Night. Palace back gate.

  Xu Mo hid in shadows. Stone wall. High. Above, lanterns. Pale light.

  Two shadows approached. Spies from tavern.

  They stopped. Waited.

  Small door opened. A eunuch emerged. Black robe. Expressionless face.

  Xu Mo could not hear. Only lip movement. Hands. Gestures.

  Spies nodded. Envelope changed hands.

  Then.

  Door opened again.

  Light.

  Woman.

  White robe. Long black hair. Thin veil.

  Xu Mo's chest stopped.

  Woman from tavern.

  ---

  Spies knelt. Eunuch bowed.

  Woman walked. Slow. Graceful. Silk shoes soundless on stone.

  She stopped before spies. Something in hand. Small paper. Given.

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  Spies received. Stored.

  Woman turned.

  Toward Xu Mo.

  Directly at his hiding place.

  Eyes. Only eyes. Staring.

  Smile. Faint. But there.

  Then she left. Door closed.

  Shadows returned.

  ---

  Xu Mo did not move. Long time.

  He waited. Breath. One. Two. Three.

  No one came. No one pursued.

  He felt his robe.

  In inner pocket, something. Paper. Small. New.

  He did not remember placing it.

  He opened.

  One character.

  ?.

  Shuang.

  Dual. Pair.

  ---

  Xu Mo stared at character.

  Fire. Water. Dual.

  Two clans. One blood? One purpose?

  Or one enemy?

  He pocketed paper. Together with torn cloth. Two clues. One mystery.

  ---

  Immortal Wine House. Corner table. Xu Mo sat.

  Wine cup. Untouched.

  Outside, dawn. Gray.

  He was tired. But could not sleep.

  Every time he closed eyes, old man's face. Wound in chest. Fire character.

  Every time, that woman's eyes. Smile. Knowing.

  Why did she not kill me? Why give clue?

  No answer.

  ---

  Sound from outside. Commotion. Running.

  Xu Mo turned. Window.

  Crowd. In front of tavern. City guards. Corpse.

  He rose. Left.

  ---

  Corpse lay on ground. Black robe. Face recognized.

  Eunuch from palace gate.

  Wound in chest. Single hole. Small. Precisely at heart.

  Exactly same.

  Xu Mo closed eyes.

  Message.

  Anyone who speaks with me dies.

  ---

  Crowd whispered.

  "Murder again."

  "Second one this week."

  "City guards useless."

  Xu Mo stepped back. One step. Two steps. Vanished.

  ---

  Narrow alley. Passage. He stopped. Wall.

  His hands trembled.

  He was nobody. Exile. Without clan. Without home.

  But he was targeted. Or protected? He did not know.

  What he knew: two corpses. Two identical wounds. One connection: himself.

  Someone playing. And I am the pawn.

  ---

  He felt torn cloth. Fire character. Small paper. Dual character.

  Fire. Water. Dual.

  Perhaps not two rival clans. Perhaps two sibling clans. One lineage. One blood.

  Fifty years ago, they were erased. Not because of clan war. But because of one enemy.

  Same enemy still alive. Still in power. Still hunting survivors.

  And which side was woman in white robe on?

  ---

  Xu Mo looked up. Sky.

  Fracture widened. Faint. But real.

  From north, black clouds. Approaching.

  Tie Yan. Rebellion. Soon.

  And inside palace, Empress. Intrigue. Murder.

  Old world collapsing. New world not yet born.

  Xu Mo between. Between two eras. Between two clans. Between life and death.

  ---

  He walked.

  First step toward palace. Not to attack. To see. To understand.

  Who is my enemy. Who is my ally. And why that woman chose me.

  ---

  Behind him. Immortal Wine House. Still live

  ly. Still laughing.

  Eunuch's corpse already removed.

  No one knew this murder was message.

  For Xu Mo.

  ---

  Sky. Fractured.

  Wind. Cold.

  Xu Mo. Walking.

  Toward answers.

  ---

  **To be continued...**