Tracking down the enemy...

I arrive at the gates just before sunrise. There’s barely time to wash my face and change clothes. When I walk back towards the central plaza, I can already see Dai Xuan waiting for me as the first golden rays start playing on the rooftops. She waves at me and holds out a package, which I receive with thanks. It contains some small bread rolls filled with leeks, which we share as we walk along the eastern wall of the city to the southern forest. I’m grateful for her foresight, though the food in my stomach makes me even more sleepy.

The weight of the sword in my hand is a foreign one. I wish I had time to test it out, since I feel ill-equipped with actual skills to fight the monsters I remember from the drama. Dai Xuan is an accomplished fighter, but Murong Zhiyu is supposed to be an even better one. I’m going on two days without sleep, since Gui pulled me out of my world when I wasn’t even rested. With the strain on my body from last night, the stress at the palace and the early morning, I’m pretty sure I won’t even be able to fight a squirrel. Then again, squirrels can be vicious little things, so cut me some slack.

“I came to wake you for breakfast this morning, but I couldn’t find you. Where were you last night?”

I choke on the big bite of bread I indulged in at that very moment and lean against a tree as I cough roughly. Dai Xuan pats my back with a concerned expression.

“Bad conscience?” she asks.

“I was meditating.”

“Oh?”

“I fainted twice yesterday. Something was… wrong. I needed time to centre myself. Unfortunately I didn’t get much sleep.”

Dai Xuan places her hand on my back and I feel it grow warm.

“Something is turbulent indeed…” she muses.

The pressure in my head increases suddenly, like a migraine onset. Oh. She can feel Murong Zhiyu’s spirit alongside mine! Of course it feels turbulent. I twist away from Dai Xuan so her hand slides off my back. She can’t know that I’m not her friend.

“I tried a technique I found in the library. It backfired. I’m handling it.”

“Shijie!” Dai Xuan shouts, sounding both offended and impressed at the same time.

I don’t remember a plot along those lines in the drama, but it’s a staple in many others, so I gamble on her believing me. From her expression, she does, but she’s not happy with me.

“We’re not allowed to do that.”

“If I only do what’s allowed, I won’t be able to progress.”

Dai Xuan shakes her head. “You’re always like that. Is that why mother put you into a separate room? Because you’re such a bad influence?”

“I’m not a bad influence!”

“I shouldn’t be asking that as the sect leader’s daughter, but what technique?”

“Oh. I am a bad influence.”

Dai Xuan laughs. “Don’t tell me then, but please be safe.”

She squeezes my arm and her smile is warm like the rising sun. Even if I’m not Murong Zhiyu, I will go through fire to keep Dai Xuan and her mother safe. Oh. Her mother. I need to cure her poison so she can recuperate in time. So many things to keep track of and so little sleep. Ahh….

“I’ll try to keep safe as much as I’m able to,” I reply with a smile of my own.

“That’s all I can ask for, I suppose.”

We’re reaching the southern edge of the city, where it borders a dense forest growing on the downward slope into a wide valley. The waters from Yueji Lake, rich in energy originating from the pearl, flow through the city and then southwards, down into the plains of the empire. The Queendom of Zhu is actually a very small one, named after the dynasty of the Zhu family, who has ruled over Xiyang and the surrounding lands for as long as anyone can remember. It is a relatively peaceful kingdom, originally founded to protect the pearl artefact, though no one actually knows about it to protect it even better. The good environmental conditions in and around Xiyang are actually a byproduct of being close to the source, but by travelling with the water though the whole empire, the energy fuels the prosperity of all by enriching air and soil. Come to think of it, this is also why the queendom has never been attacked by the empire. They don’t want to lose this advantage.

Dai Xuan walks ahead, eyeing the water canals around the fields attentively. Suddenly she ducks and picks up a small white flower with a yellow centre.

“Please tell me when you see more of these. They’re quite rare, since everyone, who knows their value in detoxifying, picks them up to make medicine. They only grow where there’s lots of water and sunlight, so around the fields is the best bet.”

“Not just a cover, then?”

“Mother needs all the help she can get. Just you wait, I will be a doctor by the time she gets better with all the books I read on curing these poisons.”

She tries to sound lighthearted, but I know how terrible Dai Qian’s state is. I put a hand on Dai Xuan’s arm.

“You’ll cure her very soon, I’m sure. She possesses a strong genuine qi.”

“I know. Thank you,” Dai Xuan replies and then pauses. “Wait… the technique you practised in secret isn’t related to my mother, is it?”

Well, since I explored the dragon’s power in order to detoxify her, I suppose it is, so I nod.

“I’ve always felt like she is my mother as well.”

Dai Xuan embraces me and buries her face in my shoulder.

“Thank you,” she whispers. “But don’t take unnecessary risks. Mother wouldn’t want that either, I’m die of it”

“I won’t.”

Dai Xuan’s eyes are filled with tears as she draws back and she wipes them with her sleeve.

“Come on, we have some monsters to locate,” I say and Dai Xuan smiles at me.

We progress along the fields, passing a number of farmers, who are tending their crop, some weeding, some harvesting. In one of the ditches, a few children are collecting water snails, piling them into baskets. The air is fresh and clean this early in the morning, smelling of mist and earth. The sunlight is dancing on the water as Dai Xuan wades through it to get to a patch of flowers, collecting the small, white blossoms in her bag. While she diligently picks at the plants, I survey the area. The river is close by. I can feel the energy of the pearl radiating off the water, now that I’m attuned to it. Now we just need to follow it through the forest…

“That should be enough for now,” Dai Xuan says and pats her bag as she joins me again.

“Let’s follow the river for now.”

“Agreed.”

The air changes as soon as we enter the forest. It’s cooler and quieter. While the river is still close by, I can no longer smell the water. Instead I smell dirt and decay. I didn’t expect the forest to be this thick and humid close to the desert. The energy of the pearl must be very potent in the water. If I remember correctly, monsters are often attracted to this area, since this energy is their lifeblood. With Dai Qian’s overwhelming presence and the wards she maintains, they usually don’t dare venturing closer to the city, but right now she can’t even leave her bed. Whoever planned this attack really knew the inner workings of the city. In the drama, they never uncovered who the informant was… Maybe because even Gui doesn’t know? I’m tempted to stick my head into the river to ask him, but Dai Xuan might question my sanity. More than usual, that is.

“Did the report go into detail about the type of monsters sighted?”

Dai Xuan reaches into her belt and draws out a small, folded letter. I skim the contents as well as I can, which isn’t much. Firstly because the letter is—of course—handwritten, and secondly because the characters aren’t exactly simplified. But I get the gist, and it matches what I remember from the drama: Animals that have forcefully been fed with large amounts of yin energy until they turned into monsters that attack humans to feed their artificially induced hunger. They can’t feed on the water itself, but they are attracted by it and will follow it to the source, which will take them directly into the city of Xiyang. A perfect plan, if I’m honest. They can release the monsters far away enough to not be caught and still be sure they will attack the city in time.

“Dogs,” I say, looking at the letter. “Great.”

“We don’t have to engage them. Just find out their numbers and location.”

“Right.”