Cave. Outside city. Stone hill. Empty.

  Xu Mo sat inside. One lantern. Oil nearly gone.

  In hand, scroll. Yan-Shui technique. Hundred pages. Ancient script. Meridian diagrams. Qi flow.

  He read. Slowly.

  *Fire from within. Water from without. Meet at dantian. Do not let them fight. Let them dance.*

  He closed eyes. Felt.

  Chest hot. Bones cold. Two currents. Opposing.

  Let them fight? Or let them dance?

  He tried to meet them.

  ---

  Pain.

  Not ordinary pain. Pain that tore. From inside. From bone. From soul.

  Fire spread. Not in chest. In organs. Liver burned. Kidneys boiled.

  Water froze. Not on skin. Inside. Blood vessels hardened. Heart slowed.

  Xu Mo opened eyes. Screamed. No sound emerged.

  He fell. Rolled. Hit cave wall. Did not hurt. Because pain inside greater.

  Fire grew larger. Water froze harder.

  This is end.

  He remembered old man. Wound in chest. One small hole.

  Die like that? Or die here, alone, unknown?

  ---

  Then stone.

  In robe. Black stone. Warm. Hot. But different. Heat that soothed.

  Character on stone: 融. Unite.

  Xu Mo gripped stone. Tight.

  Fire inside approached stone. Water too. Like magnet. Like home.

  Meeting. In chest. But did not collide. Rotated.

  Yin and yang. Two fish. One circle.

  Xu Mo breathed. One. Two. Three.

  Fire still there. Water still there. But they did not fight.

  They danced.

  ---

  He rose. Left hand, fire. Blue. Cold.

  Right hand, water. Boiling. Hot.

  He looked at hands. Long time.

  Nearly died.

  But did not die.

  ---

  Third day.

  Xu Mo practiced control. Could cold fire extinguish normal fire? Could hot water freeze?

  He tried. One by one. Slowly.

  Cold fire touched stone. Stone cracked. Frozen? No. Crumbled to sand.

  Hot water touched stone. Stone melted. Like wax.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  He stopped.

  Too strong.

  But strong did not mean ready.

  ---

  From outside cave, sound.

  Running. Shouting. Horses. Many.

  Xu Mo stood. Scroll into robe. Stone in pocket. He left.

  Light blinding.

  Sky red. Not sun. Fire. In north. Thousands of fires. Tents. Army moving.

  Dust. Black banners. The Dire banners.

  Xu Mo climbed rock. Looked far.

  Before army, figure on white horse. Large. Black armor. One eye glowing red.

  Tie Yan.

  ---

  He descended. Ran toward city.

  Night wind hot. Heat from north. Burning sky.

  Back gate. Guards did not see. They all at main gate.

  Xu Mo entered. Streets empty. But not silent.

  From distance, voice. Not battle. Tie Yan's voice. Thundering. Reaching every corner of city.

  "I did not come to destroy city. I came to take throne. Emperor Shenwu sick. Empress Wei poisoned him. I am legitimate son of Emperor. I am heir."

  ---

  City stopped.

  At market. A merchant dropped goods. Fish scattered. He did not retrieve.

  At window. A mother covered child's mouth. Child crying. Did not know why.

  At main gate. Guards trembled. Weapons in hands fell.

  The Dire banners. Black banners. But those words more terrifying than banners.

  *Legitimate son of Emperor.*

  History shifted. Before everyone's eyes.

  Xu Mo still in middle of street. Blue fire in hand extinguished itself. Water in right hand evaporated.

  He did not notice.

  ---

  Immortal Wine House. Empty. Only old servant.

  Xu Mo sat in corner. Usual table. Wine cup untouched.

  He thought about Tie Yan's words.

  Emperor's son. Meaning, Ling's brother. But Ling said all died.

  Ling lied? Or did not know?

  Or... Tie Yan also lied?

  ---

  Door opened.

  Someone entered. Breath ragged. Wound on arm. Blood still wet.

  Spy. From market. Who spoke in tavern before.

  He saw Xu Mo. Immediately sat. Hand trembling.

  "You" breath. "You are exile. I saw you in archive. Erased clans shelf."

  Xu Mo silent. Stared.

  Spy continued. "I know you do not trust me. But I am Empress's enemy. She killed my brother three days ago. Corpse thrown into river."

  Hand searched robe. Paper. Folded. Pushed forward.

  "This. From inside palace."

  Xu Mo took. Opened.

  One sentence. Delicate script. Woman's hand.

  *Moonless night. Palace falls. Save Ling.*

  ---

  Xu Mo raised head. Spy still before him. Afraid. But still here.

  "You know what this says?" asked Xu Mo.

  Spy shook head. "I cannot read palace script. But one who gave this, friend. She dies if discovered."

  Xu Mo silent. Looked at paper again.

  Moonless night. Tomorrow? Day after?

  "You" spy hesitated. "You will help her? Princess Ling?"

  Xu Mo did not answer.

  Spy rose. "I must go. Before"

  Tavern door opened.

  Footsteps. Many. Uniform black. Palace guards.

  Spy paled. Looked at Xu Mo. Then ran. To kitchen. To back.

  Xu Mo still. Cup in hand began freezing.

  Guards entered. Four men. Looked around. One approached servant.

  "Injured person entered?"

  Servant shook head. Face flat. "No one."

  Guard suspicious. But they left.

  ---

  Xu Mo did not move. Waited. One minute. Two minutes.

  Then from kitchen window, he saw.

  In back alley. Spy caught. Two guards held. One guard raised sword.

  Spy turned. Toward tavern. Toward Xu Mo.

  Lips moved. One word.

  "Run."

  Sword fell.

  Xu Mo closed eyes.

  ---

  When opened eyes, alley empty. Corpse already removed. Only blood. Little. On ground.

  He looked at paper in hand. Still there.

  This information bought with life.

  He put paper in robe. Together with torn cloth. Together with black stone. Together with technique scroll.

  Three days ago he nearly died in cave.

  Now he lived. With fire and water. With dual technique. With two clans' inheritance.

  And with one debt.

  To dead person. Who gave information. Who said run.

  Xu Mo stood. Left tavern.

  Sky still red. Fracture above widened. Faint. But real.

  From north, dust. Tie Yan's army began moving.

  From palace, lights. Guards prepared. Or conspired.

  Xu Mo walked.

  Not north. Not palace.

  Into shadows. Waiting.

  Moonless night.

  ---

  **To be continued...**