It was late evening by the time everyone had settled into their new accommodations. Li Meili, Pan Jiaying, and Luo Mingyu ended up staying in the same house as Yoshika and her family, which might have made things a little bit crowded if the place wasn’t so huge.

It was somewhat intimidating just how much wealth the Spiritual Flowing Purewater Sect was flaunting. Their resources matched or even exceeded the entire Goryeon royal family—and that was just one powerful sect. It was a wonder that the Qin Empire hadn’t already achieved continental hegemony.

That left Rika, Eunae, and Ja Yun more or less alone in their quarters—with the exception of Muddy. Jia was glad to see the three of them getting along—particularly Ja Yun and Eunae, who’d had a bit of a rocky start to their relationship.

As they got ready to visit Yan Yue, Jia made a few last minute checks.

“Meili, are you sure you don’t want to come with us? You must be as eager to catch up with Yue as we are.”

Li Meili shook her head.

“I do miss her, but she doesn’t even know me. It would be too awkward. You can introduce us properly once you’ve prepared her for what I am.”

“Alright, if you insist.”

Next, she checked in on Jung and Narae. Jung was still sleeping, and Narae was diligently meditating under Master Ienaga’s supervision.

“Am I interrupting anything?”

Ienaga glanced up from her own meditation and shook her head.

“Not at all, Lee. Little Narae is working to refine her soulscape, however, and probably won’t be responsive unless it’s urgent.”

Jia shook her head.

“I’m just checking in. How is Jung doing?”

“Same as ever. I was initially worried about the lack of food and exercise, but it seems that whatever Luo’s elixir is doing to sustain her body accounts for that.”

“We made it this far—if anyone will be able to cure her, it’s a former great sect that specializes in Purity.”

Ienaga nodded.

“You’ve done well by your older sister, Lee. She’s very proud of you.”

“Thank you, Master. Eui and I have to go talk to Yue, can you take care of things while we’re out?”

“Of course. Your family is safe with me.”

Jia bowed, confident that they were in good hands.

With everything sorted, it was finally time to get to the bottom of Yan Yue’s coded cry for help.

It was a little odd visiting the main temple at the peak of the mountain, but that was where the main branch of the Xin clan lived, and apparently that included Yan Yue. Their arrival was expected, and the girls were ushered in without any fanfare and taken directly to Yan Yue’s rooms.

She practically had an entire wing of the estate to herself. Rather than an antechamber, there was an entire courtyard featuring a tasteful little flower garden and a stunning view of the city from far above. A walkway ran along the mountainside that allowed access to sitting rooms, meditation chambers, and bedrooms.

The temple guards didn’t follow them into the wing, and Yan Yue didn’t come out to meet them either. After a second of standing around awkwardly, they heard Yue’s disembodied voice from right next to them.

“It’s the furthest room on the right. Come in and make yourselves at home.”

Jia and Eui exchanged glances and shrugged, following her directions. To Jia’s surprise, the room Yue had directed them to wasn’t one of the many tea rooms, but what appeared to be Yan Yue’s bedroom itself.

The huge room was richly decorated in the red and gold colors that Yue favored, with wall scrolls, hanging tapestries, and expensive looking furniture that managed to stay just barely on the right side of tasteful rather than cluttered or gaudy.

Yue herself was lounging on one of a pair of couches flanking a tea table across from the foot of her bed. Jia almost didn’t recognize her—Yue’s hair was down, her twin buns unraveled to reveal the deceptive length of her long black hair reaching all the way down to her hips. Her omnipresent makeup was gone, and she was wearing only plain white silk middle-clothes rather than her typical ostentatious dress robes.

“Come in, have a seat, and help yourselves to some refreshments.”

Yue gestured at the tea table, where a platter of assorted fruits, pastries, and teas were arranged neatly. Eui raised an eyebrow as they approached, noting Yue’s state of undress.

“What’s with the pajamas? Are you trying to seduce us?”

Yue scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Eui. Look all you want, but I’ll not be shamed for being comfortable in the privacy of my own home and in the company of my closest friends.”

Eui averted her eyes, chastened, but Jia furrowed her brows slightly as they sat down, accepting a cup of tea that Yue poured for her.

“Your home? You like it here, then? I was worried that you were a hostage or something from your letter.”

Eui nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, and what’s the deal with marrying Xin Wei?”

Yue sighed.

