Zhongyin
"Niáng!"
Guanlin burst into Li Huan's door, the cures clutched tightly in his chest.
"Guanlin..." Li Wei started, surprised by his appearance.
"Gēge!" Xinyu cried, rushing toward her brother and wrapping her arms around him. "Gēge, what took you so long?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Uncle Li..." Guanlin began, eyes locked on the bed draped with curtains. "How is she?"
Li Huan let out a heavy sigh and stepped in front of him, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. "Your mother has endured so much pain in your absence, Guanlin."
"But I have the cures now. We can finally save her." Guanlin said urgently.
"Doctor Xinzhui said a dya ago that he would return in two days. We'll have to wait until then," Li Huan replied.
Guanlin's eyes darkened with worry. "How is she?"
He stepped forward, but Li Huan quickly grabbed his wrist, gently shaking his head.
"Uncle Li, I want to see her. Please," Guanlin pleaded.
"Diē, let him see her," Wen Lu said quietly.
Li Huan hesitated, then slowly released his grip. Guanlin approached the bed, his fingers trembling as he pushed the curtains aside.
His eyes widened. His hand flew to his mouth.
His mother lay there—skin pale, lips nearly white, and dark veins pulsing faintly with a sickly black glow.
Guanlin dropped to his knees, tears falling freely. "We'll still be able to save her… right?"
Suddenly, Xiaoyou's eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Ā… Ā-Lin?" she whispered, her voice frail and wavering.
"Niáng!" Guanlin scrambled up and sat gently by her side. "How are you feeling?"
Xiaoyou offered him a weak smile. "I'm fine. How was your travel? Are you alright?"
Guanlin nodded, wiping his tears on his cheek. "It was… hard. But I met some friends. They helped me."
"That's good to hear." Xiayou replied with a weak smile, reaching for Guanlin's cheek.
"I have all the cures now, Niáng. The doctor can heal you soon."
"I don't need to be saved, Ā-Lin," she said softly. "I held on just to see you one last time before I wither away soon."
"Niáng…" His voice cracked as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Don't say that. I fought through everything just for you. Please… stay with us. For me, for Ā-Yu."
"I already talked to your uncle about this," she said gently.
Guanlin turned to Li Huan, confused, then looked back at his mother. "What did you talk about?"
"That he'll take care of you and Xinyu after I'm gone."
Li Huan stepped forward. "Enough for now. Xiaoyou needs to rest. Come, Guanlin."
Guanlin rose reluctantly as the curtains were drawn again.
"Uncle Li… did you really agree to that?" he asked.
Li Huan avoided his gaze, sighing. "You must be hungry from all that travel. Eat something first."
"Uncle Li… did you agree?" Guanlin asked again, firmer this time.
"No. I didn't." Li Huan finally said. "I won't just let her go like that. She's the one who should stay and care for you and Xinyu. Not me. You understand?"
He turned to Li Wei, who lowered his head in silence.
"Li Wei, take them to eat. Both Guanlin and Xinyu," Li Huan instructed.
Li Wei nodded, guiding Guanlin out with a hand on his shoulder. Xinyu followed silently.
Once they were gone, Li Huan approached the bed and looked at Xiaoyou's frail figure behind the curtains.
"Why did you lie to him?" she asked quietly over the curtains.
"You know why," Li Huan replied.
------
Jade Palace
Zhong Jinxiao and Wen Lu stood at the gate, pausing for a moment to breathe in the air they missed.
"It's good to be back, Childe Zhong," Wen Lu said with a smile.
A nearby assassin who was walking suddenly noticed them. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"C-Childe Zhong?"
He rushed forward to open the gate before them
"Childe Zhong is back!"
The announcement echoed through the estate. Gu Huailin ran toward them immediately.
"Childe Zhong," he bowed. "How was your journey?"
"Fine," Jinxiao replied coldly, walking past him.
Gu Huailin blinked, then turned to Wen Lu. "Did you gather all of the cures?"
Wen Lu scratched the back of his head. "Well… turns out, he wasn't really poisoned."
"What?! How could that be?" Huailin asked, shocked.
"I don't know either. But he did get some random attacks during the trip. Several times. Even us were confused."
Huailin frowned, seemingly trying to piece the puzzles together in his head.
