The arrow screamed through the darkness.
For a split second, time seemed to slow.
Long Wei's fingers tightened around Zhao Lian's wrist, and with a sharp pull, he yanked her toward him.
The arrow cut through the air where her heart had been a moment before.
Thanks!
It buried itself deep into the red pillar behind them.
The sound echoed across the corridor like a death bell.
For one heartbeat, silence.
Then chaos exploded.
"ASSASSIN!"
The palace guards roared as steel was drawn from every direction.
Zhao Lian stumbled against Long Wei's chest, her eyes widening in shock.
Empress Zhao Lian
Long Wei's arm instinctively moved around her waist to steady her.
Warm.
Soft.
Too close.
For a ridiculous second, a thought flashed through his mind.
"Okay… maybe this is heaven."
The next second, another arrow whistled past his face.
He jerked back.
"Nope."
His lips twitched.
"Definitely not heaven."
Three masked figures dropped from the roof beams above the corridor.
Black robes.
Light swords.
Silent movement.
Professionals.
Long Wei's eyes sharpened instantly.
Not palace guards.
Not random killers.
Trained shadow operatives.
His body reacted before he thought.
He pushed Zhao Lian behind him.
"Stay back."
Her eyes flashed with indignation.
"I do not need protection."
Long Wei didn't even look back.
"Haan haan, mujhe pata hai."
Yeah, yeah, I know.
Another assassin lunged.
Long Wei stepped forward.
His old instincts returned like breathing.
Years of special forces training.
One sidestep.
One wrist grab.
One brutal elbow strike to the throat.
The assassin staggered back.
Long Wei snatched the sword from his grip mid-fall.
The weight felt unfamiliar compared to modern blades.
But steel was steel.
The second attacker came from the left.
Long Wei pivoted.
Clang!
Sparks flew as swords collided.
The impact ran up his arm.
Ancient swordsmanship memories from Long Wei's body merged with Arjun's combat instincts.
Two lives.
One battlefield.
Perfect synchronisation.
"Nice."
He smirked.
"Now this feels like home."
Behind him, Zhao Lian's voice turned cold.
"Take them alive."
Long Wei glanced sideways.
"Bold order."
Then the third assassin came straight for the empress.
Bad move.
Very bad move.
Long Wei moved like a shadow.
A low spin.
A kick to the assassin's knee.
The bone cracked.
The man screamed and dropped.
Long Wei's blade stopped at his throat.
"Game over, bhai."
The assassin's eyes widened.
Then suddenly—
The man bit down on something hidden in his mouth.
Poison.
Foam spilt from beneath the mask.
Dead.
Long Wei cursed under his breath.
"Classic."
The remaining two assassins immediately retreated.
Professional exit.
No wasted movement.
They vanished into the darkness of the upper beams.
The guards arrived seconds too late.
Of course.
Always late.
Long Wei exhaled sharply.
Then realised—
Zhao Lian was still standing very close behind him.
Very close.
Close enough that he could feel the warmth of her breath.
For one strange second, the corridor, the blood, the guards—all faded.
Only moonlight and silence remained.
Her eyes met his.
Cool.
Beautiful.
And for the first time—
genuinely unsettled.
"You saved me."
The words were soft.
Almost disbelieving.
Long Wei gave a faint grin.
"Part-time bodyguard."
A beat.
"Full-time confused guy."
Against all expectations, the corner of her lips lifted.
A tiny smile.
Dangerously beautiful.
His mind betrayed him immediately.
"Bhai… yeh smile toh dangerous hai."
That smile is dangerous.
Then the tension snapped.
The captain of the palace guard arrived and dropped to one knee.
General Mu Jian
"Your Majesty, forgive this subordinate!"
Zhao Lian's expression instantly cooled.
The warmth vanished behind imperial steel.
"Seal the palace."
Her voice cut through the corridor.
"No one enters or leaves."
General Mu bowed deeply.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The guards rushed to obey.
Long Wei looked at the dead assassin.
No insignia.
No markings.
No obvious faction symbol.
Professional.
But not impossible to trace.
He crouched beside the body.
The poison smell was sharp.
Bitter almond.
Fast-acting.
He checked the man's wrist.
A small black tattoo.
Phoenix feather.
His eyes narrowed.
Interesting.
Zhao Lian stepped closer.
"You found something."
He nodded.
"Inside job."
Her gaze hardened.
She had already suspected as much.
Long Wei stood.
"This wasn't random."
He looked toward the dark corridor where the assassins escaped.
"They knew your route."
Her silence confirmed everything.
This palace was compromised.
Maybe even the council.
Maybe Prime Minister Xu.
Maybe the Western Duke.
Maybe both.
The battlefield had changed.
This wasn't just political tension anymore.
This was active elimination.
A coup in motion.
Long Wei rubbed the back of his neck.
"Wow."
He glanced at Zhao Lian.
"You really live a stressful life."
For a moment, she simply looked at him.
Then said quietly,
"You still joke after almost dying."
Long Wei shrugged.
"Trauma response."
A pause.
"Works surprisingly well."
For the first time, her expression softened.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Then she said something unexpected.
"Come with me."
Long Wei blinked.
"Again?"
She turned.
"This is not a request."
He sighed dramatically.
"Of course it isn't."
Still, he followed.
They entered a private chamber deep within the inner palace.
It was unlike the public halls.
No grand pillars.
No ceremonial banners.
Just quiet elegance.
Moonlight filtered through silk curtains.
A low table.
Tea set.
A single window overlooking the lotus pond.
Long Wei looked around.
"Okay…"
He glanced at Zhao Lian.
"Now this definitely looks like heaven."
She turned toward him slowly.
For a moment, her cold mask cracked again.
A tiny, amused breath.
"Do you always speak like this?"
Long Wei smirked.
"Only when I'm stressed."
A beat.
"Or impressed."
That made her pause.
Their eyes met.
For a strange moment, the air between them shifted.
Not romantic.
Not yet.
But something had changed.
Trust.
A fragile beginning.
She poured tea into two cups.
Then handed one to him.
Long Wei took it.
Warm.
Fragrant.
Comforting.
Zhao Lian sat opposite him.
The moonlight touched her face.
Beautiful.
But tired.
Very tired.
Then she finally spoke.
"You asked earlier if this was heaven."
Her gaze lowered slightly.
"It is not."
A shadow crossed her face.
"This palace is a prison."
Long Wei's expression sharpened.
Now that sounded familiar.
She looked out the window.
"Everyone smiles."
A pause.
"But everyone waits for me to fall."
Long Wei said nothing.
Because he understood.
Too well.
She turned back toward him.
"Why did you save me?"
The question was simple.
The answer was not.
Long Wei looked at the tea in his hand.
Then at her.
And for once, the humour faded.
"Because I know what betrayal feels like."
The words settled softly in the room.
Her eyes widened—just a fraction.
Then something inside her gaze shifted.
Recognition.
Pain.
Connection.
For the first time, the distance between them no longer felt like ruler and stranger.
It felt like two broken people standing at the edge of the same storm.