For three days, X'ian wandered through the mountains south of Tianzhou. The further she traveled, the harsher the terrain became. Dense forests covered the slopes, while jagged cliffs rose like stone walls toward the heavens. Villages became scarce. Travelers became even rarer. It was exactly the kind of place a fugitive would choose to hide.
Unfortunately, it was also the kind of place where a person could disappear forever.
By the morning of the fourth day, her food had nearly run out.
She sat beside a narrow stream, filling a bamboo flask with water while trying to ignore the hunger twisting inside her stomach. The clear water reflected a face she barely recognized. Her skin was dirtier than it had ever been. Her hair, once carefully arranged by servants, hung loosely around her shoulders. Dark circles rested beneath her eyes.
A month ago, she had been the daughter of one of the empire's most respected officials.
Now she looked like an ordinary refugee.
Perhaps that was a blessing.
The fewer people who recognized her, the longer she would survive.
After drinking, she continued climbing a narrow mountain path. Clouds drifted overhead, casting shadows across the forest below. The silence should have been peaceful, but it wasn't. Ever since leaving Qinghe Village, she had felt as though someone was watching her.
At first, she dismissed the feeling as fear.
Now she wasn't so certain.
The path curved around a rocky outcrop. As she stepped forward, her eyes landed on something unusual.
Footprints.
Several pairs.
Fresh.
The soil had been disturbed recently.
X'ian crouched and examined them carefully.
Men.
At least four of them.
Moving in the same direction she was.
Her pulse quickened.
She rose immediately and looked around.
The forest remained still.
Birds chirped among the trees. Wind rustled the leaves.
Nothing appeared out of place.
Yet her instincts warned her otherwise.
She resumed walking, this time more cautiously.
An hour later, the trail narrowed into a ridge overlooking a deep valley. Steep cliffs dropped away on both sides. It wasn't a place where someone could easily change direction.
As she reached the center of the ridge, a figure stepped onto the path ahead.
A man dressed in dark clothing.
Another emerged behind him.
Then two more appeared from the trees.
Four men.
They had been waiting.
The leader removed a folded parchment from his robe and glanced at it before looking back at her face.
A smile slowly appeared.
"Looks like we found her."
The others laughed.
X'ian's heart sank.
There was no point denying it.
The parchment was almost certainly a wanted notice.
Minister Zhao had moved faster than she expected.
The leader rolled up the parchment.
"I was beginning to think we'd searched the wrong mountains."
"Who sent you?" X'ian asked.
The man raised an eyebrow.
"Does it matter?"
"It does to me."
He chuckled.
"Then I'll satisfy your curiosity. Minister Zhao dislikes unfinished business."
Hatred flared inside her chest.
Even now, after destroying her family, Zhao Kang refused to leave anything to chance.
The leader rested a hand on his sword.
"You've caused us quite a bit of trouble, Lady X'ian."
The title sounded like mockery.
"I haven't done anything."
"No. But one day you might."
The casual way he said it frightened her more than any threat.
These men weren't hunting her because of what she had done.
They were hunting her because of what she could become.
The leader took a step forward.
"You should consider yourself fortunate. This will be quick."
X'ian slowly drew the dagger Uncle Han had given her.
The assassins exchanged amused looks.
One of them laughed outright.
"She plans to fight."
"What else can she do?" another replied.
The leader shook his head.
"Children."
X'ian knew the odds.
Four experienced killers against a girl who had never been in a real fight.
There was no path to victory.
But surrender wasn't an option.
She remembered her father's final words.
She remembered the blood staining the execution platform.
She remembered her oath.
If death had come for her today, then she would face it standing.
The assassins advanced.
One step.
Then another.
Suddenly, a voice echoed across the ridge.
"Four grown men against a single girl."
The voice sounded old and annoyed.
"What a disappointing sight."
Everyone froze.
The assassins immediately searched the surrounding trees.
