The only enemy left to defeat is Yanlang. Most of the heroes are okay, except for Xionglin, who has lost the use of his right arm. Shenwu decides to tell them what's happening with Yanlang. Tuoren and Lifang are fighting him as a team, but they're worried that he's too strong to defeat in combat. Lifang had believed simplistically that as long as the two were together they would be sure to win, but now he senses that there's something missing--some strategy they're not employing or technique they haven't discovered.

Yanlang is forced to resort to using the power he had held in reserve for when he returns to Jusenkai. When his blast injures Tuoren, Lifang cradles his partner and confronts Yanlang, demanding to know why he's treating his own son so cruelly. Lifang realizes that, no matter how much he hates Yanlang, the sadness of the situation prevents him from hating the man utterly. He understands that using brute force will not win. That's not where his own strength lies.

Lifang declares that they should no longer continue the battle. As soon as he does, the spirits of the first emperor and Li appear and bestow upon the partners the rest of their power. Yanlang is astounded that they were so strong and they had not yet even used their complete power. Despite that, he cannot turn back. He casts one last explosive spell that destroys the entire island.

The heroes escape the blast, barely making it to safety, taking Shenwu with them. In the middle of the blast zone, Lifang and Tuoren stand unscathed. Lifang yells for Kai to leave Yanlang alone. He wants to end the struggle forever. Yanlang's powers start to go berserk. Lifang runs to embrace him, knowing that if the man dies with his emotions still wild, his spirit will wind up returning like Kai's and the fight will continue in future generations. Lifang tries his best to comfort Yanlang, promising to stay beside him. Getting revenge by killing him would solve nothing.

Yanlang pushes him away, claiming he doesn't need pity. He ignores Lifang's offer of help and allows his powers to consume him. The two partners hold each other in tears, knowing it's finally over. They can't tell if Yanlang's soul was saved from anger and hatred in those last moments, but Lifang hopes so.

Afterward, Lifang decides to stay behind in the human world. He encourages Tuoren to go back where he will finally be treated with the respect he deserves. The heroes all say their farewells, promising they'll see Lifang again when things settle down in Jusenkai. Tuoren leaves his rei with Lifang. By imbuing it with Lifang's power, it will act as a homing beacon so that others can visit him at any time. Lifang insists that their relationship will remain the same regardless of how much time passes. They will always be partners.

The emperor exempts Shenwu from a serious sentence. However, Shenwu asks to have his power stripped and to be sent to live in the human world. Lifang continues his wandering as years pass. One day, while traveling through a village he meets up with Shenwu, who is taking care of orphaned children. Lifang doesn't know him, but his panda remembers.

Lifang ponders that Xionglin and Hulei came to visit him three times, bringing him a special bou made by the emperor. Unfortunately, his rei was broken in a scuffle with some bandits and he hasn't been visited since. All he knows about Tuoren is what Xionglin reported to him. As he is lost in thought, musing that Tuoren is with him in his heart, he notices a bird flying overhead. It draws his attention to Tuoren, who has come to greet him. Tuoren does not need a rei to locate Lifang because of the strong bond between them.

Excited, Lifang leaps into his partner's arms. Tuoren has been assigned to search the human world, and he wants Lifang to join him. It has been a long time, but they are finally working together again. Back in Jusenkai, everyone is getting ready for Nasha and Jing's wedding. Xionglin is pestered by a young man who wants training. Yui and Jina have a small baby. Long is still waiting for Huzhi to realize he's in love with her.

Tuoren and Lifang's new journey begins.

* * *

Huzhi, as the daughter of a high-ranking man, was raised in luxury...which she never wanted. She would rather have pleasant company than fine trimmings. Yet she had to obey her father's wishes. Her mother's health is poor and it kept her confined to bed; Huzhi herself is also weak. One day, Huzhi's father sends the young girl to a doctor with Long to escort her. It is the first time she has ever left the palace. When they arrive, the doctor assures her that she might be a bit weak currently, but she will grow up strong.

Just then the doctor's daughter Reishia bursts in, covered with mud. She had come from helping people free a cow that had gotten mired. Huzhi isn't sure she'll be able to keep up with the energetic girl during her stay with the doctor, but when she accidentally falls in the river she realizes how fun it can be to play. As the days pass, Huzhi gets ever stronger--so much so that she surprises Long by beating up a boy who was teasing them. Long praises her for not using her powers against the boy; she insists she doesn't like powers that can hurt people.

Huzhi confides in Reishia that she doesn't want to follow in her father's footsteps the way he wishes her to, though she has to admit she doesn't have any other dream she'd rather pursue. She realizes that what she really dislikes most about her path is that she has to study so much and she's always alone. Reishia wants to help her father when she grows up because she respects what he does, which is something Huzhi had never considered.

Finally Huzhi returns to the palace and shocks everyone with her new tomboyish habits. She continues to visit Reishia whenever she can, and she begins to observe her father at work, discovering that everyone looks up to him. Time passes, and Huzhi does what her father wanted after all. One day Long informs her that the emperor's wife only has a few years left to live, so the office will be passed on to the emperor's heir. The new emperor needs to choose an heir of his own, and Huzhi is the top candidate.

The ladies of the palace gossip among themselves that a girl like her, who refuses to comport herself with dignity and spends all her time with peasants, shouldn't be chosen over their husbands. Huzhi overhears their griping and agrees. She goes to Reishia's house to pour her heart out. She doesn't believe she's qualified, but she's afraid the decision will be out of her hands. Reishia tells her that the current heir was a peasant himself and had the same concerns as Huzhi. Reishia encourages Huzhi to be herself, and adds that if anyone is dissatisfied with that, Reishia will take care of it however necessary. She offers to join Huzhi in the palace, but she reminds Huzhi that there are already people there who care for her. At those words, Huzhi rushes out to see that Long has come for her.

She returns to the palace. Outside, the continuing rain makes the river dangerous. Huzhi goes to help. She uses her power to rescue people. Soon others come to assist her. Her father arrives and tells her that those with powers followed her even before they were given orders from the emperor. Huzhi keeps helping people after the flood, while Long and Reishia watch her in admiration. Long promises Reishia that he will protect Huzhi. Huzhi herself realizes that being the emperor's heir means taking care of the people and the country, and that's what she really wants to do.

After the war, Long and Huzhi visit Reishia's grave on the twentieth anniversary of her death. For the first time, Huzhi notices that Long is always at her side. She wonders why, but he pretends to have forgotten the reason, wanting her to figure it out on her own.

* * *

The heroes of the war all give their opinions of Lifang. Xionglin mentions his cuteness, Hulei admires his fighting ability, Nasha reflects on his healing nature, and Long flirtatiously observes that he resembles his mother (and is a good, huggable height). The praises come from everyone in the palace. They have prepared a feast to celebrate his homecoming as Tuoren brings him back to Jusenkai for the first time.

End Volume 13