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After leaving the hot spring cavern, Cai Zhao followed a long, winding stone corridor. Gradually she began to catch the fresh scent of ice and snow, seeping in through tiny holes in the walls. It meant they were close to the outside. On the way, Cai Zhao asked the woman in white what she should call her. "Snow Maiden," she said. It was obviously not a real name, but if someone plainly doesn't want to tell you, there is nothing you can do about it. The Snow Maiden had unusually pale skin and eyes of a very light color. At first glance she seemed to be in her early twenties, but up close Cai Zhao could tell she was nearly thirty. Her speech was halting at first, and only after Cai Zhao had asked a few more questions did it grow fluent. Someone who has lived alone for many years, Cai Zhao thought. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the woman in white led Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao into a stone chamber. Like the hot spring cavern and the corridor before it,...

Mu Qingyan lay on his back in the warm spring water, his young, supple limbs loosened as far as they would go, and simply floated. He was exhausted. He had struggled against the raging flood for nearly two hours and had nothing left. He had been ruthless and cold-blooded since childhood and had never feared any enemy, but when the vast force of heaven and earth came down on him, he found there was nothing he could do against it. A little longer in that churning spring and he would have passed out. Luckily, the current had carried them to a calm, wide stone channel. He tightened his right hand. In his palm lay a small, limp hand, and their wrists were bound together with a sash. Cai Zhao floated beside him, still unconscious. He had to keep her mouth and nose above the water, so he never let his attention drift. Through the worst of the surging waves he had had no choice but to hold her tightly in his arms, and only here did he dare let her float free. Though the sash tied them toge...

Commander Shen had probably never met such a heedless girl. Was his reputation not bad enough, or had she not been snubbed enough the day before? She showed no fear and made no attempt to avoid him. A bow would have been enough, but she smiled as well. The smile struck him as strange. He passed her with a cold face, yet he could not help glancing back at her once. Bao Xian stayed at Qing Yuan's side and did not dare lift her head until the footsteps on the wooden corridor opposite had faded. The Xie household was now entirely under the control of the Palace Command. Everyone coming in or out was questioned by the guards at the gate, and the whole house was wary of the men in brocade and gilded armor. "Is that the Commander?" Bao Xian stole another look at his retreating back. Those tall men gave off a crushing presence even without their armor. The group had swept in like a gust of wind and were soon inside the eastern banqueting hall. Perhaps because the hardness of so...

Preparing the funds and leading his men besides: it was plainly a hint. He was to stockpile enough silver, and someone would come to collect it later. Xie Shu left the Commander's residence and stood a while on the steps. June was almost here, and the sun burned against his skin. When he looked up, the ring of golden light swelled endlessly, then shrank to the size of a pupil, and a wave of dizziness hit him. His attendant hurried over to steady him. "It's hot, master. Be careful of heatstroke. Let's go home." Xie Shu waved him off. The heat rose in thick waves and left his mind foggy. He tugged at his collar and walked quickly to the carriage, climbed in, ordered the driver to take him home, then leaned against the side panel with his eyes shut and concentrated on his breathing. Old Madam questioned him closely about what had happened, then let out a long sigh. "I always said there must be an old grudge, or Shen Run wouldn't have made things so diffi...