As we walk down the hallways, I notice the tension easing a little, although I can't shake my concern. The image of the girl being kicked against the wall won't leave my mind, and the memory fills me with rage. What kind of person could do something like that?

  We reach the wing where the doctor is treating the injured, and I see that some Nei Wei are guarding the entrance. When they see us, one of them approaches.

  "Zhāohuán Wen, the doctor is already examining them. She can't say anything for sure yet, but she told us that the boy is fine, he only has minor injuries and is resting right now. She's more concerned about the girl, who seems to have broken ribs at the very least.

  "I want to go in”, I say, trying to maintain my composure in the face of the news of the girl's serious injuries.

  "Wait a moment, I'll make sure the doctor is ready to receive visitors”, Nei Wei tells us after hesitating for a second before disappearing behind the door, leaving me with Lianhua in the hallway. I wait silently, struggling with the growing need to know what is happening inside.

  Lianhua watches me with her usual calm, but I can tell she's worried too.

  "Do you think I did the right thing, Lianhua?" I ask suddenly as my mother's words begin to echo in my head in the silence of the hallway.

  "What you did was what I consider fair, Zhāohuán Wen”, she replies without hesitation. "That's what matters."

  The door opens before I can answer her, and the Nei Wei motions for us to enter. I nod to Lianhua to push me, and as I cross the threshold, I see the doctor leaning over the little girl, her face tense as she examines her.

  "How is she?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

  The doctor looks up and observes me for a moment before replying “It was a very strong blow and she has several broken ribs as well as internal bleeding, but I have given her a restorative pill so she will survive, although it will take quite some time for her to fully recover."

  "And the boy?" I ask the doctor, pointing to the teenager lying on a stretcher, his head bandaged and his face covered in cuts and bruises.

  "The truth is, he was lucky. He only has minor injuries and some bruises. With a little rest, he'll be fine”, the doctor replies as she carefully adjusts the girl's bandages. "But they need to rest, and you're not doing anything but getting in the way, so I'd appreciate it if you left."

  I try to protest, but the doctor's frown and authoritative tone leave no doubt that we are not going to convince her. I sigh and gesture to Lianhua to push me out of the room.

  "Take me to my rooms, Lianhua”, I say as the infirmary doors close behind us.

  As we walk away from the wing where the doctor has her office, I feel exhaustion begin to weigh on my shoulders. We arrive at my rooms, and the familiar surroundings welcome me with a calm that, however, fails to appease my mind. Lianhua helps me out of the chair and settles me on a small couch by a window.

  I see that the books I bought during the day have been placed by the Nei Wei on a nearby table. I try to concentrate on them with Lianhua's help and classify them according to their possible usefulness or entertainment potential, but my mind keeps returning to the scene in the alley.

  Fortunately, my thoughts are interrupted when Lingxi enters the room and tells us “Zhāohuán Wen, it's time for dinner."

  I slowly sit down and say to Lianhua “Let's go. I don't have much appetite, but I don't want to worry my mother."

  Lianhua sits me in the chair and silently pushes me toward the dining room. When we arrive, I see that my mother is already seated and the table is set with food prepared by the Nei Wei cooks. However, this time the atmosphere in the room is heavy, and none of us say anything as we begin to eat.

  Finally, I can't take it anymore and break the uncomfortable silence by saying to my mother “What do you think I should have done today? Was I wrong to intervene?"

  My mother slowly and deliberately puts her chopsticks down on the table and looks at me for a long moment, as if she is evaluating my words or thinking about what to say to me.

  "Whether you did the right thing or not is something you have to decide for yourself, Wen”, she says in a calm but firm tone. "But what I can tell you is that you acted impulsively and didn't consider the consequences of your actions."

  I feel uncomfortable under her penetrating gaze and ask her “Consequences? What would you have wanted me to do? Watch while they seemed ready to beat those children to death?"

  "And what would you have done if that young master Shi had decided to ignore you?" my mother asks, her eyes fixed on mine. "Even if you had tried to stop them with a fight, you didn't know who those people really were or their background. What would you have done if the city guards had intervened on their behalf? This is not a small town with a small family like the Yao family. This is a big city where there are thousands of guards and we only have a hundred Nei Wei. In any conflict with the city, we would lose outright."

