The imperial carriage of the True Dragon advanced, solemn and majestic, to the heavy thud of the Imperial Guards’ boots on bluestone.
The commoners lining the streets fell to their knees like cut wheat, foreheads pressed to the cold ground. In the center of that sea of bowed heads stood Liang Yan.
He stepped out of the carriage in a black robe stitched with coiled gold dragons. His face was cold, unreadable, pressing down on the entire plaza like a suffocating weight.
I sat on the high threshold of the City God Temple, translucent arms on my knees, watching him come closer.
“Look at him,” Xu Sheng sneered behind me. “The man who pinned you down, broke your wings, and sent you to your grave. Now he’s the only one who can keep your soul from scattering. Ironic, isn’t it, Lord Shen?”
“Shut up.”
My soul flickered violently. The edges of my sleeves were dissolving into light. The world blurred. An icy numbness crept up from my feet. If I didn’t get Yang energy within the hour, I would cease to exist in any realm.
Liang Yan walked straight for the temple entrance. As he neared, his steps faltered. He stopped right in front of where I sat, his dark eyes scanning the empty air.
For a terrifying second, I thought he was looking right at me.
But he couldn’t see me. No living mortal could.
He just closed his eyes briefly, inhaling the choking incense, and said in a low, hoarse voice to his attendant, “Is this where the rumor started?”
“Replying to Your Majesty, yes,” the head eunuch trembled. “The commoners say… the late Prime Minister Shen has been appearing in dreams across the capital, demanding a lamp to guide his path. Miss Shen Yi and Lord Duan have already lit thousands in his honor.”
Liang Yan gave a low, humorless laugh that made my ghost spine shiver.
“A lamp? Shen Qi, even in death you cannot leave in peace. You must turn the entire capital upside down just to spite me.”
He stepped over the threshold — right through me.
BOOM.
The moment his body passed through mine, a violent jolt of blazing heat erupted in my chest. Not the tearing pain of a dream visitation, but a wild torrent of vitality. My flickering hands solidified instantly. The icy numbness retreated like a tide.
I gasped and tumbled off the threshold onto my hands and knees. I stared at my palms — distinct, solid, no longer fading. Just passing through him for a second had replenished a huge amount of Yang energy.
“See?” Xu Sheng walked over, looking down at me. “I told you. He has more Yang energy than he knows what to do with. Just standing near him feeds you. Imagine if you actually siphoned it directly.”
I pushed myself up, staring at Liang Yan’s retreating back as he entered the main hall.
To survive and find my lamp, I had to cling to the very man I wanted to escape most. Nauseating.
Inside, Liang Yan stood before the altar, where a massive everlasting lamp burned — the one Shen Yi had placed earlier. He stared at the flame, fingers tightening on his golden belt. His voice was a whisper, yet it rang clear in my ears.
“You want a lamp to leave me, Shen Qi? I haven’t permitted you to leave. Even if your soul descends to the Yellow Springs, I will drag you back.”
He turned to the eunuch, his face turning tyrannical.
“Pass down my decree. Gather every single lamp lit for the Prime Minister across the city. Bring them all to the palace. Not a single spark is allowed to remain outside.”
My heart dropped.
If he moves all the lamps into the palace, I’ll have to infiltrate the dragon’s den just to check which one is mine.
Beside me, little Xu Chu popped out, tugging my sash with wide worried eyes. “B-brother Shen, the emperor is taking your lamps! If you go into the palace, his dragon aura might crush you!”
I looked at Liang Yan, then at my own hands still humming with his stolen warmth. A bitter, reckless smile crept onto my lips.
“He wants to lock up my lamps?”
I dusted my sleeves, eyes flashing with the old defiance from my days as Prime Minister.
“Fine. Then I’ll move into his palace and turn his imperial court upside down.”