In the Hall of Crimson Blossoms, petals drifted through the air, caught in an unnatural breeze that carried whispers — echoes of ancient promises and broken oaths.
Jin Xuan Yue stood at the edge of the veranda, his gaze lost in the garden below. The cherry trees were beginning to bloom… the same way they had bloomed that spring.
That spring… when he first saw her.
When Qing Yue had laughed, mischievous and radiant, plucking petals mid-air and pretending to command the wind.
"You stare at them like they'll answer you," came a quiet voice behind him.
He turned. Li Hua.
Her presence was soft, hesitant. Her head bowed in a servant's pose, yet there was fire flickering beneath the surface — something proud, something old.
"Do you often speak to me without being asked?" he said coolly.
Li Hua stiffened. "Forgive me, my lord."
But she didn't retreat.
Instead, she stepped forward. A single petal landed in her palm.
"It's strange," she said softly. "Even after falling, a blossom can still be beautiful."
His eyes narrowed. "Is that philosophy or mockery?"
"Neither," she replied, lifting her head — and for a breathless second, their eyes met.
Golden. Familiar.
His heart skipped.
She turned quickly. "I'll prepare your tea."
He let her go. But his voice called after her, softer than intended.
"…What is it that you truly want?"
Li Hua paused mid-step. But she didn't answer. She disappeared into the corridor like a shadow.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the palace archives, Jin Mei had dragged Rui Shen into her latest "secret mission."
"Why are we sneaking into the royal library?" he hissed, clutching a scroll like it might explode.
"Because I saw a dream last night," Jin Mei whispered. "And in it, a phoenix flew into the flames. It's a sign."
"…Or indigestion."
She elbowed him. "Don't mock fate."
They tiptoed through dusty scrolls until she found it — a torn record, sealed with gold thread.
Her eyes widened. "Qing Yue… the Nine-Tailed Fox… sealed by celestial decree a thousand years ago..."
Rui Shen peeked. "Wait— Isn't that the legendary spirit everyone thought perished?"
Jin Mei's face grew serious. "What if she didn't?"