Jun Li woke softly, leaning against the window of a carriage, hearing the gentle clatter of the wheels reverberate through its frame.

  For a moment, she simply remained there, slowly gathering her thoughts in the unnatural serenity, until her vague unease became too much to endure. '...what happened…?'

  Standing from her seat, Jun Li became even more confused as she looked herself over. She was wearing a white mourning dress, and there was no trace of injury or strain on her body at all.

  Jun Li looked around the interior of the carriage, which was unlike anything she had seen; its nature seemed to border between vehicle and building in her eyes.

  Two rows of seating lined the walls, each seat with a draped window to the outside. Between the seating was a single, wide aisle, and doors led out of the room, both front and back.

  Normally, Jun Li might feel anxiety at being thrust into such a bizarre, unfamiliar scene. Yet, this carriage seemed to have a strangely relaxing effect on her.

  Forgetting her growing questions for a moment, Jun Li walked down the carriage aisle. It wasn't ornate per se, but the quality of the construction was refined beyond anything Jun Li had seen.

  All around, the lacquered wooden paneling of the floors and walls merged seamlessly into the seating and doorways, as if it were not the work of human hands, but was instead a natural formation.

  Although it was quiet, it wasn't entirely silent; not only could Jun Li hear the faint sound of the carriage's movement, she also heard a quiet rushing of water from outside.

  Stepping up to a window, Jun Li gently parted the thin drapery that blocked her view. Beyond that thin pane was a vast ocean. Though it appeared near black in the darkness, she could tell it was not water that filled this ocean, but blood.

  Far in the distance, Jun Li could see pockets of ocean where the tides boiled, others calm and flat as a mirror, and yet more that embodied all manner of natural phenomena, all under the light of an immense, melting moon, a burning star shining softly inside an immense crater that spanned its earth-facing surface.

  Each and every wave and current seemed to possess a voice of its own, reaching into Jun Li's mind as her eyes landed on them, driving her to nausea.

  Quickly stepping away from the window, Jun Li moved to the other side of the carriage and peered out the opposite side. Only, it was the same vista, merely with a new array of contrasting seas.

  'It's not a dream… and it's certainly not reality, so then…' Jun Li's mind sifted through possibilities quickly, and soon she realized that there was no way to understand her circumstances without further investigation. 'I can't feel any Qi, inside my body or otherwise… Is it some sort of sorcery? It's nothing like what I felt with Elder Guo…'

  Jun Li moved to one of the doors and carefully opened it. Immediately, the sound of rushing waters and clattering wheels became more intense, and a corridor lined with thick canvas was revealed beyond.

  A dense, grey cloth stretched out in place of walls and a ceiling, cowling the metal walkway that led to another door, just a few steps away. Jun Li gingerly stepped out onto the walkway, opening the door opposite her.

  '...another carriage?' Almost identical to the carriage Jun Li had found awoken in, this carriage was distinguished only by a letter, resting on one of the seats. "A Short Guide to The Banquet's Afterparty…?"

  With little else of immediate interest, Jun Li sat down and slowly read through the note. Written on a torn piece of fabric, appearing to have been torn from a similar mourning gown as the one Jun Li had found herself wearing. The writing seemed to be somehow burned into it with extreme precision, and the handwriting was quite neat, for what it was.

  It read: 'So, if you're reading this, you've probably been killed by that guy, huh? Probably carried off by some strange, mummified-looking puppets, and carried off to the 'Banquet.' That's how it happened for most, or so I hear. Well, there's no use crying about it now, so settle in.'

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  'My first bit of advice is to get comfy! You're gonna be here for a while, and there's no way around the wait. I recommend talking to your fellow passengers, exchanging life stories, chatting about nonsense, you can even fight one another if you start to go stir-crazy, it's not like you can die here. Just don't overdo it, injuries will usually heal near-instantly, but if you keep getting ripped to shreds this place's healing effect seems to just 'give up' on you, and leaves you… however you end up.'

  'I won't bother you with details about 'what happens at the end of this' or 'can I at least wait with my family?' There's nothing we can really do to fix those little issues, so there's no point trying. From an educated standpoint, however, I can assure you that it could always be worse!'

