The morning after Mei Lan had been given more responsibility, Shin Gu's courtyard seemed strangely different.
Nothing had changed.
The same dark wooden corridors surrounded the courtyard. The same stone lanterns stood beneath the old trees. The same faint fragrance of incense drifted from the inner chamber.
Yet to Mei Lan, every corner seemed dangerous.
She had learned to look at everything twice.
A closed door was no longer simply a closed door.
A bowl of incense was not merely incense.
And a quiet room could conceal something far more frightening than an ordinary secret.
Most frightening of all was Shin Gu herself.
For several days, Shin Gu had begun treating Mei Lan differently.
She spoke to her more often.
She entrusted her with small tasks.
She even allowed her to enter rooms that had previously been forbidden.
To anyone else, it might have looked like kindness.
To Mei Lan, it was terrifying.
Because trust from Shin Gu meant only one thing.
