“You understand that I can’t protect you? No matter how careful and well hidden you think you are, Chengxuan will discover you sooner or later, if only through the extremely obvious pattern of killings and the fact that we are meeting like this. I don’t have the authority to get you assigned anywhere else or prevent him from doing whatever he wants to do.”
There were no words of greeting or any attempt to soften the warning. Xiang Muxue did not waste even a breath on ceremony, immediately turning to business the instant they entered the room.
Mo Jian almost wished she had given them a moment first, because the room was worth stopping for.
The journey from the second floor of the palace to the twenty-first had already felt like an ascent through layered heavens. Each level they crossed grew quieter, grander, more removed from mortal concerns. The air itself seemed to thin into something finer and colder, touched by spirit essence so dense that every breath sharpened the mind. By the time Shen Jinglan had led them through the final corridor of lacquered vermilion pillars and gilded archways, Mo Jian was beginning to understand that his own residence below truly was some forgotten corner fit only for minor officials.
This place belonged to another world entirely.
The doors alone stood three men high, carved from pale sandalwood streaked with natural veins of gold. Across their surface stretched ancient mountain ranges rendered in flowing relief: cloud seas, celestial cranes, rivers winding through immortal peaks. Every line shimmered faintly, as though the landscapes might awaken and begin to move if one stared too long.
Beyond them lay a vast palace chamber.
The ceiling arched overhead like the night sky itself, painted in deep indigo lacquer and scattered with tiny spirit pearls that glimmered like constellations. They drifted subtly with the currents of qi, stars shifting across an artificial heaven. From invisible rafters high above hung silver chains bearing crystal lanterns shaped like blooming lotuses. Pale blue flames floated within them, giving off neither smoke nor warmth, only a cool lunar radiance that bathed the chamber in dreamlike light.
The floor was a seamless expanse of polished white jade veined with liquid gold, the patterns beneath their feet forming rivers and mountain contours like a map of some divine realm. Different sections of the chamber had been arranged as though they were separate worlds contained within a single kingdom.
To the east stood a sunken tea court surrounded by low couches upholstered in cloud-silk embroidered with silver phoenix feathers. Thin streams of water wound through miniature channels carved directly into the jade floor, carrying glowing koi no larger than a finger, their scales shining like molten copper beneath the lantern light. Somewhere beneath the floor, hidden mechanisms guided the streams in endless circulation, producing the soft murmur of distant mountain brooks.
Near the western wall rose a grove of spirit bamboo. Moonlight poured over the slender stalks from an opening in the ceiling that should not have existed, silver light cascading through drifting mist. The air there carried the cool scent of rain and wet earth, as though that corner of the chamber belonged to another season entirely.
At the very center of the hall, elevated upon three shallow steps of white crystal, stood a table surrounded by plush velvet cushions. The table itself was absurdly large, carved from a single slab of heavenly mulberry wood streaked with deep violet grain that shimmered faintly beneath the lantern glow. It sat almost entirely empty save for a lone guzheng hovering above its surface, playing a low, haunting melody without touch or musician.
Behind it rose an enormous folding screen of black lacquer and gold leaf depicting a heavenly river descending from the stars. The painted waters seemed alive, because whenever the lantern light shifted, the river flowed with it, currents rippling across the screen like liquid starlight.
Xiang Muxue sat at the head of the table, framed by the celestial river behind her. She wore robes of pure white that shimmered like freshly fallen snow beneath moonlight. Her luminous eyes held a faint golden sheen, subtle as sunlight caught in glass.
Mo Jian and Bai Ning approached through air heavy with floral incense and cedarwood, each step stirring traces of perfume as though the chamber itself breathed fragrance. They seated themselves beside the princess, while Shen Jinglan remained below on the jade floor, never ascending the crystal steps to join them at the table.
“We know,” Mo Jian answered honestly. “We’re prepared for that.”
Xiang Muxue watched them with unwavering intensity, weighing the truth of his words. After a long moment, she finally gave a small nod. Her fingers tapped lightly against the surface of the table as she considered her next question, and beneath each touch the violet grain of the heavenly mulberry wood rippled and shifted like disturbed water.
“How did you do it?” she asked at last. “What is it that you possess that allows you to kill cultivators at the same realm so easily, without anyone being the wiser?”
Mo Jian wished there had at least been tea served. A cup would have given him something to occupy himself with while pretending not to hear the question. Taking a sip and ignoring inconvenient conversations had always worked wonders for him.
Unfortunately, the table remained stubbornly bare.
