I am the Heroine’s Master?

It was a tired and despondent group that assembled deep within the recesses of the Kanchi Spirit Jade Mine on the day before the princess was officially due to depart for the Great Wall. The three of them had descended to the very place where Zhao Wenhai had first discovered the bronze-like jade. There, Mo Jian had sealed the chamber as thoroughly as he could, layering five formations atop one another before placing the Heaven Enshrouding Ding above them all as an additional safeguard.

None of them had the heart to speak, or even to do much of anything. They sat in a heavy, oppressive silence, each alone with their own thoughts. That was, until footsteps echoed through the tunnel. A single mote of qi, burning like a lantern in the darkness, drifted steadily closer, heralding the arrival of Su Lianhua. She walked patiently, one hand clasped around Xiao Hua's as she guided the child through the mine. Mo Jian had sensed them long before they entered the tunnel, as had Bai Ning and Xiang Muxue. Since neither of the women had made any move to turn Su Lianhua away, he had refrained from doing so himself.

By now, Muxue looked almost like herself again with the grime washed from her face, and apart from the exhaustion lingering in her eyes, Bai Ning too appeared little different than usual. Mo Jian had no idea how he looked, but if his appearance reflected even a fraction of how he felt, he would rather Xiao Hua not see him like this. Even so, when the pair stopped respectfully outside the dome of layered lights, he opened a narrow passage through the formations for them. Su Lianhua had already been briefed – Zhao Wenhai had been overseeing the mine when Mo Jian and the others had arrived in haste, and he had likely explained enough that she understood something terrible had happened and had some idea of what awaited her.

Xiao Hua, however, was only ten years old and still a child, so she had been told nothing. She came to a stop as she entered the crystal-like cavern, her eyes widening as shifting lights danced across the polished bronze surfaces surrounding her. Only after a long moment did her gaze drift away from the mesmerizing glow to the three figures waiting in the chamber. The instant she recognized Bai Ning, she rushed over, making a beeline for the woman sitting with her back against a jade wall.

"Big Sister! You never came to visit me. You promised!"

Bai Ning managed an apologetic smile that looked more like a grimace. Muxue looked up at the sound. Her spiritual senses had tracked the newcomers from the moment they entered the mine, but now her eyes followed the little girl as she buried a fistful of Bai Ning's robes in her tiny hands.

"Ah... sorry, sorry." Bai Ning reached out and gently patted Xiao Hua's head. "Big Sister got too busy in the palace and couldn't find the time. But I'm here now." Compared to her usual cheerful tone, the words were subdued, almost hollow.

Xiao Hua was a perceptive child. She immediately sensed something was wrong. Her eyes wandered around the chamber, taking in the oppressive silence and the two other figures slumped against the walls. They paused briefly on Mo Jian, whom she recognized, before settling on Muxue. The Princess simply watched her, her face unreadable.

"Who are you?" Xiao Hua asked.

"I'm..." The princess glanced around, as though searching for the right answer. "A friend from the palace."

From the side, Bai Ning gave a small nod, lending the statement credibility. Beside her, Su Lianhua pressed her lips into a thin line, looking as though she were barely restraining herself from dragging Xiao Hua away by the ear for her bluntness.

The child's face lit up. "From the palace? Are you a princess?"

Seated off to the side, Mo Jian looked up in astonishment. How had she guessed? Was this the uncanny intuition children were said to possess?

Muxue blinked, caught off guard. Then she gave an almost helpless shrug. "I am."

Su Lianhua's qi flared sharply with equal parts shock and alarm, while Mo Jian could only stare harder. She had just admitted it? So openly? Even Bai Ning shot her a sidelong look before her expression smoothed over again.

Xiao Hua, meanwhile, beamed as though she'd just won a grand prize. "Oh! What's the palace like? Do you eat spirit beast meat every day? Do you wear clothes woven from mulberry silk? Do you have servants everywhere? Is your bed really made of jade? Can you go anywhere you want?" The questions came one after another without pause. It took nearly a full minute before the torrent finally petered out, all of them essentially asking the same thing: Do you really live such an extravagant life? Only then did Xiao Hua remember herself. "...Your Highness?" she added uncertainly, the honorific lifting into a questioning lilt.