  'PS: Pass this letter on to the people in the compartment behind you when everyone's done reading!'

  "...Banquet?" The word, or perhaps it was a name, sounded oddly familiar to Jun Li. 'The blood, odd history, vague memories… It's all part of my inheritance, somehow.'

  Feeling a sudden weight, Jun Li sank slightly, nausea and fatigue weighing her down with a sudden, irresistible force.

  She didn't panic, however, recognizing the sensations that returned to her body as an element of reality. 'Even if it's not a 'dream,' I'm waking up…' Leaning back into a seat, Jun Li focused on the growing feelings of pain and medically induced numbness, anchoring herself to what she knew was real.

  "If I'm not dead, I suppose that means I won… Haha…" With a bit of pride, Jun Li laughed off the growing discomfort she felt between waking and 'dreaming.'

  … … … … … …

  When Jun Li woke, the first thing she noticed was the weight on her body. Not that of fatigue or injury, but the literal weight of Little Yun, draped over her torso limply as it slept alongside her.

  The second thing she noticed was her unfamiliar surroundings. It was a small, warmly lit room, but her vision was limited by a curtain that stretched around the bed.

  More notable than what she could see was what Jun Li could smell. The familiar scent of medicinal plants filled the room. Jun Li had to stop herself from getting distracted and trying to identify what specific medicinal plants were around by smell, at least until she understood her circumstances better. 'It's not Master Zhu's study… is this the palace…?'

  Jun Li checked her limbs, making sure she wasn't bound and restrained. Instead, she only found medical bindings around her injuries, smelling of particularly gentle and expensive medicinal treatments. 'If this is the palace, why am I here, being treated?'

  As Jun Li's mind wandered, an odd compulsion began to seep into her mind, almost disorientingly.

  The curtains surrounding Jun Li's bed slid open, revealing a large and well-stocked infirmary worthy of the royal family, and Zhu Enlai, who quickly stepped over to Jun Li's bedside. "Young Jun! I thought you'd wake up faster, but… are you okay?"

  Jun Li's first instinct was to say she's fine, but she couldn't quite muster the will to say so. For a few moments, she was silent. "Do I… have to leave? Leave the kingdom?"

  Zhu Enlai was caught off guard by Jun Li's sudden question. A short time ago, the thing that had occupied Jun Li's body sought him out and, after explaining Jun Li's situation, left her in his

  care.

  Zhu Enlai felt relief, and then a twinge of guilt at that very relief. Telling someone to pack up their life and abandon their family wasn't comfortable, even for him; he was glad he wouldn't need to.

  "Yeah… you know how long you have, right? About nine hours now." For Jun Li, it felt like she was being told something she already knew, but that didn't stop it from hurting.

  "How, and… why…?" Jun Li spoke quietly, directing the question to nobody. Looking at the dejected Jun Li, Zhu Enlai didn't answer. He didn't understand things perfectly himself, and he had a feeling Jun Li wouldn't truly care about any half-baked answers he could give.

  "Jun Li, can you move?" Zhu Enlai leaned down and slowly roused Jun Li from her bed, sitting her upright. "You should be with your family."

  Even as she listened, Jun Li couldn't find the words to properly respond, but she did slowly gather herself, sitting up slowly and taking measure of her injuries. "If I did things differently, or… if I was stronger, could I have…?"

  Zhu Enlai grabbed Jun Li by the shoulders. "Hey, none of that now." Lifting his disciple onto her feet, Zhu Enlai lowered himself to speak to Jun Li at eye level. "Go to your family, I'll handle everything else." His words seemed to cut through the fog of Jun Li's mind, just a little, and she nodded.

  Watching Jun Li slip out the door, Little Yun in tow, Zhu Enlai let out a sigh. "It's unfortunate, but knowing that old thing is lurking inside her… It's for the best that she prioritizes her Cultivation."

  A strained smile crossed Zhu Enlai's lips as he muttered to himself. "I can't exactly give up on her now. Ah, well, I always wanted a stupidly talented disciple. I suppose this is just the sort of baggage that comes with it."