The sun had just begun to rise over the Bai Clan's eastern gardens, scattering soft pink hues across the jade-colored tiles. The blossoms from the peach trees fluttered down like the final memories of a dream.
Crown Prince Longxuan stirred beneath the silken sheets, eyes fluttering open.
At first, he reached instinctively toward the warmth beside him—toward Lin Xuanji.
But there was nothing there.
The blanket was cold.
He blinked, slowly sitting up. "...Xuanji?"
Only silence answered.
He waited. Perhaps Xuanji had just stepped out—maybe to the garden, maybe to help the child Bai Zhen train again. But his heart already knew the answer.
The subtle scent of blood still lingered faintly in the air.
And the talisman Xuanji always wore around his wrist was left folded neatly on the bedside.
Longxuan's breath caught.
"…No."
He stumbled out of bed, ignoring the dressing robe, his hair still loose around his shoulders as he ran barefoot through the silent halls of the Bai manor.
The Liu Twins and Jiang Fenglie, were eating morning porridge with Bai Zhen, laughing over a story from the war. But they froze when they saw the Crown Prince burst in.
"Crown Prince Longxuan?" Zhenhai stood. "What's wrong?"
"Xuanji," Longxuan whispered. "He's gone."
Everyone stopped.
"What do you mean gone?" Fenglan asked, confused.
"I mean he left. Sometime during the night." Longxuan's voice was tight. "He didn't tell me."
"But—why?" Bai Zhen's small voice trembled. "He… he looked so happy yesterday…"
"I don't know." Longxuan turned away, his jaw clenched. "He left nothing but that talisman behind."
Zhenhai and Fenglan exchanged glances—serious, knowing glances. The kind that only brothers who'd seen death and betrayal could share.
Longxuan's mind spun wildly.
Was it something he said?
Did Xuanji not trust him after all?
No—Xuanji had clung to him last night like he'd never wanted to let go. He had spoken in half-sleep, murmured nonsense, laughed softly when Longxuan kissed his temple.
Then why…?
Unless—
"…Someone else was here," Longxuan muttered.
Fenglan tensed. "You think someone came during the night?"
Longxuan nodded. "Someone he recognized. Someone dangerous. And he left to protect us."
Bai Zhen clutched Fenglan's sleeve. "Is Gege going to come back?"
"I don't know," Fenglan whispered.
"...But I'll findhim," Longxuan said, his voice suddenly low and resolute. "No matter where he went."
The silence that followed was like a funeral bell.
A servant arrived breathless moments later, bowing low. "Your Highness—there's… there's something strange. One of the warding talismans at the cliff's edge is… burned."
Fenglie rose immediately.
"Bring me there," Longxuan said.
They followed the trail outside the Bai manor to a high, cold peak. There, scorched into the stone, were two overlapping energies: one burning with celestial light, the other shadowed and ancient—demonic.
Zhenhai paled. "This is…"
"Divine Qi," Fenglie said grimly. "And something darker."
Longxuan looked over the edge of the cliff and whispered, "What did you do, Xuanji?"
His hands curled into fists.
The faintest scent of plum blossoms still lingered in the wind—Xuanji's scent.
And his absence pressed against the Crown Prince's chest like a weight too heavy to carry.
"…I'm going after him," Longxuan declared. "He's in danger. And if I don't go now, I might lose him forever."
Fenglie stepped forward. "Then we go with you."
"No," Longxuan said softly. "You protect the Bai Clan. And Zhen. I'll go alone. If Xuanji's fighting someone… I won't risk anyone else."
Fenglie bowed his head. "Then take this."
He handed the Crown Prince a small jade compass—a talisman that reacted to energy signatures.
"I marked his Qi last night, just in case," Fenglie said quietly. "It'll guide you to him."
Longxuan gripped it tightly.
"Thank you."
As he mounted his sword to take flight, the rising sun cast a lonely shadow over the cliff.
And far away, beyond the clouds, Lin Xuanji stood alone on a burning ridge—full of blood.