  "I don't think the guards would dare to do anything to the emperor's consort and daughter”, I say, raising my voice without being able to help myself.

  My mother looks at me with a disappointment that for some reason hurts me more than any reprimand "I can't believe those words are coming from you of all people, Wen. Despite your age and lack of knowledge about the world, you're not that naive."

  I fall silent, surprised by the tone of her voice, as she has never spoken to me like this before, and before I can think of a response, she continues.

  "This isn't the capital, where the Empire's presence is stronger. And even if it were, imagine if the person you're facing decided that your status meant nothing, that they were willing to kill you regardless of the consequences. He might then be captured and executed, but you would be dead”, she says in the same tone. "And here, at this distance from the capital, as long as the governor or one of the powerful families in the area wants to cover up the matter, they can blame your death on an attack by thieves or bandits and the culprits would never be found."

  Her words fall on me like a heavy slab, and I open my mouth to respond, but my mind is blank.

  "Don't expect your status to save you from all your actions, Wen”, my mother continues, her voice laden with a sadness I hadn't noticed before. "Because one day it won't, and I don't want to have to hold your funeral."

  She gets up from the table, leaving her food untouched. Lingxi seems surprised by her sudden departure, but quickly gets to her feet to follow her out of the dining room. I stare at her empty chair, the sound of her footsteps receding and echoing in my mind.

  My appetite has completely disappeared, and I feel overwhelmed, as if the full weight of my actions that day has suddenly fallen upon me.

  "Lianhua, take me to my room”, I murmur, unable to bear the thought of staying in the dining room any longer.

  "Of course, Zhāohuán Wen”, Lianhua replies, though I can detect a slight tone of pity in her voice. She gently pushes me, and together we retreat silently to my chambers.

  Once in my room, I ask Lianhua to lay me down on the bed, and after she does, I close my eyes, but my mother's words keep echoing in my mind. I try to analyze what she said, going over every word, every warning. Have I really been so arrogant, so blind to how my surroundings were affecting me?

  I can't help comparing my behavior to that of those spoiled and arrogant young people I sometimes encountered during my stays in China, who believe that their status will protect them from everything. Or those lottery winners who suddenly forget who they were before and consider themselves superior to others.

  And little by little, I realize how close I am to becoming what I so despised. The luxuries, the constant escorting, the incessant company of maids and servants, never having to worry about money to the point that I don't even know how the monetary system works in this world, and how all of that has come together over the years to distort my view of the world.

  And to top it all off, I can't help but remember the scene where I confronted the Yao clan guards and how I got away with it thanks to my mother's words about the emperor, and even how today I dismissed my clear case of nepotism at the restaurant by telling myself that I wasn't hurting anyone because I was only making them wait a little longer for their food.

  I begin to feel a deep shame when I think about how I have behaved. Am I any better than those second-generation young people I used to mock so much in my mind when dealing with them? Have I forgotten who I was before all this, how I viewed people who abused their power?

  As these thoughts tangle in my mind, I feel a kind of regret I have never felt before, and I decide to be glad that this scene is happening now and not several years later, when the feeling of distance from my former self would be more pronounced and it would really be too late to realize my distorted view.

  But eventually, slowly, the fatigue of the day begins to overtake me and my thoughts become muddled before sleep claims me, leading me into a restless slumber filled with a blurred mix of images from my past and present lives.

  I wake up feeling my face wet. I blink, confused, and run a hand over my cheeks. The feeling is strange, as if I had been crying in my sleep, although I can't remember what I might have dreamed. I lie in bed for a few minutes, letting my mind review the events of the previous day.

  I see again the image of the girl being thrown against the wall, Ling Tian's terrified eyes as the men forced him to his knees. And then, the conversation with my mother, her words full of frustration and sadness. I feel trapped in my own thoughts, a spiral of doubt and regret that seems to have no end.

  With a conscious effort, I decide to interrupt this mental storm. I need to get up and start the day somehow, so I call Lianhua, hoping my tone doesn't reveal the inner turmoil I feel. It doesn't take long before Lianhua enters the room.