He opened his mouth to answer-
Only for Bai Ning to speak first.
“It’s a secret.”
Xiang Muxue turned toward her slowly, eyes narrowing with renewed scrutiny.
“That is hardly an answer,” she said. “Is it connected to the gui? Have you discovered some method of wielding it that no one else has fathomed? Is that why you are going through such a roundabout process to reach my grandfather? Something you refuse to reveal to anyone else?”
Mo Jian immediately seized the opportunity. “It’s a secret,” he repeated.
Xiang Muxue was far too refined to glare openly, but the look she gave him carried enough restrained irritation that he felt well and truly glared at regardless.
“Very well,” she said at last, voice cool and composed. “If you refuse to answer, then there is little point in pursuing the matter further. But this next question you must answer. Otherwise, I will not deal with you at all.”
Her golden eyes fixed squarely on him.
“What is it that you want from my grandfather?”
Mo Jian considered the question. A faint breeze drifted through the chamber from the bamboo grove, carrying cool air and the ghost of incense.
“That,” he said slowly, “is also something we will discuss only with him. But you may rest assured that it is nothing harmful – though it’s not as if we could harm him in the first place – and certainly nothing worthy of having us executed for insolence.”
He leaned back slightly against the velvet cushion.
“It is an important matter. A truly important one. If I were in greater haste, I would have risked requesting a public audience instead. But we still have some time. Not much, admittedly, yet enough that I can afford to handle this properly.” A faint smile touched his lips. “I know the Immortal Emperor is rather strict about propriety.”
In truth, calling the Immortal Emperor strict about propriety was a dramatic understatement.
In the original story, the Immortal Emperor had stood as one of Ye Chen’s enemies for a considerable portion of the narrative. The two had only become allies once the Immortal of Slaughter fully emerged and began devastating entire regions unchecked. Part of their hostility had stemmed from Ye Chen’s irreverent, devil-may-care attitude. The rest came from the rather significant detail that Ye Chen had personally slaughtered Chengxuan and his entire immediate family.
Which was precisely why Mo Jian was jumping through so many hoops now.
Even with the end of the world looming on the horizon, approaching the Immortal Emperor carelessly was a terrible idea. Better to present himself with every possible advantage, and, more importantly, in a manner that did not offend the old immortal before the conversation had even begun.
“An important matter,” Xiang Muxue repeated, fingertips resting lightly against her lips as though she were tasting the words themselves. “Important enough that you believe only a true private audience, the kind only the reigning Emperor or the crown heir may request, is sufficient for your purposes.”
It was not truly a question, despite the shape of it.
Mo Jian still offered a shallow nod, while beside him Bai Ning smiled cheerfully in agreement.
Xiang Muxue sighed softly.
“Do you understand what it takes to become crown heir?” she asked. Before Mo Jian could answer, she lifted a hand to stop him. “Do not respond. I can already tell that you do.”
She leaned slightly back against her seat, white sleeves cascading like flowing snow.
“Then you also know that I require the support of at least one army general, the backing of a ministry, and the absence of open opposition from the rest of the imperial family. My uncle’s indifference cuts both ways. Because he tolerates Chengxuan, he is unlikely to move openly against me, but that still leaves an enormous amount of ground to cover.”
Her gaze sharpened.
“So why me? Yesterday, you claimed you had nothing to offer beyond the gui, and that was why you chose me. But the ability to kill nearly anyone within the palace walls without detection is valuable enough to bargain with on its own. You could have approached Chengxuan and leveraged that instead.”
A brief pause followed.
“Why come to me?”
Mo Jian answered with the seriousness the question deserved.
“Even assuming that would have worked – and to be clear, I’m not convinced it would have – it still would not have been a path I was willing to take.” His voice remained calm and even. “I simply do not approve of Prince Xiang Chengxuan. Supporting him would have been far worse than supporting you.”
He held her gaze steadily.
“Even given your current position, I would still rather work with you than with him. Power can be acquired. Political backing can be built. Authority can be earned, given time." He shook his head faintly. "Those are achievable. Decency is much harder to find."
Xiang Muxue showed no visible reaction, either to the answer itself or the quiet flattery woven into it. Instead, she studied him, and then Bai Ning, with an intensity that made Mo Jian feel as though she were attempting to strip away every layer of pretense and peer directly at whatever truth lay beneath.
After a long silence, she murmured, “… only against those who have crossed a line from which there is no return. That is what you said yesterday.”
Mo Jian inclined his head once.
A complicated expression passed over Xiang Muxue's face, something caught between a smile and a grimace, as though she couldn't quite decide which the moment called for.
