"Your Majesty, we have prepared a feast in your honour," Duan Han-Yun said politely, bowing with his hands clasped before him. "Please come and enjoy it."
Yu Xiao sat in the wooden chair, legs crossed, one foot wiggling idly as she regarded them with a deadly stare. After a moment, she rose and approached the table laden with dishes.
She settled quietly into her seat and cast a brief glance at the Duan brothers standing before her, heads bowed in deference.
"Do not treat me as some exalted guest," she said calmly, tapping the top of an empty chair beside her. "Come join me."
The siblings lifted their heads in shock. They hesitated at first, but her invitation eventually convinced them. They sat together beside her, picked up their chopsticks in unison, and began to eat.
Yu Xiao observed them as they dined. The atmosphere felt strangely altered, heavy with awkwardness.
"Why are you both so quiet?" she asked, pausing mid-bite. "This is unlike the first time we met."
Duan Han-Yun raised his head and glanced at her. "Forgive us, Your Majesty, for our demeanour," he said softly. "We are simply unaccustomed to it—to addressing you as one of such exalted station. In the past, all bowed their heads before you, when you ruled the entire Southern Domain."
Yu Xiao paused mid-bite, her chopsticks hovering. She set them down and leaned her arms upon the table.
"But I am not the person you speak of," she whispered. "Whoever this Feng Xiaotian was, I have no connection to her. I hold no higher realm. I am merely an ordinary woman."
Duan Han-Yun nodded slightly.
"Yet, Your Majesty," Duan Han-Qing interjected earnestly, "we cannot believe you are not Feng Xiaotian. Five hundred years have passed since the last catastrophe between the Long Clan and Demon King An Chi, when we fled to your sect. We served in your palace for hundreds of years. How could we fail to recognise you?"
Yu Xiao's curiosity ignited. She listened attentively as Duan Han-Qing narrated tales of the one they called 'Feng Xiaotian'—the one they insisted was her.
Duan Han-Yun added his own recollections in the same vein. Paranoia crept into her heart, yet she remained rapt.
"Are you saying you both lived in the same place as this girl named Feng Xiaotian?" she asked curiously. "Where was that again?"
The siblings set down their chopsticks and continued, grateful for her full attention.
"It was the Domain of Eternal Flame—the Southern Vermilion Palace," Duan Han-Qing said. "The seat of highest authority over the crucial domains. A bloodline resonant with the core of fire, enduring there for twenty thousand years."
"Back then," Duan Han-Yun added, "the realm was ruled in harmony by ancient generations. Bloodshed was rare. Cultivators and mortals mingled freely. But everything changed when Gongzhou Li Hua of the Vermilion Palace formed a bond with An Yue, Young Master of the Demonic Realm. Their union defied the heavens, yet they clung to it. Such a joining was deemed corruption of purity and betrayal of foundational principles. Punishments ranged from banishment and curses to imprisonment or heavenly trials sent to chastise those who defied the Dao."
Yu Xiao nodded at once, her forehead scrunching with lazy eyes. "In other words, relationships between demonic and immortal cultivators are strictly forbidden."
The siblings agreed.
"Oh, I understand," she said, pausing. "But how does any of this connect to me?" she asked, eyes widening.
"It is all connected to you," Duan Han-Yun answered directly.
"Gongzhou Li Hua and An Yue were banished and fled to the mortal realm," Duan Han-Qing continued. "Five thousand years ago, chaos engulfed the mortal world, wrought by An Chi. As master of fate-threads, Demon King An Chi clung to a prophecy of a 'divine beast' whose birth would herald his downfall. To thwart it, he slaughtered entire clans—especially those with powerful bloodlines."
"Another one thousand and five hundred years ago, the Long Clan nearly vanished," Duan Han-Yun said. "Only a lineage with Qi Foundation survived. An Chi's genocide of the Azure Dragons and his war against the Celestials were pre-emptive strikes to prevent such children from existing. The conflict endured for ages. And lastly, five hundred years later, the next Long Clan generation hid in seclusion, yet An Chi breached the sanctuary. The chaos was fiercer then, for our Young Master fought back fiercely. Though young, he served as Guardian of the Blue Flame Pavilion and protector of the celestial realm. In the end, our world remains vast and hostile. Rumours persist that the Young Master neglected his duty due to an ill omen."