  "Zhāohuán Wen, what would you like to do this morning?" she asks in her usual calm tone.

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  "I want to get dressed and go to breakfast”, I say as I get up with her help to prepare for the day.

  I finish breakfast quickly and ask Lianhua to take me to see how the siblings are doing at the doctor's office. I need to make sure they are okay and that what I did was not in vain.

  When we arrive at the doctor's office, I see that the doctor is not there, but the teenager, his face still bruised, is sitting next to his sister's bed, his eyes fixed on the girl and his expression full of concern.

  Hearing the door, he looks up and, seeing us, gets up hurriedly. Without hesitation, he kneels on the floor and bows his head until it touches the ground, saying to us in a voice full of sincerity “Thank you, thank you so much for saving my sister's life."

  "Please get up”, I say, feeling uncomfortable with his gesture and not yet knowing how to react to such exaggerated thanks. "And come, let's talk somewhere else so we don't disturb your sister."

  The teenager nods and stands up with some difficulty, following us to a nearby room. Lianhua leads us to a small room with several chairs and motions for Ling Tian to sit down as well.

  "I want to know what really happened in the alley yesterday”, I say, after which I ask him “Who are you and your sister?"

  "My name is Ling Tian, and my sister is Ling Xia. We are... we were part of the Ling family”, he says in a flat tone as he stares into space. "And as far as I know, we are the last surviving members of the Ling family."

  I am surprised, not so much by what he says, but by the calmness with which he expresses it, as if all this were just another fact of his life and there is clearly something more behind his story, something that goes beyond a simple street fight. Sensing that there could be political implications that I am unaware of, I decide to interrupt him.

  "I want to hear the whole story, but I think it's better if my mother hears it too. Maybe she could help you more than I can”, I say before he continues talking.

  Ling Tian hesitates for a moment, but nods silently, and I am relieved that he agrees so easily, so I take him with me to find my mother.

  We quickly find her in the room she has set up as her office, talking to Lingxi. When we enter, she looks up and raises an eyebrow at us.

  "Wen, why were you looking for me?" she asks in her usual authoritative tone, though with a slight trace of yesterday's tension.

  "Mother, this is Ling Tian, one of the two siblings we rescued yesterday”, I say, gesturing toward the teenager. "I think it's best if you hear his story. There are things we should probably know."

  My mother sighs as if she already anticipates another complication and says to us as she points to a chair “All right, sit down and tell me, what's going on?"

  Ling Tian settles into the chair, his posture still showing some pain, but his face remains calm as he begins to tell his story.

  "My sister and I are the children of the patriarch of the now, I suppose, defunct Ling family”, he begins in a voice that barely trembles. "The Ling family was one of the five great families of Xi'An City. For the past hundred years, we were the most important because our main business was talisman shops and renting Qi gathering formations to wandering cultivators. We also created and maintained those same formations for the other wealthy families in the city."

  My mother narrows her eyes, clearly interested in the story, and Ling Tian continues in a low but clear voice.

  "Everything changed a month ago. Suddenly, the other four families attacked us one night without warning and simply started killing everyone”, he tells us as he continues his story. "The city guard, which is always present, disappeared that night, so we couldn't do anything against the combined forces of the other families."

  Ling Tian barely changes his tone of voice as he continues his story "My father took my sister and me to a small secret passageway. He told us to run and gave us the address of an empty mansion that was not affiliated with the family so we could hide. We barely had time to say goodbye before the door closed behind us. And I haven't heard from my family since."

  Not knowing what to say in response to his story, I remain silent, which seems to be the right thing to do, as no one else in the room says anything when they see Ling Tian's expression, which clearly shows that he is unburdening himself by telling us the story.

  "We've been hiding in that mansion for the last month”, Ling Tian continues. "But a few days ago, we ran out of food, leaving us no choice but to leave. I didn't want to risk going out at night because we would attract too much attention, so I tried to do it during the day to blend in with the crowd and try to leave the city, but it seems that some men from the Shi family saw us and told Shi Tong, the eldest son of the Shi family patriarch, who intercepted us in the alley, and, well, you know what happened next."