A faint smile tugged at Muxue's lips, easing some of the heaviness that had lingered in her eyes.

"They do serve spirit beast meat," Muxue said, amusement lingering in her voice. "Though not every day."

Xiao Hua let out an audible gasp. "So they really do!" A quiet chuckle escaped Bai Ning. Muxue continued, "The robes are indeed woven from fine silk. As for servants..." She paused, then went on, skipping over that with barely a grimace. "And I can't go anywhere I please. I have to receive permission from the Emperor."

"I knew it!" Xiao Hua declared triumphantly before leaning forward again, her curiosity wholly undiminished. "Then what about your room? Is it made of gold?"

"No."

"Jade?"

Muxue's smile deepened by a fraction. "No."

Xiao Hua frowned, clearly dissatisfied. "Then what's it made of?"

"Wood."

The room fell silent. Mo Jian had to suppress a smile as well, though five minutes prior to Xiao Hua's arrival, he would have wagered smiling to be impossible for him today.

"...Wood?" Xiao Hua repeated blankly.

"Mm."

"But..." She looked thoroughly confused. "You're a princess."

"I am."

"Then why is it made of wood?"

"Because wood is warm in winter and cool in summer."

"...Oh." The simple answer seemed to short circuit all of Xiao Hua's expectations. She sat there blinking for a long moment before slowly nodding, as though committing this profound revelation to memory. Mo Jian covered his mouth, pretending to cough into his fist, while Bai Ning lowered her head, though the corners of her lips had already betrayed her. Even Su Lianhua's tightly drawn expression eased.

Taking advantage of the lull now that Xiao Hua's curiosity had finally been exhausted, Bai Ning turned to Su Lianhua, who still lingered by the entrance, fidgeting as she unsuccessfully tried to steal glances at Muxue from the corner of her eye. "Did you deliver my message to Duan Cheng?"

Su Lianhua startled. "Ah, yes. That's actually why I came. He's waiting for you in the Jade Hall, Senior. I told him I'd come fetch you."

Bai Ning nodded. "Good. Then let's not keep him waiting." She rose and held out a hand. "Come along, Hua." Before turning away, she exchanged a glance with Mo Jian. It was a brief one, but words were unnecessary.

Be careful.

Her answering look was just as simple.

I will.

The teasing warmth that usually lingered in her eyes was nowhere to be found. Shen Jinglan's death had stripped away all pretense.

Xiao Hua waved enthusiastically to everyone. "Bye!" Muxue answered with a faint smile, while Mo Jian merely waggled his fingers. Then Bai Ning, Su Lianhua, and Xiao Hua stepped through the opening in the formation. A heartbeat later, the barrier sealed itself once more, leaving only Mo Jian and the grieving princess in the quiet depths of the mine.

Muxue's smile lingered a moment longer than the others had, then faded, slowly, like a candle starved of air. Whatever had loosened in her while Xiao Hua chattered settled back into its familiar, heavy place.

Silence settled between them. Mo Jian knew he ought to say something, anything, but his mind was utterly blank. What words could possibly help? "So..." he began, nearly saying sorry for your loss before catching himself. The phrase felt hollow and unbearably inadequate. Unfortunately, Muxue looked up at him expectantly, so he had no choice but to commit. "...Are you alright?"

The faint smile returned, touched with weary amusement. "I'll be fine once we're away from the city," she said quietly. Then, after the briefest pause, she added, "...and once those assassins are dead at my feet." The words were spoken with perfect composure, and only the fury beneath them betrayed how deeply they burned.

Mo Jian simply nodded. Before he could think of another reply, Muxue spoke again. "How do they honor the dead in the Thousand Shattered Islands?"

He weighed the question a moment, the sea's rhythms surfacing before words did. "We usually return them to the sea. Their ashes or their bodies, depending on the family's wishes." He glanced at her. "How is it in the Imperial Palace?"

