Chapter 5: The flames beneath the Lotus

Chapter 5 – “The Flames Beneath the Lotus”

The heavenly realm was quiet. Too quiet.

But quiet did not mean peace—it meant tension wrapped in gold-threaded robes, simmering beneath celestial smiles.

And Sixuan had been far too interesting lately.

---

Heavenly King watched the reflection in the Sky Mirror. His expression? Cold. Stoic. Bored, if you didn’t know him. But his hands? Tensed against the jade armrest of his throne.

One of his spies knelt before him. “My King… someone has already been following her. We believe it’s your brother. The Sovereign. We believe they have something going on. "

Crack. The golden goblet in his hand burst into shards, wine sizzling as it hit the divine floor.

Without a word, he flicked his fingers, and the sky above the spy split—thunder crashing in a terrifying arc as a bolt of divine lightning struck one of the marble statues behind him. A silent message.

He was losing control of this narrative.

---

Sixuan hummed softly as she watered a glowing lotus at the edge of the Silver Mist Pond. She could feel him.

Again.

"You're not even subtle anymore," she said without looking.

Yingyuan appeared from behind the tree. "You're not even surprised."

"I'm not even impressed."

He walked over, holding something behind his back.

"Another guard tried to follow you today," he said, voice low. "I scared him off and he fell into the Celestial Pig Farm. You seem to have a lot of obsessed fans here"

Sixuan grinned. "He’ll come back smelling like justice.”

Yingyuan chuckled, then brought forward a small artefact shaped like a crescent moon. It glowed a soft, rosy gold. "For you. It absorbs nightmares and turns them into flower petals. I thought… "Maybe it’d suit your room."

Her smile faded into something tender.

"You made this?"

He nodded. "Every carving. Every rune. For you."

The air warmed.

---

Heavenly Pressure

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

In a palace carved from pure starstone, Yingyuan stood before his older brother.

“You’ve been distracted.”

Yingyuan's heart thudded. "No."

“You’ve been frequenting the Eastern Glade. Where she lives.”

He bowed. “Only for patrols.”

"Don’t lie to me."

There was silence. Then—Yingyuan lifted his head. Eyes calm. “Then don’t ask questions you’ve already decided answers to.”

The Heavenly King's jaw twitched. “Zhixi still adores you. Such loyalty. She’d do anything for you.”

Yingyuan’s lips tightened. That was not a compliment. It was a warning.

---

Beautiful Things

Later that day, Yingyuan took Sixuan somewhere no one else dared go—the Sea of Whispering Clouds.

The entire expanse glittered with floating stones, waterfalls that flowed in reverse, and bioluminescent butterflies the size of dinner plates.

He helped her step onto a hovering stone, then gave her another gift: a silken sash that shimmered like moonlight and shifted colour with her mood.

“Why all this?” she asked, touched.

“Because they’ll never give you what you deserve,” he said softly. “But I will. I swear it.”

---

Disrespect

They passed through the Celestial Market later that night, still laughing about a singing toad she tried (and failed) to ride.

But laughter stopped when a group of young immortals crossed their path.

“Isn’t that the war orphan girl? Why is she wearing a sash from the royal vault?”

“She’s been getting around…maybe she’s bribing Sovereign with more than just lotus tea.”

Yingyuan’s smile faded. Instantly.

He stepped forward, voice calm—deadly calm.

“Say that again.”

The lead immortal sneered. “Or what? You’ll demote us?”

Yingyuan raised a hand.

A gust of divine wind sent them all crashing to the ground. The stones beneath their knees glowed, searing-hot.

He bent down. “Next time, speak with reverence. Or don’t speak at all.”

He turned to Sixuan. “Let’s go. You don’t deserve to hear filth.”

And the market? Silent. Not one dared whisper after that.

---

Zhixi’s Game

Back in her temple, Zhixi smiled at the portrait of Yingyuan she kept hidden behind her curtain.

“She’s getting too comfortable,” she whispered.

Then she stood before the Sky Mirror and summoned a vision of Sixuan. But this time… she tampered with it.

She placed a blade in Sixuan’s hand. Blood on her sleeves. A divine relic broken—one that belonged to the late Crown Prince, the Heavenly King’s most beloved child, lost during the War of Rebirth.

In the vision, it looked like Sixuan had been plotting revenge.

She sent it to the Heavenly King.

---

The Fall Begins

Heavenly King stared at the illusion. His eyes dimmed to obsidian.

When his guard entered to speak, he only said: “Seize her. Bring her to the Moonlight Prison.”

---

Meanwhile

Sixuan held onto Yingyuan’s hand as they watched the stars from the roof of her home.

“You think things will ever be peaceful?” she asked.

He looked at her.

“I don’t care,” he said. “If it’s not, I’ll burn everything that gets in our way.”

She laughed.

But the wind changed.

The next moment—blades surrounded her neck. Heavenly guards in dark armor appeared from the shadows.

“Sixuan, daughter of no lineage,” one said coldly, “you are accused of conspiring to destroy a relic belonging to the late Crown Prince. Treason against the Heavenly King.”

Sixuan didn’t flinch.

But Yingyuan did. His grip tightened—but the guards had already placed divine chains on her wrists.

"Let her go this instant!!"

"Grab her!!" A guard yelled with fire in his eyes

"How dare you disobey my orders?!!"

"The Heavenly King has spoken. Stand down." His eyes narrowed, hand resting on the hilt of his blade.

His fingers twitched by his side as if resisting the urge to reach for his sword.

But in the end, he bowed his head. The Heavenly King had spoken.

She looked at him, a small smile on her lips. “Guess this is where the fun ends, huh?”

And Yingyuan?

He was furious.

The doors slammed open so hard they cracked.

Yingyuan marched in fast. No greetings. No bowing. His eyes locked straight on the Heavenly King.

“Where is she?” he snapped, voice sharp and loud. “Where’s Sixuan?”

The guards stiffened. The King didn’t even flinch.

“Watch your tone,” the Heavenly King said calmly. “This is a sacred hall.”

“And you think locking her up is sacred?!” Yingyuan barked. “She’s in chains. Chains. Like a criminal! What the hell is wrong with you? What did she even do?!!!"

Outside, clouds covered the sky. Thunder cracked. The whole hall dimmed like the heavens were listening.

“She broke the law,” the King said, firm. “There are consequences.”

Yingyuan stepped forward.

“To hell with your law. She saved lives. She protected your realm when you did nothing.”

“She disobeyed direct orders,” the King shot back. “This isn’t about feelings. It’s about control. She lost hers. Now she faces the price.”

Yingyuan’s hands shook. His voice rose.

“She didn’t lose control—you did. You sat on that throne and did nothing while she was out there risking everything.”

The Heavenly King’s tone turned cold.

“You’re too attached. You’ve always been too emotional where she’s concerned.”

That broke something in Yingyuan.

He stared at the King, breathing hard. His eyes went red—bright, burning red like fire trapped in glass. For a few seconds, the air warped around him. The floor cracked under his feet.

For just a moment, the Heavenly King’s expression shifted.

His breath caught.

He remembered.

Who Yingyuan truly was.

What still lived inside him.

Yingyuan closed his eyes.

He took one slow breath.

When he opened them, the red was gone—but his voice had changed. It was low. It echoed.

Like two voices overlapping.

“If anything happens to her, I swear on my name, this whole realm will fall with me.”

He turned. No bow. No words.

Just a sharp glare as he walked out.

Behind him, thunder roared.

And for the first time in a very, very long time…

the Heavenly King felt afraid.