  His tone remains calm, but I can see the pain in his eyes, the pain he has surely been suppressing all this time so as not to worry his sister.

  Silence fills the room after hearing the teenager's story. I, however, cannot help but think that learning about zhū jiǔ zú, the extermination of nine generations, by reading about it in the history books I studied in my other life is very different from witnessing that practice firsthand. Seeing how an entire family can be destroyed by greed or power leaves me with a knot in my stomach.

  My mother breaks the silence first, addressing Ling Tian in a serious, almost solemn tone of voice.

  "Do you know the reason behind the attack?" she asks him seriously. "Depending on the reason, I may be able to help you."

  Ling Tian thinks for a moment and replies to my mother “I've been thinking about it all this time, and the only reason I can think of is that in a year and a half, the Celestial Fragment of the Sands will open, and my father had ambitions to buy a noble title."

  This time I manage to ask a question without anyone interrupting me "And what does that have to do with exterminating a family?"

  "The Celestial Fragment of the Sands is a small celestial kingdom that opens every ten years”, Ling Tian replies, although that doesn't mean anything to me. "During that time, the city is filled with wandering cultivators who want to strengthen themselves quickly to increase their chances of survival, so my family used to make a fortune during that time."

  Ling Tian continues his story and tells us “And from some conversations I've overheard, I think my father had already saved almost all the money needed to buy the title, so I guess he was waiting for this last influx to be able to do so."

  "But I don't understand how that could lead to such extremes”, I reply. "One more noble family in the empire doesn't mean much, I don't think."

  "I'll answer that for you, Wen”, my mother says as she looks at Ling Tian. "This city does not belong to any noble. It is under imperial jurisdiction and therefore has an imperial governor instead of a noble family ruling it."

  "And if the Ling Family had been able to buy a title, both the city and the entire surrounding area would have been their property”, my mother continues. "That would have led to the other four families becoming subordinates of the Ling family, and the governor would have lost his position."

  I blink as I remember Ling Tian's words about how the city guards had disappeared during the attack, and in my mind, everything falls into place like pieces of a puzzle about what happened that night.

  "You've put me in a difficult position”, my mother says frankly to Ling Tian. "I would like to help you, but unfortunately, I don't have the power or political capital to do so, especially if the governor is also involved."

  Ling Tian remains silent, maintaining his impassive expression, as if he already had imagined what they were saying.

  "The only help I can offer you is to grant asylum to your sister. She is a child and therefore irrelevant. She is also injured and unable to move, so it would be senseless cruelty to make you take her away in her condition”, my mother continues. "However, you are the possible only son of the Ling family and therefore the heir. You cannot stay, as we cannot risk the possible consequences."

  I open my mouth to protest my mother's words, but before I can say a word, my mother silences me with a wave of her hand and continues speaking.

  "I'm not so cruel as to throw you out the front door for anyone to catch”, she says as she looks at Ling Tian seriously. "I have a way to get you out of the palace without anyone knowing. But for that, they will have to blindfold you until it is safe. In addition, I will provide you with a weapon and some money so that you can survive outside the city."

  Ling Tian nods, then gives a slight bow of his head to show his acceptance as he says in a tone that is somewhere between grateful and resigned “It's more than I had this morning."

  His words, full of resignation, stop me before I can complain again. I had wanted to protest and fight for him, but his genuine gratitude disarms me. Ling Tian seeks nothing more than to survive and protect his sister, and the sadness I see in his eyes weighs heavily on my soul.

  "You will leave tonight”, my mother says. "You have the rest of the day to prepare and say goodbye to your sister."

  Ling Tian bows deeply to my mother as he says in a voice that seems laden with all the pain and weight of his situation “Thank you for everything you have done for us."

  "You may go now”, my mother says as she waves us both goodbye. "I have to prepare everything for tonight."

  We leave the room in silence as Ling Tian walks beside me, completely lost in his thoughts. Finally, I break the silence.

  "Ling Tian, I'm so sorry. I can't do anything more since I'm just a child and can't act without my mother's permission”, I say with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration at my own helplessness.