Inside the main hall, Jinxiao burst through the doors, his presence icy and sharp.
Zhao Lianyu rose from his seat, startled by his presence. "Jinxiao? You're back… early?"
"I didn't get all the cures you asked for," Jinxiao said flatly.
"What? Why not? You're the best assassin I have, what could possibly go wrong—"
"Because I wasn't poisoned." He yanked his robe aside, revealing his uninjured leg.
Zhao Lianyu's face froze. "Your leg… it's healed?"
"You tell me," Jinxiao said, narrowing his eyes. "It's either you or the doctor who lied to me."
"Why would I lie to you? I only wanted to protect you," Lianyu said defensively, stepping closer. "Xue Wuren is dangerous. What if he could killed you—"
"I would've never met Lai Guanlin if the lie hadn't happened," Jinxiao muttered, thinking aloud.
He turned back toward his father. "Why would the doctor lie then? What's his reason?"
Zhao Lianyu paused, then looked away from the distance with a sigh. "...Fine. I lied. I told him to say you were poisoned so you can go out and gather all the cures. I just wanted to keep you away from danger, away from Wuren."
"That's why you sent me alone too, cause you knew about it." Jinxiao's eyes narrowed. Storming out oc the halls.
"Jinxi—"
Zhao Lianyu sighed.
"What happened out there in the Dragon's Land?" Lianyu muttered to himself.
In his room, Jinxiao slammed his sword on the table and sank into a chair, pouring himself a cup of liquor.
"Liars." he scoffed, sipping the liquor.
Moments later, Huailin entered the room.
"Childe Zhong," he greeted, bowing. "Wen Lu told me you weren't really poisoned. But he also said you were getting some random attacks multiple times. Is that true?"
Jinxiao didn't answer immediately. He just drank his liquor.
"Why do you care?"
"Because I'm concerned, I've seen you grow up and I trained you half of my life. If there's anything I can do to help—"
"Hell you can," Jinxiao scoffed. "Even I don't understand what's happening to me, how could you possibly be better than me"
Huailin bowed. "I see that you're upset about it, I fully understand. I'll take my leave then. I'll return to the assassin training grounds—"
"Wait."
Huailin stopped. "Yes, Childe?"
"What happened while I was gone? Bring me the news."
"Well, the good news is Xue Wuren hasn't shown up since you left. But... the bad news is the Map of the Golden Palace was stolen. Clan Leader Meng was killed for it—by a Qi Clan spy."
Jinxiao stood immediately. "A spy?! How did they get into the Golden Palace?"
"Even with strict checks, they infiltrated around the Golden Palace tjey still managed to get in. Even planned an attack on Huding. That same night, the map was taken from Clan Leader Meng."
Jinxiao sat back down, stunned. "Do you know who it was?"
"Not yet, but there's speculation it may be someone from the Meng Clan—or even the Wen Clan."
"The Wen Clan?" Jinxiao narrowed his eyes. "How could they connect to the situation?"
"Well, Young Leader Wen took in an outsider and made him his right-hand assistant. But he was proven innocent by Young Leader Wen.."
Jinxiao gritted his teeth. "Wen Yin, you careless brat."
"I'm heading over there to investigate about it. Childe Zhong, will you come with me?" Huailin asked, tilting his head.
"Yes. And I'll teach that brat Wen Yin a lesson." Jinxiao's eyes narrowed as he clutched his fists. "Any more news while I was gone?
"That's all I know, for now," Huailin said.
"Then go, you may leave no." Jinxiao ordered.
Huailin bowed and left.
Jinxiao sat alone, staring at the wall of his room.
"A spy... a murder... the Qi Clan stole the map. They're getting bolder huh."
----
Zhongyin Palace
He Xicheng sat on the edge of the bed, quietly adjusting the folds of his robe. Across from him, Wen Yin sat in silence, his gaze unfocused and distant.
"Young Leader Wen... did you really have to do that?" Xicheng asked softly, clutching the fabric near his chest.
Wen Yin looked over, slowly fastening his robe. "If it meant making you stay... then yes."
Xicheng stared at him, puzzled. "Young Leader Wen, Why? What did you even see in me? Why do you trust me so easily?"
Wen Yin's expression darkened with something nostalgic. "Because you reminded me of someone I met when I was a child."
