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I dragged myself and the boy to the shoreline, both of us falling to the ground. The boy’s eyes were open now, hair plastered around his pale face.

“Where am I? What happened?” he asked.

“I pulled you from the lake. We’re somewhere in Kunlun Mountain,” I replied.

“Kunlun?” He shivered, clasping his arms around his knees. “I was told we weren’t allowed to come here, that we’d die.”

“You’re still alive,” I assured him gently. “How did you get here?”

“I was traveling with my father. We were attacked, close to the mountain.” His lips quivered. “They struck my head. I fainted. And when I woke up, I was in the water.”

I wanted to ask more questions, but the boy gripped my arm. “Where is Father? Did you find him too?”

As I shook my head, the boy slumped, pressing his fists to his eyes. His grief wrenched me, a sharp pain burrowing into my chest. “When I get back, I’ll send the soldiers in search of your father,” I vowed. “They will find out what happened to him.”

“Do you have many soldiers?” His voice was muffled like he was choking back tears.

“An army.”

The boy nodded, his breathing steadying. Once he calmed, I helped him to his feet, but then he cried out, folding over. A deep gash split his calf, his blood trickling down in rivulets. I ripped a strip from the hem of my robe, then wrapped it around the wound, knotting it tight. I didn’t know what else to do, except I had to stop the bleeding.

A snarl ruptured the stillness, ominous and low. I looked up to find a pair of round, yellow eyes gleaming from between the trees. As the boy gasped, scrambling away, the eyes went dark, a twig snapping—

I hoisted the boy on my back and ran. My feet pounded the ground, winding between the trees. All the while, the beast bounded closer. Cold sweat broke out as I sprinted as fast as I could, desperately seeking a place to hide. As my legs were about to give way, I spied a large cluster of rocks. Racing to it, I lowered the boy behind them, then unsheathed my sword.

“Hide here,” I told him.

Terror beat through me. Was this how Zhangwei felt whenever he’d cautioned me from danger? It wasn’t that he thought himself better, but he was afraid I’d be hurt—he wanted to protect me, as I did the boy.

The beast prowled closer, the size of a tiger, its yellow eyes slitted with menace. Its fur was a startling white, fangs curled from its jaws, a chain of blue stones encircling its neck. Was this a collar? Was it hounding us for prey, or upon another’s command? A low growl—my instincts screaming as I flung my blade up—but the creature leapt past me, over the rocks and lunged at the boy, who threw his arms over his head.

I rushed forward, slashing at the beast, only managing to shear its fur. It ignored me, its attention fixed upon the boy. His wound had reopened, leaking blood across the earth. The thick, metallic scent was entwined with a frail sweetness, like that of cloves. Raising my sword, I swung it at the creature again. As a terrified scream erupted from the boy’s throat, the beast spun around to bare its fangs at me—then bounded abruptly into the forest.

“Are you all right?” I asked the boy. I was breathing heavily, my hair in my eyes, still clutching my sword.

“Are you?” The boy sounded surprisingly calm.

I glanced at the blood that had soaked into the ground. “Come, we must keep moving. The creature can smell blood—”

“Why are you here?” the boy interjected, his eyes wide. Something glinted in his pupils like flecks of gold.

“I’m hiding from someone. Like you, I was attacked.” I didn’t want to lie to him though it might have been easier to.

Shadows played across his face as he shook his head. “I mean, why did you come to Kunlun?”

He sounded different, older somehow. But for some reason, I felt no fear . . . though the boy was not who he seemed. “I came here to find the Ancient Grandmaster.”

“As you have.”

The boy’s voice was resonant now, like the peal of a gong. The gravity of his manner jarred with the youthfulness of his appearance—yet in his eyes shone the wisdom of the ages. A faint glow emanated from his skin, the unmistakable aura of an immortal. As he smiled, a warm breeze darted through the air, winding around me, my clothes drying at once. My aches faded, along with the swelling on my face where the Wuxin captain had struck me. At once, I clasped my hands and bowed to greet him.

“You have shown me kindness, and I welcome you to my home,” the Ancient Grandmaster said.

Lanterns flickered to life from the trees above, their light spilling through the branches. A red tiled pathway appeared, flanked by trees. Clusters of jewels glittered between the leaves, the wealth of kings upon a single branch. The path ended in front of a mansion built from bricks of jasper and agate. The wooden entrance was carved with a tree that spread across both panels. As the Ancient Grandmaster approached, the doors slid apart, opening into a wide courtyard. There were no guards or attendants, yet the grounds were immaculately tended. I followed the Ancient Grandmaster into a large pavilion, where we sat down by the marble table. A tall brace of candles flickered to life as a tray of food appeared, gliding toward us at a steady rhythm.

“Who brought this here?” My insides knotted with unease. If I were not in the presence of the Ancient Grandmaster, I would have thought this place haunted.

“House spirits. They keep hidden from my guests. They are remarkably resourceful and obedient, as long as they are rewarded for their services.”