"Who's there?" one demanded.
No answer came.
Instead, a small stone flew through the air.
The leader barely noticed it.
Until it struck his wrist.
A sharp crack echoed across the ridge.
The sword fell from his hand.
The assassin cried out in pain and stumbled backward.
His wrist hung at an unnatural angle.
Broken.
The others stared in disbelief.
A stone had done that.
Another stone appeared.
Then another.
The projectiles moved so quickly they became little more than blurs.
One assassin collapsed clutching his knee.
A second dropped to the ground after being struck in the shoulder.
The third received a blow to the chest powerful enough to send him sprawling backward.
Within moments, all four men lay groaning on the ground.
X'ian stood speechless.
She had never witnessed anything like it.
A figure emerged from the trees.
An old man dressed in plain gray robes.
His beard was long and white. A wooden walking stick rested in one hand. He looked more like a wandering scholar than someone capable of defeating armed assassins.
Yet the moment the killers saw him, their expressions changed.
Fear replaced confidence.
The leader struggled to his feet.
His face had gone pale.
"No..."
The old man sighed.
"No what?"
"It can't be you."
The old man looked mildly offended.
"Why do people always say that?"
The assassin swallowed hard.
"Ghost Strategist."
The title meant nothing to X'ian.
Judging from the assassins' reactions, however, it meant a great deal to them.
The old man rolled his eyes.
"I really dislike that name."
None of the assassins laughed.
The old man pointed his walking stick toward the forest.
"Leave."
The command wasn't loud.
Yet it carried an authority impossible to ignore.
The assassins exchanged nervous glances.
A few moments later, they turned and fled.
Not one of them questioned the order.
Not one of them looked back.
Soon the ridge was quiet again.
The old man watched until they disappeared before turning toward X'ian.
For several moments, he studied her without speaking.
His eyes were sharp.
Far sharper than those of any ordinary elder.
It felt as though he were examining every thought hidden inside her mind.
Finally, he nodded.
"You resemble your father."
X'ian stiffened.
"You knew him?"
The old man's expression softened slightly.
"Many years ago."
"What was his name?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Testing me already?"
"My father's enemies also claimed to know him."
The smile widened.
"A fair point."
He tapped his walking stick against the ground.
"Xian Ren once defeated me in a game of strategy after three days and three nights. He was unbearably proud of himself for an entire year."
For the first time since meeting him, X'ian felt a hint of trust.
The story sounded exactly like something her father would do.
The old man glanced toward the mountains.
"I heard what happened in Tianzhou."
Silence settled between them.
"There was nothing I could do," he continued quietly.
"Nobody could."
The words hurt because they were true.
The old man looked at her for a moment before speaking again.
"What do you intend to do now?"
The question caught her off guard.
She had spent so much time thinking about survival that she had never truly considered the future.
At last, she answered honestly.
"I want justice."
The old man chuckled.
"No. You want revenge."
X'ian couldn't deny it.
He studied her expression before nodding.
"Good. At least you're honest."
Most elders would have lectured her.
Most would have spoken about forgiveness.
This man did neither.
He simply turned and began walking.
"Come."
She frowned.
"Where?"
"My home."
The answer surprised her.
"Why would you help me?"
The old man stopped.
For a brief moment, sadness crossed his face.
"Because I owed your father a debt."
Then he resumed walking.
X'ian remained still for several seconds.
The sensible choice would have been caution.
Trusting strangers was dangerous.
Yet something about the old man felt genuine.
More importantly, he had saved her life.
The mountains stretched endlessly before them.
The path ahead remained uncertain.
But for the first time since fleeing the capital, X'ian felt she wasn't completely alone.
Taking a deep breath, she followed him into the forest.
Neither of them noticed the hawk circling high above the mountains.
Nor did they know that far away in Tianzhou, Minister Zhao Kang had just received news that Lady X'ian was still alive.
The hunt was far from over.