry about anything while he was healing from the wounds he gained that night—not even the situation beyond the palace walls. All he had told him was that he would take care of things and that Jin Xian and Jin Yan were safe. If that was all he wanted Jin Xuan to know right now, Jin Xuan trusted that it was all he needed to know. If there was still danger, it must be something that would only become a problem after he had recovered. Jin Xuan would focus his energies on doing so, that he might once again be able to serve His Majesty.

Xiao Ruojin’s kisses went lower, until they brushed against a scar that had healed three decades ago.

“ Bixia !” Jin Xuan gasped, arching his back slightly despite his emperor’s command. “What are you trying to do?”

“This is the scar that first brought you to me,” his emperor answered calmly, kissing it again. “Am I not allowed to show it my love?”

“Bixia… you can do whatever you want to me.”

Xiao Ruojin frowned softly, sitting up. “Jin Xuan, this is for you. Tell me what you want.”

Jin Xuan blinked in surprise, gathering his thoughts. “I just want to wake up every morning with you, to watch the sunrise and spend every hour by your side, to help you and keep you safe. I want things to be as they were.”

“I see,” his emperor said quietly. “Jin Xuan, do you want to watch the sunrise with me today?”

Jin Xuan sat up slowly, kissing his shoulder. “Always, bixia.”

Purple python robes were folded at the base of the bed, but Xiao Ruojin took a glance at Jin Xuan before shrugging the outer robe on himself, instead bringing him the red he had worn to sleep. Jin Xuan made no complaints as Xiao Ruojin helped him dress, taking comfort in his emperor’s scent blanketing him as his body had just moments before.

While only his chest and back had been wounded in any meaningful way, Jin Xuan was still grateful for his emperor’s support. The morning air was cold, and even the brightening sunlight couldn’t compare to the warmth of Xiao Ruojin’s body against him, insulated slightly though it was by the layers of fabric between them. Xiao Ruojin waved the guards away from the entrance as they walked through, and once the armored footsteps subsided, there was peace.

A light smile found its way onto Jin Xuan’s lips as he saw the low golden rays illuminating the white stones leading up to Tai’an Hall, shining through green leaves and the openings between pillars painted in bright red. It was nothing like the carnage that had been left outside Pingqing Hall that terrible night. 

On a morning like this, Jin Xuan could almost forget the shattered prince that he once thought would keep him from being swept off the board; an alliance that had almost cost him everything because he held on too long, not wishing to close off possibilities. He could almost forget the sea of dead Dark River assassins, but not his fallen friend who had defeated them. 

Qi Tianchen, who had served Tianqi since before the reign of Emperor Tai’an, was gone. How the city could recover from such a blow in addition to the events of that night…

“Bixia.”

“Hm?”

“With the State Preceptor gone, your burden must be heavy right now. Even if you don’t believe I’m ready to assist directly, at least let me share in your worries. You can tell me what happened.”

His emperor sighed deeply. “Jin Xuan, you must know that such questions can’t be taken back once answered. Are you sure you want to know so soon?”

“You’ve never kept so many secrets from me before. If I don’t know the problems you face, how can I help you?”

“What if I told you there was nothing I wanted you to do?”

Jin Xuan blinked quickly. “Is it because of what happened with Xiao Yu? I assure you, nothing like that will happen again.”

“We both made mistakes, but that’s not why I’m keeping things from you. Jin Xuan, I don’t want you to worry anymore.”

“Bixia, you know me.”

Xiao Ruojin chuckled softly before his expression saddened. “Very well, I’ll tell you the situation. To begin with the best of it, Hua Jin has discovered how to counter the corpse poison. There are currently efforts to spread the cure through the city, and the riots have become easier to handle now that they no longer continue after death.”

“And the worst of it?” 

“With the worst of it, Prince Ao Yu of Nanjue is said to have fallen into possession of Jin Yan’s name list. I suppose you’re familiar with him.”

“I am,” Jin Xuan admitted. His own involvement in Xiao Yu’s affairs was the reason for Ao Yu’s willingness to work with them in the first place.

