Chapter Forty-Two: One Wing and One Eye

Plunging from the crippled Vermilion Bird, Yizhi falls until Zetian forces her depleted armor wings to catch him, the pair narrowly avoiding wildfire and debris. As they regain control, the Black Tortoise looms overhead, wielding the slumped Vermilion Bird and battering the valley with lethal gusts.

Zetian recognizes a chilling truth: the Tortoise’s eyes show Zhu Yuanzhang’s Earth qi and Xiuying’s Water qi, proving Xiuying is fully aware and aiding the attack. A near miss from the Tortoise’s blow drives them lower—only for the maimed Vermilion Bird to seize the Tortoise with one wing. On Yizhi’s wristlet, Li Shimin’s vitals reveal he is piloting alone, his heart rate spiking to 380, implying he’s burning himself out.

Unable to aid directly, Zetian and Yizhi reach the main battle, where they plead with the White Tiger for help. Inside its cockpit, they find Qieluo and Yang Jian intertwined and synchronized, but the strategists—Chief Strategist Zhuge and Sima Yi—order the Tiger to ignore the Bird’s plight and focus on the broader fight, exposing their willingness to sacrifice Shimin.

Rejecting those orders, the White Tiger rallies cover and sprints to intervene. As it charges, Yizhi’s wristlet shows Shimin’s heart rate plunging—372, 268, 92, 43—before flatlining at zero, leaving Zetian facing the terror that Shimin may have died piloting the Vermilion Bird alone.