"I'll fetch it right away."
It was rare to see Bai Fanxian wear an expression like that. Whatever this was, it had to matter. Tang Tianjie strode straight toward the prize booth.
"...Excuse me."
Even as head of the Tang clan, he couldn't push his way through carelessly — every resident here was someone who mattered. He squeezed through the crowd until he finally reached the front.
"Mr. Tang, is there something wrong?"
A staff member recognized him as one of the owners and looked up in alarm. Had something displeased him? Or was this about the prize switch earlier?
"...If this is about the prize swap just now..."
She started to explain. Tang Tianjie waved her off. "That's fine. You did well. What I need is that thing..."
He pointed to the metal pendant on the shelf. The closer he looked, the more ordinary it seemed. What on earth had caught Lady Bai's attention?
"Oh... that was found in a cave up north. We only got it this morning." She relaxed once she understood he wasn't here to reprimand her. She knew exactly where it had come from; she had been one of the people who set up the display.
"Is that so? Then, would you mind removing it from the shelf? I'm concerned it might—"
*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*
The golden bell rang before he could finish. The emcee checked the number on the metal ball that had dropped into the tray, turned to the display, and lifted the pendant right off the shelf.
"Congratulations! Your prize is this rare and ancient piece of jewelry!"
"..."
Tang Tianjie's jaw nearly dropped. He spun around to look at his lady, who had seen every last second of it.
Bai Fanxian's eye twitched. She watched the pendant being placed into the winner's outstretched hands, her expression carrying just a trace of disappointment.
The emcee looked confused when his colleague came over, nudged him quietly, and murmured an explanation. When he understood that the owner of the village had wanted this item and the draw had gotten there first, the color drained from his face.
"...You were just doing your job."
Tang Tianjie sighed. He was about to go offer the winner a better prize in exchange. But Bai Fanxian was already moving. She walked straight toward the broad-shouldered man who had won the necklace.
"...I want that. Would you be willing to sell it?"
Tang Tianjie, listening from behind, felt his stomach drop.
For someone of Bai Fanxian's standing, showing her hand like this was handing the other party all the leverage. If he had any interest in squeezing a benefit out of the situation, she could easily end up the worse for it.
"..."
The man didn't answer right away. He narrowed his eyes and looked her over slowly, while Tang Tianjie silently ran through scenarios.
The exchange had been witnessed by everyone nearby. If things turned ugly or the outcome seemed unfair, it would reflect badly on the village.
"...Lady Bai Fanxian?"
His voice came out hoarse. His body gave a slight tremor, and Tang Tianjie quietly signaled security to move into position — just in case.
Bai Fanxian said nothing, watching him.
"...You want this pendant?"
He held it out.
"Yes."
"Then... as an exchange." His eyes had gone glassy. He stepped closer and reached into his pocket.
Dozens of guards moved into position, eyes on his hand. Even if no one could actually harm her, their duty was to ensure the safety of everyone present.
"I was wondering if..."
His breathing quickened, and the speed of his movements betrayed that he was a Martial Master himself.
"...Could you please sign my shirt!"
"..."
The words came out like he had spent his whole life building up to them. He bent forward in a deep bow and held out an unopened black marker alongside the pendant.
"Uh..." Tang Tianjie was the first to understand what was happening. He stepped forward, took the marker, turned it over, and found nothing wrong with it.
"...I... I'm just... the Empress's biggest fan..."
"I saw you at that seminar." Bai Fanxian cut in, unhurried. She took the marker and drew her hand across the back of the young man's shirt, which happened to be spotlessly white.
*WHOOSH!*
She carved the characters "Bai Fanxian" into the fabric with ink and qi, then wove a thin thread of protective Intent into it as well, enough to turn away one small danger, without him asking.
"Is this alright?"
He had gone completely still the moment she mentioned the seminar. He hadn't expected to make such a fool of himself in front of the person he admired most — and he certainly hadn't expected her to remember him.
"With your standing, you really can't just say things so casually..."
Once they had stepped into a side room, Tang Tianjie sighed and turned to her. Thankfully, an autograph and a few words had been enough.
"Mm..."
She gave a single sound in response, whether in acknowledgment or simply too unbothered to argue. She held up the pendant — just an unremarkable lump of metal, to all appearances — and turned it over in her hands.
"...Is there something special about it?" Tang Tianjie couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, even up close.
Then why had the Xie clan included it as a prize?
He got his answer within seconds. When Bai Fanxian gently pressed the pendant and fed a thin thread of qi into it, her eyebrows rose.
"Even Sage-level power couldn't leave a mark on this."
The words alone were enough to stun the Tang clan head.
Didn't that mean this thing had been forged from something beyond imagination?
"...Hm?"
After being turned over in Bai Fanxian's hands for some time, the pendant gave a faint shudder. The symbol etched into it began to glow white, and fissures spread across the surface. Tang Tianjie turned to her with a baffled look.
You just told me this thing was indestructible. Why is it cracking like it's about to blow?
*CRACK!*
The outer shell split apart and fell from her hand before he could finish the thought. The faint glow blazed into blinding white. Tang Tianjie shielded his eyes, struggling to process what he was seeing.
A figure was rising out of the light — a young woman, dressed in loose ancient robes that hung slightly askew, their fabric cluttered with odd tools and instruments. And yet the disarray only seemed to draw the eye further, leaving her fair shoulders bare in a way that was quietly striking.
"..."
Bai Fanxian's eyes met a pair full of bright, restless creative energy — and something gave way inside her. Everything she had kept locked away seemed to rise at once. Even someone of her composure couldn't hold it back. Not when that characteristic mischievous smile pulled at the corner of the figure's mouth, confirming that this was real.
This was the first time, since waking into this era, that she had let herself look so unguarded.
She had met people since then, and some had found their way into her heart. But the ones she had known ten thousand years ago — those were a different kind of longing entirely.
A single tear formed at the corner of her eye. It slipped down her cheek and fell without her even noticing...