The morning sun filtered through the silken drapes of the Royal Medicine Hall, casting gentle golden rays across the polished wooden floors. Inside, the air was still, filled with the faint scent of dried herbs and healing salves. Prince Feng Lianyi moved quietly across the room, his expression calm but focused, a rare seriousness dancing in his amber eyes.
He sat Mimi gently on the treatment table. Her injury had been minor but painful, a twist in her ankle from her fall and a bruised knee.
He reached for the medicine box and carefully cleaned her wound with warm water and a soaked cloth. The sting made her flinch, but she said nothing. Lianyi, though not a trained healer, was gentle and precise. He wrapped the injury in a clean white cloth, binding it neatly.
"Don't push it," Lianyi said softly. "Sometimes screaming relieves pain."
Mimi stared at him for a moment, surprised by his quiet insight. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "It's alright. I can hold it."
After he had finish binding the ingury neatly, he looked up to her eyes and asked.
"How is it?" he asked.
"It's good," she replied, her voice soft. "Thank you."
He shook his head faintly. "No need to thank me. And also... I'm sorry. I didn't know that you fell."
"It's alright," she said again and made an effort to stand. She managed, but her steps were uneven as she hobbled toward the door.
Lianyi followed her, his gaze steady on her movements as though willing his eyes to bear the weight her leg could not. "You're not going far without help," he said.
The day unfolded slowly. Lianyi refused to leave her side. At first, Mimi protested. But as the hours passed, his quiet care became less awkward and more comfortable. He helped her around the infirmary, supporting her as she treated minor injuries. Her smile never quite left her face.
Sometimes, they talked in hushed tones, laughing gently while making sad patients happy. There was an ease between them, unspoken but felt.
Outside the medicine hall, Yue Rong watched from behind a peach tree. Her arms were folded tightly, lips pressed in a thin line. Each time she tried to draw Lianyi's attention with a scheme or a casual "accident," it failed. Once, she even pretended to faint nearby, but Lianyi simply looked her way, ordered a gaurd to help her, and then returned to helping Mimi walk across the courtyard. The jealousy brewing within Yue Rong deepened, her eyes flashing with bitter resolve.
Meanwhile, Princess Yuyan sat alone in the Imperial Garden, a secluded space filled with silver lotuses and glowing moonflowers. She sat on a marble bench, her hands folded over her lap as her eyes stared into the shallow reflecting pond before her.
Her thoughts were far from the palace.
That dream... it hadn't left her.
Why was he sad? Why were his hands bound in chains? Why didn't he sing for her as usual?.
She picked up a fallen lotus and said.
" I really want to save you from whatever made you sad. I really want to see you." She said her voice barely above a whisper.
The wind stirred the petals of the lotus, and it few away with a wish she held so deep.
---
Inside the high court room of the royal palace of Xiyue , the atmosphere was heavy with unease. Sunlight filtered through the carved jade lattice windows, casting golden patterns on the polished floor. Seated around the long table were Emperor Zixuan and Emperor Huojin, their expressions carved in solemnity. Beside Emperor Zixuan sat Leng Yue, his usually unreadable gaze more distant than ever. Close by was Empress Rulan, silent but attentive, her eyes flickering between the men with concern.
The meeting had dragged for hours, but the name that made everyone's breath tighten had only now been spoken.
"The Black Scorpion…" Emperor Huojin muttered, his voice low. "He has become more than a threat. Every morning I rise to news of another fallen kingdom—a land that once stood for peace now reduced to ash." He paused, his tone growing more bitter. "It's still hard to believe he was once my closest friend… back in the academy."
A beat of silence passed. Emperor Zixuan finally spoke.
"I understand how you feel," he said gravely. "But we must face reality. Both your kingdom and mine are clearly his next targets."
"And we will not allow that," Huojin snapped, pounding his fist lightly on the armrest. "We must bring him down before he reaches us."
A soft, steady voice interrupted.
"That's not your destiny to fulfill," said Prince Leng Yue, who had been silent all this while.
The room turned.
Emperor Huojin frowned slightly. "What do you know about destiny?" he asked sharply. "This is war, boy. Don't speak when your elders are speaking."
Before Leng Yue could respond, Emperor Zixuan placed a hand on Huojin's arm. "He knows what you don't know," he said quietly.
Huojin turned to him with confusion. Zixuan leaned in and whispered something only he could hear.
Huojin's eyes widened. "The mysterious Seer…? So the rumors were true?"
Zixuan nodded solemnly. "Yes. He is the one. And that is a secret that you must die with no matter what."
Huojin stared at Leng Yue, stunned. "And what exactly do you see.?" he asked, his voice lower now—no longer commanding, but curious.
Leng Yue sat up straighter, his tone measured. "I don't know everything. The visions come and go. But there is one—someone—destined to end the darkness. I don't know his name, or when he'll rise, but… I feel I am the key to his return. I just don't know how to unlock the path."
Empress Rulan furrowed her brow. "This sounds like something out of an old tale."
Leng Yue turned to her, unbothered. "Yes. But, the world we call fantasy… was once history. And history has a way of returning."
A tense silence followed his words.
"We cannot wait for a fabled hero to save us," Emperor Huojin argued, "You said yourself, you don't know how or when. By the time he arrives, we may all be dead. Hope is not a strategy."
Leng Yue met his gaze without fear. "No matter how hard you fight, you cannot defeat the Black Scorpion through force. His darkness was born from more than just ambition. You can wound him—but only the one born for it can end him."
Huojin exhaled through his nose. "This is a serious matter."
"It is," Zixuan agreed, rising to his feet. "But it's a discussion for another day. I must prepare for my journey back to Lianhua. The Empress has sent word—something has happened. She needs me."
Huojin slowly nodded, still staring at Leng Yue as if seeing him for the first time.
"Very well. Until next time, Zixuan."
As Emperor Zixuan left with Leng Yue, Emperor Huojin still sat in wonders. The mystery of Leng Yue's vision lingered in the air like incense smoke—sweet to hear, strange, and ominous.