Inside the carriage, Shu Mingye let out a long sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world. He rubbed his temple with one hand, patience already thinning. "Did I not tell you to keep quiet?"
Song Meiyu, of course, ignored him. "That spirit beast! The fluffy one! The swamp dog! It's back!"
"I noticed," Shu Mingye replied. "If no one moves that beast in the next ten seconds, I will burn this forest down."
"Wait!!" Song Meiyu nearly flung herself across the carriage, hands raised as if she could physically block him from setting fire. "Wait, wait, wait! Don't barbecue it yet! What if… what if it can help Sister Linyue?!"
That made him pause. His fingers stilled. Slowly, Shu Mingye turned his head toward her, his eyes sharp and dangerous. "How?"
Song Meiyu puffed her chest proudly, as if she were about to reveal a grand secret. "Spirit beasts are born from pure spiritual energy, right? That fluffy thing… its aura, it's lightning spiritual energy! What if it sensed Sister Linyue's lightning spiritual energy and came here to help?!"
The carriage sank into silence. Shu Mingye narrowed his eyes, gaze sliding back to the road thoughtfully. Her words were nonsense ninety percent of the time, yet this time… perhaps not.
Spirit beasts were not ordinary creatures. They were born from condensed spiritual energy, sometimes after centuries, sometimes after millennia. The old scrolls described them as proud beings, clever and sharp, never to be treated like livestock. He remembered the words clearly: a spirit beast could absorb or share energy with cultivators of the same element.
If it was willing, it could stabilize her lightning spiritual energy and keep it from ripping her body apart. If it truly was a lightning-element spirit beast, and if it had really come because of Linyue…
His jaw tightened. So now a stray beast thought it could attach itself to her? Did it imagine it could stay by her side, follow her around, wag its tail for her attention?
Shu Mingye's fingers twitched, sparks of fire itching beneath his skin. The idea of some fluffy creature receiving Linyue's smile was intolerable. Absolutely not. The more he thought about it, the darker his expression grew. Heat coiled through the small carriage, heavy enough to make the air stifling.
Song Meiyu, completely oblivious to the storm brewing in his mind, looked triumphant. "See? I told you! It makes sense, doesn't it?"
"…Where is it?" Shu Mingye's voice cut sharp through the air.
Song Meiyu opened her mouth to answer—
POOF.
Something impossibly soft brushed against her leg. She froze, eyes going wide.
Shu Mingye's head snapped down. A faint crackle of static filled the carriage. Squeezing itself boldly into the cramped space was a ball of white fluff. Its fur glowed faintly like moonlight, and two round eyes blinked up at them with the innocence only liars and schemers wore.
Shu Mingye's hand twitched again. One flick of flame and the problem would be gone.
Then the creature sneezed. A tiny spark of lightning popped from its nose, bright and sharp.
Song Meiyu gasped, clapping her hands. "Look! It's adorable!"
Shu Mingye's expression darkened. Adorable? No. Dangerous. Untrustworthy. Possibly scheming to steal his place at Linyue's side. He was already one heartbeat away from roasting it when the beast hopped across the floor, landed neatly at Linyue's feet, circled once, and curled itself into a perfect ball. Its fluffy tail wrapped around her ankles like it had just declared ownership.
Song Meiyu gasped and whispered in awe, "It chose us."
He Yuying, already chewing on a dried plum from behind, didn't even lift his head. "No, it chose the softest bed. Obviously."
Inside the carriage, Shu Mingye stared at the white fluff now curled protectively around Linyue. His fire spiritual energy stirred hotly in his chest. He did not like this. Not one bit.
And just like that, the mysterious, divine creature decided to join their party.
No invitation. No explanation. Just vibes.
*****
Linyue stirred slowly. The pain in her body, once sharp like blades under her skin, was still there, but softer now. It no longer tore her apart. It hummed quietly, like dull echoes instead of thunderclaps. For the first time in what felt like forever, she did not feel as though she was one breath away from shattering into a thousand pieces.
Something warm and soft curled around her legs. Something that felt… not human, but not threatening either. Gentle currents of lightning spiritual energy flowed into her body, soothing, steadying. Not her own, but familiar in its comfort. It reminded her of her master's presence, though this one was undeniably… fluffier.
