Shia reels back, three long scratches appearing on her side. Suddenly the world is filled with a vast qi, sharp, venomous, and ready to strike. The fox freezes, then gives a monstrous howl, before disappearing again. Shia strikes, her mouth grabbing the fox from midair and her fangs sinking into its skin.

  The fox struggles, letting out pained yips, as some part of the majestic creature it once was shines through in its final moments. The fox meets my eyes, showing a lifetime of pain and hatred. Then its eyes go lifeless with the venom spreading through its system.

  The claw marks on Shia’s skin heal before my eyes, leaving untarnished scales.

  The three of us stare in awe as Shia lifts her head and swallows the demonic creature without a trace. Then she returns to me, climbing up my leg until she’s wrapped around my waist.

  “This is bad, little one.” She says, her voice distant with exhaustion. “My fears have been proven true, but I must rest now. Hurry home, and hope that the fox’s master hesitates to follow.”

  She goes quiet, and I realize that she’s fallen asleep.

  I share glances with Lai Ming and Lu Kun, the quiet of the meadow strange after the monstrous battle that had been over in a second.

  The both of them seem just as speechless as I feel, but we don’t talk about it much, as we turn and continue our journey to the city.

  ***

  The trip is arduous as we make all haste. Without sleep and without rest, we continue through the forest as fast as we can. Without Shia to warn us away from the nests of spirit beasts, we have to rely on my spirit sense and the qi of the forest to avoid danger.

  Thankfully, we’re close enough to society that none of the more dangerous beasts wander these forests.

  On the morning of the third day, we finally come into sight of Lin city. The army surrounds the city in an encampment of tents. Cultivators roam the skies, and scouts reported our approach long before we ourselves see the city.

  Previously pristine walls are marred by the scars of war, with several sections completely destroyed. The damage looks recent, but mortals hurry around it with the help of the occasional cultivator to rebuild the broken walls.

  A cultivator I don’t recognize flies over to us on a boat-like object, he jumps off of the small boat he’s sailing on and looks at the three of us.

  “Declare yourselves.” He says simply.

  I bow low and give him my name. The two others do the same.

  He looks us over before turning to the boat he flew in on. “Climb on.”

  We don’t argue with the stern cultivator and quickly move onto the flying object. It lifts from the ground, and we’re flown over the encampment.

  We set down in the center of the tents, at which point, several men wearing uniforms I don’t recognize surround us. Crossbows are pulled, and blades loosened by the men who watch us warily.

  A man wearing a fancier uniform steps forward and points to me. “Follow me.”

  He turns without waiting for a response. I look back to the other two. Lu Kun gives me a nod, telling me that everything is alright. He doesn’t look surprised by the reception, which puts me at ease.

  I step forward and follow the man through the tents.

  The man points to a random tent, and I step inside. It’s lightly lit, with only a single chair and table. No one else is here, so I sit down in the chair.

  I sit in silence, my only company the muted sounds of the soldiers moving around outside.

  I take a deep breath, calming my nerves as I’m left alone with my thoughts.

  The flute inside my robes weighs heavily, and I bring my hand up to trace down its length.

  Movement from under my robes brings my attention to Shia as she crawls up my chest.

  “Are you awake?” I ask.

  “Yes.” She says, resting her head on my shoulder.

  “What happened back there?” I place my hands on the table, and rub my fingers. “Did you know that demon?”

  “I knew one like it. But it is the creature’s master that worries me more than anything.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Their master is turning the cultivators of your realm into demons. Normal demons do not work together, or share power. If I’m right, that means we aren’t dealing with a normal demon.” Shia pauses. “We’ll discuss more later.”

  “What-”

  Before I can ask more, the flap to the tent opens. I stop, everything in me pausing as I stare at the man I haven’t seen in five years.

  His hair is whiter, and there are more wrinkles around his eyes, but he’s still the man who protected and raised me.

  My chair falls to the floor as I jump into the man’s arms. His armor digs into me, but I don’t care as I hug him.

  “Jiajia.” he whispers into my ear, his voice nearly breaking. I hold him tighter, refusing to let go. “Jiajia.” he repeats.

  I can’t help the tears that start to fall as I hold onto him. It’s impossible to describe the turmoil of emotions inside me. He was once my rock, an immovable mountain, the man I could rely on to carry me through any danger.

  A small sob escapes me despite myself. “Papa. I- I-”. The term I called him as a little girl escapes me before I can think about it.

  “I know.” He kisses my forehead. “We don’t have long before the others arrive, I want to hear everything later.”

