After school, Kou Li followed Kahn out of the academy.
She had already gotten her mother's permission, saying she was going to play with Kahn and would be home later.
Of course, that was just an excuse so her mother wouldn't worry. Thinking about the operation ahead, Kou Li felt both nervous and excited.
She knew from Kahn's tone that the matter wasn't simple… but she never expected it to be this complicated—
This was actually a secret commission from the Royal Family!
As a citizen of the Fire Nation, one should contribute to the Fire Nation—at least, that was what her parents always taught her.
And now, a mission to serve the nation had suddenly appeared before her, falling from the sky like a miracle. Her heart pounded with excitement.
The two didn't enter the palace through the main gate.
Instead, they followed the towering outer wall to a secluded alley, where Azula was already waiting for them.
"Allow me to introduce you. This is my friend, Kou Li, an Earthbender from Yu Island. Kou Li… this is Her Royal Highness, Princess Azula."
Kahn acted as a bridge between them.
"Your Highness Azula, my name is Kou Li, daughter of Governor Morishita of Yu Island. It is an honor to be able to offer you assistance."
Kou Li bowed respectfully.
Beside her, Kahn silently sighed. This girl… she blurts out all her information the moment she speaks.
"A simple-minded one," Azula judged silently.
But on the surface, Azula maintained a calm, dignified elegance—truly like a real princess.
Kahn was nearly startled by how flawless her acting was. He barely maintained his composure and gave her a subtle thumbs-up in his head.
When it came to acting, Azula really was unmatched.
Azula smiled politely and asked,
"Kahn should have told you the general content of the commission, correct?"
Kou Li nodded.
"Yes. Kahn told me that this is a confidential mission from the Royal Family, focused on locating something important, and that it must be kept secret from everyone."
"Not only that," Azula said. "You should take a look at this."
She took out an edict from her sleeve and handed it to Kou Li. It bore the exclusive seal of the Fire Nation's Emperor.
Kou Li had seen similar edicts and seals in her father's study, which made her even more convinced of its authenticity.
The edict, written from Fire Lord Ozai's perspective, ordered Azula to carry out the mission in absolute secrecy.
If leaked, not only would Azula be punished—
the leaker and their entire family would face severe consequences, even death.
Kou Li involuntarily shivered. This was truly something massive.
But she wasn't afraid. The punishment only applied to the one who leaked the information—and she was confident she never would.
So, she straightened her back and said firmly, "I understand. I will absolutely keep this secret."
"Very good. I am pleased that our nation has nurtured such talent."
Azula smiled and took out another document. "Now, please sign this confidentiality agreement."
Stamped with the same seal.
Kou Li checked its contents, found nothing unusual, and signed it without hesitation.
Azula's smile grew warmer.
"Do not worry—although this mission will never be known to others, the Fire Nation will never mistreat loyal citizens. Your contributions will be remembered."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Kou Li said, visibly motivated.
Kahn sighed inwardly at her earnestness but also felt relieved. Now that the confidentiality agreement was in place, nothing should go wrong.
Of course, the entire "royal mission" script was something he and Azula had created together.
Because Zuko's acting skills were terrible, he couldn't participate in the performance.
The edict and agreement were forged—but the seal was real.
Azula had personally infiltrated the palace archives and stamped them herself.
Kahn was both impressed and terrified.
The seal being real meant that, depending on circumstances, the documents could be treated as truly valid.
Kahn could only hope that they would never become actually enforceable.
Once Kou Li signed and they were certain of her cooperation, they finally told her the true objective:
finding the secret chamber beneath the palace.
Kou Li relaxed immediately. Difficult for others, sure—but for her? Nothing more than a warm-up.
To demonstrate, she placed her hand on the city wall. With a faint rumble, a hidden passage opened before them.
She smiled confidently.
"Your Highness, you must have come out from here last time, right?"
Azula and Kahn exchanged a look—and both smiled.
"There's hope."
And what Kou Li did next shattered their worldview entirely.
This wasn't just hope.
This was cheating.
Originally, they were blindly searching, slowly, inefficiently.
It took a full day to find a single chamber, and that chamber often turned out to be useless.
Even if they found one, opening it without leaving traces was another nightmare.
But Kou Li?
She directly filtered out secret passages using Earthbending perception, leaving only actual chambers.
Then she forcefully opened them with Earthbending—
And then closed and restored them afterward as if nothing had ever happened.
It was absurd. Completely unfair. The designers of these secret chambers clearly never expected an Earthbender to step foot inside the Fire Nation palace.
With Kou Li's help, their progress skyrocketed.
Three secret chambers found in one afternoon.
One stored grain.
One was a miscellaneous storage room.
One was completely empty and covered in dust—showing that Fire Lord Ozai clearly knew about some of these chambers too.
No clues about Ursa yet, but the progress alone made them thrilled.
Azula praised Kou Li repeatedly and told them they would continue next time.
After Kou Li left, Azula glanced sideways at Kahn.
"You have a good friend. Have you known her long?"
"Not long. Just half a semester." Kahn explained how he and Kou Li met.
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"Nothing. Just asking. She's useful, so she deserves a little attention from me."
Kahn snorted, "If you want to thank her, don't give her any attention. I don't think she can handle it."
"Are you looking for a beating?!"
Azula's mask dropped instantly, revealing her true nature.
—
To hide Kou Li's involvement, Azula hadn't summoned Mai or Ty Lee during this period.
Kahn thought of it as a much-needed break for them. Zu Kou, because of his acting problems, was also temporarily "offline."
So only the three of them continued the search.
With Kou Li's help, their pace was unbelievable.
And finally, after one week—
They found a clue.
...
Author's Note:
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