Ascending the Heavenly Stairs *FLASHBACK ENDS*

Zi Yin watched as the sun sink toward the horizon, the pitiless white ball now an angry orange. His arms crossed over his chest, his robes bellowing in the wind. Commander Xiao came up beside him, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Consort Zi." He bowed. "You called?"

It was hard to ignore the biting edge to his words. "I did," Zi Yin replied. "I'd like to visit the barracks."

"And your legs don't work?" 

Zi Yin's mouth kinked. Bastard. "They work just fine, but I thought we could go together."

Commander Xiao's expression darkened. Things between them weren't good since Zi Yin accused the man of being a traitor, but he was just following his line of logic, and all the clues he had pointed to Commander Xiao. Who knew that it was actually Chen Shu? Someone nobody thought of or expected to turn against them. 

"Why?" Commander Xiao demanded.