The Celestial Map glowed again that evening — six stars aligned in Yuexin's dream. Each one pulsed with power… and longing.
She sat by the lotus pond behind the ruined inn, the reflection of the moon shimmering in the water. Haoran stood nearby, silent, but watching over her.
"Did you ever feel like something inside you is… broken?" Yuexin asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Haoran walked to her side, eyes gentle. "Yes. Every time I see you look away from the world like this… I feel it too."
Her hand trembled. The memory of her sister's betrayal returned — laughter turned to poison, promises shattered. The pain never left. But with Haoran close… her heart steadied.
(Scene)
Suddenly, the wind shifted.
Far away, under a canopy of golden autumn trees, Liang feng stood still — eyes wide.
She was there.
Lianhua — the girl he had known in the Heavenly Garden.
She wore a pale peach robe, glowing with spirit energy. Her lotus staff was now real, blooming softly in her grasp.
"feng?" she asked, tilting her head.
"You're… real?" he murmured, stunned. "All these years, I thought I dreamed you."
Her smile was soft. "Then let me be a dream you never have to wake up from."
(Scene 2)
Elsewhere, in a snowy realm…
Feng kael crossed blades with a mysterious masked figure cloaked in shadows.
Her movements were elegant, fierce — blades of ice dancing around her.
"You're strong," Feng kael admitted. "Name?"
She removed her mask slowly. "Xueyin. You… have my father's sword. Where did you get it?"
His eyes widened. Destiny was far more tangled than he thought.
Back at the inn, the stars brightened — three of the destined ones had begun to awaken.
But in the dark, wuzen, jian, and linyin had yet to realize their own hearts were about to be tested… by love, fate, and an ancient power awakening in the shadows.
And Yuexin?
She didn't know it yet, but the chains of her past were loosening — and a deeper storm was waiting.
Episode 9 end (continue)