  I nod into his shoulder, then pull back. There are tears in the man’s eyes, which he wipes away with the leather of his gloves.

  I clear my throat, and step back.

  “I’d heard that you might be arriving soon.” He says, walking into the tent. His eyes avoid me as if scared to look at me for too long.

  “There’s something I have to tell you.” I say, interrupting whatever he’d been about to say.

  He looks at me as I try to find the words.

  “Mother is alive.” I finally say.

  The room descends into silence as he looks at me.

  “Are you sure?” He asks.

  I nod. “I saw her from a distance, in another realm.”

  His gaze grows distant. “That’s…” He takes a deep breath. “Thank you for telling me.”

  Before anything else can be said, two women I don’t recognize enter the tent. Veils cover their faces, and they move with the grace of practiced martial artists. They stand on either side of the tent flap and a woman enters the room, her steps unyielding as she gazes at the two of us.

  It takes me a moment to recognize Shi Da, her aura having completely shifted since I last saw her. Still, the smile she gives me when our gazes meet is immediately recognizable.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your reunion.” She says, her gaze moving to my father.

  To my shock, he bows his head. “I do not mind, Empress.”

  “It is good to see you, little Jia.” She says, a twinkle in her eye.

  “Empress Shi Da?” I say, my voice tilting at the end as I bow low.

  “As the heavens have willed it.” She says, “I won’t stay long, as there are matters to attend to, but I did wish to see you.”

  She walks over to me, and her hand rests on my shoulder, raising me to look at her. “It has been barely any time at all, and yet it feels like it’s been years.” She pulls me into a hug. “Tell me, how is Ai?”

  “She is safe, thanks to you.” I respond, squeezing her back.

  She releases me from the hug, and resumes her imperial aura. “That is good to hear. Once you have had a chance to rest, please visit me. I have things I wish to discuss with you.”

  I bow my head in acknowledgement.

  She looks once more to my father, “General Lin, we need you in the main tent.” Her eyes move to me, “I’ll tell them that you’ll be with us shortly.”

  “Thank you Empress.”

  She smiles, then leaves the room.

  I look to my father, who is looking at me with an expression that’s hard to read. Sadness, joy, and a tiny bit of regret.

  “You should join her, I’ll see you again soon.” I say.

  My father steps forward, and wraps me in one more hug. “She loved you, my daughter, more than anything.”

  Tears well up in my eyes as I realize who he’s talking about.

  “If she left, it was because she had no other choice. Trust in her as I do.” He pulls back, and kisses my forehead. “Stay safe, Jiajia. I’ll see you tonight.” He turns to the flap of the tent. “Xin Lu Ki!” A man covered in armor steps into the room, his face unreadable behind his helmet. “Escort my daughter and make sure no one bothers her.”

  The guard, someone I have vague memories of from when I was younger, salutes my father.

  My father gives me one last look, then sweeps out of the tent, on his way to join the Empress.

  I take a deep breath, then look towards Xin Lu Ki. “Can you show me where my fellow disciples are?”

  The man nods, and motions for me to follow him.

  He leads me through the camp, his steps measured. A contingent of men run by us, most of them in the early realms of Qi Awakening. Messengers hurry by us, delivering messages from the various warfronts.

  As we walk, the tents become less military, and more civilian. Women and children work hard cleaning and cooking the food that is required to keep an army of this size running.

  I’m led to a nice looking tent, and Xin Lu Ki motions for me to enter.

  I step inside. Lai Ming stands up, and Xia Jing turns to look at me. A few paces away Sun stands with his normal eyes.

  “You idiot!” Xia Jing jumps over to me and tackles me to the floor in a hug. “Stupid, idiot, disappearing Lin Jia! I’m never going to let you out of my sight again.” She looks up and turns to Lai Ming, “You’re no better!”

  I giggle, only to stop when she glares at me.

  She rolls off of me and plants her hands on her hips. “Hmph. The next time I find something cool, I’m not showing either of you.”

  I push myself into a sitting position. “You’re feeling better?”

  She narrows her eyes, but gives a small nod. “They stopped chasing us after we separated.”

  “A group of cultivators from The Heavenly Truth sect found us shortly after you bought us time.” Sun adds.

  “It’s good to see you two.” I say.

  “It’s good to see you. Lai Ming was just telling us about what happened after we separated.” Sun says.

  “Leave it to you to attract every demon in a thousand li.” Xia Jing snorts.

  I shrug, and push myself off the floor. The four of us move into a circle so that we can discuss what we want to do next.

  An hour later, I decide to catch some rest, finally safe.