A pine forest once stood in the north of the Kingdom of Dzue.

It formed something of a barrier against Shisuan in the north. Not the trees themselves, mind, but what lay within the trees.

This was the forest that the fox spirit, Tsaam Lei, once raced through, teasing unsuspecting travellers, or misleading those who intended harm.

This was where the Ming Dzue and Lau Yan rivers had their headwaters, winding down south and east to the ocean.

This was where the one known as Lo Ma Luk had wandered, hooves leaving no traces amongst the pine needles, enormous antlers somehow never snagging amongst the branches.

It was where Gong Lau Yan now stood, her gaze fixed on a strange sight amongst the skeletons of rows and rows of needleless pines.

It was a round... shape. Floating in the air, it was formed of writhing symbols that she could not read, had never been able to read, and a kind of miasma that drifted away and disappeared. This shape, this hole, this portal, was large enough for her to enter.

She had entered before.

She breathed deeply, and took a long drink from her flask. She hadn't wanted to come back here. Ever. And if she had to, then she had hoped she could come back with someone, someone who understood what it meant to have the past haunt you.

She couldn't bring Yuan Mu. She couldn't bring the ghosts of his past into his present.

There was no other choice. If she was to find Haat Ngan Wan, she had to go in. Her fingers felt for the lotus that hung from her ear, rubbing at the engraved gem until her fingertips felt raw.

At last, she stepped through.

On the other side was a world of miniature vegetation. The ground was covered in mosses built like tiny pine trees, herbaceous plants with barely any leaves to speak of, and prostrate shrubs that barely rose above Gong Lau Yan's calves. There were no trees to speak of, and as she stepped through, little puffs of shimmering powder followed her footsteps. This place always made her shiver, throbbing as it was with an alien energy unlike the one that coursed through herself.

Two demons stood near the portal. Neither of them was humanoid like Prince Fàn Bì'ān. Rather, they were quadrupedal, their flat faces mostly taken up by big eyesockets with blank grey spheres inside them, as well as no apparent mouths, and four very crude legs without any feet, just rounded nubs. They backed up and made noises of alarm as Gong Lau Yan appeared.

“I'm headed for the Council of the Mountain,” she said in Xiǎng. “I want to see Huǒ Tú¹火荼 (huǒ tú) – 'fire' and 'thistle'/'bitter'/'cruel'. Also related to the saying 如火如荼 (rú huǒ rú tú) – like a wildfire, i.e. unstoppable..”

The two demons looked uncertainly towards each other, apparently conversing.

“I am Jiāng Liú Yǐn,” she said, twisting her name into Xiǎng. “I am only asking out of politeness. I know where Huǒ Tú is. I could go to him right now before you could even take a breath.”

If these demons breathed with lungs, that was. Perhaps they simply absorbed air through their skin? Did they even need to breathe?

In any case, the demons immediately turned and began to head in the direction that she knew led to the mountain. She followed, allowing them to stay ahead of her, although she could easily have outrun them. Focusing on the speed of her steps meant not focusing on the landscape around them, not looking at how the once desolate and dusty world had begun to grow life once more, nurtured by the spilled blood of thousands.

They ran along a winding trail between the mosses and forbs, the mountain growing steadily larger and larger as they approached. Demons of all shapes and sizes could be seen, climbing the steps in the mountainside, or lingering at the entrances to caves pockmarking the steep faces, or gathered at the base of the mountain, doling out harvests or playing games or making something or other. Gong Lau Yan tried not to look at specifics.

Still, one demon caught her eye, a odd creature who resembled a luminescent blue jellyfish, layers of frills upon frills, who floated amongst the demons at the base of the mountain. As Gong Lau Yan and the two other demons approached, the jellyfish-demon noticed them, and immediately drifted towards her.

Gong Lau Yan bowed stiffly. “Píng²苹 (píng) – apple..”

Píng tossed her frills.

“I'm looking for Huǒ Tú.”

Píng led the way up the side of the mountain, drifting effortlessly up the staircases that crisscrossed the enormous mountain face. There were planter pots dotted here and there with strange plants of the region, but the occasional familiar species from the mortal realm that seemed to withstand the climate. A tuft of garland chrysanthemum happily tickled her as she walked past.

