A few days later, Tang Daiyu left the palace, escorted by Helian Taiqiang. As the anniversary of her parents' deaths drew near, she had decided to go to the Lotus Temple located at the summit of the next mountain over. He offered to walk her there, and she agreed.

On their way, she tightened the snow leopard fur coat around herself. Noticing, Helian Taiqiang took off his thick, camel fur and wrapped it around her.

"What about you?"

"I'm more used to this frigid cold than you are. Plus, my clothes are warmer than your dress to begin with."

Unable to argue with him any longer, Tang Daiyu put up with his selflessness. They descended the mountainside and entered Tongwencheng. Going west, they cut through the city before coming upon the bottom of the next mountain over. Tang Daiyu stopped and looked up. Shielded by fluffy white clouds, the Lotus Temple couldn't be seen. But she knew it was there.

Helian Taiqiang said, "We should get going if you want to make it there by tonight."

She turned towards him. "We can get up the mountain in just a day?"

He nodded. "It's not as bad as you think."

"Okay. Let's go then."

~~~

Around lunchtime, Tang Daiyu and Helian Taiqiang came across a mountain spring. He filled their two water bottle gourds. She looked around and saw an antelope prancing by. Her sai dropped into her hand, and she threw it. The blade sunk into the animal's chest, piercing its heart. It dropped to the ground, thudding, causing Helian Taiqiang to turn around and gape.

"Lunch?" Tang Daiyu asked innocently.

He nodded without saying a word. After making a strong fire, he cooked the antelope over the red-orange flames. The heat also helped to warm them both up.

"Ms. Tang?"

"Yes?"

Helian Taiqiang finally asked her the question that had been burning in his mind for the past few days. "Where did you really learn your martial arts? You said before that the martial arts Master Liang taught you didn't stick. During your confrontation with First Prince a few days ago, I noticed that your martial arts, indeed, aren’t from Swift Breeze Sect. At least, not as far as I'm aware."

Her eyes flicked over to him. She studied her companion, deciding whether to trust him or not. Rule number two: don't be foolish enough to trust anyone completely.

Going against her conscience, Tang Daiyu chose to take a leap of faith.

Sighing sadly, she began, "My father had tried to teach me a few basics when I was a child. I was stubborn and didn't want to learn. So, you're right. The martial arts I know aren't from Swift Breeze Sect."

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Tang Daiyu turned her head away from Helian Taiqiang, shame blushing her cheeks. Sadness filled her eyes.

"In the two years I spent on house arrest in Chang'an with Baobao, many nights after he had fallen asleep, I practised a special type of martial arts. The skill sets I have are designed to kill. They focus on stealth, speed, flexibility, and agility. I cultivated anger, fury, and hatred to fuel my impure qi and power my martial arts. These demonic martial arts were taught to me by a black-clothed, masked master who visited every night, somehow managing to avoid the notice of the Imperial Guards that were always stationed around the inn. After I was taken into the palace though, I never saw my master again."

"So," he began, horrified. "You practice Hei Siwang?"

Unable to look him in the eye, she closed her eyes and nodded. Helian Taiqiang let out a long breath. She waited for him to scold her.

But instead, he asked, "Does Master Liang know?"

She shook her head. "I know how to tamper my qi. He never noticed anything, and I haven't told anyone this, let alone Zhou-ge. I knew he'd be so disappointed in me, so I couldn't bare to face him."

"Ms. Tang, Master Liang needs to know."

"I know, I- I just..." she sighed sadly. "I don't want to see that day just yet. I've already disappointed him before. This would break him, that... I'm sure of."

Helian Taiqiang gave her a displeased look. "I don't know much about Hei Siwang, but I've heard things. Rumours that whoever goes that route end up changed... and never for the better. Surely, you know the risks?"

Tang Daiyu hummed in affirmation. "Yes, I do. My master warned me way back when. Now though, I've already started to notice the side effects."

Alarm flashed across his face. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "A few times, when I've confided in Zhou-ge, he's noticed that my plans are too cold-hearted. I don't factor in how they'll affect the innocent citizens. I have one goal, and that's to make Emperors Jianyuan and Rong pay. Nothing else matters." After a brief pause, she added quietly, "And I never used to be like this. I always cared about everything and everyone. I would get so upset if even an insect was killed in our household. Brother Liang remembers who I used to be. He knows who I am. So, these changes in me aren't going unnoticed by him."

"Is that why you made a big confrontation against my First Brother a few days ago?"

She nodded slowly. "I left the palace in anger that day. I've been used by Rong before; I didn't want to be used again. So, my anger fueled my impure qi which in turn stimulated the side effects of Hei Siwang. You know what happened that day, I don't think I need to explain myself further."

"Ms. Tang, do you know if there's a way to reverse the side effects? Can you cleanse yourself or be cleansed of Hei Siwang?"

Finally, for the first during during the whole conversation, she met his eyes. The woeful look that shone in her irises spoke volumes. Her voice was soft and bleak when she finally answered.

"Once Hei Siwang is begun, there's no turning back. I can never reverse the process. It's too late for me now. Sometime in the future, the consequences of Hei Siwang will overwhelm me."

"And?"

"I'll either become lost to the impure qi that surges inside me or I'll die."

Helian Taiqiang stared at her, a mixture of worry, horror, and concern flashed across his face.

She looked away once again. There's only one way to free myself from this curse.