Xu Yang lay beneath the shade of a wooden stall, tail curled around his paws, eyes half-lidded. He looked asleep, but one ear kept twitching at every unusual sound around the square. Alright. I'm ready for today. Probably... His tail twitched once. At this point, whatever new problem appears should honestly just introduce itself properly. .. A chicken suddenly ran past him, and Xu Yang opened one eye before slowly closing it again. He exhaled through his nose. I've had Heaven, demons, shrine nonsense, suspicious water, cultivators, and emotionally exhausting revelations...My standards for normal are gone. So it's fine... His ears flicked lazily. I'm used to it now.A moment later, something clattered from a nearby stall.Xu Yang's head lifted immediately, eyes wide for half a second before he forced himself back down.I'm not scared of any problem anymore... His tail curled tighter. Alright, some are still deeply concerning...
Shen Lian sat near the well, as she had every morning, a porcelain cup warming her hands. Steam curled upward, vanishing before it reached her face. She did not drink. Her thumb slowly traced the edge of the cup while her gaze moved across the square. She watched the villagers without making it obvious. A door opened, someone stepped outside, then quickly looked toward the shrine road before going back inside. Shen Lian's eyes narrowed slightly. Something has changed... Her gaze shifted toward the shrine road. Even the animals were avoiding it...She lowered her eyes to the tea. And that disturbance... it was not caused by the shrine alone...Something here is connected to it. Something I have not found yet... Her fingers tightened slightly around the cup. I should leave this village. I have already stayed too long. But if I leave now, I may lose the trail completely...Her gaze slowly moved across the square again. Then she noticed the black cat beneath the stall. Again... Always nearby when something happens...
Shen Lian's expression remained calm, but her eyes stayed on him a moment longer than before. Why do I keep finding you wherever the strange things happen?...She took a small breath and finally raised the cup to her lips without drinking. You're either very unlucky... or you're hiding something.Her eyes passed over Xu Yang.Why is she still here? Doesn't she have a home? A sect? Responsibilities?...His tail remained perfectly still. Why is she staying here? This village is not that interesting. ...I am trying very hard to become less interesting... His ears twitched once. Seriously… go somewhere else... try to do something new... I can't keep seeing you everywhere. Is she suspicious… or unemployed? Xu Yang immediately regretted that thought. No. Don't underestimate dangerous people just because they're inconvenient... He stayed motionless anyway.
Two farmers argued in low voices near the grain store. "The lantern was lit again." one whispered, glancing toward the shrine road. "No one goes there." the other replied. He rubbed his arms uneasily. "Not since the old stories." The first farmer opened his mouth to say something else, but both men suddenly noticed Shen Lian's gaze passing over them. They fell silent at once. Shen Lian's cup touched the saucer with a soft click. The sound was small, but both farmers stiffened. Neither said another word. They exchanged a nervous look and quickly dispersed in opposite directions.
Qing Li leaned against a post nearby, watching the exchange with apparent boredom. He picked up a loose piece of straw and rolled it between his fingers. "Fear spreads faster than plague." he murmured. Yan Luo stood beside him, arms folded, his attention still on the farmers. "Fear is useful. Panic is not." Qing Li slowly turned his head toward him. "And which do you think she prefers?" Yan Luo did not answer. Qing Li waited a few seconds, then smiled. "That means you have been thinking about her." Yan Luo finally looked at him. "It means I am observing her." "Same thing." "No." "Very similar thing." Yan Luo's expression did not change. Xu Yang watched them from nearby and sighed inwardly.
Qing Li slowly stepped closer and bumped his shoulder against Yan Luo's arm. Yan Luo didn't move or react. Qing Li glanced at the spot where they had touched, then looked up at him with a small, fox-like smile. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "for someone so calm, you've been awfully quiet since she arrived." Yan Luo's expression remained perfectly blank. "I'm always quiet." Qing Li smiled. "No," he said softly, reaching up to flick an invisible speck of dust from Yan Luo's collar, "usually you're dramatically quiet." Xu Yang's ears twitched. There it is again. Why does Qing Li keep doing things that would get most people thrown across the village? And why does Yan Luo keep letting him get away with it?...Xu Yang lowered his head onto his paws. I should stop watching. This is none of my business. He lifted one eye again. ...But this is strangely hard to ignore...
Yan Luo's eyes shifted downward. "Did you just touch me?" Qing Li blinked innocently. "Would you prefer I demonstrate fear from a safer distance?" Yan Luo stared at him for a long, flat second. Qing Li, entirely shameless, leaned in slightly closer, his fox-like grin widening. "So," he murmured, voice teasing now, "are you actually cautious..." He paused, watching Yan Luo's face. "Or are you scared of her?" Yan Luo's hand moved with startling speed and catch Qing Li by the wrist before he could poke his shoulder again. "No," Yan Luo said calmly.