“I thought so. Well, the Nanjue prince is currently leading an army toward Tianqi.” 

Jin Xuan sighed. The whole world would be after that name list in Ao Yu’s hands, but there was no telling what damage he could do with it before it was taken. With the regard Ao Yu held for Jin Xuan, however, it may be possible for him to get close enough to retrieve it, but then getting past the officers and the rest of his soldiers…

“Jin Xuan, I know what you’re thinking, but you’re in no condition to go after the name list. Considering the caliber of forces from both the Imperial Court and the Martial Arts World who would be competing for it, I’m guessing you won’t be for a long time.”

Jin Xuan sighed quietly. “Then what does His Majesty plan to do?”

“I’ve put Chong’er in charge of taking it back and destroying it.”

“You believe he’ll follow through?”

“Chong’er is the crown prince now. Whatever threatens me threatens what I’ll leave to him—but even beyond that, I trust him to do what will keep the peace. Do you have any doubts?”

Jin Xuan frowned slightly. “May I speak freely, bixia?”

“Of course.”

“Jin Yu raised Xiao Chong more closely than you ever did, instilling in him values of wisdom, kindness, and other things that idealistic scholars consider good. The prince has more of his temperament than he’ll ever have yours. I do fear that which he might have inherited from his other shifu, however.”

“Wrathful Sword Deity? Need I remind you, you and Jin Yu both were taught by one of the Four Great Evils as well?”

“And look at how that turned out,” Jin Xuan said with a self-mocking laugh.

“Jin Xuan… there is something else I must tell you.”

“What’s wrong?”      

“I wrote a decree freeing you from the obligation to guard the mausoleum.”

The pressure that had been worsening on Jin Xuan’s chest ever since His Majesty had fallen ill suddenly disappeared. “Bixia!” he exclaimed joyfully, embracing him without care for his injuries. 

“Jin Xuan, you’re going to get hurt,” his emperor warned.

Smiling softly, Jin Xuan let go.

Xiao Ruojin’s expression became grim. “I lied to you when I said there was nothing I wanted you to do. Hua Jin has almost finished the pill to cure the Night Crow’s drug art that she used to control Jin Yan. I want you to deliver it and to tell them that they’re also free from the mausoleum. Jin Xian told me before he left that he would be staying at Chengde Inn.”

Jin Xuan blinked. “In Qunan City?”

“Yes. Are you familiar with it?”

“I only went once, when we were searching for Baili Dongjun and… and Ye Dingzhi.”

“I see.” He paused. “It makes sense for them to wait somewhere that you’ve all been before.”

Suspicion stirred in Jin Xuan’s happy heart. “How long have you been planning to send me after them?”

“I knew as soon as I had seen that they survived that night.”

“Is there something you’re still keeping from me?” Jin Xuan pressed, reluctance weighing on every word that left him.

Xiao Ruojin frowned, the sun beginning to highlight the moisture in his eyes. “There is.”

“Bixia, please…” He didn’t know whether he wanted to ask for more or to take back his question, but seeing the pain in his emperor’s eyes, he knew what choice he had to make. “Allow me to help carry the pain that burdens you. Please , bixia. You don’t have to face this alone.”

“But I do.” Xiao Ruojin brought him into a slow, firm embrace, goatee softly scratching the side of his neck. “There’s more I haven’t told you, more to the decree. You won’t be forced to stay in the mausoleum, but you’ll also never be allowed to return to Tianqi. Once I die, you can never come back.”

“Bixia, you won’t die. We have time.” Jin Xuan whispered his denial, quiet desperation trembling within.

“ I don’t. Jin Xuan, I’m nearing the end of my days. I want you to be with Jin Xian and Jin Yan before that happens.”

“Don’t lie to me. Bixia, you’re healthier than you’ve been in years. Hua Jin healed you!”

“She hasn’t. That night, I asked her to temporarily bring back my strength. I wanted to be there with you when you were in danger, and then put my energy and focus into sorting out the mess we had allowed Xiao Yu to create. Hua Jin told me that she could give me the vitality of a young man, but maybe only for a couple of weeks. I fear it will be less than that.”

