Chapter 16 · Her Mother's Missing Page

I grabbed Gu Hanchuan's wrist before he could reach for the door.

The footsteps outside stopped. Whoever it was, they were listening now.

Gu's eyes met mine. His hand moved to the jade bottle on the table, fingers closing around it. He shoved it into his robe sleeve just as the door slid open.

Lin Yuan stepped in. Alone this time. No council elders hovering behind him like vultures.

"Cousin." He smiled at me. That same gentle smile he used to wear when we were kids, back when I still thought he might actually care. "I heard you've been unwell. I brought medicine."

He held out a small porcelain bottle. White glaze, gold stopper. Expensive.

I didn't move.

"The Sect Leader's condition is worsening," Lin Yuan continued, setting the bottle on the table anyway. "And you've been supplying him Yin energy for days now. Your spirit root must be strained."

"I'm fine," I said.

His smile didn't shift. "You don't look fine."

Gu Hanchuan stepped forward, putting himself between us. "She said she's fine."

Lin Yuan's gaze slid to him. "Sect Leader. I apologize for the council's... ultimatum. Some of the elders can be extreme in their methods."

"Extreme.