Qing Li looked down at his wrist, then back up, clearly delighted."Oh?" His tail swayed once behind him. "Then what is this?" Yan Luo, still holding him, did not look remotely flustered. "This," he said evenly, "is me preventing you from becoming more annoying." Xu Yang stared at them.Qing Li was clearly enjoying this. Yan Luo was clearly pretending he wasn't. And somehow, I am the one who keeps getting dragged into their problems... Xu Yang's ears flattened. I really need to find better hiding places...
Qing Li's smile widened. "That's adorable." Yan Luo immediately released him. "It's restraint." Qing Li rubbed his wrist dramatically, despite there being absolutely nothing wrong with it. "Mhm." He leaned in again anyway because self-preservation was apparently optional. "You know," he whispered conspiratorially, "people usually only grab me when they're emotionally affected." Yan Luo finally placed a hand directly against Qing Li's forehead and pushed him back. Qing Li actually laughed, stumbling back half a step with exaggerated offense. "Cold." "So you are scared." Yan Luo's ears twitched once. "I am going to let Shen Lian interrogate you." Qing Li froze. His grin disappeared for exactly one second. "You wouldn't." Yan Luo finally, finally looked mildly satisfied. "Try me." Xu Yang, from the side, stared in exhausted disbelief. …Why are they like this...
Xu Yang stretched, deliberately slow, like any well-fed village cat might. He arched his back, shook his fur, and padded across the square toward a patch of sunlight. Shen Lian's eyes followed him this time. He felt the weight of it like a thread drawn tight across his spine. Xu Yang's ears twitched once. What is her problem? Why does she keep looking at me? He continued walking, every step carefully casual. I am literally just walking. His tail flicked once. Suspiciously well, maybe, but still walking. He stopped near the sunlight, turned in a small circle, and sat down as if he had planned it all along. Does she seriously have nothing better to investigate? He resisted the urge to look back immediately. At this point, I need to know... Is she suspicious... Or does she just like me? Xu Yang nearly tripped over his own thought. No. Absolutely not. Don't think like that. His ears went flat for a second before he forced them upright again. Her cup lifted. For the first time that morning, she drank.
A child ran past, laughing, and nearly tripped over Xu Yang. "Oh! Sorry!" she chirped. Before Xu Yang could move, small hands scooped him up. Xu Yang froze. Absolutely not. Put me down. His paws hung awkwardly in the air as the child hugged him against her chest. Small arms wrapped around him, warm and careless. The child buried her face in his fur. "He's so soft!" Xu Yang's eyes widened. Why is everyone in this village so comfortable picking me up? I am not a stuffed toy. He tried to wriggle free, but the child tightened her grip. Xu Yang stopped struggling. Fine. Stay calm. Cats don't panic. Cats also don't get carried around like vegetables, apparently. Shen Lian watched from beside the well. Yan Luo's posture stiffened, his eyes following the child. Qing Li's smile faded as the child turned toward the well with Xu Yang in her arms. Xu Yang noticed where she was going and immediately stiffened. Wait. No. Don't take me there. Not toward her. Anywhere else would be fine.
The child carried Xu Yang straight toward the well, toward Shen Lian. Xu Yang's tail gave one nervous flick. This is getting worse. I was perfectly comfortable under that stall five minutes ago. The child stopped in front of Shen Lian and lifted Xu Yang proudly. "Lady, look! He followed me!" Xu Yang stared at her. Followed you? I was minding my own business! Shen Lian set down her cup and regarded him. Not the fur. Not the face. The space around him. Xu Yang's body went still. Her eyes are doing that thing again. That look like she already knows something. Her hand lifted. Xu Yang's muscles tensed. Run. Just run. But the child was still holding him, and Shen Lian was already reaching closer. Xu Yang prepared to bolt the moment he got the chance.
Her fingers brushed his head. Xu Yang froze. The touch was light, no different from how someone might pet a harmless village cat. Still, every instinct in him screamed to stay alert. Is that all? No spell? No strange light? No sudden vision? Good. Keep it that way. The child beamed. "See? He likes you!" Shen Lian's lips curved faintly. "Animals are honest," she said. Her hand withdrew. Xu Yang finally breathed again. He lowered his head, pretending to relax while secretly watching her from beneath half-lowered eyes. She didn't react. Maybe she really was only petting a cat. Or maybe she was checking something. With Shen Lian, I can't tell anymore.
For one deeply second, Xu Yang's entire mind went blank. Then He said in mind "Likes her? " What kind of joke is that? Absolutely not. I do not even know what that means. His tail puffed slightly before he forcibly calmed it. Like? No...no I am trying to survive...I am not getting involved in any love story in this life. His expression remained outwardly cat-like and blank, but internally. I already have Heaven, demons, suspicious shrines, possible death cycles, and identity problems.... Romance would actually be the final insult... He mentally gagged. No tragic emotional subplots. No mysterious tension. No 'fated connection'...
