Lihua the Spider Witch was riveted to the scene as it played out before her. Thanks to her Master’s observation crystals, she could see the battle between her precious knight and that raging monster, the Tide Serpent, from the safety of the shoreline.

At first, she had worried for her knight. He’d been injured in the first round of battle, forcing the entire group of heroes to withdraw. Though he’d recovered well, she couldn’t help but harbor concerns that he might be damaged beyond even her Master’s ability to repair. She silently rooted for him, praying each time that he left that he would return safely to shore.

But this latest battle was by far the most intense. Lihua cried out in alarm when he dove towards the Serpent’s waiting jaws, only to be trapped by the Tide Serpent’s terrible aura.

“No, no, no! He can’t be mine if he’s eaten! Master, we have to do something!” But there was no answer from the man next to her. Lihua tugged on his sleeve. “Master? Master, the Serpent is going to eat him! I can’t raise a corpse from inside a giant snake!”

“Quiet,” was his only order, and it left no room for argument.

Lihua was forced to begin chewing on a fingernail, a habit that she’d picked up after observing quite a few humans doing the same. Apparently, it was something that humans did when they were nervous, and she discovered that she quite liked the tactile feeling in her hands that could distract her partially from her troubles.

Tsuyuki hit the water, and Lihua felt tears welling up in her eyes. He was gone. Well and truly…gone. All the research she’d quietly done into everything about him, from his favorite foods to the techniques he favored most, the most surprising detail she’d learned was that he couldn’t swim. It was something they had in common, she and her knight, and she’d cherished that singular imperfection which only made the perfect man even more real and desirable in her eyes.

But…in the water…there was no way he would survive that. Even his friend, that administrator fellow, would be hard-pressed to find a way to surface within the Tide Serpent’s domain. All her hard work was for nothing. His corpse would drift to the bottom of the sea to be fed on by crabs and urchins. Even if she could retrieve him, she’d never be able to restore him to his perfect state.

However, though Lihua was ready to give up and accept that her prize was now out of her reach, she noticed that her Master was watching even more intently than before. She turned back, watching the Sword Saint’s Disciple and that Life Artist from the Chained-Demon Sect flit around the Serpent’s head. They couldn’t defeat it, and they knew it as well as Lihua did. So, why was her Master fixating on the battle before them with such intensity?

The Tide Serpent dove beneath the waves, disappearing from the observation crystals. Several times, it erupted from the waves to snap at the remaining cultivators before diving back into the water. It seemed to be toying with them, until finally it reared its head back again, the terrible mind-warping gleam in its one good eye.

Only, there was something else. Lihua peered at the image in the crystal, and her heart leapt into her throat. Her knight! He was there! He survived! He clung to a length of seaweed, soaking wet but alive!

The battle recommenced, and Lihua watched with rapt attention. He was even more amazing than she dared to hope. Then, with a flourish, his arrows flew. She could see the light from the shore, even without the crystal. And, when the Serpent’s body fell to his might, she couldn’t help but cheer.

“Master! Master! He did it!” She jumped up and down, excitedly, but stopped once she noticed the expression that darkened her Master’s face. It was…wolfish…predatory…and his face twisted into a smile that sent chills down Lihua’s spine. Never before had she seen him so happy, and it terrified her.

“He most certainly did,” Master mused. Lihua could practically see the gears turning in his head, but she didn’t have a clue what was so exciting. Was he that happy to see her knight returned to her? In the past, he’d always been aloof about it, like a father finding a toy for his child, even without understanding why it was adored. But now…

“Shen Tori should have just stuck to our plan,” she said, much more quietly. “But, at least Tsuyuki got things back on track. He’ll be going after the remnants of the Lunar Hunt next, right? Shen Tori will kill him, and we’ll finally have him.”

The wolfish grin widened, but Lihua saw that there was nothing but cold calculation in her Master’s eyes. Sweat sprang cold on her neck as her spirit beast instincts warned her of danger. She fought the feeling back. She was more than her instincts now, but that didn’t stop her heart from quickening as she recognized a greater predator.

