Silence lingered for a moment.

Ningyan let out a slow breath, stepping forward to adjust the covers around Lan Huiwen, tucking them more securely around her frail form.

Only then did he turn.

"Let’s go."

Rong Yue did not argue.

^

The dungeon was empty now.

The cells stood open, their former occupants reduced to ash thanks to Lan Meishan.

Yet the eerie weight of what had once filled the space had not faded. It clung to the stone, to the air, to the faint remnants of qi that refused to disperse.

Ningyan and Rong Yue moved to the central chamber, to the massive abyssal serpent carving etched into the ground.

Ningyan’s gaze swept over it, his mind restless, thoughts colliding faster than he could sort through them.

"Ningyan."

He paused and lifted his head.

Rong Yue was watching him.

Ningyan exhaled, slower this time.

"...I don’t think Meishan is at ease," he admitted, voice quieter now. "After everything... that other side of him..."

He frowned, fingers curling at his side. "I don’t know how to make him understand that it wasn’t him. That he didn’t hurt me."

He gritted his teeth in frustration, dissatisfied with himself. "...I should be focusing on this instead."

Ningyan lowered himself to one knee before the carved sigil, his fingers tracing the ancient grooves.

He lifted one hand slowly, bringing his finger toward his teeth.

"Wait."

A hand intercepted him.

Rong Yue had already crouched before him, a single finger pressed against Ningyan’s forehead, halting the motion with quiet firmness.

Ningyan froze, blinking in surprise.

Rong Yue held his gaze for a breath, then withdrew.

He rose, pulling Ningyan up with him in one smooth motion.

"You haven’t rested," he said, voice even. "Not since Jun Yongrui’s death. Not since the children. Not since Meishan."

There was no accusation in his tone. Only clarity.

"You keep moving forward as if stopping will break something. It won’t."

Ningyan watched him.

Rong Yue’s gaze softened.

"Breathe," he added. "Even in chaos, there is something worth holding onto. You’ve gained more than you’ve lost. And as for Meishan... he will steady himself. You cannot carry that burden for him."

Silence settled between them.

Then, a quiet chuckle slipped from Ningyan’s lips. "...Are you my advisor now?"

Rong Yue did not smile.

"I can be whatever you need," he replied. "But right now, you need control."

That landed.

Ningyan’s eyes lingered on him, something thoughtful passing through his expression.

Control.

He had nearly lost himself.

This life.... it had already begun to root itself too deeply.

He had children now. A family.

Three... no...

His thoughts faltered.

His eyes focused on Rong Yue.

For a brief moment, there was uncertainty in his expression.

Rong Yue caught it immediately.

A quiet chuckle escaped him. "What is it?"

Ningyan shook his head at first then exhaled. "...I’m trying to understand something."

Rong Yue tilted his head.

Ningyan met his eyes fully this time.

"Are you helping me because you love Wuhen..." he asked slowly and awkwardly, "...and Wuhen loves me? Or are you helping me because you want me?"

The question hung between them... Honest.

Rong Yue’s lips curved, faintly amused.

"For someone so greedy," he said, voice low, "you hesitate at the simplest things."

He stepped closer, meeting him where he stood.

Ningyan did not move. Instead, he extended his hand. "Do you have a dagger?"

Rong Yue’s lips twitched. "...So that is where your thoughts led you."

A breath of quiet laughter followed, softer this time.

"I suppose," he murmured, "we will continue circling each other a while longer, little bird."

Ningyan blinked, then cleared his throat.

A dagger manifested in Rong Yue’s hand, its blade sheathed in a faint silver radiance. Without question, he placed it into Ningyan’s palm.

Ningyan did not hesitate. He drew the blade across his skin, a clean line opening along his palm.

Blood welled at once.

He clenched his fist.

Scarlet gathered, then slipped through his fingers, falling in measured drops upon the carved sigil beneath them.

For a breath... nothing.

Then, the formation ignited.

A deep emerald glow rushed through the ancient lines, racing across the entire carving as a sharp crack split the stone.

Rong Yue’s hand closed around Ningyan’s arm, pulling him back just as the center of the sigil erupted in light.

The chamber flooded with brilliance. The same awakening as it did with Lan Huiwen.

Ningyan’s pulse quickened. His eyes settled upon the heart of the formation, unblinking.

The light trembled, flickered, and died.

There was nothing there.

Ningyan’s lips parted, hollow disappointment sinking heavily into his chest. "...What?"

He stepped forward despite himself then stopped.

Something lay at the center.

He drew in a sharp breath and hurried toward it, crouching as his fingers closed around... a large, warm feather.

Its surface shimmered with a soft, golden fire, each strand alive with lingering qi.

Ningyan’s eyes widened.

"A phoenix..." His voice broke into something lighter, almost disbelieving. He rose, turning toward Rong Yue, the feather lifted in his grasp. "There was a phoenix here."

Rong Yue approached, his eyes settling first on the feather, then shifting, quietly, to the fractured sigil beneath their feet.

His expression dimmed.

"It was already opened," he said at last. "Before us."

Ningyan’s smile faded.

"The seal was broken during the chaos above. Likely when the palace formations weakened... after Lan Huiwen was released." Rong Yue added and words settled heavily.

Ningyan’s grip tightened around the feather. "...Who...?"

His thoughts turned sharply until they landed.

That guard.

His eyes darkened, a faint violet glow surfacing within them. "...Him."

Rong Yue’s gaze sharpened. "Who?"

"The serpent guard." Ningyan’s voice steadied, but the edge beneath it was unmistakable. "The one who led me here."

He turned, already moving.

"He was afraid, but not ignorant. He knew too much... and he lingered too long."

He shook his head. "...No. It has to be him."

Resolve settled in his expression. "I need to find him."

Without waiting, Ningyan strode toward the exit, the feather still clasped in his hand and Rong Yue followed with a thoughtful expression on his face.