Chapter 16: Between Ash and Thunder
Morning broke with a sky full of smoke.
Mount Qishan loomed above, its slopes cracked with heat and whispers of embers in the wind. Yu Zhen stood at the edge of a scorched plateau, watching the horizon. Lan Yueran joined him with a fur cloak draped over her shoulders. Her expression was unreadable.
"No sign of movement," she said. "Not from the monastery. Not from the ridge."
"They're watching," Yu Zhen replied.
"Who?"
"Everyone."
He turned to her. "Something's coming, Yueran. I can feel it in the air."
Before she could answer, the wind shifted—and a sound like thunder rolled across the mountain pass.
But there were no storm clouds.
Only hooves.
A column of riders emerged from the southern trail—armored, cloaked, and bearing no banner. Their steeds were black and grey, their movements disciplined. Leading them was a man in silver and crimson robes, his hair long and bound in ceremonial ties.
Yu Zhen's eyes narrowed. "I know him."
"From the Empire?"
"No. From the battlefield. Long ago."
The riders stopped twenty paces away. The leader dismounted slowly, removing his helmet. He was older now—lines around the eyes, a scar on the cheek—but Yu Zhen recognized him.
General Xue Lang.
One of the few men who had once stood against Rael Alzareth and lived.
"Rael," Xue Lang said, loud and clear.
Yu Zhen didn't flinch. "I don't use that name anymore."
"Then what should I call the man who once burned down the Southern Citadel to save a village he'd never seen?"
Yu Zhen gave no reply.
Xue Lang approached, alone. Lan Yueran stepped forward, but Yu Zhen held out a hand. "Let him speak."
Xue Lang looked between them, then pulled out a sealed case from his robes. "A letter," he said. "From the Imperial Princess Mei Xian."
Yu Zhen raised an eyebrow.
"She wishes to speak with you. In peace."
"Why?"
Xue Lang's voice lowered. "Because High Chancellor Duan has put a bounty on your head. He claims you've resurfaced to incite rebellion. That you intend to gather the old sects and burn the Empire from within."
Lan Yueran scoffed. "And what does the princess want?"
"To prevent war," Xue Lang said, voice grave. "To stop the Chancellor from turning the Empire into a hunting ground. She believes only you can do it."
Yu Zhen took the scroll case—but didn't open it.
"Why deliver this yourself?"
Xue Lang met his gaze evenly. "Because I owe you my life. And because… I fear what the Empire is becoming."
That evening, by the fire, Yu Zhen sat alone with the letter in his hands. The wax was imperial red, the seal unmistakable. Lan Yueran sat across from him, sharpening a short blade.
"You're not going to her, are you?" she asked.
He was silent.
"She's part of the system that tried to erase you."
"She might be the only one who can stop it from happening again."
Lan Yueran said nothing, but her hands moved faster. The blade gleamed in the firelight.
"Do you trust her?"
"No."
"Then why even consider it?"
He finally looked up. "Because I trust Xue Lang."
She scoffed. "You're still the same. You believe in people. Even after everything."
Yu Zhen didn't smile.
"Belief is all we have left."
The next morning, Yu Zhen opened the scroll.
Inside was a letter written in elegant script:
Rael Alzareth, or whatever name you now wear—
The world moves, whether you do or not. The old flames you thought buried have been stoked.
I do not seek your sword. I seek your memory.
Meet me at the Temple of Azure Bells, before the first full moon of spring.
Alone.
—Mei Xian
Lan Yueran read it after him, her brow furrowed. "She's asking for diplomacy."
"She's also asking me to come alone."
Yu Zhen folded the letter. "I'm going."
Lan Yueran stood up. "Then so am I."
Two nights later, they descended into the valley of Azure Bells. The temple stood among old trees, surrounded by mist and stone bridges. No guards. No soldiers. Only bells hanging from every tree branch, swaying in the breeze with soft chimes.
Mei Xian waited inside the inner sanctum, dressed not in royal robes but in plain blue silk. She looked up as Yu Zhen entered.
"I wasn't sure you'd come."
"I wasn't sure you were real," he replied.
She smiled faintly. "I've read every war record about you. They all contradict each other."
"I contradict myself," he said. "Often."
She approached, slowly. "I didn't call you here to threaten you."
"Then what?"
"To ask you to remember."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Remember what the Phoenix once stood for," she said. "Not the cult it became. But the idea. The fire that cleanses corruption. The rebellion against greed and tyranny."
Yu Zhen's voice was low. "Those words started wars."
"Yes," she admitted. "But they can also prevent one."
He studied her. "You want me to become a symbol."
"I want you to become a voice. The Chancellor fears you because he knows what you could awaken."
Yu Zhen turned away. "I came here to forget all that. To live. To plant gardens and raise a family."
"You can still do that," she said. "But not if the Empire decides to burn the whole field."
He said nothing.
Lan Yueran appeared silently at the entrance. Mei Xian saw her—but didn't react.
After a moment, Yu Zhen said, "I need time."
Mei Xian bowed her head. "You have it. But not much."
That night, they camped near the edge of the temple valley.
Lan Yueran spoke first. "She's not wrong. But she's not right either."
Yu Zhen lay back on the grass, staring at the stars.
"I don't want to lead an army again."
"You might not have a choice."
He didn't respond.
After a long silence, she whispered, "I'll follow you, whatever you decide. Even if it's just back to Jingyang."
He smiled slightly.
"Then let's see what the world does next."
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