Mount Yunyuan slumbered beneath a blanket of fog, its jade towers silhouetted in the pale dawn light. Lian stirred in her chamber, her dream fading like morning mist.
A voice had called her name again in sleep—Yue Lian… but it was softer now, less desperate. As if whoever called was no longer trying to wake her, but to remind her.
Her fingers brushed the jade pendant Shengzhi had left her the night before. It pulsed faintly with warmth, as though it held breath. She remembered the way he had looked at her—uncertain, conflicted, and yet… something more. She hadn't meant to almost kiss him. It had just happened. Her heart didn't understand this world's rules, only the way it beat harder when he was near.
But morning brought clarity.
And clarity brought distance.
---
Down in the courtyard, Li Fang twirled his sword lazily, sending petals flying with each strike. When Lian approached, he glanced at her but didn't smile.
"I see the immortal prince didn't walk you to morning training," he said coolly.
Lian raised an eyebrow. "Are you always this talkative in the morning?"
"Only when the sky's pretty." He sheathed his sword, stepping closer. "And when mortals glow like goddesses in the moonlight."
She flushed. "Stop saying that."
"I will," he said, "when it stops being true."
Before she could reply, Master Yu's voice rang from the nearby hall. "Li Fang. Lian. Inside."
They entered to find a circle of elders seated in silence, scrolls and artifacts spread before them. Shengzhi stood at the edge, his face unreadable.
"We've received a report," Master Yu said. "There's movement near the eastern cliffs. Spiritual energy has been disturbed."
Shengzhi's gaze flicked to Lian for the briefest second. "A spy?"
"Perhaps." Master Yu folded his hands. "Or something drawn here by her."
Lian's stomach tightened.
"I'll go," Shengzhi said.
"You'll take them both," Master Yu replied.
Lian blinked. "Me? Why?"
"You're the one it may be seeking."
---
The eastern cliffs were jagged teeth against the sea of clouds. Strange symbols had been carved into the rocks—fresh, glowing faintly in red.
"A summoning formation," Shengzhi muttered. "Crude. Sloppy."
Li Fang stepped forward. "Crude or not, it worked."
A creature burst from the cliffside—twisted, horned, eyes like molten coins. It shrieked, lunging at Lian.
Time slowed.
Shengzhi's blade was already in motion, a silver arc slicing the air. But Lian raised her hands instinctively—and the world erupted in flame.
Not ordinary fire. Lotus-shaped fire. Blue and gold.
The beast screamed as it burned, reduced to ash in seconds.
Lian stood shaking, hands outstretched. "I… I didn't mean to—"
Shengzhi grabbed her shoulders. "You remembered."
"No," she whispered. "I just reacted."
But his eyes said otherwise.
So did Li Fang's.
The fear in his gaze had returned—but so had awe.
"She really is her," he muttered.
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To be continued...