Huǒ Tú was in the Council chamber, along with two other demons who resembled him greatly. He had dark red skin, and long earlobes that brushed his shoulders. The female demon on one side of him wore a serious expression, but the two male demons broke into identical sharp-toothed grins as Gong Lau Yan entered.

“Da jiě!” Fàn Bì'ān called. “You came to visit!”

“Where's Haat Ngan Wan?” Gong Lau Yan responded.

“Da jiě...” Fàn Bì'ān whined. “Don't be-”

“Where. Is. She.” For a split second, the world darkened, as though deep clouds had suddenly blanketed the sky. Gong Lau Yan groaned and clutched her head, sunlight returning immediately. She fumbled for her flask and drank all the water down.

“You know you can't do that here, Dragon Princess,” Huǒ Tú lisped around his long canines. “Why not sit and catch up with an old friend? Things have changed so much since you were last here.”

Gong Lau Yan drew the nine-section whip from her belt. “Remember this?”

Huǒ Tú became quiet, although a nervous smile continued to lurk on his lips. The female demon at his side frowned even more deeply and looked away. Píng shivered. Only Fàn Bì'ān seemed blissfully unimpressed.

“Remember how we helped you?” Gong Lau Yan continued. “Remember all those who had to turn against other humans, to fight their own brothers and sisters, to do so?”

“We never asked you to,” Fàn Bì'ān said flippantly.

Gong Lau Yan's voice dropped dangerously low. “Do you want to go back to having to eat each other? I can arrange that, if you like.”

At this, Fàn Bì'ān finally cringed too.

“You've killed demons too, Demon Hunter Fen,” the female demon said, in a deep, morose voice. “What we owe you, and what is owed, is unclear.”

“You seem to be Huǒ Tú's kin,” Gong Lau Yan observed.

“Greeting the Dragon Princess, I am Xiè Wújiù³谢无咎 (xiè wújiù) – like her brother's name, this comes from the names of the Hēibái Wúcháng who lead spirits to the underworld. As a reminder, their names were 谢必安 (Xiè Bì'ān – those who make amends will always be at peace) and 范无咎 (Fàn Wújiù – rhose who commit crimes will have no salvation). Fàn Bì'ān is those who commit crimes will always be at peace, so Xiè Wújiù is those who make amends will have no salvation., daughter of Huǒ Tú'.”

“Thus Fàn Bì'ān's sister.”

“Unfortunately.”

“Hey!”

“It still remains that you have kidnapped the last remaining relative of the one human ruler who stood by your side during the war. Is that how you honour his legacy?”

“Why not?” Fàn Bì'ān complained, not denying the kidnapping. “That'll make her an even better wife!”

“Is this some kind of demon custom, kidnapping people to be a spouse?”

“Of course,” Huǒ Tú said, clapping his son proudly on the back. “It shows determination, and intelligence.”

“You can take one of our demons back as your own spouse,” Fàn Bì'ān offered generously. “My sister's single!”

He began to sweat as the eyes of both Gong Lau Yan and Xiè Wújiù stabbed him. “Ah... ha ha... That's right... Da jiě, you already have that other Da jiě, don't you? The one with the demonic powers. What happened to her? Weren't you going to bring her here to learn how to control those powers better?”

“Circumstances happened,” Gong Lau Yan said shortly. “I'm going to ask one last time, and then you'll be reminded why I'm called the Demon Hunter. Where is Haat Ngan Wan?”

“This way,” Xiè Wújiù said, ignoring her father and brother's glares. She led Gong Lau Yan further up the mountain, to a cave sealed by a door. Upon arriving, she tapped out an intricate code with her fingernails on the door, and it clicked open, allowing them to enter.

Dzue Yi-sang sat at a table piled high with books, a crucible bubbling beside her. She looked up as Gong Lau Yan approached. “Oh, you're here. That took long enough.”

“Why is everyone being like this today?” Gong Lau Yan grumbled to herself, and then, more loudly, “You haven't been hurt, have you?”

“No, just annoyed. That bratty prince keeps coming by to try and woo me with random gifts I suppose at least some of them have yielded interesting results.”

Gong Lau Yan glanced at the shelves behind the doctor, which were filled with all kinds of weird, twisted objects that could no longer be recognised.

“Well, I'm here now. Let's go.”

Dzue Yi-sang sighed, and stared at the text before her. It was written in old Dzue script.

“Where did you get those from?”