“Yes, I’ve got a lot to explain—and to apologize for. I’m afraid I’ve mistakenly led you into a horrible mess. I’m glad to have you here, but if I’d known what would happen, I would never have written that letter.

“But no, I’m not a hostage of any sort. The Xin clan have been exceptionally gracious, and I feel more at home here than I ever did in the Awakening Dragon. The trouble—as you might have guessed—comes from my family, and particularly my father.”

Jia nodded.

“Your letter said he didn’t approve. Is he still trying to trade you off for a concubine?”

“If only my problems were so simple. I—before we proceed, have you made any advancements in that privacy spell of yours? I trust my hosts, but there are some things that I would like to be able to say just between us. Things I haven’t been able to tell anyone.”

Yue bit her thumbnail, and her nervous expression clarified everything for Jia. Inviting them into the privacy of her bedroom, the lack of adornments, the casual dress—it was all a gesture of vulnerability. Yue was opening up to them as friends and confidants—something she’d been desperately missing for over two years.

Jia and Eui wordlessly joined hands, both of them knowing exactly what to do. Yoshika closed her eyes and spoke in chorus.

“In that case, let us show you something we’ve been working on...”

She began to hum, trusting Yue to understand what was happening without being told. It was her own technique, after all. Yue’s eyes widened in surprise, but her soul offered no resistance as Yoshika’s song formed a bridge between them and the room melted away to become something else.

The couches and table remained the same, but the room around them transformed from the ostentatious display of wealth and personality to a quaint little room with unadorned walls and little more than a single magical stove that served as both a cooking station and fireplace. A sliding door led out into a humble garden courtyard decorated with colorful flowers.

It was small, sparsely decorated, and barely functional as a living space.

It was home.

Yan Yue took in the image surrounding her, tears welling in her eyes.

“You—you mastered it?”

Yoshika smiled softly and nodded.

“Of course we did, Yue. This melody was all I had to remember you by, and I never let myself forget. Nobody can eavesdrop on us here.”

Yue let out a single choked sob, wiping the tears from her eyes and smiling.

“By the emperor, Yoshika, what did I ever do to deserve you?”

Yoshika began to move to comfort her friend, but someone else beat her to it. A blur of black and blue slammed into Yue from the side, nearly bowling her over.

“Auntie Yue! I missed you!”

Heian wrapped her arms around Yue’s neck in a tight hug, beaming happily and nuzzling her cheek. At her feet, Heian’s cat form purred happily as it similarly nuzzled her legs.

“Oh! H-Heian?! I missed you too, sweetheart! You’ve grown! Uh...into two?”

Yue gave Yoshika a questioning look and she sighed.

“The little cheater was having trouble reconciling her newfound understanding of humans with her spiritual instincts, so she split them apart.”

“Hm. Clever. I’ve got something for you...”

She closed her eyes to focus, producing a bit of Light and Dark essence in each hand, then furrowed her brows intensely to force the two opposing elements together without canceling each other out—creating a tiny piece of shadow essence, smaller than the sum of its parts.

Both Heians stared up at the mote of essence with stars in their eyes.

“Can—can I have it?”

Yue smirked.

“Of course—I said it was for you, didn’t I?”

Heian happily accepted the shadow essence and absorbed it into herself. Yoshika was impressed—even a token like that would have been a significant boost to Heian before her element had changed.

“How did you do that? I have to refine essence through Steps of the Stalker to create any Shadow element, and it takes forever.”

Yue preened joyfully.

“It’s a little something I’ve been working on, inspired by Heian herself. Your method is far more efficient, I suspect, but mine is excellent for emergencies.”

“Will you teach me?”

“Certainly—that’s why I learned it in the first place. But one thing at a time. Also, is it just me or was that not as compatible with Heian as it should have been?”

Yoshika frowned—Yue was as sharp as ever to notice that.

“She recently took on a new aspect. We still don’t really understand it, but she’s somehow gained some of the properties of Eunae’s soulfire.”

Yue flinched away from Heian before catching herself. Heian noticed and stared down at her lap pouting.

“Auntie Yue hates me now...”

Yue shook her head urgently.

“Oh, honey, no! I’m so sorry, that was just an old reflex. Come here, I know you’d never hurt me. You sit right here while I chat with your mommy, alright? We’ve got almost three years of cuddles to catch up on.”

