Jie awoke early one morning. Before the sun had risen, when the sky was still dark.

  She wrote Ming a letter and sealed it with her qi, placing it beside him. The food she left there often vanished, as did the pills… but she hadn’t seen him so much as open his eyes since he’d first started focusing on healing.

  Still… if he ever did open them and wonder where she was… the letter would hopefully show him that she hadn’t forgotten him. Hadn’t abandoned him. Or the promise she’d made.

  Jie looked over the dragon’s sickly form. It was hard to tell if he was meditating or if he’d fallen asleep.

  She ached to reach out for him. To hug him tightly and never let go. She was afraid that if she didn’t, she might never get another chance. But, she was worried she would distract him from his healing. So, instead, Jie bowed toward Ming as she held back tears.

  Be strong, you old snake. I won’t let you down. Jie thought.

  She stepped outside her residence and found Elder Shi waiting for her.

  “Are you ready?” Elder Shi asked.

  “Yes,” Jie said as she activated her storage ring and a beautifully wrapped box tied with a purple ribbon appeared in her hands, “are you sure you can take it? I could get a courier to—”

  “I can handle it. You’re much too young to worry so much,” Elder Shi said with a wicked smile as she took the package from Jie and stored it within her storage ring, “don’t be late.”

  Jie nodded. “I won’t be,” she said.

  She’d studied the maps together with Elder Shi and was confident she could find their meeting place. The Verdant Gorge. It was supposed to be quite beautiful. Though, Jie supposed that didn’t matter.

  “Make sure of it,” Elder Shi said, “and—”

  “Stay off the main roads,” Jie said, “we’ve been over this. Be careful.”

  Elder Shi winked. “Where’s the fun in that?” she asked as her tails flicked the air behind her and her ears quirked.

  Then, she evaporated into purple smoke and zipped away impossibly fast.

  “I guess it’s just you and me now, Xue,” Jie said, “still insisting on tagging along?”

  Xue yawned and stretched beside her then brushed against her leg.

  “I guess that’s a yes,” Jie said.

  She couldn’t help worrying about him… but he’d been growing in strength incredibly quickly. She suspected he’d break into the middle dantian soon.

  And Elder Shi said he’d probably have less trouble with the effects of the Cursed Lands than she would… still… Jie was afraid of losing yet another friend. Their time together had been brief, but she was extremely fond of him. Their bond probably amplified that, she supposed.

  She looked back at her residence one last time and then set out across the expansive grounds of the Crimson Academy to the front gate.

  The guards opened the gate for her and she paused there. The dark sky was slowly turning gold at the edge of the horizon. She realized that she’d never been outside the academy alone before…

  “I guess I’m not alone this time either. You’re with me,” Jie said with a smile at Xue.

  He rubbed his cheek against her leg and Jie petted his head.

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  Two familiar auras raced toward her, and Jie turned to face them.

  Ithilix ran over to her, pulling Pan Zhanshi along by his hand like luggage.

  “Princess!” Ithilix yelled.

  Jie waited for them to get closer.

  Ithilix ran right up to her, panting for breath, with Pan Zhanshi at her side. He looked better than he had at the funeral, but his dark purple eyes still lacked the spark they’d had before and he looked awfully thin…

  “This one can’t believe you were going to leave without saying goodbye!” Ithilix said.

  “I told you last night that I would be leaving,” Jie said.

  “That’s not the same as saying goodbye!” Ithilix protested as her antennae twitched with irritation, “This one wanted to see you before you left and wish you farewell.”

  “It’s early,” Jie said, “I thought you’d be sleeping or cultivating. I didn’t want to bother you. It’s good to see you… both of you. I’m glad you came.”

  That seemed to mollify Ithilix somewhat.

  “Are you sure we can’t come with you? Or at least know where you’re going?” Ithilix asked.

  “It’s better this way,” Jie said.

  “This one understands… we’ll miss you,” Ithilix said.

  Ithilix started to bow.

  “Oh, come here, you,” Jie said. She pulled Ithilix into a hug and squeezed her. Though she was careful not to hurt her by accident.

