—
Morning light streamed softly through the paper screens, falling over the small wooden house beside the waterfall.
The scent of mist and pine lingered in the air.
Inside, everything was quiet—too quiet—except for the faint rhythm of breathing coming from the bed.
—
On the bed lay Ling Xi, his face pale but calm, his breathing shallow yet steady.
His long hair—dark as midnight—spilled across the pillow, a few strands brushing the side of his jaw.
—
Mu Xuán knelt beside him, her long silver hair falling over her shoulders like a river of moonlight.
Her fingers curled slightly over her knees.
"Why… why am I doing this?" she murmured under her breath.
—
No one was supposed to be here.
Not in this house.
This place was forbidden.
Hidden.
Protected by generations of her kind.
And yet—here she was.
Bringing a stranger.
—
Her heart drummed quietly in her chest. She didn't understand herself.
Was it pity?
Curiosity?
Something else entirely?
—
Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out, fingers hovering just above his chest.
She could feel it—the faint pulse of his energy center, weak and unstable, flickering like a dying ember.
She drew in a slow breath.
Then exhaled.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips.
She stood slowly, moving to the other side of the bed.
For a heartbeat, she hesitated—then climbed onto it, settling cross-legged beside him.
—
Her mind raced back to every scroll she'd read and every lesson her father had taught her by the lake when she was still a child:
"If you must heal an energy center — stabilize a damaged core.… coax the Qi gently. Guide it like water. Never force it. Let yin and yang find balance. Always keep your heart calm."
—
Calm.
Her heart was anything but calm.
She'd recited it a thousand times but never truly used it.
Now… she was about to.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, placed both palms lightly over his chest, feeling the faint thrum beneath her fingers.
—
A faint blue light shimmered from her skin—soft, cold, flowing.
Frost Qi spread in delicate spirals beneath her fingertips, tracing invisible patterns along his veins.
"Breathe…" she murmured to herself. "Gentle. Don't force. Guide the flow…"
She visualized his Qi like a stream of water, trying to lead it back to harmony.
—
At first, it seemed to work.
The faint pulse steadied.
His breathing deepened slightly.
But then—
Her expression froze.
The flow twisted.
Tangled.
—
The energy beneath his skin twisted violently, clashing with hers.
The smooth current she had created snapped apart like ice under pressure.
Her eyes widened.
Her breath caught.
"What—?" she whispered, pain flickering through her arms as if icy needles stabbed along her veins.
Her Frost Qi recoiled, scattering through her body in chaotic disarray.
She winced, struggling to hold the connection.
Calm down. Don't panic.
—
She steadied herself, pressing her palms again, slower this time.
The flow eased… then twisted once more, rejecting her touch.
A sharp ache climbed her arms.
Her teeth clenched.
"Impossible…" she muttered, voice trembling.
—
Her fingers stiffened, the cold light around them flickering.
The old texts had never spoken of this—an energy that resisted healing.
Her Frost Qi moved again, carefully this time, tracing a slower path.
For a moment, it obeyed.
—
Then suddenly—it turned.
A sharp sting shot through her arms.
Her muscles tensed.
Pain, like icy needles, raced through her veins.
Her breath hitched.
"Damn… it's fighting me."
She gritted her teeth, forcing the energy to stay steady.
The pain deepened, running up her shoulders into her chest.
Her vision blurred slightly, and she almost pulled away.
Almost.
But she couldn't stop.
—
She steadied her breath, jaw tightening.
Again, she pushed her Frost Qi forward.
Again, it resisted—stronger this time.
A shockwave of power burst under her palms, snapping through her arms, and for a second she thought her own Qi might spiral out of control.
"Ah…" she hissed softly, biting back the sting.
—
Sweat beaded on her forehead despite the chill that filled the room.
The resistance was alive.
She could feel it—his Qi, or something inside it, pushing back like it didn't want her there.
"No…"
—
She gritted her teeth and pressed harder, letting more Frost Qi flow through her hands.
—
Her Frost Qi surged again, cold mist curling between her fingers, the air turning chill.
For a heartbeat, the resistance wavered.
Hope flickered—
Then it lashed out.
Another shockwave of invisible force burst through her palms, numbing her arms up to her shoulders.
She gasped, pulling her hands back.
The connection broke.
—
Silence returned.
Only the waterfall outside filled the stillness.
Mu Xuán stayed frozen, chest heaving lightly.
A few drops of sweat rolled down her temple. Her fingers trembled.
Even though he lay unconscious, she could feel it—the immense energy sleeping within him.
—
She didn't understand it.
But one thing she knew—it was dangerous.
She lowered her head, staring at him quietly.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
No answer, of course.
Only his steady breathing filled the room.
—
One last time—
Mù Xuán decided to try one last time.
"I won't lose to you…" she murmured.
—
She exhaled shakily, trying to regain control.
Her palms stung, her fingers numb.
Still, she tried once more, focusing all her strength into guiding his Qi.
Nothing.
No matter how gentle, how precise—his body refused her.
The wound in his core pulsed like a living thing, defiant and fierce.
Her shoulders slumped. "Why won't you let me help you…"
The question came out soft, almost pleading.
She stayed there for a while longer, forcing her own energy to calm before finally lifting her hands away.
—
Her gaze then drifted to his shoulder—the wound where blood had soaked through his clothes.
She hesitated, then reached for the basin on the floor, soaking a silk cloth in warm water.
Carefully, she cleaned the wound.
—
As she leaned closer, her eyes caught his face.
He was… beautiful.
Even unconscious, his features held an otherworldly calm.
He was...
His eyebrows were sharp yet gentle, shaped perfectly like a painting brushstroke.
His lashes were long, shadowing the high curve of his cheekbones.
His nose was straight, lips pale red and soft.
His hair, long and black, spread over the pillow like flowing ink.
A few strands of his black hair clung to his face.
She brushed them aside gently.
The gesture felt… too intimate, and she quickly pulled her hand back.
—
Her heart gave a small, confusing flutter.
Focus, Xuán'er.
She turned her attention to his wound, pressing her Frost Qi lightly into the gash to slow the bleeding.
Again, the same resistance flared—less violent this time, but enough to make her hands sting.
"Not again…" she muttered, biting her lip.
The wound resisted her healing, just like his energy center.
The Qi tangled and twisted as if refusing her help.
She tried again—gentle, patient, precise—but it was no use.
It rejected her.
Her hands fell to her lap, trembling from strain.
Her Frost Qi flickered weakly around her fingertips before fading completely.
She had failed.
All she could do now was tend to his wounds and hope he survived on his own.
—
She exhaled, exhaustion weighing her down.
Her body ached. Her head spun.
But somehow, she didn't regret what she'd done.
—