Everything had been peaceful after lunch.
The quietness that settled over the farmhouse after the meal carried a strange warmth to it, the kind that only existed in places untouched by the noise of the larger world. Sunlight stretched lazily across the fields beyond the shed, bathing the rows of crops in a mellow golden glow. The afternoon breeze drifted through the farm with the scent of earth, drying grass, and fresh water from the irrigation channels nearby. Somewhere farther away, hidden among the fields, the steady rhythm of farming tools striking soil could still be heard from time to time.
Inside the shed, their belongings had already been gathered.
The small wooden table had been cleared after lunch, though the faint aroma of broth and steamed buns still lingered in the air. Jiang Yunxian had tied his wine gourd loosely at his waist again, though Xing Yue was almost certain he had already emptied every last drop from it. Rong Qi nuzzled closely into his lapel.
They had promised the old couple they would leave once they had eaten.
And they had fully intended to do exactly that. Yet fate rarely allowed plans to remain simple. It began with hurried footsteps approaching from outside.
At first, no one paid much attention. Visitors passing through farms were hardly uncommon, especially in rural places far from cities and sects. But there was something unusual about the atmosphere that arrived with those footsteps. Xing Yue noticed it almost immediately. The air itself seemed to tighten slightly, not with danger exactly, but with purpose.
Whoever had arrived had not come by coincidence.
A few moments later, the old woman appeared once more at the entrance of the shed.
This time, however, she did not carry food or tea. Instead, she stood there with an apologetic expression upon her aged face, her hands clasped together tightly in front of her as though she had accidentally damaged something precious.
"I am sorry," she said softly. "She came looking for you."
Jiang Yunxian blinked in confusion.
"For us?"
The old woman nodded gently.
Xing Yue immediately stepped forward before anyone else could respond.
"It is alright," she said calmly. "It is not your fault. Since she came for us, then we should meet her before we leave."
The old woman seemed relieved by her response. As Xing Yue reached out lightly to reassure her, her fingers brushed against the woman's hand.
The instant she did, her brows subtly furrowed.
The old woman's skin was cold.
Not the ordinary coolness caused by shade or weather, but an unnatural coldness that reminded Xing Yue of water drawn from beneath winter ice.
"You… are you alright?" Xing Yue asked carefully.
The old woman gave a small laugh, though it sounded tired around the edges.
"Yes, yes. I am fine. I was farming throughout the night. That is probably why I seem this way."
She smiled kindly as she spoke, yet there was an exhaustion beneath that smile that did not escape notice.
Still, Xing Yue did not question her further.
She was not someone who enjoyed prying into the private matters of others. If the woman claimed she was well, then Xing Yue would accept it for what it was.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
The old woman excused herself shortly afterward and disappeared back toward the farmhouse, leaving the three of them once again within the quiet shelter of the shed.
Outside, the wind shifted softly through the fields.
The waiting did not last long.
A few minutes later, another figure approached. The moment the visitor appeared at the entrance, the atmosphere within the shed changed.
It was a woman dressed in pale blue robes embroidered delicately with silver thread. A thin veil concealed the lower half of her face, flowing gently whenever the wind stirred. Her hair had been arranged carefully with jade ornaments and silver pins that glimmered beneath the afternoon sunlight. Even before her veil was removed, one thing became immediately obvious.
She was beautiful.
Not merely pleasant to look upon, but striking in a way that naturally drew attention. The veil itself only enhanced that beauty rather than hiding it, adding mystery to elegance.
Yet Xing Yue noticed something beyond appearance.
Energy.
It surrounded the woman quietly, layered carefully beneath calm movements and composed breathing. Xing Yue could not immediately determine whether it was spiritual energy or something darker hidden beneath restraint. Whatever the case, she knew this woman had not come here casually.
She had arrived with purpose.
The woman stepped fully into the shed before finally lifting her veil.
The moment her face became visible, both Jiang Yunxian and Rong Qi reacted instantly.
"Peng Yang?" Jiang Yunxian exclaimed in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
Peng Yang managed a smile, though it looked forced, as if she was already regretting the effort required for this journey.
"What else?" she replied. "I came to take you back. The elders are worried about you."
Jiang Yunxian looked genuinely bewildered.
"The elders?" he repeated. "Even the Sect Leader?"
Peng Yang let out a long sigh, the kind filled with exhaustion and annoyance.
"What else?" she said flatly. "Do you think I came because I wanted to see you? Do not be ridiculous."
Jiang Yunxian immediately looked wounded.
"Aiya," he lamented dramatically, placing a hand over his chest. "So this was your true purpose all along. You became bored at Cloud Peak Sect because Rong Qi is no longer there for you to bully, so you came all this way looking for me instead."
Peng Yang's eyes narrowed sharply.
"You—"
She pointed directly at him.
Before she could continue, Rong Qi spoke coldly from the side.
"Do not point at him like that," he said calmly. "I may be a feather, but I still know how to burn."
The atmosphere instantly sharpened.
Peng Yang looked offended.
Jiang Yunxian, meanwhile, looked thoroughly entertained by the entire situation.
And Xing Yue…
Xing Yue suddenly laughed. The sound escaped her before she could stop it.
It was not mocking laughter, nor particularly loud, but genuine amusement that softened her usually composed expression.
The reaction was immediate.
All three of them turned toward her at once.
Peng Yang folded her arms suspiciously.
"What is funny?" she asked. "Have you never seen people quarrel before?"
Xing Yue paused thoughtfully before answering with complete honesty.
"Actually… no."
That response startled them far more than her laughter had. She leaned lightly against one of the wooden beams supporting the shed and continued calmly.
"I have witnessed conflicts before," she explained. "But the last quarrel I saw ended with spiritual fires consuming an entire courtyard, explosions destroying half a mountain path, and two elders trying to strangle each other with talismans."