Jin Xuan pulled out of the embrace, heedless of the stitches Hua Jin had used to mend his wounds. “How dare she!”

“I agreed to the risks. Jin Xuan, don’t blame her.”

At his emperor’s command, his anger melted to despair. “How many days does she think you have left now?”

“Four. But I’ll send you away before that.”

Ever since Jin Xuan had succeeded his shifu’s position as Grand Eunuch, he had been exempt from the requirement to kneel before his emperor. Emperor Tai’an had granted the special pardon to Zhuo Qing, and Xiao Ruojin never explicitly revoked it. There were rare times that Jin Xuan had erred on the side of caution, but he could count that number on two hands, if not one.

The last time his sleeves had touched the ground was when he asked his shifu to punish him for failing to kill Baili Dongjun over two decades ago.

This morning, his sleeves spread flat on the white stone outside Tai’an Hall. His emperor’s sleeves, red like wings of blood on either side of him. 

“ Please , bixia,” Jin Xuan begged, lowering his head until his tears soaked the stone beneath his face, “don’t make me leave you. Write a new decree—one that says we won’t be separated, that we’ll be buried together. You were there when I needed you most; I should be with you every moment you have left.”

“Jin Xuan,” Xiao Ruojin sighed deeply, lifting him from his bow. “Don’t say things you’ll regret.”

Jin Xuan shook his head. “However foolish it is, there is a part of me that doesn’t regret it. Bixia, I…”

Xiao Ruojin’s mustache brushed against his lips. “I understand,” he spoke softly.

There were nights when Jin Xuan would watch his emperor’s suffering-filled slumber, and he would sob quietly so as not to disturb him. He had never hid his tears, and knew his emperor would see them when he woke. But he had never shown his grief as raw and bare as now, his body shaking as he cried loudly in his emperor’s arms.

“Cry as much as you need to,” Xiao Ruojin told him between his devastated kisses, heavy with heartache. “Your battle is over.”

Jin Xian

 

Nightmares appeared to disturb Jin Yan’s sleep for yet another night. Jin Xian had hoped that feeding his shidi before he slept might ease his dreams for a few hours, but it seemed that whatever haunted him had nothing to do with the poison.

Even so, Jin Xian ran a finger through the thin drip of blood trailing down the small cut on his chest, sliding it gently into Jin Yan’s mouth to silence his fearful whines.

Even when there was no more blood left, Jin Yan still sucked on him.

Jin Xian laughed lightly, using the hand trapped behind his shidi’s back to caress his loosened hair. “You’re greedy even when you sleep,” he chastised fondly. “What should I do with you?”

A defeated sigh. “He’ll always want more.”

Jin Xian’s eyes widened. “Director!”

Jin Xuan stepped out of the shadows, waving a dismissive hand. “No need to call me that anymore. His Majesty has taken away our titles, along with our obligations to guard the mausoleum.”

With a slight smile, Jin Xian nodded. “Da-shixiong, then.”

“Call me what you will,” Jin Xuan allowed weakly. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

“But it does to me.” Jin Xian’s smile lowered, realizing how things must look right now. He wore two layers of robes, green over white, but he had exposed his left shoulder and some of his chest for Jin Yan to feed without staining his clothes. Jin Yan, meanwhile, was curled up against him, wearing nothing but a sheer purple layer of silk after Jin Xian had told him that he wouldn’t be allowed to sleep naked. Jin Yan said he slept better when it was cold, so this compromise was met after he suffered a particularly restless night. Jin Xian also alleviated some of the heat of Jin Yan’s body using the Xuhuai Art, but that wasn’t something he could do all night. It was an arrangement that satisfied Jin Yan, and every morning he would thank him with flattering words and soft kisses.

“I can see that you are taking good care of your shidi,” Jin Xuan said quietly, taking a hesitant step closer.

Jin Xian sat up slowly, freeing his arm from where Jin Yan was lying on it. “ Our shidi. Da-shixiong, we only have each other. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me, but I swear that I’ll never leave you again.”