Muxue made a face. "They're buried in elaborate mausoleums, or in residences reserved solely for the departed. The palace servants have their own lichyards on the Fourth and Thirteenth Floors." Her expression dimmed. "But Jinglan..." She lowered her eyes. "She won't receive anything like that, at least not while Chengxuan holds power. Even Uncle Tiger won't be able to change it."

For a fleeting moment, Mo Jian entertained the vivid image of sending the Netherworld Scorpion after Prince Chengxuan that very instant. The thought was tempting, but he forced it aside. Instead, an old memory surfaced, not his own, but one belonging to the original Mo Jian. "Where I was born," he said, "there was a custom. When someone died, their family would light a lamp and keep it burning through the night. If the flame lasted until dawn, it meant their soul had found its way to Heaven. If it went out..." He gave a small shrug. "...people believed the soul had lost its way."

He hesitated. "It's only an old superstition."

With a flick of his sleeve, something no larger than a grain of rice slipped from between his fingers. The Heaven Enshrouding Ding landed soundlessly upon the jade floor. At once, it expanded, going from a tiny speck to a waist-high cauldron in the space of a breath. Its blue-black surface shimmered like weathered bronze beneath the cavern's light. The lid lifted of its own accord, and blue fire blossomed within, climbing higher and higher until it roared above the rim of the cauldron, burning with impossible intensity, as though the vessel contained an endless sea of oil.

The bronze jade embedded throughout the cavern answered the light. Blue, violet, crimson, and molten gold spread across the crystal walls, fracturing into countless ribbons that danced over every surface like living silk.

Muxue stared at the spectacle, lips parted ever so slightly, her expression trembling. Then she whispered, "Thank you." A small breath escaped her. "She would have loved this."

Neither of them spoke again. Together, they watched the flames paint the cavern in shifting colors, each offering a silent prayer in their own way that the soul of a cherished friend would find its path to Heaven.

The laughter of a moment ago already felt like it belonged to someone else.

………………………………………….

Bai Ning wished she were anywhere but back in the Kanchi Mine. Days ago, the thought would have been inconceivable, but now every step through its winding tunnels felt like a punishment. Every vein of jade bursting from the walls reminded her of her friend; a friend she had known briefly, but still missed terribly. The truth was that there was only one place she wished to be right now: hunting those assassins. Her fingers twitched at her side, aching to curl around the hilt of her sword. Every instinct screamed at her to abandon the mine, take to the skies, and pursue them to the ends of the Empire. Only reason kept her feet moving.

She had been the first one to cross paths with them. Though the assassins had clearly been at a higher realm than her, and though she knew, rationally, that fighting back would not have changed the outcome, reason had little sway over guilt. Her hand slowly clenched into a fist until the knuckles turned white.

No one had blamed her. They hadn't needed to; she had already taken on that burden herself.

The silence between her and the others stretched as they walked. It was unlike Bai Ning to leave it undisturbed. Normally, she filled every journey with easy conversation, and she had fond memories of trading stories with Su Lianhua or indulging Xiao Hua's endless curiosity in this very mine, so even they noticed how uncharacteristically quiet she was being. But she simply couldn't summon her usual smile; the night's events were still too raw. By the time they emerged from the depths of the mine into the pale light gathering at the foot of the mountain, the air around them felt almost oppressively grim.

Su Lianhua took Xiao Hua gently by the hand. The little girl looked back again and again, clearly wanting to say something but lacking the courage to do so. At the last moment, she broke free, ran back, and wrapped both arms around Bai Ning's legs in a fierce, wordless hug. Then she hurried after Su Lianhua without looking back. Bai Ning remained standing where she was. For some reason, the gesture only made her feel worse. How pathetic, she thought bitterly. A child has to comfort me. The uncharitable thought itself left a sour taste in her mouth.