“Our friend shows a great deal of promise,” he said. “I believe this blossom may deserve cultivating after all.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we have to act quickly, Lihua. Our friend will only be distracted by Shen Tori for so long, and then, we must be prepared to capitalize on his situation, regardless of where his path may lead,” Master explained. “Come. We have work to do, and spirit beasts to gather.”

* * *

Xinya tied knot after knot in the blankets she’d been provided. After three days with the Lunar Hunt, she didn’t know if Yoru and the others would be able to come get her. Even if they managed to defeat the Tide Serpent, something Xinya wasn’t confident in, they would still have to travel across half the Shore in order to reach her. It could be months before they could rescue her, and by then, it might be too late.

No, she had to take matters into her own hands. She was a strong and capable cultivator, and she was about to turn ten. She was practically a grown-up, and that meant that she couldn’t just rely on her uncles to rescue her.

“You can do this, Xinya,” she muttered to herself. “If you want to live up to your master’s name, and be the strong cultivator your parents said you could be, then it’s time to step up the action. You are a powerful princess…nevermind being adopted, you are a powerful princess. You stood up to Madame Tenri. You beat Shen Taihua. You don’t need your uncles to rescue you, because you’re going to rescue yourself!”

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Shadows shifted on the other side of the paper door. Her guards were getting restless, and she needed to act swiftly and silently. Tying the last knot, she hefted the blankets over her shoulder and crept towards the balcony door. The door slid to the side, and she slid it carefully back before hopping the railing.

As with many buildings in the Moon-Soaked Shore, the Hunting Lodge roof was shallow enough to walk on, and as long as one was careful, the interlocking tiles weren’t too slippery. Xinya walked as carefully as she could, careful to keep her steps light as she made her way to the roof’s corner. It was upturned, like all buildings, and she went about tying her blankets to the decorative gold post. Only after they were in place did she dare look down.

Three blankets might not have been enough, she worried, seeing just how far the distance was between her makeshift rope and the ground. She was held on the third story, and her blankets only barely made it to the second story roof. No matter how Xinya sliced it, she’d have to jump. Well, no one ever said cultivators have it easy.

Xinya climbed down the blankets before dropping down to the first story roof. As she landed, her feet slipped, and she froze as several tiles from the roof were knocked out of place. They cascaded to the ground and shattered against the hard stones below.

No alarms were raised. No shouts of discovery rang through the air. It seemed no one noticed her blunder. That was perfect. She smiled sheepishly to herself, quietly chiding herself for being clumsy before she eyed the jump to the ground.

This drop was bigger, and with no rope to shorten the distance, Xinya was without any other options. Instead, she took a deep breath, sat down on the roof, and took the leap.

Her foot twisted awkwardly to the side as she landed, and she bit hard into her lip to keep from crying out. For all her skill climbing, she was a lot worse at going the reverse direction. She ducked into a small nook between two bloodhound statues. Cycling her qi like Uncle Yoru taught her, she felt the pain in her ankle slowly dissipate.

Time for the moment of truth, she thought, psyching herself up.

The Hunting Lodge was built like a fortress rather than any lodge she’d ever seen, and the only exit she knew of was the front gate. She would have to sneak through the main courtyard, which was crawling with cultivators and spirit hounds, then get through the gate and into the woods with as much speed as she could muster. If she could just get out, she could keep running east. Supposedly, the Hanai Hornets controlled a sizeable territory. If she could make it there, then Pharyx would protect her, she was sure of it.

Carefully, she crept along the wall until she was across from the gate. The courtyard was all that stood between her and her freedom, but even from here, she spotted three spirit hounds and a handful of artists all milling aimlessly around. This late, there was a non-zero chance they were drunk, as glorified bandits tended to be. If she was fast…

Xinya focused inward. Shen Taihua had said she should be able to enhance her speed with lightning. Theoretically, if she could get the lighting into her limbs, it would let her go faster. With her command, the violent violet qi surged to her legs, and she twitched a few times. Only once the spasms calmed did she dare look out again.

