Huo Feng's eyes flew open, glowing like twin pieces of burning amber—sharp, hypnotic, and unmistakably serpentine. They were the serpent's eyes now.
A hissing voice slipped out from her unmoving lips, as though spoken from somewhere deep inside her body.It was the serpent speaking:
"What are you plotting this time, Counselor? Wasn't it enough what you did to me while I was alive?And now you want to kill this poor girl as well?"
The serpent paused, its tone shifting into something sly and poisonous."Ah… I see. You're planning to kill us both. Aren't you afraid I'll whisper your treachery to the Emperor, you fool?"
The Counselor froze where he stood, his cunning gaze tightening. He couldn't take a step toward his two enemies—Huo Feng and the serpent within her.
"No… that's not my intention," he stammered. "The Emperor ordered me to evaluate the strength of his future daughter-in-law."
The serpent threw back its head in mocking laughter.A laugh erupted from deep within Huo Feng's body, though her mouth never moved.
Then the serpent stilled, its cold gaze fixed on the trembling man."What do you want from her? I'm inside her—I can help you, if that's what you're after."
The Counselor's eyelids twitched.Could he trust such a creature?Perhaps… She was the Emperor's daughter after all. She wouldn't want harm to come to her brother.And if she lived inside this girl's spirit… she might know every secret hidden there.
He slid the dagger back into the shadow of his robe and sat down before her rigid body.Studying the girl's glowing eyes, he realized without a shred of doubt—he was speaking to the Emperor's lost daughter.
He began spilling words, filling the silence with talk of secrets, the kingdom, and duties owed to her father.
The serpent cut him off with an angry, vibrating hiss—sharp enough to sting the air:"Stop circling the truth."
"You're the one circling it," he muttered back.
The serpent sighed."Fine. She has no known lineage… though she is connected to our kingdom somehow.She truly loves my brother…And she's the one who tore off his wings in—"
A pause. Then, for the first time, Huo Feng's lips moved."She tore them off on the Sacred Mountain."
"Why? Were they enemies?" the Counselor asked urgently.
"No," the serpent said. "She didn't hate him then. She punished him for killing—or rather, for failing to save her father, which led to his death at my dear brother Li's hands."
The Counselor stared at her, suspicion twisting his thoughts.Was this really the serpent?
Her eyes suddenly blazed—two sparks of golden fire—and a pulse of light swallowed the Counselor's will in an instant.
This time, Huo Feng smiled for real.She whispered inwardly to the serpent:
"Thank you, my dear. I knew I could count on you."
The serpent asked,"What is your next move?"
Huo Feng answered,"I need the Soul Vessel—and then I must escape."
The serpent lowered its voice."I'm sorry… I can't help you with that."
"It's fine," Huo Feng replied."I'll just copy his memories."
She reached toward the Counselor's cheek, but her body shuddered—repulsed by the thought of absorbing part of such a vile creature.
The serpent warned her,"Don't. The Emperor's eyes are on you even now. He's inside every part of me."
Huo Feng muttered,"That cunning man… He knew his son was in my hands, yet believed I was in yours."
She straightened slightly and commanded the Counselor with her eyes.
He asked,"Why are you searching for Shushu?"
"Because she is Master Li's friend, and I owe him," she answered.
"Only that?" he pressed.
"No. Because I promised to save her."
"Only that?"
"No. Because she knows where Suo is—my friend."
He asked again,"How did you defeat Li and the Queen?"
She sighed."Because I possess the greatest power in the Heavenly Kingdom."Then fell silent before adding:"The power of the Sacred Furnace…"
She attempted to stand.The Counselor startled.She stumbled, and as she fell, her hand grazed his forehead in a clumsy—but purposeful—stroke.
Huo Feng rose slowly, pretending to awaken from a trance.
"What are you doing in my room at this hour, you wretch?!" she snapped.
The Counselor blinked, dazed as he regained control of his senses.She grabbed him by the collar and hurled him out with ruthless force.
Then she collapsed onto her bed, her eyes glimmering with the dark memories she had just ripped from him.
A faint smile touched her lips.Now she knew the deepest, foulest secrets of that disgusting man.