A WALTZ OF VIPERS AND FALCONS

Princess Xiao Lan of Xuánlóng, no more than ten years old, clutched the Nine Provinces Seal tightly against her chest as screams echoed through the palace corridors. Through the lattice window, she watched the Black Crane Sect’s banners rise above the eastern gate, their silver feathers stained with blood. Her father’s final words whispered urgently in her ear: "Run. Survive." A shadow detached itself from the tapestry, Master An, the court’s spymaster, his face partially stained with blood. "The seal must never fall into Prince Liwei’s hands," he rasped, pressing a dagger into her palm. "It’s not just a relic. It’s a cure." With a flick of his wrist, he revealed the hollow hilt where the seal was concealed. "Your mother’s final creation." Boots thundered outside the room. Master An pushed her into a secret passage, but not before she witnessed the Crane Beak Strike pierce his throat. His final act was a smile, knowing she had seen the assassin’s face. Years later, in the Jiang Empire’s criminal underworld, whispers spread of the Violet Viper, a woman whose daggers left no visible wounds, only a slow-acting poison. No one suspected that her blades concealed the pulse of a kingdom. Far to the north, a spy prince sharpened his Storm Saber, unaware that his first mission would be to kill her.