When sunset arrived, the main entrance to leave the palace is surrounded by countless guards at each post. A’Li approaches one of the gatekeeper as he stopped her, sticking out his arm in front of her. A’Li glares at the gatekeeper and took out her palace badge as a signal that she has the permission to leave. The gatekeeper lowered his head and steps aside to allow A’Li to pass. She walks over to the horse that is available at the same time someone came up behind her with a dagger blade leaning against her lower back.

“Don’t scream” a male voice whispers into A’Li’s ear. She angles her head to see his face as she said, “You” she didn’t wasn't surprised, “Why are you here?” she asks.

“Help me get out of the palace” he dodged her question as he glances around making sure the guards doesn’t suspect anything.

“Why should I?” A’Li ask fearless, “If you kill me here you’ll never get out”

“Then how about you cooperate nicely?” he arches an eyebrow.

She scoffs, “Jiang Yi Chen, I’m not an idiot. If I help you, I’ll be persecuted for helping an assassin”

“I’m pretty sure you have a bigger issue to deal with rather than arguing with me here, right?”

A’Li glares at him evilly and shoves him away as he places his dagger back into its case.

“Okay,” she agrees, “But as soon as we are out of the palace’s presence you are going your own way” she climbs on the horse so did he, getting behind her.  

After they were far enough from the palace, A’Li dropped off Yi Chen at the road intersection near a small abandoned town. After that, she took a different route to meet up with the maid as Yi Chen watches A’Li get fainter into the horizon. He narrows his eyebrows at the same time as his men gathered around him.

“Big Brother, where have you been?” one of the men asks.

“I was in the palace” he answers, turned to them as soon as he couldn’t A’Li anymore.

“What were you doing there?” all of them ask worried.

“I attempted to murder Yan Shen Qing, but coincidentally ran into an old friend” he said sounded amused.

“Then how did you escape?” a different guy asks.

“Enough with the question; get me a horse” he commands. One of his men whistles for their horse as it came running towards them and stopped when met up with Yi Chen.

“I’ll meet you guys back at camp” Yi Chen said, climbed on and headed the same direction as A’Li.