Chapter 33: Secrets Taste Like Fire
Back in her room, Mei Xiao paced.
She should've been exhausted. But her mind was spinning, caught between the flicker of Lin Yue's gaze and the quiet tension in Jing He's jaw as they left the vault. The way he hadn't looked at her — purposefully hadn't.
She stared at the small shard Yin Luo had given her.
The cracked phoenix seal shimmered faintly. Warmer now.
Like it was breathing.
Before she could decide whether to hide it, throw it, or eat it just to make it someone else's problem, the door creaked open.
Murong Jing He stepped in, silent as ever.
Mei nearly dropped the shard. "Seriously?! Have you ever knocked in your life?"
He closed the door behind him, arms crossed. "We need to talk."
She snorted. "Let me guess. About your mysterious moon-eyed ex who broke into a sacred vault like it was a weekend hobby?"
Jing He's expression didn't change. "Lin Yue wasn't always like that."
Mei tilted her head. "You're not denying the ex part."
Silence.
He looked away.
"Oh my god, I knew it—!"
"I trusted him once," Jing He said, voice quiet. "He betrayed everything."
The smile slid off her face. "So he was your best friend?"
Another pause. Then: "He was like a brother."
Something in his tone made her chest ache a little.
She shifted, the shard warm in her palm.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "About him. About the Phoenix Queen. About me."
Jing He's gaze met hers then — sharp, unreadable.
"Because you're not ready."
Mei straightened. "Says who? You? The silent council of spooky elders who argue like it's bingo night?"
He stepped closer. "You can't even hold the shard without it burning your hand."
She looked down. The skin around her palm had gone red — but she hadn't noticed.
Mei cursed and dropped it on the table. "Okay… point taken."
Jing He's voice softened. "This power… it's older than your body. Older than this realm. If it awakens too fast, it could burn through you, Mei Lin."
Her heart thudded. "I'm not her. I'm just… me."
Something flickered in his eyes.
"I know," he said, almost too softly. "And that's the part I didn't expect."
She blinked. "Wait… was that a compliment?"
Jing He turned. "No."
"It was totally a compliment."
"I said nothing."
"You said it with your face. And I am writing it down."
He was already gone by the time she reached the door, grinning.
But as she turned back to the shard, the warmth had shifted. It was pulsing again.
Calling.
And somewhere deep inside, something whispered:
"Find the fourth."