Shaking it away before it could sink any deeper, she launched herself into the air, green spiritual light gathering around her as she streaked toward the summit, reaching the Jade Hall in less than a minute. The building stood exactly as she remembered. Fashioned entirely from polished green jade, it caught the morning sun and scattered it into a thousand shifting colors across the mountainside. It had been built to impress the imperial inspector, who had turned out to be... Bai Ning's expression tightened. Even the hall had become another reminder.

She forced the thought aside and stepped inside, locating Duan Cheng by the steady pulse of his qi before she even saw him. The hall was otherwise empty, and only he stood alone in the center of the chamber. Annoyingly, he looked exactly as she remembered: tall, composed, impeccably dressed, with only a trace of silver at his temples to betray his age. He possessed the sort of face that could disappear into any crowd despite its handsomeness, remarkable only for how unremarkable it seemed. The loss of his wealth should have affected him, but outwardly it hadn't; the losses softened only by the fact that Bai Ning had arranged for him to manage what had once been his own gambling house. Even so, he still carried himself with the same quiet composure. For reasons she couldn't entirely explain, that composure irritated her.

"Fairy Bai Ning," he greeted her, already studying her like a merchant taking notes behind his eyes for a ledger entry to tabulate on an otherwise ordinary day. "Will Senior Mo Jian not be joining us?"

"No," she replied curtly. "He's busy elsewhere." Then, grudgingly, she added, "Thank you for being prompt. I have a request to make of you."

He nodded like it was only natural. "Of course. Is this regarding the information network I've begun establishing on your behalf? I've already gathered several useful leads and would be happy to report my progress-"

She cut him off. "No, not that. Circumstances have changed, and our priorities have to shift accordingly. I am here to offer you everything back – your gambling hall, the contents of your purse that I won, still untouched, all the property and stakes you owned. Everything that you lost in the duel to me, all in exchange for a single favor."

Annoyingly, and expectedly enough, he did not leap on the chance. Duan Cheng regarded her for several long moments, carefully setting aside whatever assumptions he had entered with. "It must be a very great favor, then."

She grimaced. The truth was, Bai Ning no longer believed his information network would be nearly as valuable as she'd once imagined. Both she and her master had gravely underestimated the Imperial Palace. It was less a residence than a world unto itself, one whose politics flowed through hidden channels that rarely touched the streets of the capital below. Knowing the latest rumors in the city would do little to help them navigate the struggles waiting within those hallowed walls. What they needed now was something else: competent and reliable people who could be trusted when blades were drawn. Duan Cheng possessed exactly that sort of experience. He had managed men, wealth, and logistics, and, more importantly, soldiers. She needed that far more than she needed a web of informants.

"We are heading to the Great Wall in the north to deal with the Yuan crisis there." For the first time, she had the pleasure of seeing Duan Cheng's expression collapse into absolute, flabbergasted astonishment. "Master Mo Jian and I have tied our fortunes to Princess Xiang Muxue, and she has been put in charge of dealing with the Wall."

"The Wall." Duan Cheng's composure cracked just enough to let the disbelief through. "You mean to tell me you intend to walk into the middle of a war."

"I intend to walk into the middle of a war," Bai Ning agreed flatly. "Moreover, the crown prince himself opposes us, and he'd like nothing more than for all of us to die at the Wall and stop troubling him. This means that we cannot trust anyone apart from the people we can vet and take with us from here, and that we will be dealing with assassins from the crown prince and whatever other sabotage he can muster during the entire expedition. There are already at least two assassins we know of after us, likely both at the Nascent Soul stage.

"I want you to come with us. We'll swear binding oaths upon a powerful artifact, so that neither side will be able to betray the other. You'll know exactly what you're agreeing to, and we'll know exactly where your loyalties lie. I'm not asking you to throw your life away. Simply lend us your abilities to the best of your capacity." Her voice softened at the end. "That's all."

