Chapter 259 - Ashes and Anchors

The Jiang safehouse crouched on the edge of Shanxi's rolling hills, a weathered barn repurposed into a refuge, its wooden beams creaking under the weight of a fading storm. Dawn's light filtered through cracked windows, casting pale streaks across the dusty floor where Ruoxi sat, her shoulder bandaged tight, the phoenix tattoo a faint pulse beneath her sleeve. The pain lingered—a dull throb from Xia Zhenguo's bullet, barely held at bay by the golden spark that had slowed her bleeding but couldn't heal her fully. Her body felt heavy, drained, the fire that had torched Eclipse's guards and vats now a smoldering ember, its limits exposed in Datong's blood-soaked chaos.