"An assassin with morals," she said. "Now I truly have seen everything."
Mo Jian resisted the urge to make a face. Beside him, Bai Ning failed entirely, looking openly offended on his behalf.
“I won’t contest the label,” Mo Jian said evenly, though his tone suggested he wanted to. “When I first stepped onto this path, I understood that I would have to kill people-” He paused briefly before correcting himself. “More people than I already had.”
The words settled heavily in the air.
“And I also knew not all of those deaths would necessarily be for righteous reasons. But at the same time…” He exhaled quietly. “I never want to become someone who kills indiscriminately either.”
He met her eyes again.
“Call me whatever you like. I still have lines I refuse to cross.” A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “And yes, that is part of the reason I came to you instead of anyone else.”
Xiang Muxue was quiet for a long moment, fingers still against the table.
"Well," she said at last, "I can't claim I dislike hearing that. And if you are telling the truth, you certainly won't run short of targets anytime soon. My cousin has a habit of surrounding himself with truly irredeemable people in the name of utility."
Neither Mo Jian nor Bai Ning responded to that. The silence itself was answer enough.
Eventually, Xiang Muxue straightened.
“Very well. Anything beyond this point would simply be procrastination.” Her gaze settled on Mo Jian again. “How do you intend to seal this arrangement? An alliance requires more than words.”
Mo Jian smiled faintly. He had expected that question from the moment the princess requested this meeting. He and Bai Ning had already discussed the matter at length, and in the end, the solution had been surprisingly simple.
“I am willing to swear a soul oath,” Mo Jian said.
Those luminous golden eyes fixed on him once more, sharp and probing, before slowly narrowing in thought.
“That is… a beginning,” Xiang Muxue admitted. “But it is insufficient. A soul oath can only be sworn by a Nascent Soul cultivator. I cannot reciprocate.” She paused, turning the problem over. “Unless you are willing to forgo any oath from my side and simply trust me, we will need to find another meth-”
“I am.”
The interruption cut cleanly through her sentence.
Beside him, Bai Ning pressed her lips together, visibly displeased, though she ultimately remained silent. Of all the parts of their plan, this was the one she objected to most strongly. She had argued repeatedly for the use of some binding artifact or ancient contract treasure instead. Mo Jian disagreed. Any external binding could eventually be broken. He meant for their alliance to rest less on magical enforcement and more on mutual benefit, and on his own knowledge of the sort of person Xiang Muxue truly was.
“I’m willing to swear the oath without demanding one in return,” he said calmly. “I will uphold everything we discussed. I will do my utmost to help you become crown heir, never betray your trust, and support you however I can.” His gaze remained steady. “In exchange, once you possess the authority to do so, you will arrange a private meeting between me and the Immortal Emperor.”
For the first time since they had met her, Xiang Muxue seemed genuinely at a loss for words.
She stared at him in silence, surprise flickering openly across her face, unguarded, before slowly turning toward Bai Ning.
Bai Ning answered with a pained shrug.
One of Xiang Muxue's brows rose in visible incredulity.
At last she looked back at Mo Jian.
“Very well,” she said quietly. “Swear the oath now.” A faint pause followed before she added, “And in return… though my word cannot be enforced through heaven and earth, know that I am not in the habit of breaking it.”
Her voice remained calm, but there was a weight behind it now. “I too will uphold everything we have discussed.”
The oath itself took barely a minute. When it was done, Mo Jian felt it settle around his nascent soul like a strand of fine silk, thin and nearly weightless. It clung to him with the faint discomfort of a cobweb brushing against skin; noticeable, but easy enough to ignore once one stopped thinking about it.
Across the table, Xiang Muxue gave a slow nod, her expression turning thoughtful. They were bound together now, in a manner of speaking, and from the distant look in her eyes, she was already several steps ahead, plotting future moves.
Mo Jian decided to interrupt before she disappeared entirely into strategy.
“What next?” he asked. “Do you already have something in mind, or should we try to plan this together?”
She did not answer immediately. Outside, the spirit bamboo stirred in some unfelt wind, and the guzheng's melody drifted through the chamber, low and unbroken.
Finally, she spoke. "How long can you remain absent from your posts? Depending on how much time we have, there are several directions we could begin with, but none of them matter if you are punished or removed from your duties before we accomplish anything."
Bai Ning answered first, piecing the estimate together as she spoke. "Given the ash beast we killed most recently and how often reports are expected… the disciples should be capable of keeping the Incense Forest operational for several weeks without issue. Longer still if we instruct them not to report our absence." She glanced toward Mo Jian. "A month, perhaps, before things become impossible to hide and Xiang'an is forced to go over our heads."
