Petty Secret

"I heard," Yun Ming said. His sword shined. Yun Ming was still as calm as water, but both Wuyi and Xilai knew. One move from Xilai and his head would be flying.

Wuyi took in a shaky breath. "Why shouldn't I have you killed?" he asked Xilai.

"Is your petty secret worth the lives of everyone in the castle?" Xilai asked. "None of you will live through this without me. Even with me, the odds are long. In the name of heaven, boy, you just felt his power, did you not?"

Wuyi wished he could think but that damn being had shaken him well.

 Xilai"s use of his clan"s name—Yuanjing—had hit him as hard as the being had in the chamber. He didn"t allow himself to worry about Yuanjing for a while now. 

"I have killed, and allowed men to die, to protect my secret," he said.

"Time to stop doing that, then," Xilai said.