Liu Rufeng's smile carried the sheen of a freshly honed dagger—too polished to be harmless, too calculated to ignore. I let my fingers trail over the scroll in my hands, the parchment rough against my skin, grounding me. Every word between us was a move on the board, every glance a gambit.
Li Jun stood rigid beside me, his usual composure fraying at the edges. Even now, after all this time, he couldn't fully mask his distrust.
"Li Jun," Liu Rufeng purred, "if you truly believe you can navigate these halls alone, why not test your strength with me? Wealth is but one of my assets."
Li Jun's jaw tightened. "Your power holds little interest for me."
Good.
I suppressed a smile. Li Jun's refusal was a small victory—one less thread for Liu Rufeng to pull. The merchant's ambitions were a wildfire; if left unchecked, they would consume everything in their path.
But Liu Rufeng only tilted his head, his voice dropping to a lethal murmur. "Do you think you can escape this game?"
Enough.
"I told you," I cut in, my voice like winter steel, "this board is mine to command. You are but a piece—no matter how clever you think your moves are."
For the first time, Liu Rufeng faltered. Then, just as quickly, his grin returned—sharper now, edged with challenge. "Then show me how you mean to play."
Arrogance.
It would be his downfall.
I turned to Li Jun, my gaze unyielding. "If you stand aside now, you’ll never grasp the stakes. This palace doesn’t reward spectators."
Conflict flickered in his eyes. He knew I was right. Knew, too, that I was offering him a choice: ally or obstacle.
"You’re saying I must stand with you?"
"Precisely." My voice was calm, deliberate. "No one wins this game alone."
Liu Rufeng laughed then, a sound like shattering porcelain. "And what, pray tell, is this grand plan of yours?"
I met his gaze, my lips curling into something colder than a smile.
"You’ll see soon enough."
With that, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving them both in my wake. The air hummed with unspoken threats, with promises yet to unfold.
Let them wonder.
Let them wait.
The game was no longer theirs to control.
And I—
I had just made my opening move.
ns216.73.216.67da2
and then Add to home screen.