The red silk of Xiǎo Hóng's robe brushed quietly against the shiny black floor as she looked around her room. The chamber was made from one huge piece of jade and gave off a low, steady energy. Now the new leader of a hidden group of spies, killers, and magic users, Xiǎo Hóng was feared across the land as the "Lord of Dread," a title she earned through years of ruthless work.
Far above the busy city, hidden among the misty mountains, stood Jiǔ Tiān's temple... a peaceful place far from Xiǎo Hóng's violent world. Jiǔ Tiān, a powerful immortal, was still hurt by the memory of Ling Yǔ, the woman he once loved and lost. He spent his days tending his magical garden and his nights in silence, clinging to the hope that she might come back. In the quiet glow of incense and prayer, he sometimes thought he saw her again... in Yinou's eyes. He knew she had been reborn and hoped it meant Ling Yǔ would return.
He and Xiǎo Hóng didn't meet often, and when they did, tension hung in the air. One night, under the moonlight, she saw him in the market. At first, she looked at him with disgust. Her dark powers reacted to his presence. But something about the sadness in his eyes made her pause.
"Why are you hiding under my tree?" she asked coldly. "Looking to save lost souls?"
Jiǔ Tiān looked up. His face was calm but sad. "Maybe I just want to remind them of who they used to be," he answered quietly. "Even the darkest hearts can still find light, if they remember."
"Light?" she laughed, stepping closer. "What good is light in this world? It only shows us more shadows."
"Even shadows can lead us somewhere," he said gently. "They show us where we've been... and maybe where we can go."
She paused, caught off guard by his words. But she quickly put her mask back on. "You think too much, immortal. I'm no lost soul. I'm a queen with no chains."
As time passed, Jiǔ Tiān began leaving small gifts where he knew she'd find them—a perfect lotus, a jade bird. Each one carried a soft energy, a quiet message, as if asking her to remember something long forgotten.
But danger was growing. Zhang Li, once her ally, now her enemy, feared her growing power. He sent his best warrior, Yueqing, to kill her.
One night, after finding another of Jiǔ Tiān's gifts, Xiǎo Hóng finally snapped. "Why do you keep doing this?" she asked him. "Do you think these little presents will change who I am?"
"I don't want to change you," he said. "Just help you remember. You were more than this."
"I am Xiǎo Hóng," she shouted. "The Lord of Dread. There's no room for weakness in me."
"Is that what you believe?" he asked softly. "Don't you feel something deep inside? A part of you that wants to connect?"
Her breath caught. "You know nothing about me."
"But I see you," he said, looking into her eyes. "There's something locked away inside you. A memory waiting to come back."
She looked away, trying to hide the crack in her armor. "I don't need your pity."
Just then, a clash of weapons broke the air. Yueqing stepped out from the shadows, blade ready. Xiǎo Hóng summoned her dark power, prepared to fight.
The battle was wild, magic and steel everywhere. Xiǎo Hóng fought hard, her power like a storm. But just before she could finish Yueqing, Jiǔ Tiān stepped in, his light breaking the darkness.
"Stop!" he said, his voice full of power. "Don't dirty her hands."
Xiǎo Hóng paused, confused by a strange feeling in her chest. In that moment, Hua Lin jumped from the shadows and stabbed her.
Yueqing fell back, breathing hard. Hua Lin pulled him away. "We have to go, now!" she shouted.
From the shadows, Su Ning and Susu watched. They were following Xiǎo Hóng, hoping to find the artifact Zhang Li kept... an item that could save someone Su Ning loved.
"Should we help her?" Susu asked, watching the fight.
"Not yet," Su Ning said, eyes sharp.
Xiǎo Hóng was bleeding and dizzy. Jiǔ Tiān stepped toward her. "Hold onto me."
She coughed up blood and tried to push him away, but he held her—one arm around her waist, the other gripping her wrist. She glared at him.
"Pervert," she growled, but he didn't move.
She spat blood in his face and tried to curse him with her eyes—but he didn't even blink. She frowned, confused. What's wrong with him?
He stared at her, his face showing both kindness and anger. She sneered, "Yueqing will die. I poisoned him."
Jiǔ Tiān's eyes went cold, and his grip tightened. "You think that'll stop me?" he said softly.
Before she could speak, he slammed his forehead into hers. Her world spun. Her nose broke. Blood rushed down her face.
Did he just headbutt me? she thought, then blacked out.
Jiǔ Tiān caught her before she hit the ground. He looked down at her, frustration and something like regret in his eyes.
Su Ning and Susu rushed forward, ready to protect Xiǎo Hóng from anyone else. They needed her alive. They needed answers. And they all wanted the same thing now—Zhang Li's artifact, and a way to save Yinou.
As night turned to dawn, fate quietly pulled their paths closer, wrapping them in the same story of love, loss, and war.