Luo Ningcha jolted awake from a nightmare. She had seen a vast crowd of traitors surging toward her, shouting and waving their blades, their passions running high. Among them were not only the soldiers of Iron Mountain, but also Madam Meng, He Nu, and others. The villain leading them wasn't Nage, but Queen Ju. The Dragon King and her father, Great Head God, stood side by side in the distance, watching coldly. Neither of them planned to come to her rescue.
She was drenched in sweat, her neck clammy. Sitting in the darkness, she felt utterly helpless. It took her a long while to remember that she was staying in the Dragon Army's camp, surrounded by strangers. She didn't even have a single familiar maid with her.
As the dream faded, only one scene remained vivid in Luo Ningcha's mind. She thought indignantly, Why wouldn't the Dragon King save me? It took her a while longer to free herself from the misty, insubstantial fantasy.
The Dragon King had already saved her, but he had killed only Nage and let the others go.
Even after she came to her senses, Luo Ningcha's anger hadn't abated. It was directed at the Dragon King, though he wasn't the reason for it.
That had been two or three hours earlier. The Dragon King had already left camp and returned to the city. Luo Ningcha was still shaken, laughing and crying as she clung to Shangguan Cheng, when a special visitor arrived from the city.
Queen Ju had sent a maid to pay her respects to Madam Luo of Iron Mountain, bring her a gift to calm her nerves, and offer her condolences. The gift was a pair of exquisite green jade vases.
The maid stood instead of kneeling. She gave a slight nod and