Laughing hallowly, Jin Xuan shook his head. “ I was the one who left you. Not that it matters anymore. You’re both alive, and he’s…”

Jin Xian caught him before he fell. His body was lighter than he remembered, and his hair was soft against his skin as he let him rest against his still-bleeding bosom. Blood might stain the beautiful white strands, but what mattered in that moment was his comfort. “Da-shixiong, what happened?”

“I remember when we failed to kill Baili Dongjun and our shifu told us to cure our injuries,” Jin Xuan reminisced oddly. “I was only alive because of you, but you insisted on tending mine first. Your right hand held a blade for violence and your left hand held prayer beads for peace. Both were so gentle in healing me. I wonder if both will be gentle in killing me.”

“Why would I kill you?” Jin Xian asked, dread in his heart.

“Do you remember when I came to Hongqing Hall to look for Jin Yan, and I told you that you could seek revenge for Jin Yu’s death?”

Jin Xian said nothing, denial storming within.

Jin Xuan sighed. “That day, I told many lies and half-truths, but I meant what I said about him.”

“It was you,” Jin Xian whispered his realization. “You killed Jin Yu.”

“I did.”

“ Why ?”

“Does it matter? He got in my way. In the end, he died for nothing.”

Jin Xian shook with rage, reaching for his sword. Jin Xuan grabbed his wrist, placing his hand over his neck.

Jin Xian’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

“How many points of power has your proficiency in the Xuhuai Art reached?” Jin Xuan asked calmly.

Jin Xian usually maintained a level of two or three for Jin Yan, but he guessed he was capable of eight points. “Seven,” he answered.

“A slow death, but a death nonetheless.” Jin Xuan closed his eyes, relaxing against his chest. “Very well, take your revenge.”

Cold began to flow from his fingers, cooling Jin Xuan’s skin. A familiar voice whispered in Jin Xian’s mind, telling him that it would be better for him to end his life immediately. That he should grab his sword and slice it over the neck that had been offered to him so easily. Jin Xian had fought that voice twice before, once when it told him to bring a blade to his own neck after he lost his father, and the other time when Wuxin had used his Abyssal Eye ability to make him relive that cursed night. This time, he appeased the voice by making the jump to six points of power.

Jin Xuan moaned softly, trembling against him. Under Jin Xian’s touch, his skin almost appeared to turn as icy blue as the robes he wore.

Seven points of power.

The cold spread. Jin Xuan cried out, his tears freezing on his face.

Eight.

Jin Xian’s own sweat began to freeze, and his breath turned to frost. He could no longer hear Jin Xuan over the anger pounding in his heart.

His best friend was dead, and Jin Xuan had been the one to kill him. Jin Xuan, who he had once saved, who had been by his side when protecting the emperor countless times. Jin Xuan, whom he had always been willing to suffer their shifu’s punishments alongside. Jin Xuan, who he had trained against whenever Jin Wei had wrist pain and drank tea with whenever Jin Yu read too late at the library. Jin Xuan, who had advised him and comforted him. Jin Xuan, who trusted him.

Nine.

Jin Xian laughed coldly, but no sound escaped his throat. Jin Xuan had gone to him for his death, but had he predicted that he would take Jin Xian with him?

Jin Xian wasn’t as strong as him, nor was he as experienced in the Xuhuai Art. He should have suspected Jin Xuan sooner, but he hadn’t wanted to. He refused to.

How could his da-shixiong—

Ten points would kill them both. After everything, would Jin Xian be able to leave his shidi? How long would Jin Yan be able to drink his body’s blood before it became more dangerous than the poison in his mind? Would Jin Yan lose himself even before that?

Your death won’t help him live, Jin Xuan had said.

Eight, seven, then six points of power.

Jin Xian coughed. A drop of red dripped onto Jin Xuan’s blue lips below him, partly slightly and breathless. “Jin Yan, help me,” he tried to say, choking on blood and desperation. “Shidi, please!”

Three, two, one.

Nothing.

With warm palms and worried words, his shidi joined them on the floor. As soon as Jin Xian’s body thawed enough to move, he moved the hand Jin Yan had on his chest to heat Jin Xuan instead. His da-shixiong needed them more than he did.

