The town of Jinquan rested at the fork of two rivers, a place of old stones and new coin. Red lanterns lined the narrow streets, swaying gently in the breeze. It was not large, but wealthy—its prosperity built on textiles, grain, and an unspoken understanding with the local sects.
By dusk, Bai Yujin's caravan passed through its wooden gates.
Lin Wuyin walked beside it, hood raised, eyes wary.
Even with the quiet elegance of the town, she didn't relax.
Too many eyes watched from behind windows. Too many footsteps moved with unnatural precision.
Yujin noticed too. She didn't show it—but her instructions to the guards were sharp, subtle.
Wuyin murmured, "Three shadowers. South roof, tea house, alley."
Yujin's fan clicked open.
"I only spotted two," she said lightly. "Thank you."
Wuyin didn't reply.
But the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.
Just slightly.
---
That night, the caravan stopped at the Pavilion of Saffron Wind—an inn with paper walls, flowing water features, and servants trained in the art of silence.
Yujin had taken the top floor suite, of course.
She left the other rooms for her people. Wuyin had not asked for one.
And yet—there she was, sitting quietly on the rooftop, legs crossed, sharpening her blade beneath the stars.
Moonlight caught the curve of her dagger.
Yujin climbed up to join her, robes trailing like mist. She carried a bottle of wine in one hand and two cups in the other.
"Do you always sit alone?" she asked.
Wuyin didn't look at her. "It's quiet here."
"And down there isn't?"
Wuyin glanced toward the open window below.
Voices from the inn echoed upward—muffled laughter, clinking dishes, idle chatter of guards speaking of lovers, coin, and fate.
"…Not the kind of quiet I want," Wuyin said.
Yujin sat beside her. "And what kind do you want?"
Wuyin didn't answer right away.
She kept her gaze on the moonlight, on the slow glide of clouds across the sky.
"A silence that doesn't ask anything of me."
Yujin poured the wine. "I see."
They drank in silence.
Wuyin's posture relaxed only a fraction, but it was noticeable.
After a while, Yujin spoke again. "You know, most people are like cities. You see what's on the surface, and you never know what's beneath."
Wuyin hummed. "And what about you?"
Yujin smiled, slow and knowing. "I'm the type of city that lets people get lost in me."
Wuyin looked at her then.
Truly looked.
Bai Yujin was beautiful, yes—but it wasn't the silk or the fan or the painted lips that held power.
It was her mind. Her control.
The ability to speak with layers. To wear a smile like a blade.
Wuyin didn't trust it.
And yet she found herself drawn to it all the same.
"Don't try to seduce me," Wuyin said flatly.
Yujin blinked, then laughed—bright and sharp like bells in cold air. "Is that what you think I'm doing?"
"You're always circling."
"I like knowing where people's lines are."
"And if I don't have any?"
Yujin leaned in, her voice low. "Then you're the most dangerous person I've ever met."
Wuyin tilted her head. "Is that a compliment?"
"It's a fact."
Their eyes met.
Neither looked away.
It would have been too easy to kiss then. Too easy to lean forward and erase the space between them.
But neither moved.
Instead, Yujin poured another cup.
"Flame Serpent Cult won't take that ambush lightly," she said softly. "They'll send more."
"I know."
"We'll reach Baojing in four days. After that…"
Wuyin didn't answer. She stared into her wine.
Yujin's voice lowered. "You'll leave?"
Wuyin nodded.
Yujin turned her face away. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"That's a shame. I was getting used to your silence."
---
Elsewhere in the town, a letter was delivered by raven.
A figure cloaked in black received it beneath the willow trees.
His eyes scanned the script—fluid, elegant.
He frowned.
Then, he burned it.
The ashes scattered on the river breeze.
---
That night, Lin Wuyin dreamed of blood.
Not hers.
Not recently.
A memory, perhaps. Or something deeper.
She stood in a hall made of glass and fire, watching shadows ripple across marble.
A woman in silver robes turned to her.
"You carry my silence now," she said.
"Use it well, child of thorns."
Wuyin reached for her.
But the world shattered.
And she woke.
Alone.