Heian’s mood reversed in an instant as she wrapped her arms around Yue and snuggled up next to her. Yoshika actually felt a little bit jealous as Heian’s cat form curled up in Yue’s lap. Yue raised an eyebrow at Yoshika.

“Soulfire, though?”

“It’s...a long story.”

“Well, we’ve got all night, but I suppose I need to stop giving myself excuses to skirt around the reason I called you here.”

Yoshika nodded.

“You said we’d been caught in a trap of some kind. I assume that has something to do with what you were alluding to with your father?”

“Indeed. There are two main issues, though they are closely interrelated. There’s no immediate danger—you are safe here in the Spiritual Flowing Purewater Sect. But only for as long as it continues to be the Spiritual Flowing Purewater Sect.”

“Is there a danger of that happening?”

Yue grimaced, idly petting Heian in her lap as she chewed on her lip.

“There is, yes. And it’s entirely my fault. As much as I’ve come to call this place home, I can’t marry Xin Wei.”

Yoshika furrowed her brows. If Yue was being forced to marry against her will...

“Why not? Is it because you still have feelings for Guan Yi?”

“Hah! I’m amazed you still remember that, as loveblind as you used to be.”

“Tch, Jia might be, but I am also Eui, you know. Why do people keep forgetting that?”

Yue bowed her head apologetically.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I think it’s the way Jia’s strong personality shines through. But no, I’m not so naive as to expect to marry for love. Until recently, I was entirely prepared to go through with the marriage—it was almost perfect, really. I would have had the freedom I sought, proximity to the man I actually love, a husband that probably wouldn’t begrudge me pursuing such an affair, and the ties between our clans would give this sect the credibility it needs to restore its former status.”

Yoshika politely refrained from commenting that Yue’s idea of a perfect marriage was a bit twisted.

“So what happened?”

“As I said, two things which are closely related—the first is that my father has formally acknowledged Zhihao’s death and recognized me as a female heir to the clan.”

Yoshika blinked.

“Isn’t that good? It means he’s not trying to sell you off anymore, right?”

Yue shook her head.

“It’s good for you—insofar as my father had to pin Zhihao’s death on the demon Jianmo. You’re effectively absolved of that little mess. However—what do you think happens when two heirs marry?”

“Uh...I have no idea. That sounds like a pretty complicated legal thing to me.”

“It is. And it’s one of the many reasons traditionalists are usually so strict about patrilineal lines. A female heir can marry, and her children will carry on her family name, but if her husband is also an heir, then whose family do the children belong to?”

Yoshika grimaced.

“Let me guess—the man’s?”

“Normally, yes. And if that were the case here, there’d be no problem. For once, my nation’s misogyny could work in my favor. But it doesn’t. Because the Awakening Dragon is a great sect, and it wouldn’t do to have a great sect swallowed up by a lesser faction.

“No, instead what will happen is quite simple—if Xin Wei and I get married, then the Spiritual Flowing Purewater Sect will cease to be an independent entity and instead become a branch of the Awakening Dragon. Yan De hasn’t granted me my freedom—he’s used me as a pawn to subvert his rivals with a hostile takeover.”

So that was what Bai Lin had been talking about, and why she’d debuted as a female heir herself. One of the great sects had already done it.

“Why would he do that? And if that’s the case then why was the Bai clan trying to sell us out to the Awakening Dragon?”

Yue smiled sadly.

“Aside from gaining more power? The Bai clan has allied with Yan De, using their own female heir to assist in setting the precedent as they make their case to the God-Emperor. It’s a long road to get there, but the ultimate reason for all of this comes down to the second big problem.

“Yan De’s goals have changed. He has set his sights higher than the God-Emperor’s side after seeing what loftier heights might await him. To that end, I fear his interest in you—and me for that matter—goes far beyond revenge. We know why the demons attacked the academy, and why this mysterious Sovereign Shen is so interested in pursuing them.”

Yoshika buried her face in her hands.

“The fucking Sovereign’s Tear!”

“Yes, exactly—wait, what?”

With a tired sigh, Yoshika shifted the image around them to a different scene. A memory from nearly three years ago, from the moment she’d agreed to join Jianmo and prepare to enter their master’s tomb.

“I already know about Sovereign Chou’s tomb, and the artifact he left behind. I suppose it’s time I filled in a few of the details I left out of my story earlier—starting with the fact that I’m Jianmo’s disciple.”