Zhang Yue practically ran all the way back.
The strange encounter beneath the osmanthus tree lingered in her mind, refusing to fade no matter how hard she tried to dismiss it. The blue-eyed stranger. The missing shrine. The endless forest path.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Since her mission to find the shrine failed miserably, it is better to reach home before anybody notices that she sneaked out of the library.
The moment the tiled rooftops of Ironwood Manor emerged beyond the trees, Zhang Yue finally slowed down, letting out a relieved breath.
"Thank God, I somehow made it back...alive..."
She had barely taken another step when a familiar voice shattered the evening silence.
"There she is!"
Lianhua came sprinting toward her, nearly tripping over her own robes.
"Young Miss!"
A few steps behind her, Zhang Yanjun followed with noticeably longer strides. Unlike Lianhua's frantic panic, his expression was carefully restrained, but Zhang Yue could still see the worry etched across his face.
"I told you, Master." Lianhua huffed between breaths, "Young Miss must've wandered into the Northern Forest again!"
"I..." Zhang Yue rubbed the back of her neck. "I was..."
"Yue'er, are you okay? You are not hurt, right?" Zhang Yanjun held her and immediately looked for any injuries.
"Why would you go there?" Zhang Yanjun interrupted, his tone stern despite the relief in his eyes. "The Northern Forest isn't somewhere you should wander alone."
"I was looking for the family shrine."
The words left Zhang Yue's mouth naturally.
Zhang Yanjun frowned.
"Family shrine?"
"Yes, Wu Qian Jun's shrine."
Hearing her reply, Zhang Yanjun's was left clueless for a moment. What is she talking about?
"The guardian deity of the Zhang family." Zhang Yue explained to the people who were looking at her in confusion.
"Who?" Zhang Yanjun asked slowly.
Watching his indifference, Zhang Yue couldn't help but wonder whether she said something wrong.
"Wu Qian Jun."
She looked between the two of them and repeated.
"Our family's guardian deity."
Lianhua exchanged a bewildered glance with Zhang Yanjun before quietly shaking her head.
"Young Miss. I've never heard that name before."
Zhang Yanjun looked equally puzzled.
"Yue'er, Zhang family has never worshipped a guardian deity."
His answer landed like a stone in Zhang Yue's chest.
"What?" Her brows slowly knitted together.
"But..."
She could still remember it.
The ancient shrine hidden within an endless osmanthus forest.
The faded stone altar.
Generations of Zhang descendants offering incense before every important decision.
The statue that everyone affectionately called the family's troublesome guardian deity. The soul stones near his foot, carrying the nameless souls who were too young to earn a tablet at the ancestral hall.
As for Zhang Yue, Wu Qian Jun was not a mere statue.
She had stood before him.
She had spoken to him.
They cracked jokes and shared a cup of fine.
He had thrown her into this ridiculous era.
So how...
How could nobody know his name?
She swallowed.
"Wu Qian Jun..."
She spoke more carefully this time.
"The deity who watches over lost souls... and time."
Zhang Yanjun stared blankly.
"I've never heard of such a deity."
"Never?"
He shook his head.
"If we want to seek blessings, we pray to the Heavenly Father."
"Or the Jade Emperor," Lianhua added.
"Or the Mother of Nature."
"Our ancestors and their divine counter parts."
Hearing their responses, Zhang Yue looked from one face to another.
"So...We don't have separate deities?" She asked without any second thoughts.
"No guardians for different clans? No family gods?"
"None."
Zhang Yanjun answered without hesitation.
"Our ancestors protect our bloodline. That is enough."
Silence settled between them.
Only the evening breeze disturbed the quiet, rustling the bamboo leaves overhead.
Something inside Zhang Yue quietly unraveled.
The shrine existed.
She knew it existed.
She had visited it every year since childhood.
She had spoken to Wu Qian Jun only a couple of weeks ago.
Yet here...
No one knew his name.
It was as though the deity she had worshipped throughout her entire life had simply... never existed.
Or perhaps,
He did not belong to this era at all.
The thought sent a chill creeping up her spine. How's that even possible? She herself saw him in person..then how come he disappeared from her life without any trace?
Zhang Yanjun noticed her expression and sighed inwardly.
Poor child...
Ever since waking up, she'd remembered almost nothing.
Perhaps hearing everyone discuss awakening had only reminded her of the one thing she lacked. Is that why she goes around looking for a deity to help her with awakening?
He gently rested a hand on Zhang Yue's shoulder.
"Yue'er."
She looked up absentmindedly.
"I know this has been difficult."
His voice was calm, patient.
"But remember what I've always told you. Every person's Spiritual Essence blooms differently. Your mother first manifested hers when she was thirteen."
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"By the time she was thirty, she stood at the very threshold of the Third Veil."
Lianhua nodded enthusiastically.
"They still call her one of the greatest warriors of her generation."
Zhang Yanjun continued.
"And your great-grandmother awakened even later, nearly eighteen years of age. Yet she became one of the strongest women the Zhang Clan has ever produced."
He looked at Zhang Yue reassuringly.
"So don't lose hope. When your time comes...your Spiritual Essence will answer you."
Zhang Yue opened her mouth.
"Uncle, I wasn't actually worried about-"
But Zhang Yanjun had already convinced himself.
"If it never awakens..."
His smile softened.
"...you're still my niece.You'll always have a home here."
She closed her mouth again.
How do I even explain that I'm worried because a time-traveling deity has apparently vanished from history? And not about awakening powers.
Yeah.
No one would believe that.
She decided against it.
Instead, Zhang Yanjun changed the subject.
"You've never been someone who enjoys idleness."
He smiled knowingly.
"If staying inside all day makes you restless, then once you've recovered, come train with me."
She blinked.
"Train?"
Zhang Yanjun nodded.
"You may never awaken Spiritual Essence. But strength isn't born from Spiritual Essence alone."
"A healthy body and a disciplined mind will never betray you."
"Your mother believed that every member of the Zhang family should know how to defend themselves-even those without power."
Zhang Yue couldn't help smiling.
That...
Actually sounded far more appealing than embroidery lessons and other house hold chores..
"So..." Zhang Yue asked.
"You're willing to teach someone hopeless?"
"Hopeless?"
Zhang Yanjun chuckled.
"I've never once used that word to describe you."
Something warm settled inside her chest.
Perhaps...
Being sent to this strange world wasn't entirely cruel.
At least...
She had found a family that genuinely wanted her.
But what was the point of transmigrating into a world of magic if she couldn't even use magic?
Was she sent here just to embarrass herself? To make her uncle and grandpa worry? To be mocked by everyone?
What a fantastic second life.
At least in 21 century, being miserable came with Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, and online food delivery.
If the heavens were determined to make her powerless either way, she'd rather be miserable in her own world than in one that expected her to be extraordinary.
She must find a way back.