  It seemed to catch Ithilix by surprise for a moment before she returned the hug.

  “Make sure to return safely,” Ithilix said.

  “I will, don’t worry,” Jie said.

  “This one will miss you, Princess,” Ithilix said.

  Jie smiled a little. “I’ll miss you too. It was nice to spend so much time with you these last days… thank you for your training,” she said.

  Jie released Ithilix and found herself face to face with Pan Zhanshi. She’d thought of what to say over and over again in her head, but now… seeing him here… she still didn’t know.

  “I’m—” Jie began.

  Pan Zhanshi hugged her. He squeezed her so tightly that it might’ve hurt if her cultivation weren’t so far above his.

  “Be careful out there,” he said, “there’s a bounty on your head.”

  “I know… I’ll be fine,” Jie said.

  “You’d better be,” Pan Zhanshi said.

  “You don’t… hate me?” Jie asked.

  “What? Why would you say that?” Pan Zhanshi asked.

  “You’ve been avoiding me… at the funeral, you wouldn’t even look at me,” Jie said.

  “I was trying to keep it together for the ceremony,” Pan Zhanshi said, “I meant to say thank you… for my sister’s share from the valley. For all the cultivation resources and for your cultivation notes. They’re… eye opening.”

  “This one is grateful too,” Ithilix said.

  Jie nodded. “I hope it helps you guys. Get strong. Train hard, okay?” she said.

  “We will,” Pan Zhanshi said, “there’s something I wanted to give you.”

  He activated his storage ring and Pan Tian’s claws of blood appeared in his hands.

  “I… I can’t take those,” Jie said.

  “Yes, you can,” Pan Zhanshi said as he held them out toward her, “she would’ve wanted you to have them.”

  Jie swallowed hard and accepted them as she fought down the emotion welling up within her.

  “The claws will suit your fighting style almost as well as they suited my sister’s. Ithilix told me about the modifications made to them. With them, you’ll be able to grow your cultivation by fighting… and I think you’ll be doing a lot of that,” Pan Zhanshi said.

  “Thank you…” Jie said, “I’ll use them well.”

  She put them on and retracted the red, glassy claws. They reminded her of the transformation she’d had in the dungeon… though she wasn’t sure how she’d done it…

  “And here,” Pan Zhanshi said as he handed Jie a memory stone that swirled with his night qi, “they’re nowhere near as profound as your ideas on cultivation. But… I thought there might still be something of value for you.”

  “I’ll study them carefully,” Jie said.

  “This one also has a gift for you… though it’s not as impressive,” Ithilix said.

  She withdrew a small chest they’d collected inside the Crimson Valley from her storage ring and handed it to Jie.

  Jie opened the lid and looked inside, finding it crammed full of memory stones and pages of notes.

  “Since this one is unable to accompany you… this one thought that perhaps your training could continue while you traveled. Maybe when you make camp,” Ithilix said.

  Jie smiled as a warm feeling spread through her chest and mingled with a tangled mess of complicated emotions.

  Suddenly, she found herself smiling even as her eyes glistened with tears and she sniffed a little.

  “Thank you. I’ll study it carefully,” Jie said, her voice thick with emotion which embarrassed her.

  Their goodbyes dragged on a little longer as Jie found she didn’t want to leave her friends. But, if she took too long, she risked losing Ming. And that was something she could never allow.

  She wished them well and started down the Crimson Academy’s steps. She began her journey as the sun peeked above the horizon, turning the world gold and the sky blue.

  She moved at a steady, measured pace so Xue could keep up with her and they quickly left the main paths.

  She thought of her notes, maps, and preparations. She’d tried to follow Pan Tian’s example as best she could and hoped the older girl would’ve approved.

  Though Jie wished she’d had the opportunity to learn all that Pan Tian had wanted to teach her.

  Still, she also had Ithilix’s guidance and Pan Zhanshi’s gift. With them, Jie couldn’t help feeling as though her friends were beside her in a way.

  Helping to guide her on her most dangerous journey yet.

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