Three days after Qin Wang Shan released the messenger, Shen City slept under lantern light.
On the surface, everything looked calm—patrols walked their routes, gates were secured, and the rebuilt granary stood like a scar that had already begun to heal.
But Qin Wang Shan knew better.
If the enemy had chosen fire once, they would choose something sharper next time.
He had released the messenger on purpose.
To send a message back.
And to see what message would return.
Near midnight, Qin Wang Shan left the residence with only two guards and Commander Han.
Not for luxury. Not for display.
He walked the poorer districts—where the city's heartbeat was quietest, where danger always arrived first.
"Your Highness," Han said carefully, "you should not come out at night."
Qin Wang Shan's gaze remained forward.
"If I hide behind walls," he said, "I will never know where the cracks truly are."
The wind carried cold air from the hills.
Somewhere in the dark, a dog barked once—then fell silent.
Qin Wang Shan stopped.
So did his guards.
The street ahead was empty.
Too empty.
A faint sound.
Steel brushing leather.
Han's hand moved to his sword—
Too late.
A shadow dropped from the roof.
A blade flashed toward Qin Wang Shan's throat.
One of the guards lunged instinctively.
The knife sank into the guard's shoulder instead, blood splashing across the stone.
"Protect His Highness!" Han roared.
Three more figures emerged from the alley—faces covered, steps light, movements trained.
Not bandits.
Assassins.
They didn't shout. They didn't hesitate.
They moved like men who had killed before.
Qin Wangshan did not panic.
His eyes narrowed.
"Leave one alive," he said quietly.
Han spun, striking one attacker's wrist. The dagger clattered to the ground. Another assassin tried to slip past, aiming for the prince again—
Qin Wang Shan stepped back half a pace.
The assassin's blade missed by a hair.
Han's sword cut downward.
A scream was swallowed by the night.
Two attackers fell.
One escaped onto the rooftop.
The last one—fast, desperate—threw a handful of powder into the air.
Smoke.
The street blurred.
Coughing erupted.
In the confusion, footsteps vanished.
By the time the smoke cleared, only a dark stain and a broken dagger remained.
The wounded guard knelt, gritting his teeth.
"I failed… Your Highness…"
Qin Wang Shan crouched beside him, tearing cloth from his sleeve to bind the wound.
"You didn't fail," he said. "You stood between me and death."
He tied the cloth tightly, gaze calm.
"Live," he ordered.
The guard's eyes trembled.
"Yes… Your Highness."
Back at the residence, Qin Wang Shan placed the broken dagger on the table.
It was well-made. Balanced. Expensive.
The hilt carried a tiny mark—almost invisible unless you knew what to look for.
A seal.
Commander Han's face darkened.
"This isn't local," Han said. "This mark… it belongs to merchants who trade with Wushen."
Qin Wang Shan's fingers tightened slightly.
So the message had returned.
And it wasn't a warning.
It was an answer.
Before dawn, Lu Zheng arrived.
He stood in the hall, eyes cold as he looked at the bloodstains on the prince's robe.
"So," he said quietly, "they've moved from fire to knives."
Qin Wangshan met his gaze.
"You were expecting this?"
"I was hoping you would avoid it," Lu Zheng answered. "But hope is not policy."
He stepped closer, voice lower.
"The court will never admit they sent assassins," he said. "But someone with influence has decided Shen City must not rise."
Qin Wang Shan's expression did not change.
"Then they've made their choice," he said.
"And now?" Lu Zheng asked.
Qin Wang Shan looked out toward the waking city.
Lanterns faded as morning light arrived.
Workers would soon return to rebuilding.
Children would soon run the streets again.
He could not allow fear to poison that.
"Now," he said softly, "we build faster."
Lu Zheng's eyes narrowed.
"You're not afraid?"
Qin Wang Shan's voice was calm, but something cold lived beneath it.
"I've already died once," he said.
"I won't waste this life running."
A long silence followed.
Then Lu Zheng spoke, almost reluctantly.
"If you continue," he said, "you will need more than