The path to the Official Palace was too quiet.
Yan walked beside Jin Liwei, though not close enough for their sleeves to touch. The red and silver thread between their seals had faded from sight, but she could still feel it — faint, warm, and deeply irritating.
He kept his distance.
That should have made her comfortable.
It did not.
Every time Jin slowed his steps to match hers, Yan noticed. Every time he looked ahead instead of watching her too closely, she noticed. Every time a passing guard bowed too deeply and his gaze turned cold, she noticed that too.
He was trying not to scare her.
For some reason, that made her chest ache.
Yan tightened her fingers around her sleeve.
"You can stop walking like I'm a startled animal."
Jin glanced at her. "Are you not?"
"I am a dead librarian who woke up as a goddess. I think I deserve a better title."
A faint smile touched his mouth.
Yan immediately looked away.
Bad. Very bad.
She did not know him. She did not trust him. Her heart had no right to react to his smile like it had been waiting for it.
The Official Palace stood at the end of the white-stone path, half-hidden behind clouds. Its golden roofs pierced through the mist, and tall banners moved without wind. Divine guards lined both sides of the road, their armor bright enough to hurt the eyes.
Each one lowered their head when Yan passed.
She hated it.
The respect did not feel like respect.
It felt like expectation.
A sudden rush of footsteps broke through the silence.
"Yan!"
Before Yan could turn fully, a blur of green robes crossed the courtyard and threw itself at her.
Warm arms wrapped around her.
The scent of plum blossoms and bitter medicine surrounded her.
Yan froze.
Her body reacted first.
Her hands almost rose.
Almost.
Something deep inside her recognized the embrace. The warmth. The person. The strange feeling of being held by someone who had probably scolded her, fed her, threatened her enemies, and laughed at her misery more times than she could count.
But her mind screamed stranger.
Her breath caught.
Jin Liwei's expression turned cold.
The woman hugging Yan felt her stiffen and immediately let go.
For one tiny moment, the brightness in her eyes cracked.
Then she smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Good," she said lightly. "You still know how to scare people half to death. Some talents truly survive reincarnation."
Yan stared at her.
The woman was beautiful in a sharp, lively way. Her green robes were embroidered with silver leaves, and several jade hairpins chimed softly when she moved. Her eyes were red, but her smile was steady.
Too steady.
Yan's chest tightened.
"I…"
The woman waved a hand before Yan could finish.
"No need. I know." She pointed at Jin Liwei. "This ice block probably terrified you before explaining anything useful."
Jin Liwei's eyes narrowed. "Ye Qiran."
"Oh, good. You still know my name. I was worried death made you even less sociable."
Yan blinked.
This was Ye Qiran?
Ran.
The name stirred inside her, soft and painful.
"You are…" Yan hesitated. "My friend?"
Ran's smile faltered.
Only for a breath.
Then she pressed one hand to her chest dramatically. "Friend? How cold. I have fed you, lied for you, argued with you, dragged you out of gloomy corners, and personally stopped you from drinking three jars of immortal wine before court meetings."
Yan stared.
Ran leaned closer and whispered, "You were very unreasonable after the second jar."
A strange laugh escaped Yan before she could stop it.
Ran's eyes brightened.
Jin Liwei looked away, but Yan caught the slight easing of his shoulders.
The moment did not last.
Another voice came from behind them.
"Sister-in-law!"
A young man in dark blue robes rushed down the path, carrying two food boxes in one hand and a half-open scroll in the other. His hair was slightly crooked, as if he had tied it while running. Behind him, a tired servant chased after him with the expression of a man who had lost all hope in this life.
Jin Liwei's face darkened at once.
Yan looked at him. "Sister-in-law?"
The young man skidded to a stop.
He looked at Yan.
Then at Jin Liwei.
Then at Yan again.
His cheerful expression froze.
"Oh."
Ran slowly covered her mouth.
Jin Liwei said, very calmly, "Jin Fen."
Jin Fen straightened so quickly the food boxes nearly fell. "Elder Brother, I came only because I was worried."
"You came with pastries."
"Worry consumes energy."
"You also abandoned your official documents."
Jin Fen turned to Yan with wounded dignity. "Sister—"
Jin Liwei's gaze sharpened.
Jin Fen coughed. "Goddess Yan, please judge fairly. If one's beloved family member returns from slumber, is it not proper to bring food?"
Yan looked at the food boxes.
Then at Jin Fen.
Then at the servant, who silently mouthed, Please make him take the documents.
Yan decided she liked the servant.
"I don't know if I can judge fairly," she said. "Apparently, I have memory loss."
Jin Fen's expression softened.
For the first time since arriving, his chaotic energy quieted.
"Then judge by instinct," he said. "If you feel I am more trustworthy than my brother, your instincts are excellent."
Jin Liwei looked at him.
Jin Fen immediately stepped behind Ran.
Ran clicked her tongue. "Coward."
"A strategic retreat is not cowardice."
"It is when you hide behind me."
"You are terrifying. It is practical."
Yan's lips twitched.
The palace path did not feel lighter exactly, but it felt less suffocating.
Then the air shifted.
A heavy pressure rolled across the courtyard like thunder trapped beneath the earth. The guards on both sides dropped to one knee.
Jin Fen stopped joking.
Ran's smile sharpened.
Jin Liwei stepped half a pace closer to Yan, not touching her, but close enough that she noticed.
Three figures approached through the mist.
The first was a tall man in dark battle robes, his presence fierce enough to make the white stones beneath his feet tremble. His face was handsome in a rough, dangerous way, but the moment he saw Jin Liwei, his brows drew together like an angry father who had found his child standing too close to a cliff.
Beside him walked a woman in flowing blue robes. Her beauty was calm, mature, and terrifying. Her hair drifted around her as if a storm lived inside it. She looked at Yan once, and the anger in her eyes softened into something almost painful.
The third man followed with a folding fan in hand, smiling as if he had never met a disaster he could not calculate profit from.
Jin Liwei lowered his head. "Father. Mother. Uncle Ye."
Yan's mind caught on the titles.
Father.
Mother.