"Ill omen?" Yu Xiao repeated, blinking in confusion. "What kind of ill omen?"
"An Chi was powerful, but the Young Master held nothing back to shield his people," Duan Han-Qing said. "He was spared at the crucial moment, only to be cursed by An Chi before the Demon King vanished. We know not how the Young Master fares now. He resides in a higher realm, having built a sealed sanctuary for the dragon clan alone—one An Chi cannot breach."
"Gongzhou Li Hua and An Yue were also victims of An Chi's cruelty," Duan Han-Yun added. "The mortal realm strips power from high-level beings due to its thin spiritual energy. Yet An Chi, master of fate, could pursue his designs unhindered."
"Then he killed An Yue and Li Hua?" Yu Xiao asked. "You said An Chi slew to avert the prophecy of the 'divine beast.' Don't tell me he targeted them for that reason. You never mentioned they had a child."
Duan Han-Yun smiled faintly. "You are mistaken, Your Majesty. Zhou Yan is the son of An Yue and Li Hua."
Yu Xiao's eyes widened. "Ha?"
Duan Han-Qing cracked a slight smile at her reaction. Duan Han-Yun continued.
"An Chi discovered Zhou Yan posed no threat to him, so he raised the boy. Zhou Yan never knew An Chi murdered his parents. The Demon King manipulated events, concealing the truth. Zhou Yan was an infant when An Chi seized the mortal realm, claiming countless innocent lives. He exploited Li Hua's lineage—her father, former Prince of the Blood Li Huayu the First Regent (younger brother of Feng Lanyue's father), and the Flames bloodline opposed her union with An Yue, advocating banishment over death. An Chi used this to sow grudge in Zhou Yan against the entire Flames lineage."
"Listen carefully, Your Majesty," Duan Han-Yun said gravely. "Li Hua shared blood with you. Before the former Sovereign Feng Lanyue perished, you were born. Your mother died in childbirth. You inherited pure blood from the Feng Clan—stronger than any before. The entire flame sect witnessed your birth, proclaiming you the sole heavenly vessel of the 'Primordial Spirit Fire Phoenix' in history."
Yu Xiao's eyebrows curled upward.
"That's inaccurate! You have misjudged me!"
"We would not," Duan Han-Qing insisted. "We served you for hundreds of years. We could never mistake you."
"If we are wrong, Your Majesty," Duan Han-Yun said, bowing his head, "we apologise in advance. Yet we have means to seek the truth."
"Means for what?"
"To prove you and Feng Xiaotian are one and the same," Duan Han-Yun said, his eyes desperate.
"You are pressing me into a corner," Yu Xiao said, eyebrows raised.
Duan Han-Yun leaned closer. "One thing we know—Feng Xiaotian bore a birthmark upon her left chest."
Yu Xiao's eyes widened. Her mind drifted. She instinctively touched her left chest, recalling the mark she had glimpsed in the pool. She closed her eyes, feigning ignorance.
"This soul may be mine, but this body belongs to their Feng Xiaotian. No—this means I not only transmigrated but fell into hunt! This is dire. Will I die again? No wonder they call me 'Your Majesty.' This is terrifying—worse than my reality."
The Duan siblings noticed her discomfort and grew worried.
"Your Majesty, are you well?" Duan Han-Yun asked sincerely.
Duan Han-Qing rose and leaned closer to check on her. He poured water into a jade cup and offered it.
"Your Majesty, drink this," he said politely. "Please calm yourself."
Yu Xiao lifted her head and regarded him for a moment. "Thank you," she said, accepting the cup.
"Feeling better now, Your Majesty?" Duan Han-Yun asked worriedly.
To ease the tension, Yu Xiao leaned back in her chair, eyes darting between the siblings. She released a heavy sigh, emotionally unsteady.
"I feel awkward," she admitted, frowning and gesturing vaguely. "Haist! What am I going to do? I truly do not know this Feng Xiaotian. I am not her. Without a single fragment of her memories, how can I claim what is not mine? I am utterly depressed." She paused. "Why has fate burdened me with this?"
The Duan siblings fell silent, watching her. Confusion clouded their minds, yet they chose restraint. They would not let the chance slip away.
As long as Feng Xiaotian walked beside them, they would guide her gently and honour her will.
First, they must conceal her identity amid the perilous celestial winds. Facing the hostile domain would be no easy task, but protecting her remained their most sacred duty.