They’ve moved aside! This is my chance!

The little lightning artist ran with all her might, and crackling lightning followed in her wake as her feet pounded against the ground. It was the fastest she’d ever gone, and a sense of exhilaration shot through her, which only served to excite her qi and make her go even faster!

The shouts of artists followed after her, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was her and the gate. If she could get out…she could do it!

Pain slammed into her nose and blood began dripping down her chin as she was violently thrown back by…something. She crawled back to her feet, only to find a shimmering silver barrier between her and her target.

An array? But what does it do?

“You know, that little trick wouldn’t affect you if you weren’t a moon artist,” Shen Tori’s wicked voice called from behind her.

Xinya turned to find the Huntmaster and his son approaching. However, to her surprise, Shen Taihua sported several bruises on his cheek and neck. She hadn’t seen him since Shen Tori kidnapped her, but it didn’t look like her uncle was fending very well for himself.

“You know,” Shen Tori continued. “I could help you, little Xinya. You’re my flesh and blood, after all, my precious daughter’s only child, and the only one who can carry on our legacy.”

“Why would I want your help?” Xinya growled, putting up her fists. “You supported the death of my father, and you want to murder my uncle!”

“Adopted uncle,” he corrected. “He has no reason to keep you around. You’re only another foolish moon artist he can corrupt. He cares nothing for you.”

“Shows what you know, you bastard!” Xinya spit in his direction.

Shen Tori’s expression darkened. “You’re quite the brat, aren’t you? If you weren’t in possession of the Shen bloodline, I’d have killed you long ago.”

“I have no bloodline,” Xinya insisted. “And, even if I did, wouldn’t you be better off getting it from your son? He actually has void qi!”

“He does not have the bloodline,” Shen Tori answered with a frustrated glance at his son. “Nor can he pass it on so long as you live. Our bloodline is special. Its purity is unrivaled, for only one in each generation can possess it. The others are worthless and cannot even produce any children to pass it to. Reixin had it among my children, making Taihua worthless, but you…you are just in need of a little guidance from your family.” Shen Taihua looked as if he’d been punched again, but didn’t speak. Xinya could tell this was probably a conversation they had often.

“I am not a Shen.” Xinya balled her fists tighter. “I am Lang Xinya, Disciple of Tsuyuki Yoru. I follow my own path. You cannot make me follow yours.”

“We shall see about that.” He took a menacing step forward, and Xinya stepped back until her back was to the shimmering moon barrier. She couldn’t win a fight against him, not really. Even Yoru had struggled with him. But that didn’t mean she was without options.

“Uncle?” she said, pitifully. “Uncle? I’m scared.”

Taihua’s expression softened, and he looked down. Shen Tori was bearing down on her now. She had nowhere left to go.

“You’ll be much better off without that foul qi inside you. I’ll make sure your core is unraveled and replaced with a pristine void one,” Shen Tori promised. “And when I do, you’ll thank me. Just wait and see.”

Xinya flinched and closed her eyes in fear. She was sure that Shen Tori would hit her, and when he did, it would hurt. He was Silver, after all. She was just a Leaf. The gap between them was too great.

Only…it never came. She opened her eyes to see Taihua standing beside his father, holding his arm.

“It’ll be better if she accepts the void willingly, Father,” he said. “Give me some time. Maybe I can convince her.”

“Convince her? I don’t need her permission.”

“Please, grant me this chance. I might not have our bloodline but let me help you develop Reixin’s legacy. I can be worth something that way,” he begged. Shen Tori snarled, but Taihua stared evenly at him until Shen Tori rolled his eyes and relaxed.

“Just as soft as your bitch mother, aren’t you, Taihua,” he answered. “Fine. As long as you’re an obedient little pup, I’ll indulge you. You have one month. If she’s not unraveled by then, I’ll hold you responsible.”

“Yes, Father. Thank you for this chance.” He bowed deeply. His father didn’t look back before stalking off.

“Thank you, Uncle,” Xinya whispered to the older man.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he answered. “We’re both trapped in our own cages.”