The figure at the alley entrance flashed past and vanished. I chased after it for a few steps, but only caught a wisp of dust swept up by the wind. Gravel crunched beneath my feet, and the edge of the copper coin in my palm dug painfully into my skin, yet I did not pursue any further.
On the way back, the door to the Medicine Hut stood half-open. Lamplight leaked through the crack and swayed across the bluestone steps. I paused, then approached with softened footsteps and heard a low, cold voice from within—it was Ye Qingwan.
"Your eyes changed when you made your move last night."
I did not push the door open. Standing in the shadows outside, I listened to the movements inside. Hongxiu's breathing was somewhat unsteady, like a small beast backed into a corner, yet she was forcing herself to remain calm.
"I know what you saw." Her voice was soft, but it did not tremble. "But I am not an enemy."
"Then what are you?" Ye Qingwan did not raise her voice, but every word was like an iron weight pressed onto a scale. "People do not ignite fire out of thin air, much less use that kind of flame to force back Mo Xuan's poisoned needles. Tell me, what was that?"
The room fell silent for a moment. Then came the crisp sound of a jade bracelet slipping down over a wrist bone.
Through the crack in the door, I saw Hongxiu raise her hand. A cluster of crimson-gold flame floated above her palm. It burned nothing and did not flicker. It simply hung there in silence, casting a golden sheen into the depths of her eyes.
"I am a descendant of the Phoenix Remnant Tribe of the Southern Wasteland," she said. "Of