Cloudspire Sect glimmered under a thin drizzle. The rain here was unlike anywhere else — each droplet carried a trace of spiritual energy, feeding the soil, polishing the stone courtyards until they gleamed like silver mirrors.
Beneath the serene downpour, whispers stirred.A new arrival had come to the mountain.
He introduced himself simply as Elder Xian, claiming to be a wandering cultivator who had once served as a sect guardian in the distant north. He spoke softly, smiled easily, and carried a pale jade flute bound by crimson thread.
Yet, when the elders welcomed him, the rain faltered — as if the heavens themselves held their breath.
Lin Feng did not attend the ceremony.He was beneath the plum tree again, parchment open on his knees.Mei Yun sat beside him, a small umbrella in hand, the faint fragrance of her sleeve mingling with the scent of wet blossoms.
For a long while, neither spoke.The runes had changed again — no longer faint lines, but soft, luminous sigils like ripples of moonlight.
"It reacts to sound," Mei Yun whispered suddenly.
Lin Feng glanced up.
She pointed — each time the rain struck the umbrella's edge, a rune trembled faintly, pulsing in rhythm. When she spoke again, the entire pattern shifted subtly, aligning toward her voice.
Lin Feng frowned, heart quickening. "Not to the rain… to emotion."
He exhaled, and the light dimmed. When he smiled faintly, it flared again — soft, warm, alive.
"It listens," she said softly, wonder in her tone."Or remembers," he replied.
The parchment pulsed once more — as if agreeing.
That night, Elder Xian entered the sect's inner hall, kneeling before a jade talisman glowing faintly with celestial energy. Within its reflection, a face appeared — that of the Heavenly Judge.
"The mortal child's resonance has grown," the Judge's voice murmured. "Do not act yet. Observe the woman beside him. Affection weakens mortal will — and will reveal the soul's truth."
Elder Xian bowed low. "Understood."
But as he withdrew, a faint breeze swept through the hall — carrying with it a single, silvery feather that no one else saw.
Heavenly Realm
Arannis stood at the balcony of her celestial quarters, silver armor set aside, long hair unbound. The sky above Heaven was a still, eternal blue — yet tonight, it felt suffocating.
She stared down at a scrying pool showing Lin Feng and Mei Yun beneath the plum tree. The boy's laughter echoed faintly, distorted by distance.
"He's… smiling," she whispered. "Even under Heaven's shadow."
For the first time in centuries, she envied mortals — their warmth, their freedom to feel.
Her eyes hardened as she turned away.
"If Heaven fears the song he carries, then perhaps it is a song worth hearing."
She reached into her sleeve, retrieving a single forbidden charm — one that could conceal her gaze from Heaven's eyes. Slowly, she activated it.
The pool flickered — and for an instant, Lin Feng looked up, eyes locking onto the heavens as though he sensed her watching.
Arannis's heart skipped.
"You can see me…?"
The water rippled, then stilled — leaving only her reflection, and the faint, forbidden warmth spreading across her chest.
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