The princess stirred up another storm, seeking out Li Xian with instructions

Seeing that it was growing late, Li Xian closed the pouch's mouth and took the Blade Boat back to the island. He immediately met with Zhao Yingqiong and told her about the "Golden General's remains" on Volcano Island. Zhao Yingqiong slapped the table and rose at once, asking gravely, "Is this true?" Li Xian handed her the Golden Cavalry Token. "See for yourself, General." Zhao Yingqiong took the token and examined it, rubbing her fingers over its surface. "This is indeed a Golden Cavalry Token. A Golden General's token like this is forged from refined gold essence. The patterns within it are unique to Jade City. No one elsewhere could counterfeit them."

"Then there's little room for doubt," Li Xian said. Zhao Yingqiong pondered briefly. "The death of a Golden General is no small matter. We cannot leave anything uncertain. Tomorrow, I'll personally visit the island to investigate his cause of death and bring his remains back for burial."

"Nothing could be better!" Li Xian said.

She paced back and forth, decisive as thunder and swift as the wind, bearing herself with a great general's dignity. "Unexpected things happen in war. This must not spread, lest it shake the troops' morale." Li Xian assented.

That night, after eating his fill, Li Xian quietly practiced his martial arts again, using Profound Flame Palm with his left hand and Mysterious Water Palm with his right. His palm force alternated between scorching heat and profound cold. Though these two palm arts shared the same origin and concealed a deep connection, using them together meant constantly shifting between searing heat and icy cold within a single breath. It was all too easy for malign wind to invade from outside and make the body ill. Even something as hard as dark iron risked snapping if