  Ling Tian stops and looks at me, with a surprisingly calm expression for someone in his situation, and bows formally, as he has done several times before, but this time his words touch me deeply.

  "You've done more than enough, Zhāohuán Wen. You saved my life and my sister's without knowing who we were, when it would have been easier to ignore us”, he says with a tone of deep gratitude. "You gave us a second chance, and that's something I'll never forget as long as I live."

  I feel overwhelmed by his words, as I am still not used to this kind of gratitude, and his reverence, his genuine respect, makes me feel uncomfortable. "There's no need to keep thanking me. Let's go to the doctor's office to see if she can wake your sister up so you can say goodbye to her."

  Ling Tian nods, and together we head to the infirmary. When we arrive, the doctor is there, so I quickly explain the situation.

  "The girl still needs rest to heal”, the doctor tells us, frowning as if she disapproves of us disturbing her patient. "I can wake her up for the duration of a stick of incense, but it would be better to do so closer to nighttime to give her time to heal a little more."

  "Thank you”, I reply and look at Ling Tian, who nods silently and takes a seat next to his sister's bed.

  "I'm going to my room. If you need anything, you can call me”, I say softly before motioning for Lianhua to quietly escort me out of the room.

  Once in my room, I ask her to take me to the table where I keep my books. My eyes fall on the book about Runes that I bought at the Golden Pearl Pavilion, but I quickly dismiss it. I'm not in the right frame of mind for something that requires so much concentration, so instead I pick up one of the storybooks I bought at a random store.

  "Lianhua”, I say as I flip through the first few pages. "Bring me my food when it's ready and let me know when it's time for Ling Tian to leave."

  She nods and replies “As you wish, Zhāohuán Wen."

  The day passes slowly and without incident. I immerse myself in the stories in the book as I try to avoid thinking about the situation we are in. The stories, though simple, allow me to escape reality for a while, but eventually Lianhua arrives and pulls me out of my paper refuge.

  "It's time, Zhāohuán Wen”, she says softly.

  I put the book aside and take a deep breath before saying “Take me to where Ling Tian is."

  We head back to the infirmary, and just as we arrive, I see Ling Tian coming out of the room. From inside, I hear a faint child's voice crying and begging “Don't leave me alone, brother! Please!"

  I clench my hands into fists as I silently curse my inability to do anything else. It's horrible to hear those cries and know that I can't change fate.

  Ling Tian closes the door behind him, and when he turns around, I notice he is crying. He wipes his tears with his sleeve and, seeing me, approaches.

  "I'm ready”, he says in a trembling but determined voice.

  "Lianhua, do you know where we should go?" I ask without taking my eyes off Ling Tian.

  "They're waiting for us at the front gate”, she replies.

  We head there in silence. When we arrive, we see my mother, Lingxi, and a group of Nei Wei dressed in ordinary clothes instead of their usual uniforms. My mother greets us with a nod.

  "Everything is ready”, she tells us, looking at Ling Tian. She signals to Lingxi, who steps forward and hands him a sword and a small bag.

  "This is the weapon and money I promised you”, my mother says. "When you go out into the courtyard, the Nei Wei will blindfold you. They will only remove the blindfold when you are outside the palace."

  Ling Tian takes the items from Lingxi's hands and bows deeply, showing the utmost respect. "Thank you for this opportunity. It is more than I could have hoped for from anyone else."

  After those words, he turns toward the door, escorted by the Nei Wei. As I watch him leave, a strange feeling comes over me, as if I know what I have to do.

  "Ling Tian”, I call out before he crosses the threshold.

  He stops and turns, looking at me curiously. Without thinking twice, I take the chain with the ring I wear around my neck and throw it at him.

  "Here, it's for you”, I say, my voice sounding stronger than I expected.

  Ling Tian catches the chain in the air, surprised. Everyone present looks at us strangely, and even my mother seems about to say something, but I interrupt her before she can speak.

  "I don't know why, but I feel like it will be more useful to you than to me, since I don't even know what it does”, I say without looking away.

  Ling Tian looks at me strangely, but then nods solemnly and bows to me again. Without another word, he turns and disappears through the door, accompanied by the Nei Wei.