Her mind began to clear. The fog lifted. Her eyelashes trembled as she forced them open. Blurry shapes swam in her vision, light first, then shadow. Everything wobbled. The first thing she recognized was brightness, and the second thing—
"Pie!" Shu Mingye's voice cracked. A warm hand cupped her cheek. "Pie, you're awake!"
She blinked up at him. Or tried to. Her eyelids felt heavier than mountains. "Mm."
Her voice came out thin and fragile, no louder than the breeze brushing through the curtains of the carriage.
"Are you feeling better?" His words tumbled out in a rush. He leaned so close she could practically feel his soul pressing against hers, hovering with worry.
"Mm," she answered again, not because she was trying to be mysterious, but because her throat felt really dry.
Shu Mingye's face was full of relief, but also sharp suspicion. "Are you really saying yes, or just making vague sick-person noises?"
"…Mm."
Yup. Still vague.
Linyue slowly blinked again. The fog in her vision was clearing little by little, enough for her to notice something white and glowing curled around her legs. She squinted. "Is that a… dog?" she rasped.
"A divine pillow beast," Shu Mingye said without blinking.
Linyue stared at it. The so-called beast yawned, flicked its glowing tail with lazy elegance, and settled back down as if to say, Yes. I am divine. You are welcome.
"…I'm hallucinating, aren't I?" she whispered.
Shu Mingye actually grinned, wiping the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. "Nope. You're awake. But while you were unconscious, we became legally married, there's a spirit beast living in our carriage, and Song Meiyu may have appointed herself as your royal healer."
Linyue coughed weakly. "Great."
Unbothered, Shu Mingye tucked the blanket more securely around her shoulders, his movements unusually careful. "Just go back to sleep. We'll arrive in Shulin shortly."
Sleep. That was the last thing she wanted. After lying unconscious for who-knew-how-long, she was certain she had met her nap quota for the next decade. Her body still ached, but the pain had softened into something bearable, like a low hum in the background. And she was also getting poked. Very softly. By something warm and fluffy curled around her legs. Her gaze shifted downward.
The glowing creature stretched one tiny paw onto her shin and tapped her again, as if checking her pulse. Then it blinked its round eyes at her, slow and serious, before curling even closer, tail wrapping around her legs.
"Pie," Shu Mingye's voice dropped low beside her. "Do not smile at it. Or even look at it for too long."
She turned her head weakly. "…What?"
His gaze was locked on the creature. "That beast. It is touching you."
"It's… warm."
"It is presumptuous," Shu Mingye corrected at once. His eyes narrowed further, flames almost sparking at his fingertips. "First, it barges into our carriage. Now, it dares wrap around your legs. What next? Your lap? Absolutely not."
The white beast blinked at him, then deliberately nestled even closer to Linyue, curling into a perfect ball of smug fluff.
Linyue thought she imagined it, but she swore she felt the air grow hotter.
Shu Mingye's jaw flexed. His hand twitched at his side as if he was one second away from summoning fire.
Her eyes softened as she studied the creature again. Recognition struck her. This was the same spirit beast that had fooled them into wandering through a swamp. The same one that had stared into her soul with smug, glowy eyes before trotting off like some self-proclaimed forest emperor. And now here it was. Curled against her like a weighted blanket. Casually helping her not die.
"Seriously," she thought, "this dog's spiritual energy feels weirdly familiar…"
It wasn't exactly hers but it was close. It felt like the lightning spiritual energy she knew better than anything else in this world. The same one that used to wrap around her when she was training. That sharp yet comforting presence that had saved her more than once before. It felt… like her master's energy. The one who raised her, taught her, saved her when she was young and lost. Not the one who appeared and threw her friends into the ground, and nearly killed them all while leaking enough red aura to dye the sky.
Her brows drew together faintly. A thought sparked through the haze of her mind, sharp and troubling. Was it possible… that they weren't the same person?
That time when she was almost unconscious, she saw the jade pendant on the ground. She remembered the name carved into it.
Qi Meng.
But the name on her master's jade pendant, the one she had peeked at once as a curious child, was Qi Heng.
Same "Qi."
Different last name.