By dawn, the village was behind them. With a satchel full of stolen coins and
Taotao's disguise buried under a pile of reeds, they followed the river path
once more, heading toward the small apothecary that Ju Xian had once
dreamed of visiting.
The journey was quieter this time. Ju Xian watched the trees with sharp
eyes, still jumpy from the last ambush. Taotao, though aching from the bite
and the stairs of the teahouse, walked beside her without complaint—for
once.
When they reached the familiar path winding into a hollow near the hills, Ju
Xian froze.
Voices.
Not the gentle chatter of villagers. But stern commands. Boots. Steel.
She pulled Taotao behind the brush, and together they crouched low.
A company of guards stood outside the apothecary building, their uniforms
bearing the seal of Ju Xian's household. Horses were tied under a gnarled
pine tree, and one of the soldiers was scanning a parchment—her portrait.
Ju Xian's fingers dug into the grass.
> "They're already here," she whispered.
> "They must've tracked us. Or someone talked," Taotao muttered.
> "They can't catch me again. I won't go back. Not to that house. Not to that
life."
She stood quickly, then stumbled back. Panic twisted across her face. Her
breath came sharp and fast.
> "Everything I wanted was there. And now it's gone. Again."
> "Hey, calm down—"
> "I can't!" she snapped, eyes brimming. "All I wanted was a place.
Somewhere I could belong, help people. I never even got inside."
She turned away, her shoulders shaking.
For a moment, Taotao didn't speak. Then he let out a slow breath and said
softly:
> "Then maybe it's time we stop going in circles."
She looked up.
> "Let's go to the capital."
> "What?"
> "Sky's there. The bird you still don't believe in. We'll go. We'll find him.
You'll see I wasn't lying."
Ju Xian hesitated. "You and your bird again. You sound more insane every
time you speak."
Taotao shrugged. "You're still refusing to believe me?"
"I don't believe in fairy tales, Taotao."
He smirked. "Maybe we should find another snake. Or just knock your head
on something again. That worked wonders for me."
She shot him a glare, but her lips twitched.
The capital. The heart of politics. The city filled with unknowns and buried
truths.
> "Why would we go toward more danger?"
> "Because that's where this ends. Or begins again. And because if we don't
stop running, we'll never know what's chasing us—or why."
Her jaw clenched. But slowly, she nodded.
Taotao offered a hand.
She took it.
And the path beneath their feet shifted once more.