Chapter 39: The Fire Beneath the Mask
After the Lin envoy left—visibly pale and mumbling about "uncultured mountain lords"—Mei Xiao finally cornered Murong Jing He in the inner courtyard.
"Okay, mister 'I-glare-for-a-living,' what was that orb?"
He didn't look at her. "A fragment. Of the Phoenix Seal. I didn't expect one to appear so soon… or so publicly."
"So that was one of my missing pieces?" she asked, half-serious, half-panicked. "Do I get bonus powers? Fire breath? Wings? Can I finally roast dumplings with my palms?"
He blinked, finally turning toward her. "…Do you ever stop talking?"
Mei Xiao shrugged, grinning. "Only when I sleep. And sometimes not even then—I've been told I monologue in my dreams."
Jing He sighed, rubbing the space between his brows like he regretted the entirety of this marriage.
But then he stepped closer.
"You can't touch that fragment yet. It's corrupted. Someone tampered with it. If you had tried to absorb it, it might've consumed you."
Her smile faded. "Oh. So… no dumpling-roasting powers today."
He looked at her then, softer somehow. "I don't joke about your safety."
Mei blinked. For a second, she thought he might reach out. Maybe take her hand. Maybe say something sweet.
Instead, he turned on his heel and walked away with a cold, "We're increasing security. Stay inside."
She gawked. "Wow. Romance level: zero."
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Scene Parallel – Yin Luo
Elsewhere, Yin Luo meditated beneath a cold moon. The sigil on her arm pulsed painfully.
"I felt it," she whispered. "Another flame calls."
A voice answered in her mind. Ancient. Female. Powerful.
"Six flames remain. But they will not all welcome the Phoenix's return…"
She opened her eyes—burning amber now. Her dreams were changing. And something was watching her from the shadows of her own mind.