Hanying and Jing looked at the scene before them — one that seemed almost fated, almost romantic. The two before them were flirting openly, as if one had not denied knowing the other. Yura appeared to be explaining something to the boy as her eyes swept over their surroundings. Then, quite suddenly, she caught sight of the siblings, who were watching with puzzled expressions. She said something, but instead of fixing their gaze on her, the siblings looked beyond.
At that very moment, the bushes behind them rustled, shaking as though something had moved. Yunxi reacted instantly — too fast for the eye to follow. In a flash, he pulled out a dagger and hurled it past Hanying and Jing, straight into the bushes.
A shriek burst from Hanying's lips, loud and sharp.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Jing roared, anger twisting his voice. "You could have missed and killed my sister!"
"Relax, brother Yunxi never misses," the princess countered playfully. "Ying knows that too."
Just then, one of the small, old windows nearby creaked open, and Bailu's sharp voice rang out.
"Who's there? Huh! Who are you? Why are you shouting?" He demanded, his eyes scanning the group until they landed on Yunxi. Though Yunxi tried covering his face, the boy's gaze lingered knowingly. After all, Yunxi had not even changed his clothes yet.
"It's you, mister. You were here earlier. Don't bother hiding—I already saw you." Bailu gestured sharply with his hand, his voice commanding.
Yunxi lifted his head when Bailu spoke, recognition flashing in his eyes as he remembered the boy. But it was too late—Bailu's eyes had already caught him.
"Listen," Bailu continued coldly, "my teacher already said he won't be receiving you. Just leave now."
For a moment, Yunxi smiled faintly, then lowered his gaze to the princess. His eyes narrowed slightly, and without another word, he walked past her.
"Ahhh, why give up so quickly? You have me!" Yura called after him. "It's almost dark—let's just rest for the day. Tomorrow, I'll get you into that hospital."
She followed him out of the mad place, her voice warm and persuasive. With the princess's encouragement, Yunxi mounted his horse alongside them and rode to the nearest inn. He didn't know anyone here. In truth, he wasn't sure how or where, but something about this girl tugged at his memory. Their conversation had sparked faint glimpses of the past. Still, he found himself craving company—anything to ease his boredom and his stress.
Later, they all gathered in the inn's restaurant and ordered food. Only then did Yunxi realize how long it had been since he'd eaten a proper meal. He had survived on snacks he'd brought from home, but now he devoured the hot dishes before him with startling speed, as though he hadn't eaten in weeks.
"Wow," Hanying exclaimed in surprise, staring.
Yunxi only gave a thumbs-up in response and continued until he was full. At last, he leaned back, breathing heavily.
"Brother Yunxi," Yura asked gently, careful not to offend him, "when was the last time you ate?"
He straightened slowly and turned to her, his eyes suddenly serious.be looked at her as if rememberinv something
'Hwa Yura… now I remember. She was that clingy girl back then. Did she come here for marriage? And....what about Meiylin…?' he thought
"Brother? Are you okay?" Yura's voice broke into his thoughts. She had asked him more than once now, but he only continued staring at her, silent. The others exchanged uneasy glances.
'If she really came for marriage… what is Meiylin doing now?' A faint smile tugged at his lips at the thought, and Yura, seeing it, smiled shyly back.
Without realizing it, Yunxi raised an eyebrow and pressed his pinky finger against his lips. He was lost in memory—too far gone to notice what he was doing. He was happy. Excited, even, at the thought of how Meiylin might look now.
He didn't even feel troubled that Han Ji was marrying someone else.
"Brother…" Yura whispered, flustered.
"Mm?" Yunxi only hummed in response, still smiling faintly.
"If you keep looking at me like that, I'll feel shy every time we're togeth—"
Her words cut off as Jing suddenly rose and slammed his palm against the table.
BANG!
"Miss," he said coldly, "it's late. Ying, take Miss Yura to her room."
The sharp command made both girls glance at him with visible irritation, but Yunxi only chuckled at the scene. He still had his pinky pressed to his lips as he looked at the fuming Jing.
"You," Jing snapped, glaring, "get up. Let's go to our room."
He grabbed Yunxi by the collar, tugging him up. Yunxi sneered at the unexpected familiarity, amused. Still, he turned and offered a casual "Goodnight" to the ladies, not forgetting to throw a teasing flirt at the princess, which made Jing push him all the harder.
"Dude…?" Yunxi muttered with a grin.
The girls only laughed, amused by the jealous guard dragging his Yunxi away, before running off to their rooms.
---
Far away, in a desolate abandoned hut, a wounded spy ninja stumbled inside. His leg bled heavily from a dagger wound.
Flashback—
He had been hiding in the bushes, watching Yunxi smile at the girl, when suddenly—swish! A dagger pierced his shoulder, sending him staggering back. Before he could recover, another blade cut across his thigh. He had tried to dodge, but it bit deep. Panic forced him to flee the scene.
He didn't know where the first dagger had come from—it was too fast. He only knew it hadn't come from the Yunxi or the others, but from somewhere—the hospital. Yunxi's cut was survivable, but the one that hit the shoulder had been meant to end him.
Now, inside the hut, he tore the black cloth from his leg to examine the golden dagger lodged in his shoulder. The pain was unbearable. Clenching his teeth on a strip of fabric, he pulled it free. Sweat poured down his pale face. His lips trembled. This was no ordinary dagger. The design was exquisite, the blade sharp and royal. He had seen such weapons before—reserved for those of royal blood.
But Yunxi was not one of the few permitted to wield such a dagger.
As he laid it aside, a sudden pain gripped his neck, sending him crashing to the floor unconscious.
Time blurred. When he awoke, his eyes met a pair of pristine white boots. His gaze drifted upward—to richly embroidered robes, then to a face he could barely make out. His vision was blurred too blurred he could too less_coloured shadows, his body frozen. Not a single finger would move. He could not even form words—only his eyes still obeyed him.
Panic struck. Tears welled. Had he paralysed? This was poison, the daggers...one if them was poisoned.
Then the stranger's voice rang out—gentle, calm, almost mocking.
"I see you can still see… but your sight will never be clear again."
The man's voice carried a twisted joy, as if sharing delightful news. He laughed softly, then leaned closer.
"I warned you not to do this again, didn't I? You could have lost him. I would never have harmed you."
His words dripped with playfulness, yet every syllable cut sharp.
The figure knelt before the broken spy, his eyes piercing. The spy thought he knew him. Could it be Yunxi? But why would he follow him here? This person was the owner of the Golden dagger, afterall one who knew them could the tell the owner of it with one glance. So maybe this person had come to get his back. Yes that was it. Yunxi could never confront his enemies directly like this.
So who was this man?
And what, exactly, had he warned him about?
Most importantly, why was he helping Yunxi and backstabbing one of his own. Caus this was a command of the Emperor, the daggers are given to royals. So the Emperor is more important than Yunxi, right?
What is he getting out of this. He had poisoned him, yet everyone in the palace knew he was the Emperor's trusted man.