The child skipped away, leaving Xu Yang perched on the well's rim. He did not jump down immediately. He looked at the child disappearing around a corner, then slowly glanced toward Shen Lian. Shen Lian spoke without looking at him. "You travel with unusual companions," she said. Yan Luo stepped forward. "We travel with whoever shares our road." Shen Lian's eyes shifted toward Qing Li. "And the cat?" Qing Li answered lightly, "He travels with whoever feeds him." His mouth curved into a smile. "Mostly me." Xu Yang's ears twitched. I have never asked you to feed me. Shen Lian's gaze flicked to Xu Yang. He immediately yawned, giving her a perfect, indifferent display of pink tongue and tiny fangs. Qing Li covered a laugh with his hand. "See? Completely harmless." Xu Yang gave him a flat look. If I could speak right now, I would have several things to say. For a moment, silence stretched. Shen Lian studied him. Then she said, "Curious."
A faint tremor passed through the ground. It was so slight that most of the villagers did not notice. Xu Yang's paws tightened against the stone rim. He felt it immediately. Yan Luo's head turned at the same time. Shen Lian's cup rattled once against its saucer. Her eyes sharpened. "The shrine?!" she said. Yan Luo inclined his head. "We felt it." Qing Li straightened from the post, his playful expression disappearing. "The disturbances are increasing." He glanced toward the forest. "And I don't think they're going to stop on their own." Xu Yang's tail flicked. Of course. Because apparently one quiet morning was too much to ask for... His eyes moved toward the shrine road. The same strange pressure he had felt before seemed to be moving beneath the village. Something is getting closer. Or waking up...
Shen Lian stood and set her cup aside. "I will inspect it." she said. Yan Luo met her gaze. "Then we will accompany you." Shen Lian studied him for a moment, measuring his intention. "Do not interfere!!" she said. Qing Li sighed dramatically. "She says such comforting things." Yan Luo ignored him and started walking. Qing Li hurried after him. "You know, when someone says don't interfere, it usually means something terrible is about to happen." Yan Luo did not look back. "Then try not to make it worse." Qing Li placed a hand over his chest. "You wound me." Xu Yang jumped down from the well. He shook his fur once and followed at a distance. If she reaches the shrine... no, I can't let this happen. I don't even know what that place is doing to me, but every time it reacts, something worse follows. And now she's going there too...
As they moved toward the forest edge, clouds gathered overhead, thin pale strands weaving together like threads pulled by unseen hands. The light dimmed and villagers slowly noticed the change. A man carrying a basket stopped in the middle of the road and looked upward. "Wasn't the sky clear a moment ago?" Another farmer pulled his wife closer. "Forget the sky. Look toward the shrine." Shen Lian paused at the first tree. Her gaze lifted skyward. "Heaven is restless." she murmured. Xu Yang's chest tightened. Great. Even Heaven is getting involved now...He lowered his head and tried to keep walking as if nothing was wrong. My life really needs to stop getting more complicated...
A bell rang in the distance.The sound came from the shrine.Everyone in the village froze. A woman dropped the basket in her hands. "The shrine..." Someone hurried out of a house. "Who rang it?" An old farmer shook his head. "There's no wind. No one goes there anymore." Another villager grabbed his arm. "Then don't stand here talking about it. Go inside!" "Why?" "Because the last time that bell rang, my grandfather said—" He stopped when another tremor passed through the ground. "What was that?" a child cried. Her mother immediately pulled her inside.
Doors began closing one after another. Windows slammed shut. "Get away from the shrine!" someone shouted. "Stay inside!" another voice called. A dog barked wildly before yelping and hiding beneath a cart. The ground shuddered again, stronger this time. People stumbled into each other as panic spread through the square. "It's coming from the ground!" "Run!" "Where?" "Anywhere but there!" Xu Yang's fur rose along his back. The villagers' fear made the whole square feel smaller. But the tremor that followed did not come from the shrine. It came from beneath Xu Yang's feet.
And in that instant, Shen Lian turned—not toward the forest,but directly toward him. Shen Lian's gaze did not leave him. Xu Yang forced himself to remain still. Don't move. Don't react. Maybe she hasn't figured it out. Maybe if I act like a normal cat, this will somehow pass... His claws pressed into the dirt. The bell rang again.This time, the villagers heard it and doors creaked open. Whispers rose. "The shrine." "Who rang it again?" The ground shuddered.
Yan Luo's hand moved toward the hilt at his side. Shen Lian did not look at the forest. She looked at Xu Yang. "You." she said softly.At the edge of the village, the shrine bell rang a third time.And this time, something answered.