Shu Mingye glanced down again. Linyue had already drifted back to sleep, her breathing steady and light. Her skin still cold, but not dead cold. He checked three times just to be sure. He reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His Pie… finally resting without blood pouring from her mouth. At last, she looked like herself again.
Relief settled heavy in his chest, but it was a relief edged with exhaustion. Things were getting better. She was getting better. And he would be fine too. Probably. Hopefully. Before he lost all his remaining brain cells trying to understand this master-murderer-mystery mess.
Qi Heng. Qi Meng. Two different people.
His Pie had lived a dramatic life. He didn't understand it. If they were really two different people, why did Qi Heng just let Qi Meng went on a murderous rampage? Did they actually join hands? And that self-sealing array must be placed by Qi Meng. She told him that the energy was similar to her master's yet different in unspeakable way. Then why did Qi Heng just let Qi Meng do it? Just for him to place protective arrays after that? For fun? For experiment purpose?
He rubbed his temples. "Why are her problems so complicated?"
Shu Mingye sighed and leaned back. His head bumped the carriage wall with a soft thunk.
Alright. So maybe Qi Heng was protecting her all along. Maybe the only reason Shulin hadn't been attacked by angry cabbages was because her real master was quietly fighting back against Qi Meng. Maybe the self-sealing array was a trap and the protective one was the backup plan. Maybe her master knew it would come to this.
He closed his eyes briefly, muttering under his breath, "One problem at a time. First, keep her safe. Then, burn every rabbit apron in existence."
His hand drifted lower until his thumb brushed against her fingers. Her skin was still cold, but it was alive. "I swear, Pie… next time you want to survive something horrible, you should take me along with you. At least, you won't be alone. And I won't be left behind."
The white dog sneezed loudly. To Shu Mingye, it sounded exactly like, "She's your problem now." Then it curled back into sleep without a shred of shame.
Shu Mingye opened his eyes and stared at the white dog. "Don't sleep yet. Answer my question first."
The white dog twitched one ear but kept its eyes shut tight, as if determined to ignore him.
"How far can you help her?" Shu Mingye pressed. "Can you help her until she's completely recovered?"
The white dog finally opened one eye, looking deeply unimpressed. Instead of answering, it hopped off his Pie's leg and trotted over to him. It sat down gracefully and lifted one paw into the air.
Shu Mingye stared. "…You want to shake hands?"
The white dog looked offended. It placed its paw directly onto his hand.
"You want me to… hold it?"
The white dog tilted its head to the right exaggeratedly, as if to say, "Wow, you're slow."
Shu Mingye's lips thinned into a dangerous line. "Listen here, puffball. I am the Demon King of Shulin. I do not make oaths with marshmallow dogs."
The paw stayed firmly in his hand. His eye twitched. He had absolutely no idea what this ridiculous fluffy creature wanted. But if it had something to do with his Pie, he'd play along. With a long, suffering sigh, he wrapped his fingers around the dog's paw. The moment he did—
ZAP.
Not pain. Not the crack of lightning he expected. It was warm, direct, like a flood of knowledge being poured straight into his mind. He stared at his hand. Then at the white dog. Then back at his hand again.
"…What—"
The white dog had already turned away like it didn't just perform an act of legendary spiritual tutoring with a single toe. It stretched lazily, yawned, and flopped right back onto Linyue's leg, looking smug and sleepy.
Shu Mingye sat frozen. His thoughts were spinning fast. His head felt… stuffed, but not with nonsense. With knowledge.
Dual cultivation.
Of all things, the knowledge flooding his brain was about dual cultivation.
He rubbed his temple. He knew about dual cultivation. Everyone did. It was infamous. Half the scrolls avoided the topic altogether, and the ones that mentioned it usually came with warnings like "Do not attempt unless you are immortal, bored, or completely insane." It was dangerous. Especially when two people carried different spiritual energy. His fire. Her lightning. Fire and lightning did not mix. Not unless the goal was to combust spectacularly and leave behind nothing but a very romantic crater. Yet that ridiculous dog had shoved the knowledge straight into his mind.
Shu Mingye exhaled slowly and turned his gaze back to her. He reached out, brushing his thumb along her hand. So it was possible. There was a path to heal her fully. But it was dangerous, risky, and very likely to shave years off his sanity.
"Pie," he whispered, "if you wake up and say yes to this… I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life making sure we don't blow up during kissing."
The white dog sneezed again.
Shu Mingye didn't even glance at it. "Yes, yes. I know. She's my problem now."
He leaned forward, letting his forehead rest gently against her shoulder. Her breathing was steady, calm. The soft rise and fall of her chest eased something tight inside him. For the first time in what felt like forever, his heart slowed. He closed his eyes and let the quiet wrap around him, holding onto that rare moment of peace.
Behind them, in the second carriage, peace did not exist.
Song Meiyu leaned forward, practically bouncing in her seat, her voice rising with excitement. "Do you think that white fluffy dog really can help Sister Linyue?"
He Yuying was sprawled against the wall with a steamed bun in hand, looking half-asleep. "If it doesn't help, at least it makes a good pillow."
Song Meiyu gasped, horrified. "That's a divine beast!"
He Yuying shrugged lazily. "Then we'll call it a divine pillow."
Shen Zhenyu, who was attempting to read a scroll while the carriage jolted over uneven ground, pinched the bridge of his nose. "Since Shu Mingye hasn't kicked the spirit beast out of the carriage for several days, I would say that's the case."
Song Meiyu's eyes widened in delight. She clapped her hands together. "Then Sister Linyue will be fine, right?!"
He Yuying swallowed the last of his bun and spoke around the crumbs. "Since that cold, murderous aura hasn't been puffing out of the first carriage for days, I would say that's the case."
Song Meiyu let out a bright giggle, her relief spilling over into excitement. "Then that's great!"
She broke into a cheerful hum, swinging her feet like a child. The sound was so loud and so off-beat that Shen Zhenyu gave up pretending to read and closed his scroll with a quiet sigh. He Yuying reached into his sleeve and pulled out a bag of dried plums. He popped one into his mouth calmly like had already accepted his fate: endless noise, endless chatter, and endless chewing.
And just like that, everything slipped back into place. Chaotic. Noisy. A little annoying. But familiar.
The spirit beast might have been a divine, mysterious miracle, but the real miracle was how quickly peace was shattered the moment Song Meiyu started smiling again and He Yuying resumed his nonstop snacking.
The journey continued. In peace.
…Well. In their version of peace.