Mo Jian considered that estimate before nodding slowly. It aligned closely with his own calculations.
"Hm." Xiang Muxue lowered her gaze briefly. "Then we have one advantage right now that we will never have again."
Her golden eyes lifted. "You are unknown."
The words hung quietly in the chamber.
“No one realizes a threat like you exists yet. Chengxuan may already be monitoring me, but a meeting with two newly arrived cultivators is hardly enough to provoke serious suspicion.” Her fingers stilled against the table. “That means our first move matters enormously. If we choose carefully… if we target something that gives us lasting leverage or places us in a stronger position before anyone understands what is happening… the advantage compounds.”
She trailed off, still thinking through possibilities.
“Like targeting one of Chengxuan’s closest ministers or allies?” Mo Jian suggested. “If someone important suddenly disappears, it could destabilize him enough to create an opening.”
He was not especially fond of the idea. Killing someone merely for their proximity to Xiang Chengxuan left a sour taste in his mouth. Still, given the prince’s habits, Mo Jian doubted any of those associates were particularly innocent.
But Xiang Muxue shook her head immediately.
“That is a trap,” she said flatly. “Nothing more. Chengxuan excels at plots. He arranges matters so thoroughly that his enemies destroy themselves while he remains untouched. Fighting him directly within the sphere of politics is simply playing to his strengths.”
She leaned forward slightly, gaze intent. “If we want to win, then we cannot follow the board he has already prepared. We must overturn the table entirely to keep him reacting and off balance.” A brief pause followed. “That is the only way we stay ahead of him.”
Her expression hardened. “If we attempt to outmaneuver him through ordinary political games, he will win. That is his specialty.”
Mo Jian and Bai Ning exchanged a brief glance. That… was not encouraging. And Xiang Muxue, more than anyone else in the palace, would understand exactly how dangerous Xiang Chengxuan truly was. If even she spoke of him this way, then the prince’s reputation was probably not exaggerated in the slightest.
“Then what?” Bai Ning asked plainly.
Xiang Muxue's eyes narrowed slowly. "What we need is something that builds our strength and reduces his simultaneously, and preferably something he won't see coming because it doesn't look like an attack until it's already done. Removing a minister accomplishes neither. The loss would be irritating, not crippling, and it would make him alert." She tapped the table once in thought. "What would actually shift the balance is breaking his hold on the Inner Court. If I could arrange for General Tang to return and-" She stopped, straightening. “Wait, I have it.” Something had clicked into place behind her eyes, her white robes fluttering as her expression lit with sudden inspiration.
Mo Jian and Bai Ning watched her closely. A moment later, they realized she was smiling.
“Mo Jian,” she asked, “can you steal something from a cultivator without them noticing?”
Mo Jian raised an eyebrow, considering it carefully. Before… before, he would have said no. But now, after beginning to master the abilities that came with the Netherworld Scorpion more deeply, it was possible. Difficult, but possible.
“I can,” he said slowly, “but it will be tricky. In fact, it might only be feasible if the target is someone we intend to kill. That way, I can guarantee success.” He paused. “And just so we’re clear, it helps if I know where the cultivator will be. I can’t track them if they’re not present or are too far away. At the very least, I need access to them once, even if you can’t guarantee where they’ll be afterward.”
Xiang Muxue’s smile only widened. “Good. That all sounds workable. Then we’ll target General Shi Wanjun. He is the General of the Lion Army, and one of my cousin’s strongest supporters. More than that, it is because of him that the Lion Army now patrols the Inner Court. If we remove him and take what he carries… it will resolve many problems at once. And if I can convince General Tang Huwei to return, we can force the Lion Army out entirely, and even secure both of your positions within the Inner Court. It’s the best move we can make right now.”
Her confidence was reassuring, but Mo Jian and Bai Ning still exchanged a doubtful glance.
Mo Jian pressed the point. “I don’t understand. I know the Tiger General was crippled fifty years ago and once supported your father, but how would killing the Lion General help convince him to return? And allow the Tiger Army to take control of the Inner Court? Isn’t that determined by the centennial rankings? And what exactly is this item you’re planning to take?”
Xiang Muxue smoothed her robes, rising to her feet.
"Come," she said simply. "I'll explain on the way. We're going to pay a visit to the Lion General."
.......................................................................................
AN: As I said, from here on out, it's war; albeit a civilized one, depending on your definition of the term.