The palace was burning.
Not everywhere.
Only the eastern wing.
But the smoke had already swallowed half the night.
Li Xuan ran through the corridor with blood on his sleeve, his sword still in his hand.
Behind him, soldiers shouted.
Ahead—
nothing.
No bells.
That was what frightened him.
There should have been bells.
There were always bells.
"Shen Lian!"
His voice disappeared into the smoke.
No answer.
He pushed through another doorway.
The room beyond had been abandoned.
Broken furniture.
Scattered papers.
A fallen lantern.
And on the floor—
a single silver bell.
Li Xuan stopped.
He picked it up.
Still warm.
His fingers closed around it.
"No…"
A sound came from outside.
Metal against stone.
Li Xuan turned sharply.
Then he ran.
The courtyard was almost empty.
The Crown Prince stood at the far end, surrounded by guards.
Advisor Chen was beside him.
And between them—
Shen Lian.
His hands were restrained.
Blood stained the white fabric around his shoulder.
His veil was gone.
For the first time, there was nothing between his face and the world.
Li Xuan stopped breathing.
"Let him go."
The Crown Prince smiled.
"You finally came."
Li Xuan's sword lifted.
"I said let him go."
"You've spent years pretending you didn't care about power."
The Crown Prince's eyes shifted toward Shen Lian.
"But apparently there was one thing you cared about."
Shen Lian looked at Li Xuan.
His expression was strangely calm.
"Don't."
One word.
Li Xuan understood immediately.
Something was wrong.
"Shen Lian?"
"Don't come closer."
Li Xuan ignored him.
He stepped forward.
The guards raised their weapons.
Then—
Shen Lian's eyes changed.
A warning.
A plea.
Something Li Xuan had never seen from him before.
"Please."
Li Xuan froze.
Shen Lian had never said that word to him.
Not like this.
Advisor Chen stepped forward.
"The Black Lotus has one final condition."
Li Xuan's eyes hardened.
"What?"
Chen held up a small black vial.
"If Shen Lian refuses to reveal the location of the remaining network, he takes this."
Silence.
Shen Lian looked at the vial.
Then at Li Xuan.
And Li Xuan suddenly understood.
"No."
Shen Lian's expression barely moved.
"Li Xuan."
"No."
"You don't know what you're saying."
"I know exactly what I'm saying."
He took another step.
"I won't let them decide your fate."
Shen Lian's eyes softened.
"You already did."
Li Xuan stopped.
"What?"
"When you chose me."
The words hit harder than any blade.
Shen Lian looked down at his hands.
"I spent my entire life believing attachment was weakness."
His voice was quiet.
"I watched someone I loved die because they cared about me."
Li Xuan said nothing.
"I promised myself I would never make that mistake again."
His gaze returned to Li Xuan.
"Then you came along."
A faint smile appeared.
"And somehow, I made it worse."
Li Xuan's eyes burned.
"You didn't make anything worse."
Shen Lian shook his head.
"You don't understand."
"I understand enough."
"No."
Shen Lian looked toward the vial.
"I need you to live."
Li Xuan moved.
Fast.
His sword flashed.
Two guards fell back.
Another came from the side.
Li Xuan struck him away.
Everything happened at once.
Steel.
Shouting.
Smoke.
Blood.
And then—
the vial was gone.
Shen Lian had taken it.
Li Xuan turned.
"SHEN LIAN!"
Shen Lian swallowed.
For one second, their eyes met.
There was fear in his.
Not for himself.
For Li Xuan.
Then he collapsed.
Li Xuan caught him before he hit the ground.
"No."
He dropped his sword.
His hands shook as he held Shen Lian against him.
"No, no, no…"
Shen Lian's breathing was already changing.
Too slow.
Too shallow.
Li Xuan looked around desperately.
"GET A PHYSICIAN!"
No one moved.
The Crown Prince stared.
Advisor Chen lowered his eyes.
Li Xuan's voice became a roar.
"GET A PHYSICIAN!"
Shen Lian reached up.
His fingers touched Li Xuan's cheek.
Li Xuan went still.
"Don't."
Shen Lian whispered.
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you're already losing me."
Li Xuan's eyes filled.
"You're not dying."
Shen Lian smiled faintly.
"You always lie badly."
"Then I'll lie better."
Li Xuan pulled him closer.
"I'll find a cure."
"There isn't one."
"There has to be."
"Li Xuan…"
"I said I'll find one."
Shen Lian's breathing became weaker.
His fingers slipped from Li Xuan's cheek.
Li Xuan caught his hand.
"Stay with me."
Shen Lian looked at him.
For a moment, he seemed almost peaceful.
"I did."
Li Xuan shook his head.
"Not enough."
Shen Lian smiled.
"For me…"
He struggled to breathe.
"…it was."
The courtyard had become strangely quiet.
The fighting had stopped.
The fire continued burning somewhere behind them.
But Li Xuan heard none of it.
He only heard Shen Lian's breathing.
Slower.
Slower.
Then—
nothing.
Li Xuan stared at him.
"Shen Lian?"
No response.
He pressed his fingers against Shen Lian's wrist.
Nothing.
"No."
He checked again.
Nothing.
"Shen Lian."
His voice broke.
"Open your eyes."
Nothing.
Li Xuan pulled him closer.
"You promised me."
His forehead pressed against Shen Lian's.
"You said you were staying."
Silence.
Then Li Xuan felt something beneath his hand.
A tiny movement.
He looked down.
The silver bell tied around Shen Lian's wrist had shifted.
Jing.
One faint sound.
Li Xuan stared at it.
Then the bell stopped.
Morning came.
The palace declared Shen Lian dead.
The Black Lotus was dismantled.
The Crown Prince's conspiracy collapsed within weeks.
And Li Xuan—
never spoke about that night.
Not to anyone.
He kept the silver bell.
The one that had fallen from Shen Lian's wrist.
Years later, people would still say the Fourth Prince had become colder after that night.
They were right.
But they never knew why.
They never knew that every time he heard bells in the distance—
he stopped.
Just for a second.
As if some part of him was still waiting.
Still listening.
Still hoping.
Even though he had watched Shen Lian die.
Even though he had felt his heartbeat disappear.
Even though everyone told him there was nothing left to hope for.
Li Xuan never said Shen Lian was alive.
But he never said he was dead either.
And somewhere beyond the capital—
far beyond the palace walls—
a man in white opened his eyes.
His breathing was weak.
His body still carried the poison.
But he was alive.
A hand slowly reached toward the small silver bell beside him.
His fingers closed around it.
Jing.
The sound disappeared into the quiet morning.
And no one in the capital heard it.
Not even Li Xuan.
End of Chapter 57.