I looked away, the hurt inflicted by the empress still raw. For even if I succeeded, she had ensured that I would still lose. “I have a plan. There will be no danger.”

When he stared at me, unspeaking, arms folded across his chest, I added, “Maybe just a little danger.”

“Don’t be a fool.” Wenzhi’s tone dropped dangerously low.

“Don’t call me a fool when the worst thing I ever did was to trust you,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “Don’t imagine you alone have all the answers. I have seen and done as much as you, I have guarded your back as you did mine. I tricked you once, and would do it again.”

We glared at each other, our robes fluttering in the breeze, the wind teasing our hair. His eyes shone so brightly, the only stars in this bleak night.

“You are right. I am the fool for imagining anything could change.” He held my gaze. “Tell me, then, how you will invade the Jade Palace singlehandedly with just a little danger.” A shred of humor lifted his words.

“There will be no invasion. I intend to draw their attention away, like you did the last time, except within the palace grounds.”

“If only I had not helped you then,” he said with feeling. “Causing a small diversion at the gate is not the same thing as wreaking turmoil in the heart of the Jade Palace. What will you do?”

“Shoot a few arrows into the Hall of Eastern Light?” I stifled a laugh at the expression on his face, equal parts incredulous and anxious. While the thought had crossed my mind—undoubtedly satisfying—it would be dangerous beyond measure. “I don’t have a plan yet,” I admitted. “But I will.”

He inclined his head. “I did not mean to offend you earlier. You might be somewhat reckless at times, though never a fool.”

Something stirred in my chest that I quelled. Silence fell between us as we entered the Southern Sea, making our way through the watery tunnel. The guards at the entrance did not question us when we displayed our pearls for their inspection. As we strode to the palace, a shell caught my eye. Snow white, spiraling into a cone, just like the one I had given Liwei. As I crouched down to pick it up, a memory surfaced, of the vendor proudly displaying his wares in the Celestial market.

These were picked from the deepest waters in the Southern Sea … enchanted to capture your favorite sound, music, or even a loved one’s voice.

My mind spun with the beginnings of an idea. I stopped the first Sea Immortal passing by, a plump woman draped in lilac brocade. “Is there a merchant here who sells shells? Enchanted ones?”

She blinked, taken aback by my urgency. “Master Bingwen owns the shop by the coral fountain. You will recognize his store when you see it.”