—
The air between them felt colder than the damp forest wind.
Ling Xi stared at Mù Xuán, his jaw tense, his face stiff, his voice so flat it almost sounded like a blade scraping against stone.
"Why."
Mù Xuán blinked.
For a moment she thought she misheard him.
She lifted her head slowly, her brows knit, her lips trembling a little from the cold breeze brushing past.
"What?"
Her voice was soft, genuinely confused.
Ling Xi looked at her as if she had said the stupidest thing in the world.
"Why are you asking me not to leave?"
He asked as he took a step forward, the pressure around him suddenly turning suffocating.
—
Her lips parted, but she couldn't speak.
"Do you know me?" His jaw clenched.
She shook her head slowly.
"Do you know who I am?"
Another small head shake.
"Do you know where I come from?"
Her throat tightened. "No."
—
Ling Xi let out a laugh—cold, harsh, and full of ridicule.
"Then what are you clinging to?"
His eyes were sharp as blades.
"What are you expecting? Some stranger to stay beside you?"
Mù Xuán's heart twisted.
She stared at the ground, unable to look at him.
"I… I want you to be my friend."
Ling Xi stared at her for a long second.
Then he laughed again, even colder than before—like mocking her to her face.
"Friend?" He raised an eyebrow. "With you?"
The words hit harder than a slap.
He tilted his head up, exhaling impatiently, as if this conversation was beneath him.
"Listen clearly," he said, each word slicing into her.
"Stop saying childish things."
"Go back to whatever life you live."
"I'll return to mine."
He paused, swallowing something in his throat.
"Thank you for saving me."
—
Mù Xuán's chest tightened so hard she couldn't breathe as her fingers curled tightly in her sleeves.
Her blue eyes glistened.
She bit her lip until it almost broke.
She wanted to say something—anything—to make this hurt less.
—
But all that came out was a small, broken, "...Okay."
She turned away before he could see her expression twist.
She forced her feet to move.
One step.
Two steps.
—
Halfway down the path, she glanced back over her shoulder, her voice barely carrying through the trees.
"Follow this path to the end… You'll reach the clearing where you were fighting earlier."
—
She didn't wait for any reply.
She walked faster, almost stumbling.
Her eyes stung.
Her throat hurt.
Her chest felt tight like something squeezing her heart from inside.
—
She wiped her tears with her sleeves in frustration.
What was wrong with her?
Why was she crying like an idiot?
Why was she sad because some stranger didn't want to stay?
—
She reached her house, opened the door with trembling hands, then pushed it shut so hard it rattled the whole frame.
—
Ling Xi didn't look back.
He didn't need to see her face to know she was crying.
He could hear it in her voice.
But he forced himself not to care.
So what if she saved him?
So what if she had been kind?
Kindness was dangerous.
Kindness pulled people in.
Kindness made people lose things they shouldn't lose.
Like his—
He tightened his grip on his sword until his knuckles turned white.
—
But something in his chest tightened like an invisible hand squeezing his heart.
Why did he feel uncomfortable seeing her sad?
They had just met; not even a full day— just a few hours— or maybe even a few minutes.
—
He forced his feet forward and stepped into the forest.
Branches cracked under his boots.
The forest was unnervingly silent, as if watching him.
He frowned.
This place gave him the creeps.
That girl lived here alone?
And she even scared other people away?
He scoffed under his breath.
He didn't understand her. Didn't want to.
Yet…
He stopped abruptly.
He didn't even know her name.
He clicked his tongue and shook his head violently.
"Why do I even care…"
He walked faster.
—
Inside the house, Mù Xuán pressed the sleeves of her robe against her face, wiping her nose and tears messily like a child.
Her chest was still tight, burning like there were hot stones inside her.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but her breath only came out shaky.
She walked to the kitchen and stared at the chicken sleeping quietly in the kitchen.
She didn't feel hunger anymore.
—
She carried the chicken, walked toward the small garden, and opened the chicken house gate.
Her hands were still shaking.
The chickens stirred, but she ignored them.
She set the chicken down and shut the door.
—
Her feet took her toward the lake.
The golden water shimmered under the sunlight, calm and quiet.
But her heart was anything but calm.
She sank down cross-legged on the grassy bank, staring at her reflection trembling on the surface.
"What is wrong with me…" she whispered.
—
A thin mist formed around her as the air shifted—whether from her emotions or the strange energy of the lake, she didn't notice.
Tears began falling again—hot tears.
"Why did I say anything?" she muttered.
"Why did I ask him to stay? Am I stupid?"
Another tear rolled down.
She smacked it away hard.
Her hand brushed the silver stones scattered by the lakeside.
Without thinking, she grabbed one and threw it into the water.
It splashed, sinking immediately.
She grabbed another and threw it harder.
Then another.
And another.
Her breath shook with each throw.
Her eyes were swollen, her cheeks blotchy, her nose red—she looked nothing like the calm girl she was.
—
"That bad man…" she muttered, wiping her nose again.
"He really left…"
She sniffed sharply.
"Whatever… I don't care…"
Her voice cracked at the end.
—
She stood, walking toward the upper lake where the waterfall roared.
She remembered him cultivating there.
The thought made something twist painfully in her chest again.
She reached the stone by the waterfall and sat down, her legs dangling off the edge.
"Should I…"
Her voice faded.
But after hesitating, she still did it.
—
She cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted:
"Zhù Yuan!!"
The echo bounced around the valley.
A deep rumble answered from behind the waterfall, like something shifting in the water.
Mù Xuán's shoulders curled slightly.
"Don't come out," she called, voice softer, shakier.
"I'm just… sad. That's what's wrong with me."
Another rumble.
Then silence.
—
She inhaled shakily and sat there for a few more minutes.
Finally she stood up again, her face returning to its usual expression—calm, blank, pretending nothing had happened.
She decided she would go to the market first.
She walked down toward the lower side of the lake, heading toward her house.
—
But the moment she turned—
Her entire body froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Her heart stopped.
Because there was someone sitting there…
Right at the entrance of her house.
A dark silhouette.
Calm.
—
Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs.
Her eyes widened so much they hurt.
No…
No way.
She blinked once.
Twice.
Was she seeing wrong?
Was this a hallucination from crying too much?
Or—
Had he actually come back?
—