“You seem to have thought this through already,” Bai Ling said, her expression pained. “For the record, I’ve fought back long and hard. The opportunity just seems too good to pass on this time.”
Beside her, Ji Bingxue said nothing. From her, Hong Xin could feel only sadness.
Hong Xin smiled reassuringly. “With this last act, I can ensure that all our sisters are taken care of,” she said. “Unfortunately, I will have to leave you.”
“You don’t have to,” Bai Ling cut in. “There’s no reason for them to force you out of this very building.”
“You know full well why she has to go,” Mistress Huang said, her expression stern. “As I warned you, a retired queen will always hold sway. The leadership of the Red Dust Pavilion would be uncertain. She can only leave to grant you all peace of mind.” She shook her head. “But you can relax. I will go with her to protect her.”
Hong Xin looked up at her. She was both pleased and shocked at her offer. Hong Xin shook her head. “You’re needed here, with them.”
Mistress Huang sniffed. “I am a dinosaur. A memory of an era best forgotten. I have been heir to your throne twice, and I have far too many skeletons in my closet. Besides, if you don’t let me come, I’ll just follow you from afar. I have too few hobbies in my old age, so go ahead and try running. I have plenty of spare time.”
Hong Xin smiled. Mistress Huang rarely showed it, but she did have an affectionate side within that cold exterior of hers. “Very well,” Hong Xin said. She waved her hand, and the simple red robe she wore turned violet. She also changed the glamor on her face. She walked over to a cupboard, where she took out a small bundle. They were her red phoenix dress and her phoenix coronet, the symbols of the Red Dust Headmistress. She’d removed them before they’d come.
She placed them on top of the dresser, feeling the soft fabric of the dress for what would probably be the last time. The peak-core treasure had saved her life many times. She felt for the connection that bound it to her and severed it, freeing it up for Bai Ling’s bond.
“No need to see us out,” Hong Xin said, walking toward the back of the room. There, a secret door opened into a narrow hallway. Mistress Huang followed behind her, her dress also changing to a purple hue, and her face had changed to an older, plainer appearance.
“Hong Xin,” Bai Ling said. By now, she had also teared up. Bai Ling, who never cried, finally shed a tear for her. “Take care.”
“I will,” Hong Xin said. She closed the door, leaving the only meaningful life she had behind her.
“Well, that was dramatic,” Mistress Huang said, eating a dumpling from the soup they’d just purchased at a small shop in Gold Leaf City. “Couldn’t have done it better myself. Tears and all.”
“It’s relieving, in a sense,” Hong Xin said. “I thought I’d need to spend the rest of my life in that place. Now I’m free to do whatever I wish.”
“I’m sure that won’t involve getting closer to a certain someone,” Mistress Huang said, rolling her eyes. “Poor old me, retiring from a position of power only to be stuck playing chaperone for two secret lovebirds.”
“No one asked you to come,” Hong Xin said, sniffing. But yes, that was the plan. Perhaps now, she could truly help Wang Jun in his endeavors. She wouldn’t have access to the same resources, but at least now she wouldn’t have to distance herself from him on purpose. As for revealing herself to his family, what did she have to worry about? She was stronger than most cultivators. If they refused her, she didn’t know what to say. She could take care of herself.
“It won’t be all fun and games, you know,” Mistress Huang said, fishing out another dumpling from her soup. She bit its corner and dipped it in a bowl of vinegar off to the side, letting the vinegar fill what little space was left within the rubbery shell. Otherwise, the vinegar would simply roll off the smooth dough shell.
“I know,” Hong Xin said. “But what’s the worst that could happen? They won’t like me? They’ll call me names? Or will they go all out and—”
“Duck!” Mistress Huang said, throwing the table up. The restaurant they were in exploded, sending bits of wood and metal flying everywhere. Flying swords swung at them, and Mistress Huang threw up dual shields of fire and ice to deflect them, summoning her own sabers in the process.
Hong Xin summoned her fan and swung it. Hundreds of blades were blown away by the raging fire that burst out of it, some cutting into those who’d thrown them. Wherever the flames passed, icy shards came out from the ground, piercing shadowy figures that had appeared all around the restaurant undetected.
“Spectral Assassins!” Hong Xin yelled to Mistress Huang, who nodded as she deflected a few blows and pierced one of them in the heart. Its body collapsed, leaving behind only a cloak and short swords.
Since they’d avoided the initial strike, chains flew out all around them. Hong Xin and Mistress Huang danced around them, slashing at assassins, striking out with ice and flame as they drew closer. They navigated the chain-filled maze with inhuman precision, avoiding the dark chains with everything they had. They wanted nothing to do with those black links that gleamed with a thin violet substance. Likely poison, the kind that could be absorbed through the skin.
“Look out!” Mistress Huang yelled. She grabbed Hong Xin by the cultivation robe and threw her back just in time to avoid a dozen spears. Each of them was a peak-core-formation treasure.
Hong Xin tumbled through the air, and by the time she recovered, she could only look on in shock
