Ashes. A promise beyond death

Chapter 19 - Where love waits

The morning air was still cool when Yu Bin slipped from her chambers in haste, heart caught between duty and instinct. The once-comforting palace walls now felt too narrow to contain the restless storm inside her. Ever since the bond between her and Xian Chen had been severed, something within her felt hollow—an ache her pride refused to name.

She had run to him.

Not as a princess.

Not as a disciple.

But simply as Yu Bin—a girl whose heart had quietly, stubbornly tethered itself to another.

Now, seated inside her master’s home, caught between Bao Fang’s sharp gaze and Xian Chen’s quiet presence, Yu Bin tried to act as if everything was fine. But the words spilled from her mouth before she could stop them.

"I'm fine, thanks. And you? How are you?" she said casually. But Bao Fang’s knowing smirk, paired with the weight of her stare, made Yu Bin shift awkwardly.

"You nearly killed me. Sometimes I wonder..." she muttered, half-laughing, her voice trying to carry humor but laced with something else. “Master, are you trying to kill me?”

The joke landed like a stone.

The air in the room shifted—humor draining like sunlight behind clouds. Yu Bin’s heart dropped. Why had she said that?

"Wait, Master, don't misunderstand! I was joking!" she stammered, flailing for the lost lightness. "Brother Xian, I was joking—I trust my master. I know it’s not her fault I’m so easily scared. I’m sorry."

Bao Fang and Xian Chen glanced at each other—and then, suddenly, both burst into laughter.

“Really? I thought Master wanted to kill my little sister,” Xian Chen teased, eyes warm with rare amusement.

Yu Bin blinked. It was only the second time she had ever seen him laugh—genuinely, without walls. He looked lighter. Softer. A boy at peace for just a moment.

So that’s what he looks like when he isn’t carrying the weight of the world.

“Yu Bin,” Bao Fang said gently, breaking the spell. “Do your parents know where you are?”

Yu Bin glanced down at herself—disheveled hair, wrinkled pajamas, bare feet, no coat. Her cheeks flushed.

“Well…” she began.

“Yu Bin,” Bao Fang’s voice sharpened slightly.

“They don’t. Not exactly,” Yu Bin admitted with a sheepish smile.

“Let’s go,” Bao Fang sighed, rising. “Before your father accuses me of kidnapping his daughter. And stop smiling like that—it won’t save you from your mother’s wrath either.”

Xian Chen stirred as if to follow them, but Bao Fang held up a hand.

“You’re not well enough. Stay.”

Yu Bin turned to him with concern. “Please rest, Brother Xian. Listen to Master.”

He gave a reluctant smile. “Alright, alright. I’ll behave.”

Outside, the sky had fully awakened, crisp and alive. Yu Bin wrapped her arms around Bao Fang’s waist as her master summoned her sword. With a soft whoosh of wind, they rose into the clouds.

“Yu Bin,” Bao Fang murmured as they flew. “From now on, stay in front of me. Let me see you. Always remain by my side.”

Yu Bin’s grip tightened slightly. “Master… is something wrong?”

“No. Not exactly.” Bao Fang’s voice was careful, weighed. “I just want to help you grow. To see you rise into the queen you're meant to be.”

Yu Bin didn’t press. She could feel it—something unspoken was clouding her master’s heart. But she’d learned patience. Just like Xian Chen, Bao Fang held her wounds behind silence. Yu Bin would wait. She would be ready when the time came.

“I promise I’ll listen to everything you say,” Yu Bin whispered.

Bao Fang smiled faintly. “Do you have a sword yet?”

Yu Bin shook her head. “No. Father gave me many, but none responded. I couldn’t bond with a single one.”

“Then after we calm your parents, I’ll take you somewhere special. Somewhere your sword may find you.”

Yu Bin eyed her suspiciously. “You’re not tricking me again into another battlefield, are you?”

Bao Fang chuckled. “Next time, yes. But not today. Today, I keep my promise.”

But as they neared the palace gates, Yu Bin felt it—chaos. Raised voices. Guards barking orders. Servants scurrying like startled birds.

Her feet touched the ground, and the doors flew open.

Her father stormed out like a thundercloud. “You devil! Come here! I’ll wring your neck myself!”

Yu Bin shrieked and darted behind Bao Fang. “Master! Save me!”

“I warned you,” Bao Fang muttered.

She stepped forward, shielding Yu Bin with her presence. “Your Highness,” she said swiftly, “please let me explain.”

The king froze, jaw clenched.

“Speak.”

“Yu Bin was concerned for Xian Chen, who was gravely injured while protecting her. In her panic, she left to check on him before dawn. It was my decision to allow her to stay. Please forgive her just this once. Right, Yu Bin?”

Yu Bin peeked out. “Yes, Father. I promise it won’t happen again… unless Master or Brother Xian is in danger. Then… maybe I’ll rush out again.”

The king’s face turned red. “You—what did you just say?!”

“If someone I love is in danger, I can’t just wait,” she said firmly. “You’d do the same for Mother.”

“That’s different!”

“It’s not,” she said softly. “Love is love, Father. That never changes.”

“You—!” His voice spiked in fury.

“Enough!” the queen’s voice rang through the courtyard. “You’re both acting like children. Yu Bin, apologize to your father.”

Yu Bin looked at Bao Fang, who nodded gently.

“Be the daughter your parents are proud of.”

Yu Bin lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry, Father. Mother. I’ll do better. I don’t want to worry you again.”

The king’s eyes softened, the storm in him settling. “Have you eaten?”

“…No.”

“Neither have we,” he said with a long sigh. “Let’s eat together.”

Yu Bin nodded.

Then something unexpected happened.

“Look at me,” her father said.

She lifted her gaze, uncertain.

He opened his arms. “Come here.”

Her breath caught. Slowly, she stepped forward and buried herself in his embrace. The warmth of his arms, the scent of parchment and incense, the quiet strength of a father’s love—everything washed over her like a wave.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” she whispered, voice trembling.

He held her tighter. “Just don’t scare me like that again. You’re all I have.”

And in that moment, Yu Bin felt it:

The warmth of something she thought she had lost.

The deep, unshakable love of a parent.

And it filled her with quiet strength.