Linyue, completely calm as if none of the earlier chaos had ever happened, said, "The cure is still in testing."
Shen Zhenyu, who had been quiet this entire time, finally spoke. "Yeah. There's not much we can do."
He Yuying leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs with a content sigh. "Then let's just relax."
The frown immediately returned to Shen Zhenyu's face. "Let's cultivate and train."
Song Meiyu groaned loudly, raising her hand in surrender. "Uugh… can I skip?"
He Yuying nodded in firm agreement. "We just got back. Let us live."
Shen Zhenyu sighed in defeat. "Fine. We'll start tomorrow."
Linyue gave a small smile, slipped the spirit jade safely into her sleeve, and stretched her arms with quiet satisfaction. "Alright. Let me nap."
Shen Zhenyu let out a quiet chuckle, and He Yuying gave her a slow, approving nod. Without another word, the two of them rose and slipped out of the room, letting the door close with a soft click.
Song Meiyu, however, didn't budge. She stayed rooted in her chair, gaze flicking between Linyue and the bed. Then, far too cheerfully, she chirped, "Sister Linyue, let's nap!"
Linyue's lips curved faintly. She knew exactly what that meant. This was not going to be a real nap. This was the beginning of a "nap" which was actually code for a gossip session, a story-sharing session, or possibly an emotional breakdown followed by snacks. Maybe all three.
Song Meiyu seized her hand and tugged her toward the bed. Without hesitation, she threw herself onto the bed. Linyue followed at her own slower pace, smoothing her sleeves before settling beside her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. They just lay there, side by side, staring up at the ceiling in silence. Linyue wondered which would come first: gossip, snacks, or tears.
Song Meiyu broke the silence at last, her voice small. "You know, Sister Linyue… when we planned to go back to Lingxu to find that Crimson Bloodroot, I was actually really nervous. I was scared the memories I buried a long time ago would come back. The demons… the screaming… my sister…"
Linyue turned her head a little and watched her. "Then?" she asked.
Song Meiyu let out a small breath. "I did remember those things. And yeah, it still hurt. But I wasn't afraid anymore… because I had you. And Brother Zhenyu. And even Brother Yuying, even though he complains all the time."
She turned her head and looked at Linyue with a soft smile. "I feel relieved, actually. Because now, I know I still have a family. A weird, chaotic, and slightly broken one, but a real one. And I know you'll all stay by my side no matter what."
Linyue let out a small laugh and poked Song Meiyu lightly on the forehead. "Alright. Let's talk about something else before you start crying and flood the pillows."
Song Meiyu sniffed loudly. "Too late. I'm already emotionally leaking." Then she clapped her hands together, her eyes shining. "Let's talk about your relationship!"
Linyue rolled her eyes. "I changed my mind. Let's go back to crying and trauma."
"No way!" Song Meiyu grinned. "You won't get away from this! Tell me. How far is it now? Did you two just hold hands? Hug? Or maybe kiss passionately already? Or maybe even…"
"No!" Linyue blurted, her eyes going wide. "Not that far!"
Song Meiyu gasped. "Ohhh! So that means you have kissed? That makes sense. He shamelessly kissed your forehead in front of all of us."
Linyue pressed her lips together and stayed silent. She did not deny it.
Song Meiyu's grin widened as she wiggled her eyebrows up and down. "And you even slept together… literally shared a bed. He didn't try anything?"
Linyue groaned, dragging a pillow over her face. "Did he secretly bribe you? Why are you suddenly his biggest supporter?"
"I've told you before," Song Meiyu said, puffing out her chest. "He may not be the nicest, kindest, softest, sparkly-perfect man. But I can see it. He's really, really sincere toward you."
She poked Linyue's cheek with a sly grin. "And don't act like you hate it. You get all soft around him now. You even smile more."
"I smile at you too."
"Yes," Song Meiyu nodded firmly. "But when you smile at him, your ears do that pink thing."
Linyue groaned and flopped backward on the bed. "Go away."
"Nope," Song Meiyu said, cheerfully flopping down beside her. "I live here now. This is the gossip zone."
Linyue let out a long sigh, muffled against the pillow.
Despite everything—the earlier talk of revenge, the heavy shadows of the past—the room turned lighter. They chatted about everything and nothing. About Shu Mingye's unfairly good-looking face, Shen Zhenyu's tragic eyebrows that made him look perpetually serious, He Yuying's secretly soft heart hidden under all his groaning, and whether Linyue would ever win a nap battle again.
Outside, the sky slowly deepened into shades of purple and blue.
Eventually, Song Meiyu sat up and stretched like a lazy panda who had eaten too many snacks. "Alright, I'll go back to my chamber. I have to prepare for tomorrow's training."
Linyue gave a small nod. "Good luck."
Song Meiyu raised a brow. "Are you going to skip again?"
"Of course. I'll hibernate."
Song Meiyu laughed. "Alright, I won't disturb you two."
Linyue's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you mean you two?"
But Song Meiyu only grinned, tossed her a wink, and bounced toward the door. She slipped out before Linyue could snatch a pillow and aim for her head.
Silence settled over the room. Linyue lay back against the bed and stared at the ceiling. Peace. Quiet. Bliss. Until her brain, that infuriating traitor, reminded her about the array.
She let out a long sigh and sat up. The itch of curiosity tugged at her chest again. And then another reminder: the book and scrolls. The ones she had "borrowed" from the royal library. Borrowed was generous. Stole was closer to the truth. Maybe now was the right time to sneak it back. The library would be quiet. Peaceful. Most importantly, no one would be around to make the shelves collapse again.
She slipped out of bed, tucked the "borrowed stuff" under her sleeve, and made her way quietly toward the library.
When she arrived, Linyue walked in confidently like she had nothing to do with the disaster that happened here last time. Nope. Couldn't be her. Must've been someone else with the same face and identical robe.
The old librarian slowly raised his head from behind the counter. His eyes squinted into thin slits. Suspicious. Accusing.
Linyue responded with a polite nod.
He gave an equally polite nod in return, his bow stiff and formal. Not a single word passed between them.
She walked on, face serene. Was that a good sign? Or was he silently plotting to haunt her dreams until the end of her days?
Too late to wonder. She had a mission.
She slipped deeper into the library, back to the scene of the crime. To her surprise, everything had been restored. The once-collapsed shelves now stood taller than before, lined with scrolls and books in perfect order. Not a single parchment out of place.
Linyue gave a tiny approving nod. Then she returned the book and scrolls to their rightful spots. She even brushed a bit of imaginary dust from the shelf. Just to be polite.
Phase one: complete.
Now came phase two of her mission. Array research.