Back in Li
The king awoke one week after the surgery.
His voice was low—strained with rage.
> "Where is Rui Yan?"
His sister rushed in, nearly stumbling from emotion.
> "You're awake, Your Highness!"
Ruo Yan gave her a look twisted with frustration and fury.
> "I was so close. But all along… Prince Ming and Rong Tian were tied by the heavens."
Rui Yan didn't speak. She couldn't. She knew her brother had lost his mind.
He had attempted to kidnap Prince Ming three times. Two attempts succeeded, and each time ended with deeper humiliation. Prince Ming had slipped through his fingers like smoke—and left wounds far worse than any sword.
She finally found her voice.
> "Brother, we've lost so much in our war with Xilei. Our ships, our soldiers… our reputation."
The King of Li had always been known as a man who *takes* what does not belong to him. But now, he had lost. Utterly. Fooled by the one he loved into a catastrophic military blunder, nearly dying from an arrow wound meant to silence him forever.
Ruo Yan gritted his teeth.
> "I am going to crush Xilei."
---
Meanwhile, in Suntze, Prince Yun—recovered from the strain of his weapon test—heard troubling news.
> "The King of Li is building his army."
He narrowed his eyes.
> "I knew it. But I can't let him strike Xilei until he fulfills *my* request."
---
Prince Yun arrived in Li shortly after.
There, he found a healthy—but clearly unhinged—King Ruo Yan poring over maps and plans of invasion. Princess Rui stood nearby, eyes full of shame, sighing when she saw Yun arrive.
> "King of Li," Yun greeted smoothly, "I see you're doing well."
Ruo Yan looked up, clearly irritated.
> "And who, may I ask, do I have the pleasure of meeting?"
> His tone was courteous—but venom dripped beneath.
Princess Rui stepped forward hastily.
> "This is Prince Yun of Suntze—the expert who saved your life, brother."
The King strutted forward, smiling like a predator.
> "Truly a beauty unparalleled under heaven. A saint's heart. The hands of Buddha—capable of healing any wound."
Prince Yun didn't smile. He bowed stiffly, his face carved from marble.
> "My humble self is not worthy of such praise. But the King of Li survived what would have felled lesser men.
> The mere flexing of your pectoral muscles must have stopped the bleeding. Such bodily control… is inhuman."
There was a beat of silence.
The King of Li blinked, unsure if he'd been flattered or insulted.
> "I had heard that the *Sun of Suntze* was radiant of heart. Yet you seem rather… cold."
Yun's expression didn't change.
> "Enough pleasantries. I came to ask a favor—in return for saving your life."
Ruo Yan raised his hand, and the room emptied at once.
Yun sat down across from him.
> "I want you, King of Li, to crush **Chenzhu**."
At first, Ruo Yan looked ready to laugh. But when he met Prince Yun's gaze, his throat tightened.
There was no fire in those eyes—only *ice sharpened into blades.*
> "Do all the fair princes wear that expression when angered?" Ruo Yan murmured.
> "He… had it too."
His voice softened strangely, thick with memory.
> "Prince Ming. When I told him I killed Rong Tian… he looked like the world was a flick of his wrist away from burning. Or perhaps… he was the one burning."
The King stood, stepping toward Yun, hand half-raised—as if trying to cup a memory.
But it was Prince Yun standing there.
And Yun sidestepped—cleanly, swiftly, like a blade sliding past flesh.
> "Prince Yun is quick on his feet," Ruo Yan said with amusement.
Yun bowed with cold politeness.
> "I'm no match for the King of Li."
The king's body was infamous: Yunyan, the body of a thousand poisons. One touch, and you'd be infected—unless he allowed you to be cured.
Yun didn't plan to test that.
> "I will take my leave now," he said curtly.
And with that, the doors closed behind him.
Ruo Yan chuckled in the empty room.
> "No one ever escaped my touch. Not even Prince Ming…"