A couple nights later Tang Daiyu, Liang Yingzhou, and the exiles sat around a blazing hot campfire. Sitting on a long log, Liang Yingzhou was gently cleaning his sword with a white cloth. Next to him, on the same log, sat Tang Daiyu, bored. But his quote from long ago was fresh in her mind.

"Wishing us long life, though sharing moonlight from afar," she quietly recited.

With the loud, crackling flames and overlapping voices nearby, it was almost impossible to hear her for anyone to hear her. But Liang Yingzhou had exceptional hearing due to his martial arts training.

He smiled to himself before saying, "Ah Daiyu, you remember. I wasn't sure if you would have or not. It’s been twelve years now."

"I had forgotten," Tang Daiyu admitted. "But after seeing you again, Zhou-ge, the memories are starting to resurface."

"I kept my promise. I said I'd see you again one day."

She looked at him incredulously. "I happened upon you by accident in Prosperity Restaurant in Nanning."

"If you hadn't been so bold as to leave the palace, I would've asked for an audience. I was planning on seeing you. You just so happened to see me first."

"Hey!" she cried and lightly punched his shoulder. "Let me have one little victory."

He looked at her seriously and said, "You know, if I weren't so kind-hearted and magnanimous, I would've taught you a lesson by now."

"Oh really? You may be a great martial artist, but I'm still the Empress of Heping!"

His expression soured. "And how did you get there? Through training? Hard work? Sweat, dirt, and blood? Or did you happen upon the title by chance?"

"You-!"

He smirked and went back to cleaning his sword. Daiyu scoffed and crossed her arms, pouting like a little child.

Finally, she said, "I fell right into Rong's trap."

His hand froze. Liang Yingzhou took a deep breath in, shifted his position, and pushed the air out of his lungs with a loud sigh.

"You still have a lot to learn, Ah Daiyu. But long ago, I promised your father that I'd bet there for you, no matter what obstacles there may be."

Under his intense gaze, she blushed and looked away. The warm orange light from the fire illuminated her side profile.

He murmured, "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you and your family four years ago."

She looked at him sadly. "No one would have guessed what was going to happen, nor the outcome. I doubt even Heaven would have."

Before he could respond, there was a, "Your Majesty."

Daiyu looked up and saw Xia Dongya bowing before her. She got up from her seat and helped him straighten.

"What is it?"

He looked around and said, "Not here."

Daiyu and Liang Yingzhou followed Xia Dongya a few paces away. Once they were out of hearing range, he sighed and said, "We just got new intel from Chang'an. Sixth Concubine Luli has been murdered."

Daiyu sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's not news to me. I didn’t need Sixth Concubine for the rest of my plan, so I eliminated her. That way she wouldn't stir up more trouble for me in the future."

Liang Yingzhou leaned in towards her. "You killed Sixth Concubine Luli?!"

"Yes," Daiyu said simply. "For what's next, I should only have to deal with Rong and his father. No one else matters. It's still true that Emperor Jianyuan killed my parents and was the indirect cause of my brother's untimely passing, but I suppose he was just as much of a pawn as I was."

"Ah Daiyu! Do you realise the catastrophe you've started? Now, things will spiral out of our control!"

"So?" she asked coldly. "Maybe this world needs a little chaos right now."

"Do you want a repeat of the Three Kingdoms Period?!"

Her eyes narrowed. "If so, then so be it."

"Ah Daiyu..."

She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "If you won't stand by me, Zhou-ge, then leave. I really can't afford to be wasting my time reminiscing about the past. It's like you said, 'Don't worry about things that happened in the faraway past.' So, I've got to move forward."

"But a war? Is that really necessary, Ah Daiyu? Have you even thought about the thousands of innocent lives that will be sacrificed just for your revenge?"

Her nostrils flared as she said darkly, "No one is ever truly innocent, Zhou-ge."

Liang Yingzhou looked at her sadly. He could not believe that the hard-hearted woman sitting before him used to be a sweet and innocent little girl.

Where did she go? Ah Daiyu had to grow up way too fast. She's still a child herself.

He sighed and stood up. His eyes flicked down at her as he said, "I don't believe that you have faith in what you're saying, Your Majesty. You're just afraid of losing control over what little you have left."

Then, he walked away. Tang Daiyu watched, speechless, as his retreating form joined with the shadows. Stuck in an awkward position, Xia Dongya quickly muttered an excuse and returned to the other exiles.

Alone now, she closed her eyes and tipped her head back. Her body suddenly jolted with pain, and she doubled over. Droplets of bright red blood splattered across the dark green blades of grass. She bit her bloody lip to keep from crying out and clutched at her chest.

It’s getting worse. My internal force is surging more and more. I’m growing cold-hearted, and I keep doing everything wrong. At this rate, I'll be on my own in a couple days. Maybe I have already lost control of everything.

She sighed and slowly straightened up. Looking forward, something caught her eyes. Squinting to get a better look, Tang Daiyu's eyes suddenly widened as she recognized the object flying towards her. She yelped and dove out of the way just as the arrow flew by her. Whipping her head around, she stared in shock at the weapon now sticking up out of the ground. The dark blue and white feathers for the fletching were unmistakable.

They’re Heping's colours. Oh, Prince Yelang is asking for it now! How cowardly of him to attack me like this. She scoffed. This war is just beginning.

Fury blazed in her eyes, and her hands clenched. Tang Daiyu huffed angrily and got up on her feet. She shifted her weight to better dodge any more arrows.

To no one in particular, she roared, "Come on, you cowards! Kill me if you dare! You think one stupid little arrow from Heping will be enough to get rid of the Tangs of Chang? We have survived hardships for dynasties, so I would highly suggest you think again!"

Soon, a mass wave of arrows came flying out from the shadowy bamboo trees. Tang Daiyu's eyes widened in surprise; and using her qinggong, she danced left and right to avoid the sharp tips. She launched herself into the air, laying almost horizontal to the ground. Arrows flew by underneath. Another arrow came rushing towards her, and she twisted over her right shoulder to miss it. While she was spinning in mid-air, one black- tipped arrow grazed her left arm. Crying out in pain, she landed on solid ground and clutched her arm with her other hand. Her eyelids fluttered as a wave of dizziness overcame her. She shook her head, trying to clear it.

A rustling of robes suddenly came from behind her, and the screech of steel rang through the night. Suddenly, arrows were either flying back to where they came from or falling to the ground, neatly cut in half. Landing in front of her, protectively, was none other than Swift Breeze Sect’s leader, Liang Yingzhou.