Color slowly returned to Jin Xuan’s lips, and Jin Xian began to feel the air leave and enter his lungs. He did what he could to brush the frost off his robes, knowing that heat was something he couldn’t offer.

Jin Yan warmed Jin Xian’s cheeks when he was distracted, returning to Jin Xuan’s before his glare could reach him.

“ Bixia ,” Jin Xuan moaned quietly, hands stiff with cold, a fraught grasp tightening around Jin Xian’s bare left arm. “Please, bixia.”

Jin Yan’s palms covered both of them, radiating warmth. “Director, wake up,” he said, gently unwrapping Jin Xuan’s frozen grip. “This isn’t what I meant when I said I liked your cold fingers.”

Jin Yan’s breath was hot against Jin Xian’s arm. He began sucking on Jin Xuan’s fingers carefully, one by one, until they were no longer coated in frost.

“Jin Yan,” Jin Xuan murmured, slowly opening his eyes, “why did you take him from me?”

“His Majesty isn’t here,” Jin Xian informed.

Jin Xuan frowned in soft confusion. “Why didn’t you kill me?”

Jin Xian ignored the shock on Jin Yan’s face. “Because our shidi needs both of us.”

“Both of us?” Jin Xuan sneered weakly. “What can I do, except let him get captured and brainwashed?”

“You can keep him alive, and you can keep me alive. His Majesty trusted your life to us, and I’m guessing he asked the same of you.”

Jin Xuan sighed, taking out a small white ceramic medicine bottle from his sleeve. “All he asked was for me to deliver this and to tell you that you were free. We no longer have any titles or obligations, and can no longer return to Tianqi.”

“Nothing else?” Jin Yan pressed.

“His Majesty is dying, or already dead,” Jin Xuan told them resentfully. “He wanted me to be with you when that happened. Isn’t that enough?”

Jin Xian shook his head. “I just remembered something. The Emperor was worried about how you would respond to a change that was going to happen to Tianqi. He told me to protect you from yourself. At the time, I thought it meant stopping you from getting involved in any plots to take advantage of the resulting chaos. I never would have guessed…”

Jin Xuan’s fingers tightened around the medicine bottle. “He must have known his death would be too much for me.”

“Da-shixiong,” Jin Xian spoke sharply. “He wanted me to protect you. Don’t you understand?”

Grinning, Jin Yan kissed Jin Xuan’s knuckles. “He wanted you to live . No schemes, no enemies. Just us.”

“Then why didn’t he tell me?”

“Maybe because he didn’t want to force your choice.”

Jin Xuan frowned slightly. “Between him and you, I chose him.”

“Then he’s giving you the chance to choose again.”

Jin Xuan didn’t respond, opening the medicine bottle and pouring out a single pill. The corner of Jin Yan’s lip twitched, and his eyes brightened with eagerness as the medicine was pushed into his mouth. Jin Yan swallowed quickly before chasing the fingers with his tongue. Jin Xuan finally allowed him to catch them, to lick them and suck on them. Once Jin Yan was satisfied with his fingers, Jin Xuan gave him his palm. There were still faint bruises where Jin Yan’s teeth had sunk into the flesh.

Jin Yan smirked. “Do you really trust me not to bite you this time?”

“That medicine I just gave you neutralized the Night Crow’s drug art. You’re free to do what you will.”

Gentle kisses were given to every bruise before Jin Yan slid up Jin Xuan’s lap and kissed the bite mark on Jin Xian’s neck. “Thank you. Both of you.”

As Jin Yan began nuzzling Jin Xuan’s iceburnt throat, Jin Xian glanced at the drop of blood he had let fall onto Jin Xuan’s lower lip. “Have you decided who to choose?”

After trailing his thumb through the blood running down Jin Xian’s chin, Jin Xuan gave it a thoughtful taste. “I have.”

“And?”

Jin Xuan sighed quietly, allowing Jin Yan to clean off the rest of the blood. With his other hand, he began to slowly caress his hair. “I want to live.”

Notes:

Thanks for reading! 😺 I hope you enjoyed! 💜