"Stop her!" Xin was already running.
The maid was fast. Unnaturally fast. She cleared the corridor in seconds, vaulting a decorative table without breaking stride, scattering breakfast trays and sending servants diving out of her path.
Xin pushed qi into his legs.
The world lurched forward.
He had not done this before — not consciously, not with this much control. The Second Gate made everything sharper. His legs moved faster than his mind expected, and he nearly crashed into the wall taking the first corner. He caught the doorframe, redirected, kept moving.
The maid glanced back once.
Her face had changed. The unremarkable softness was gone, replaced by something cold and calculating. She was not panicking. She was executing a plan.
*She has an exit route.*
"She is heading for the
