"She's safe. I buried her at my cabin so animals wouldn't ravage her. She's there, waiting for you."

A flicker of guilt crosses his expression. In his rage, he'd thought to desecrate her as his brother had been but in the end, he hadn't been able to go through with it. Still, that he'd even considered such a brutal act toward an innocent woman would love him.

"She's safe," he repeats softly. "You'll be able to bow to her."

He doesn't ask about Jin Guangshan.

"I'll make a list before we part tomorrow and look into a date."