Fang Rui Forgot Her Distance

Fang Rui keeps one rule when she enters a room: count the distance before she speaks. She uses fencing timing to survive a court that turns every answer into a trap, and her Mortal Dao grows when her body feels tired, sore, and human. That makes her the one person who can keep getting stronger from age and loss, which is useful when the palace starts using her for work she never wanted. A public seal, a borrowed jade pendant, and a worn leather satchel pull her deeper into danger. The man who watches her most closely smiles like a shield and tightens like a snare.