Bingwen woke up once again to find Jinghua wasn't there. But he then remembered that Jinghua had left for some reason. Just then, Chisheng Wei entered the room. Bingwen tried to bow to her from the bed but she held up her hand to let him know it was fine. "How are you feeling?" she asked as she took a seat on his bed.
"Better than before. I just want to know what's been going on." Bingwen stared at Chisheng Wei's face. "Have you been crying?" he asked her. She smiled and laughed a little, then proceeded to give him a small pat on his head. Just two gentle pats.
"Let's just say I had a minor fight with my bitch-of-a sister. I'm fine, Yusheng Jin. I'm more concerned about you." Bingwen couldn't help but smile. "What is it?" Chisheng Wei asked.
"I'm sorry. You just remind me so much of Yuming. My sister. She always acted as if she was my Jiejie."
But Bingwen was sad. He had lost his youngest sister and didn't even know. He blamed himself. He needed to go back to the Yusheng palace. He needed to go home. But he shook the painful thought away and changed the subject. "Where is Ning Cheng?" he asked. But right as he asked that, a slamming sound came from the door. In came an injured Jinghua. He was sweating, holding his hip. His hands were covered in blood, blood was under his nails. He stumbled in the room as if he was drunk. "We need to leave." he said.
"You need help!" Chisheng Wei said as she rushed over to help him. "What the hell happened to you?" she asked as she helped him over to the bed. "It was that damned bastard, Xue Quan. He wants to take my place. He put this parasite inside of me, under my skin. He tried to kill me. But he can't and he won't." Chisheng Wei took the cloth that was left for Bingwen and dipped it in the water. "Press this against the wound." she said. She then took bed sheets and began to tear them up into strips. "You both are injured and need rest. But we need to get away from here too. We need a plan."
They did need help. An escape plan. Bingwen remembered that they could get help from the Caihong clan but there was no way to contact them. He then remembered that the closest clan to the Ning clan was the Wing palace. "Wing Shen," he said. "Wing Shen can take us to the Yusheng palace."
Yuming had returned home, of course with Hung Meifeng by her side. Her father was in another region and her mother was depressed. A meeting with Yusheng disciples and others was held. Yuming, Hung Meifeng, and her mother were all there. "This is unfair! How can you still not find her body!" Yuming lashed out.
"I'm sorry, lady Yusheng, we're trying our best. We've looked everywhere for the young kin, Yusheng Li. We just can't find her."
"Well seek harder!" she yelled. Yuming got up and left the room. Hung Meifeng followed her. "Yuming, please wait!" Hung Meifeng called after Yuming. Yuming wiped her face, tears streaming down. "My brother is missing, my father isn't here and my mother is unresponsive. And now my sister is dead. This is hopeless." Hung Meifeng hugged Yuming, holding her tight. "We will find your sister. We will find your brother. Your father will return. And if he comes back with no answers, then we'll find them ourselves. This definitely has something to do with Ning Cheng's father and his clan. And if anything, that's where your brother is." Hung Meifeng tried to reassure her. Yuming was disappointed though. She hated that she couldn't do anything. It wasn't fair.
With Bingwen still healing and Jinghua now injured, escaping would be difficult. But Chisheng Wei had a plan of her own. "Without any contact with anyone, this will be difficult." said Bingwen.
"I have an idea. What if I ride to the Yusheng palace?" she suggested, "Since you two are injured, I'll go and find some help. I'll get our swords back and fly there."
Jinghua and Bingwen looked at each, both agreeing it was the best option. And so Chisheng Wei went to look for their swords. And the person she would find was Xue Quan. Xue Quan passed her down the hall but she pulled his arm before he could walk off. "You've got some nerve walking these halls like you're part of this clan." Chisheng Wei said, standing tall and firm. "Where are our swords, Xue Quan?" Xue Quan smiled and crossed his arms. "And why should I help you?"
"Because you should know your place. You don't belong in this palace and you know it. Just give me my sword and I'll be off." she said. Xue Quan sighed, "They're in the main hall." Chisheng Wei bowed and ran off. She left immediately.
Bingwen and Jinghua sat silently in the room. Jinghua had finally caught his breath and settled down. Bingwen sat under the covers of the bed. He then remembered he had Jinghua's crown so he dug into his sleeve and pulled out the crown. "I kept this when you threw it." he said, "I thought it would be better if you kept it. It shows who you are, what your place in life is. It shouldn't mean anything about your father but only yourself. It's a symbol of your glory and your highness. So wear it and wear it proudly. Not only for you but for the innocent people in your clan." Jinghua couldn't help but burst out in laughter. "What!? I'm being serious!" Bingwen exclaimed,
"No, no, I understand! It's just you gave a whole speech about something you shouldn't care about." Jinghua said, taking the crown back and fixing his hair.
"Well of course I care. Why wouldn't I? You're my friend." Jinghua paused, his eyes widened. He looked up at Bingwen who smiled at him. "Friend?"
"Yes, we were childhood friends, right? It doesn't matter if I forgot, I've come to know you for a second time in my life and I consider you my friend. You're good to me and you protect me so therefore, you're a good person, a good friend." said Bingwen. No one had ever spoken to Jinghua like that. But he took the words that Bingwen said to heart. But little did the two know that Xue Quan was standing outside of their door almost the whole time the two were alone.