Chapter 61: Embers Beneath the Jade Court

The road home wound like a silver ribbon across golden fields and forested hills, but for Kai Jin and his companions, the quiet return carried the weight of unspoken thoughts.

Their success in the South had been hard-won, and though banners of both phoenix and dragon now fluttered side by side in the Regent's capital, peace was never truly without price.

The envoy's small column moved swiftly under royal escort, the Southern and Eastern banners flying side by side. Bai Ru tended to a feverish guard in the back cart, her hands glowing with soft healing light. Yue rode at Kai's side in silence, the wind tugging gently at her midnight-black hair. Lin Su rode alone at the rear, ever watchful—her eyes sharp, her demon mark now partially veiled behind a glamour.

By the seventh day, the towering gates of the Eastern Capital loomed before them, ringed by talismans and guardian statues. The Gate of Eternal Flame opened not with fanfare, but with a hush.

At its base stood a contingent of elders clad in ceremonial robes. Leading them was Elder Mo, a man with silver brows and cloud-gray eyes, flanked by silent temple disciples. He raised a hand in cool greeting. "Welcome, Envoy Kai Jin," he said, voice formal. "Your return is timely. The Duke awaits his report." His gaze flicked past Kai to Bai Ru. "Healer Bai, the Inner Alabaster Pavilion has requested your immediate presence. I will escort you personally."

Bai hesitated, glancing toward Kai. "Will we see each other again soon?"

Kai nodded. "Very soon."

Lin Su murmured something under her breath—perhaps a warning—but Bai Ru followed Elder Mo without protest, disappearing behind the curtain of ceremonial guards.

⸻

The Courtyard of Quiet Waters

Hours later, Kai reclined beneath the plum blossoms of the Courtyard of Quiet Waters, his blade resting beside him, unsheathed but still. Petals drifted lazily across the koi pond while a servant poured fragrant tea into a cup of pale jade.

For the first time in weeks, there was no battle to fight, no deal to strike. Only stillness.

He watched the ripples. His reflection stared back at him—not the boy who had once awakened in this foreign world, but a man tempered by fire and steel.

Yue appeared in the garden archway, her presence soft but unmistakable. "You've barely spoken since we returned," she said.

"I'm listening," Kai replied.

"To what?"

"The city. Its breath. Its secrets."

Yue approached, her voice lower. "The elders held no feast. No welcome. No praise. Something festers behind those walls."

Kai stood, brushing off his robe. "I know. Let them fester. When truth stands tall, shadows wither."

Far from the palace, in the Sable Lantern District, Lin Su walked alone. Cloaked and hooded, she slipped through back alleys and incense-hung passageways, her hand brushing the pommel of her concealed blade.

She was following whispers—names passed between thieves and informants. The foreign faction that tried to kill Kai in the southern forest wasn't acting alone. Her demon mark thrummed beneath her skin, warning her of nearby killing intent.

Inside a rundown teahouse, a masked broker whispered, "They've returned. The Accord lives. But someone in the palace plans to erase the envoy before the emperor ever sees his face."

Lin Su leaned in. "Who?"

Before the answer could come, a dart shattered the window and pierced the broker's throat. He collapsed into his tea, dead before he could speak. Lin Su vanished through the back door, heart pounding.

Inside the Alabaster Pavilion, Bai Ru stood before rows of the ill—children burned in sect conflicts, warriors maimed in border skirmishes. Elder Mo watched her work in silence, his hands folded neatly.

"You've become a symbol," he said at last. "The people trust you more than the nobles do."

Bai Ru didn't look up. "I didn't return for praise. Only purpose."

He nodded slowly. "Be careful. Symbols burn brightest when lit for the wrong reasons."

⸻

Deep in the Imperial Celestial Court, the Emperor of the Eastern Dukedom—shrouded in azure silk and crowned with seven feathers—sat in stillness. The moment he heard the words "Kai Jin has returned," a slow breath left his lips.

"He completed the Accord?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Radiance," murmured a eunuch. "And survived an ambush. Four rode out. Four returned."

The Emperor's expression was unreadable. "Send no summons. Let the court decide his worth."

Elsewhere, in a hidden chamber behind a jade tapestry, Elder Song—chief architect of the court's inner faction—met with robed figures.

"He must not be allowed to rise further," the Elder said coldly. "The people begin to speak his name. It echoes in too many places."

A younger court noble whispered, "What shall we do?"

The elder smiled without warmth. "What we have always done. Honor him… with silence. Then drown him in duty until he fades into obscurity."

⸻

And somewhere in the capital's vastness, a fifth force moved unseen—neither loyalist nor rebel. Watching. Waiting. Stirring beneath the cobblestones like a buried fire.

[To Be Continued…