TWIN PATHS OF POWER AND PERIL

Reeling from the devastating loss of someone close to him, young assassin Xiahou Lian sets off on a perilous journey to find his long-lost brother, who's hidden away on a remote and forbidding mountain. But what Xiahou Lian encounters at the summit isn’t the reunion he imagined. Instead, he’s thrust into a web of secrets and betrayals more harrowing than anything he's faced in Qiye Garden.

Within the palace walls, Shen Jue moves like a shadow. Though he wears a mask of obedience while serving as his ruthless godfather's loyal pawn, Shen Jue is executing a dangerous long game. Discovery could shatter his schemes, however...

When Xiahou Lian and Shen Jue cross paths once more, it’s no longer as allies. Each is navigating deadly enemies—and Xiahou Lian believes those foes might even include Shen Jue.