By the time the afternoon work was done, the sky had already dimmed.
Liu Xia set down the last crate and rubbed his shoulder.
A little sore.
But still usable.
He stood there for a moment, then prepared to leave.
Just as he reached the doorway, he paused.
Someone was outside.
Not blocking the way.
Just standing there.
Like waiting.
Liu Xia glanced over.
It was the woman from earlier.
He didn't say anything and walked straight past.
"Wait."
She spoke.
Her voice wasn't loud.
Liu Xia stopped.
Turned back.
"What is it?"
She looked at him.
Direct.
"Today, at the mining area."
"Mm."
"Someone made a move on you."
"Kind of."
Liu Xia thought for a moment, then added, "They had their own problems."
She didn't respond to that.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
Liu Xia answered quickly.
Naturally.
Like it was the truth.
She stared at him for two seconds.
Found no sign of lying.
That was the problem.
She had seen that kind of power before.
It wasn't something "doing nothing" could explain.
She fell silent for a moment.
"Did you feel anything… strange?"
she asked.
Liu Xia frowned.
"What kind of strange?"
"For example—" she paused, "things you say… start to happen."
Liu Xia looked at her.
Like she was a strange person.
"What are you talking about?"
She didn't reply immediately.
Just looked at him.
Seriously.
Like confirming something.
After a while, she looked away.
"Nothing."
she said.
Liu Xia: "…"
He found her even weirder now.
"What are you actually trying to ask?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she changed the question.
"Have you ever been somewhere else before?"
"No."
"As a child."
Liu Xia thought for a moment.
"At the foot of the mountain."
"Earlier than that."
Liu Xia frowned.
"You checking my background?"
She stopped.
Didn't ask further.
The air fell quiet for a moment.
Liu Xia got a little impatient.
"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
he said.
She didn't stop him.
Liu Xia turned and walked away.
After two steps—
She spoke.
"Liu Xia."
He paused.
Didn't turn back.
"What."
"You got lost today."
She said it.
Not as a question.
As a statement.
Liu Xia turned around.
"How do you know?"
She looked at him.
"That wasn't a normal formation," she said.
"For you to walk out—it's not normal."
Liu Xia thought for a moment.
"Good luck."
he said.
She didn't argue.
Just looked at him.
In that instant, she confirmed one thing.
He really didn't know.
—
Liu Xia left.
This time, she didn't call him back.
She stood there, watching his back.
Completely ordinary.
Not a single sign of anything "abnormal."
But what she saw couldn't be wrong.
"Six."
she said softly.
Her voice was light.
But certain.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Then opened them again.
Calm.
"Don't touch him yet."
she said.
Like setting a rule for herself.
—
Liu Xia returned to where he lived.
A row of shabby huts.
He pushed the door open.
No one inside.
He put his things down and sat on the bed.
Stared blankly for a while.
Today was a bit strange.
Not the work.
The people.
"That woman," he said.
"Something's off with her head."
He came to a conclusion.
Quick.
Simple.
He lay down on the bed.
Closed his eyes.
Didn't think about it anymore.
—
At night—
The wind was light.
Insects chirped outside.
Liu Xia didn't sleep deeply.
Half-asleep, he sensed something.
Someone was talking.
Not outside the house.
Very close.
Like right beside his ear.
Or inside his head.
"She saw it."
The voice was quiet.
Suppressed.
"How much did she see?"
Another voice.
Colder.
"Shadows."
"Six?"
"Mm."
A brief silence.
Then—
"Do we need to deal with it?"
The moment those words were spoken—
The air grew heavier.
As if a decision was about to be made.
After two seconds—
A voice spoke slowly.
"No."
Flat.
But heavy.
"He didn't say it."
"Then we don't move."
Everything fell silent again.
As if nothing had happened.
—
Liu Xia turned over.
Frowned slightly.
"…Noisy."
he muttered.
Then fell asleep again.
Knowing nothing.