Wang San's legs gave out, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Wang Xiao caught him effortlessly, her eyes flickering with a fierce light as the rain fell around them like knives.
With a whispered chant, the shadows around her coiled and flared — revealing the blazing wings of the phoenix she had kept hidden for so long.
Flames erupted silently, burning with an otherworldly coldness that froze the ground beneath her feet. One by one, the Ling Clan guards who had captured San were consumed by the ethereal fire, their screams swallowed by the storm.
Ling Hu, grievously wounded but alive, tried to stagger away.
"You will not escape," Wang Xiao said, her voice cold as ice and fire combined.
Before he could react, one of his bravest guards, loyal and desperate, caught him and dragged him into the dark forest.
Wang Xiao turned back to San, now lying still and pale in her arms.
"For three months," she whispered, "I will keep you safe. Until your strength returns — and we can make them pay."