The cold stone presses against my bare back as consciousness returns. The damp air smells of blood and mildew, and every muscle screams in protest at the slightest movement. My wrists are chained above my head, raw and bleeding from struggling against the unyielding metal.

"Ah, our little poison master wakes," a cold voice sneers. Yuchen steps into view, twirling a blade between his fingers. "Sleep well? You'll need your strength for what comes next."

I clench my jaw, forcing myself to meet his gaze despite the pounding in my head. "Go to hell."

He laughs, a sound like grinding stone. "Before I send you there, you'll give me what I want. The antidote for my brother."

The blade flashes as he moves closer, pressing the sharp tip against my already bruised ribs. Pain shoots through me, but I refuse to cry out. Shangjue would never give in so easily, and neither will I.

"Your brother chose his path when he became a Wufang assassin," I manage through gritted teeth. "Tell me—how many innocent lives has he taken?"

Yuchen's eyes darken, and he presses the blade harder. "My brother's life is worth a thousand of your Gong enemies. You'll make the antidote, or I'll make you wish you had never been born."

The threat hangs in the air between us, as tangible as the chains binding me. Behind Yuchen's cruelty, I see something else—desperation, fear... love for his brother, twisted though it may be.

It's then I hear it—the distant clash of swords, faint but unmistakable. A spark of hope ignites in my chest. Shangjue is coming. He's actually coming for me.

Yuchen's head snaps up, his expression hardening as he hears it too. "It seems your brother has decided to play hero," he says, though there's a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes now. He steps back, raising his voice. "Finish him if they get close!"

Two more Wufang assassins enter the cell, weapons drawn. Yuchen turns to me one last time, his voice lowering to a menacing whisper. "Your brother's rescue will cost him everything, Yuanzhi. And when he's dead at my feet, you'll still make that antidote."

He leaves me with the two guards, who advance slowly, their expressions grim. The sounds of battle grow closer, shouts and metal meeting metal echoing through the stone corridors. Shangjue is fighting his way to me, but how long can I hold out?