“Oh, Xiè Jiě brought them for me.”

Did she hear right? Sister Xiè? When did these two get so close?

“She's been very helpful,” Dzue Yi-sang continued, her eyes meeting Xiè Wújiù's.

Okay, that's a smile right there. There's no pretending not to know what's going on here.

“So you've given up on re-establishing Dzue, I take it,” Gong Lau Yan said drily.

The rare smile on Dzue Yi-sang's face disappeared. “... no.”

“What was that pause?”

“Don't be a nuisance, Gong Dze.”

“I'm a nuisance? I've been looking for you for the past... seven months? Eight months? I scoured the Four Kingdoms, and even Dzue itself. In the meantime, Zeyi had to handle a coup in Chun all by herself-”

“Oh, she's taken power, has she?” Dzue Yi-sang looked mildly impressed.

“For now. And then I finally worked myself up to come here looking for you. And I find you happily researching with your girlfriend as your assistant. And I am the nuisance.”

Dzue Yi-sang's mouth twisted, but she could not speak.

“So, are you ready to go now?”

The doctor stood awkwardly, the book slipping as she tried to close it and dropping noisily on the table instead. She didn't look at either Gong Lau Yan or Xiè Wújiù. The latter frowned at the floor as Dzue Yi-sang began to gather a few belongings.

Gong Lau Yan sighed. “Put them back.”

Dzue Yi-sang looked at her, confused, staggering backwards when Gong Lau Yan flicked her painfully in the middle of the forehead.

“Xiè Wújiù,” the loong turned to the demon. “What are you thinking, leaving your girlfriend locked in here?”

The demon glared. “I'm preparing to fight my brother for her. I was going to deliver a challenge to him today before you arrived.”

“Why do you need to fight him? Just kidnap her.”

Xiè Wújiù stared, then burst into raucous laughter. Suddenly, the resemblance with her father and brother was starkly clear. She turned to Dzue Yi-sang. “Hé⁴Hé is the Xiǎng form of Haat. Jiě, may I kidnap you?”

Torn between smiles and exasperation, Dzue Yi-sang turned a complicated expression towards Gong Lau Yan. “Gong Dze-”

“There's an heir apparent to the Dzue throne,” Gong Lau Yan murmured into her ear as she hugged the doctor. “You're free to do whatever you want.”

“Who is it?”

“Her name is Dzue Dzak Yat.”

“Dzak Yat...”

Gong Lau Yan had never seen Haat Ngan Wan look so surprised.

“Not... How?”

“We found her mother's journals. And I... with everything... I believe them to be true. Dzue Diu Ming was her father. They look so much like each other.”

Haat Ngan Wan's mouth opened and closed like a fish, but eventually, she pulled herself together. “Gong Dze... Thank you. And... uh... I'm sorry.”

“Did the sun rise in the west? Little Haat, saying she's sorry?”

Haat Ngan Wan glared, and everything was back to normal again. Still her, expression softened. “I'll do what I can to help you both, once things have settled. To try and repay you for the time you spent looking for me. Ah, here...”

She rummaged amongst her shelves and produced a tiny bottle. Gong Lau Yan tipped the contents onto her hand. Three tiny pearl-like pills rolled out.

“These should help a little with your condition. You'll be relieved of your thirst, and your full powers restored for a week with one of these. It's only temporary, but after studying the drought resiliency of the plants here, I was able to at least make these.”

Gong Lau Yan replaced the pills in the bottle, ruffled the doctor's silver hair until it was rumpled, bowed quickly to Xiè Wújiù, and flew from the cave. Not even pausing to use the stairs, she leapt from the mountainside, flowing easily down the steep slope, launching off the ground when she reached it. She recognised a few of the demons as she passed, but there was nothing for her here; she ran and ran, even as she grew quickly thirsty.

At last, she reached the portal, where the two demons had returned to stand watch. They shied a little as she approached, but she gave them a grin and a wave, darting for the writhing entrance back to the mortal realm.

At the last moment, she stopped. Turning, she finally looked with clear eyes across the landscape.

It was green, vegetation carpeting the world from horizon to horizon. The two demons were nestled together nearby, making sounds that could only be described as one of contentment. A golden sun arced gently overhead.

Gong Lau Yan fixed the image in her mind.

And then she turned, back towards home, back towards Zeyi.