“I am glad for it.” Liwei tilted his head to me, “But why do you look so worried?”

“What else can this be used to do? What does Master Gang want with it? Who is he? For he is no harmless musician or petty thief.”

“We will find out,” he assured me. “Have you managed to pluck more of the seeds?”

“No. Weapons didn’t work, whether swords or daggers. None of them made a scratch, the marks vanishing as soon as they appeared—just as with your fire. I do not know how Master Gang did it.”

“Maybe his axe was enchanted? Do you recall anything else from last night?” Liwei asked.

I paused, sifting through the blur of my thoughts. “He was strong and quick, surprisingly so. His weapon was able to carve the laurel’s bark, unlike ours, but I sensed no magic around it.”

Something caught my eye then, a cloud descending from the skies, toward the guest wing. Who had summoned it? Trailing the cloud’s path, we made our way swiftly to Master Haoran’s courtyard. Magnolia trees shaded the grounds, their roots rippling over the grass, their branches weaving above a round stone table.

As I rapped upon the latticed door, a muffled oath filtered through, followed by the urgent tread of feet. Liwei shoved the doors apart, the panels flying open. It was dark inside, cloth draped over the windows. Light poured in through the entrance that we stalked through. A heady sweetness clung to the air from the crushed blooms piled into silk bags—some tied shut and others left gaping wide, petals strewn across the floor.

Master Haoran leapt up from where he had been huddled, stacking jars of wine sealed with red fabric into a wooden box. He blinked, a hand thrown up to shield his face from the glare. “Be careful, the light will harm the petals!”

“What do you mean?” He stared at me blankly. “Why are you here?”

“We might ask you the same question,” Liwei replied coldly. “Why are you leaving so soon, without bidding your hostess farewell?”

“A pressing matter has arisen. Family affairs.” His words fell out awkwardly, strung in haste.

Caught unaware, Master Haoran was as bad a liar as I had been, before my own tongue was gilded with deceit. My mind worked quickly, fragments falling into place: his arrival with Master Gang, his eagerness to ply us with wine, his haste to leave. “Why did you come here? Why did you lie to us?” I demanded.

Master Haoran stiffened, then bolted toward the door. Fiery coils erupted from Liwei’s hand, winding around him like a snake.

“Stop! Spare me! I’ll tell you all I know.” He struggled amid the writhing flames. Yet no stench of burning flesh tainted the air; the fire did not sear but merely held him in place.