The hall fell quiet. Only the faint shimmer of sunlight through the jade walls broke the silence as Duan Cheng considered the offer. He lowered his eyes, folding his hands behind his back as he thought, and Bai Ning had to resist the urge to hurry him along. She had an inkling of what must be going through his mind: he was weighing profits and losses, not in spirit stones, but in lives. Finally, he looked up. "You've asked me to leave behind everything I know," he said. "My son. The businesses I've spent decades building." His gaze drifted toward the open doors of the hall, overlooking the sprawling settlement below. "Even if much of it no longer belongs to me."

"It does," Bai Ning said simply. "If you accept."

A faint smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "I appreciate your honesty. But it is still a gamble in everything but name."

She let out a quiet snort. "You of all people should know how to judge one."

"I do, and this one is a bad bet."

She couldn't help herself. "So you're refusing?"

"No." The answer came so quickly that she blinked. "I'm saying it's a bad bet." He clasped his hands behind his back once more. "But a bad bet isn't the same as an unwinnable one." He studied her for a long moment. "I have a question."

"Go on."

"Who else will we have? Do you have any other conditions apart from the ones you've already mentioned? And... why Princess Muxue? I'm familiar with the name, so the fact that Senior Mo Jian has tied his fortunes to her is a little surprising."

That was far more than one question, but Bai Ning was happy to answer. Asking questions meant he was seriously considering it, not refusing her offer outright. "Mo Jian and I, along with the princess, of course. Wei Shentong, whom Mo Jian will make come along. Three of my trusted friends, all at Core Formation, too. And you."

Duan Cheng did not seem impressed, but he still nodded.

For a moment Bai Ning's voice caught, and she had to look past him, out toward the jade walls, before she trusted herself to go on. Three of her friends, not four. There should have been four.

"As for other conditions, it's simple enough. When we return, don't go back to your old methods. I don't care if it was duress under Wei Shentong or any other reason, but this I will enforce: you will obey both laws and ethics from now on."

Duan Cheng was unmoved, and completely unsurprised. Bai Ning would have been more shocked if he hadn't seen that one coming. "And why Muxue?" She chewed her lip for a moment before answering. "At first, it was because she could help us achieve our goals, so necessity led us to her. But now... while that's still true, another part of it is that I – and Master Mo Jian – think it will be better for the empire to have a crown princess like her than a crown prince like Chengxuan, and we're willing to fight to make it happen." Honestly, Bai Ning didn't know if Mo Jian truly believed that, but she did. She hadn't liked Muxue at first, but now she believed it was better for everyone if someone like her became the next empress than Chengxuan. "And she's my friend now as well, and we both watched someone dear to us die, so I intend to avenge that death and see Muxue raised to success, as Shen Jinglan would have no doubt wanted."

Duan Cheng held her gaze for a long moment after she fell silent, and not for the first time since she'd met him, she could not read his expression. After nearly a minute, he exhaled. "Well, I suppose there are worse reasons, and I do owe you and Senior Mo Jian. You could have stripped me of everything and cast me out, but instead..." Duan Cheng glanced around the hall. "...you left me enough dignity to begin rebuilding."

His eyes settled on Bai Ning again. "I suspect that was your suggestion."

She looked away. "...Maybe."

A small smile crossed his face. "I thought as much." He straightened. "Very well, I'll come."

Bai Ning stared. "...Just like that?" Any other time she would have been quick to accept, thinking it only natural that she'd succeed in convincing someone to go along with her, but she was still off-kilter, still working through her grief. The honesty just slipped out.

He raised an eyebrow. "You've offered me back everything I lost, you've promised a binding oath that protects us both, and you've been honest about the dangers. And unless I've greatly misjudged the situation..." his expression grew thoughtful, "...history is beginning to move." He smiled faintly. "I've made a career of recognizing the right table before everyone else sits down, and I see no reason to stop now."

For the first time since Shen Jinglan's death, Bai Ning felt something loosen inside her chest. That wound remained, but it was the first small victory since everything had fallen apart.

She extended her hand. "Welcome aboard."

Duan Cheng looked at the offered hand with open curiosity before clasping it firmly. "I look forward," he said, "to meeting this princess worth wagering an Empire upon."

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