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I nodded, feeling a little better. “It wasn’t all bad. We found a cave of treasure.”

She leaned across the table. “Did you keep anything?”

I thought about the Jade Dragon Bow, more precious by far than any jewel. But it was not mine and Captain Wenzhi had cautioned me to keep it hidden and, a secret. I dug through my pouch for the bangle, pressing it into her palm.

She flicked the clasp open, slipping her hand through it. The gold and coral gleamed against her skin. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s just a small trinket.” I was glad that she seemed to like it. “You should have seen what Captain Wenzhi brought back for the Treasury.”

Her expression turned curious. “What was Captain Wenzhi doing here? Not that I’m complaining when there are so many who would envy us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you noticed the crowds in the field whenever he trains—both men and woman alike? Tall, broad shoulders, clear eyes, firm mouth, straight nose,” she recited, ticking each item off on her fingers. “If only he smiled more, it would put his handsome features to better use.”

“Handsome?” I had thought him striking, but handsome?

She shot me a reproachful look. “How could you not have noticed? After those months you’ve spent training with him, walking beside him, sleeping under the stars by the glowing campfire—”

I grabbed a bun and threw it at her, which she deftly caught. “Don’t protest too much,” she grinned. “Or I might start to think there’s some truth to the rumors.”

Were those the same ones which had reached Liwei? Was that why he had sought me out the moment I returned, to seek a denial or admission? “Those rumors you mention are ridiculous beyond measure,” I said, more heatedly than intended.

“Did I strike a nerve?”

I shut my mouth at once.

Shuxiao picked a loquat from the bowl, passing it to me. A peace offering. “Few are held in as high regard as Captain Wenzhi. His fighting skills are renowned, and his magic is unusually strong for one not descended from any known lineage.”

I glanced at her. “Where is he from?”

“I’ve heard Captain Wenzhi is from some undistinguished family line in the Four Seas. It was no small feat for him—a foreigner—to rise through the ranks, to become the youngest captain in the Celestial Army.”

I felt a sense of shared companionship with Captain Wenzhi, knowing both of us were forging a new life for ourselves here. While he was far more capable than I, it gave me hope for my own ambitions—that an unknown could rise to prominence in the Celestial Kingdom.

Though I could not help thinking, even he had not won the Crimson Lion Talisman.

After the meal, I helped Shuxiao stack the empty dishes onto the tray. As I tried to pry the tray from her fingers, she snatched it away.

“It’s not every day you slay a legendary monster. And it doesn’t sound like Captain Wenzhi is going to go easy on you tomorrow either.” Without another word, she left the room.

Sleep eluded me that night. With an impatient sigh, I tossed off the bedcovers and left the room. Climbing onto the rooftop, I settled upon the cold jade tiles. How the solitude of night reminded me of home. The lights of the Celestial Kingdom glittered below, whose borders I now defended with my life. Would my mother feel betrayed by my new allegiance? Would she think I had forgotten her in the pursuit of power? My chest cramped at the thought. If only she knew the truth—that all I did was to win her freedom, that we might be together again.

17

I stood before General Jianyun’s desk, wondering why he had summoned me. I rarely saw him these days, since I began training with Captain Wenzhi and his troops. My gaze fixed upon the table, intricately crafted from rosewood and inlaid with mother-of-pearl in designs of bamboo, lotuses, and cranes. I did not expect such a delicate piece to adorn the office of so pragmatic a soldier. Although I reminded myself that despite his forbidding exterior, the general had shown me kindness I did not deserve. He had seen something in me before I realized it myself.

I shifted uncertainly beneath the weight of his stare, the gilded scales of my armor clinking. General Jianyun’s brows snapped together in a wordless rebuke: a good soldier did not fidget.

I stood straighter, forcing my legs to still. Did he call me here to admonish me for some offense? To lecture me on my carelessness with Xiangliu?

A glimmer of a smile formed on his lips. “For your first assignment, you did well.”

My breath came out in a rush. “Thank you, General.”

“As agreed, you may decide your next assignment. There are two in need of another recruit. One will go to the Golden Desert to harvest the rare herbs that grow there. While it borders the Demon Realm, no disturbance is expected with the peace treaty intact.”

I nodded, trying to appear enthused. I had never been to the Golden Desert, but gathering plants held little appeal. Perhaps I should have been grateful for an easier assignment after Xiangliu, except this would not gain the emperor’s attention.