Dawn arrived softly, spilling pale light across the snow.
Mei Lian stirred first.
She was still leaning against Zhen Yu's shoulder; his cloak draped over both of them. The fire beside them had burned low, glowing faintly in the ash.
A short distance away, Liang Hu slept sitting up, his sword resting across his knees — not too close to intrude, not far enough to be careless.
Mei Lian moved slightly, careful not to wake him. But even her smallest motion made Zhen Yu's eyes open.
He blinked, then straightened, realizing how close she was. His hand moved before he could stop it, brushing her forehead. She flinched at the sudden touch — not in pain, but in surprise.
Zhen Yu drew his hand back, his ears turning faintly red.
"Are you… all right?" he asked, voice quieter than usual.
Mei Lian nodded once. The faintest smile ghosted her lips, gone as quickly as it came.
By midday, they were back on the road, traveling north. The mountains thinned into stretches of frozen grassland, and a cold wind followed them all the way.
When night fell, they stopped beside a lake — a still, mirror-like expanse reflecting the stars. Liang Hu set up camp while Mei Lian sat near the water, her reflection rippling faintly in the dark.
She looked stronger, but Zhen Yu could see the weariness in her movements, the way her hand occasionally pressed against her arm as if to steady herself.
As the night deepened, she rose and quietly walked toward the lake. The water shimmered faintly with moonlight.
Without hesitation, she slipped off her robe and stepped into the cold water, letting it swallow her to the shoulders. The burning beneath her skin began to ease, faint wisps of steam rising where the heat met the chill.
When Zhen Yu noticed she was gone, panic struck him.
"Mei Lian?"
He searched the dark until he saw her — emerging from the lake, her long hair dripping silver under the moonlight.
She wore only her inner corset, the veins on her arm now spreading nearly to her shoulder, glowing faintly red against her pale skin.
Zhen Yu froze — then immediately turned away, jaw tightening.
"I— I was just making sure you were safe," he said awkwardly.
She said nothing, only dressed quickly in her dark robe. When she stepped in front of him again, her expression was calm, though her crimson eyes burned brighter than before.
She lifted a hand and pointed toward the horizon — toward a line of faint lights flickering in the distance.
"The next monster," she signed. "That way."
Zhen Yu followed her gaze. Beyond the frozen plains lay a village half-shrouded in mist, its roofs barely visible under the gray sky.
"Fengqi Village," he said after a pause.
His hand tightened around the reins.
"Then that's where we go next."