Xicheng furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
"My mother and I were on our way to a festival," Wen Yin began, his tone quieter. "A boy bumped into me. He fell, and I helped him up. He told me his name, but I can't remember it now. He lived nearby, so I'd visit him whenever I had the chance. We played together a lot... until his family moved away for some reason. He even had a sister— though she was very ill at that time."
"And what does that have to do with me?" Xicheng asked.
"Before he left, he told me something, 'If you ever meet someone like me, don't let them go.'"
He Xicheng lowered his gaze to the floor, his thoughts churning like a storm. "I should go outside now," he said, rising quickly.
But before he could step away, Wen Yin reached out and caught his hand, pulling him down gently into his lap.
"You remind me of him," Wen Yin whispered. "So I won't let you go."
"But I'm not him," Xicheng replied quietly. "So in a way... you've already lost."
He pulled away from Wen Yin's grasp, standing up again.
"Young Leader Wen, you shouldn't be so possessive," Xicheng added as he turned toward the door. "Just because a childhood memory told you to."
And with that, he left.
Two Days Later
Xiaoyou sat in a large wooden tub filled with steaming hot water, her breaths shallow. Doctor Xinzhui swiftly prepared the final steps of the detoxification process.
"Xinzhui, what do we need to do?" Li Huan asked, standing nearby.
"I need two people with strong spiritual power to hold her shoulders while we do the detoxification," Xinzhui replied. "This process will be painful so she needs some support."
"Guanlin," Li Huan said firmly, "take your mother's left shoulder. I'll take the right."
"Me? Why me?" Guanlin hesitated. "Why not Li Wei? He's much stronger than I am."
Li Huan stepped closer, placing both hands on Guanlin's shoulders. "Guanlin, I know you're strong. And if you doubt it—then believe you are. For your mother."
Guanlin swallowed hard, then nodded. He moved beside the tub, placing two fingers gently on his mother's left shoulder. Li Huan mirrored him on the right.
Xiaoyou trembled as Xinzhui pulled out a set of silver needles coated in a faint, glowing substance.
"These needles are coated with the cures you gathered, Guanlin" he explained. "I'll insert them into key points. The poison in her body will mistake the medicine for another pathinside the skin—it'll follow the energy lines into the needles instead. Once it's concentrated there, I'll extract each needle."
"What happens when you pull them out?" Guanlin asked.
"Each pull will sting deeply. You need to be ready."
Guanlin tensed, bracing himself. "I am."
Xinzhui began inserting the needles into Xiaoyou's skin—one by one—into her shoulders, collarbones, and neck. With each piercing, she screamed in agony.
In the corner of the room, Xinyu sobbed uncontrollably. Li Wei crouched beside her, holding her close and whispering calming words.
"Niáng, please stay strong," Guanlin cried, tears brimming in his eyes. "I know you can do this."
More and more needles were added. Time blurred as pain filled the room.
After nearly an hour, seventy-two silver needles shimmered under the lamplight, embedded across Xiaoyou's upper body. The dark poison in her veins began to shift—slowly crawling toward the baited needles.
Suddenly, Xiaoyou gripped Li Huan's wrist tightly, her entire body convulsing.
Guanlin, exhausted, felt his vision blur. His legs wobbled beneath him, and his fingers trembled. A thin stream of blood trickled from his nose.
"Guanlin!" Li Huan shouted, alarmed.
Li Wei rushed over, grabbing a cloth to wipe the blood. "Look up!" he urged. "Don't let it drip—breathe!"
Guanlin gasped, struggling to stay upright as Li Wei wipe his sweat.
"The poison has reached the needles," Xinzhui said quickly. "It's time to extract them."
Li Huan exchanged a look with Guanlin. They both nodded.
Xinzhui began pulling the needles one by one, and with each removal, Xiaoyou's screams pierced the air. Guanlin's tears flowed out his eyes as he held his position, barely conscious.
"Niáng, please—bear with it!" he sobbed.
Each second felt stretched into eternity. The sound of Xiaoyou's pain and agony, the scent of the herbs and sweat, the heat and steam of the water—all of it became unbearable.
Suddenly, Guanlin's vision faded.
His fingers slipped.
His body collapsed.
And then Suddenly—
—everything went black.