The shed fell silent.
Xing Yue looked between them before adding sincerely,
"This one seems healthy."
For one brief second, nobody moved.
Then Jiang Yunxian burst into uncontrollable laughter.
He nearly doubled over from it, clutching his stomach as though the words had struck him physically. Even Rong Qi failed to fully suppress the faint twitch of amusement at the corner of his lips.
Peng Yang stared at Xing Yue with complete disbelief.
"What kind of life have you lived?" she muttered.
Outside, the afternoon wind continued to sweep peacefully through the endless fields of the farmhouse. Sunlight shimmered over rows of crops while the old farmhouse remained standing quietly beneath the open sky, calm and ordinary as ever.
Yet inside the small wooden shed, among laughter, irritation, hidden tension, and unfamiliar companionship, it became increasingly clear that their journey had only just begun.
___
Peng Yang stared at Xing Yue for a long moment after her explanation, the disbelief in her eyes remaining plainly visible.
Sunlight streamed quietly through the narrow openings of the shed, catching against the silver ornaments in her hair and casting faint reflections upon the wooden walls. Outside, the wind swept softly across the fields, carrying with it the rustling sound of crops bending beneath the afternoon breeze. The farm itself remained peaceful, almost painfully so, in sharp contrast to the tension gradually thickening within the little shed.
At last, Peng Yang gave a soft snort and leaned back slightly in her chair.
"Are you done staring?" she asked dryly.
"Well, regardless of whatever strange things the three of you are doing here, I have to take him back now. Elder Wong is not someone who should be kept waiting."
Her tone carried the firmness of someone accustomed to obedience. It was not loud, nor openly hostile, but there was a quiet authority behind her words that naturally demanded attention.
Rong Qi immediately frowned.
"That is not possible," he said. "We are currently on a mission."
Peng Yang's brows lifted.
"A mission?"
There was obvious skepticism in her voice.
"What mission?"
Jiang Yunxian, who until now had appeared more entertained than concerned, stretched lazily where he sat before speaking as though discussing the weather.
"Well," he began casually, "she, Rong Qi, and I are trying to uncover the cause of someone's death."
Peng Yang narrowed her eyes slightly, waiting for him to continue.
Jiang Yunxian smiled shamelessly.
"A prostitute, to be precise."
The silence that followed was immediate.
Outside, somewhere in the distant fields, a bird suddenly took flight from the crops with a sharp flutter of wings.
Peng Yang stared at him as though she had genuinely lost the ability to understand the words coming out of his mouth.
"You cannot be serious."
"Oh, I am entirely serious," Jiang Yunxian replied.
Her expression darkened instantly.
"Jiang Yunxian," she said slowly, "Elder Wong is your master. Are you truly planning to ignore his summons for something like this?"
At the mention of Elder Wong, something subtle shifted in Jiang Yunxian's expression.
The smile remained, but it grew quieter around the edges.
He lowered his gaze briefly before sighing.
"You know very well that I do not particularly care what Master Wong wants from me," he said calmly. "And truthfully speaking, neither does he."
The words were spoken lightly, yet there was an unmistakable bitterness hidden beneath them.
Even the atmosphere within the shed seemed to still for a moment.
Jiang Yunxian rested his hand against his jaw thoughtfully, looking almost amused despite what he had just said.
"I am more surprised than anyone else that he suddenly wishes to see me," he continued. "Perhaps the heavens are collapsing. Perhaps Cloud Peak Sect has finally run out of people to lecture."
Peng Yang's eyes flickered faintly.
For the first time since arriving, she seemed uncertain of what to say.
The wind outside shifted again, carrying strands of sunlight through the cracks in the wooden walls. Dust floated lazily in the beams of light like drifting ash.
"Figures," Peng Yang muttered eventually. "Honestly, I am surprised too. But even so—"
"I know," Jiang Yunxian interrupted gently before she could continue. This time, the teasing in his voice faded considerably.
"I understand how much you value the sect," he said. "You have always taken your responsibilities seriously. But I also have things I wish to do."
His gaze lifted briefly toward Xing Yue and Rong Qi before returning to Peng Yang.
"And I want to know why that woman died."
The words settled heavily in the room.
"Too many strange things have happened since we began this journey," he continued quietly. "Far more than should surround an ordinary death."
As he spoke, the peaceful farmhouse outside suddenly felt strangely distant.
The tsunami. The bracelets. The mysterious old couple.
The trail that seemed to lead nowhere and everywhere at once.
None of it felt ordinary anymore.Jiang Yunxian slowly rose to his feet. The movement broke the stillness within the shed.
Rong Qi clicked his tongue softly but stepped closer nonetheless, allowing Jiang Yunxian to casually hook an arm around him with familiar ease. The action looked so natural that it was difficult to tell whether Rong Qi tolerated it or had simply long since given up resisting it.
Peng Yang watched them both with visible frustration.
"Tell Master Wong that I received his message," Jiang Yunxian said while adjusting his robe sleeves. "But I will return once I finish what I started."
Then his smile returned again, softer this time.
"Besides," he added, "he does not value me enough to send people searching for me personally. You of all people should know that."
For the briefest moment, something unreadable flickered across Peng Yang's face.
Not anger. Not disagreement either.
Something quieter. Something closer to helplessness.
But Jiang Yunxian had already turned away before she could respond.
Without another word, he walked toward the entrance of the shed, Rong Qi beside him.
Sunlight spilled over them immediately the moment they stepped outside. The golden afternoon fields stretched endlessly beneath the open sky, swaying softly beneath the wind. From somewhere near the farmhouse came the faint sound of the old man calling out to his wife.
The world looked calm. Too calm.
Xing Yue remained behind for a moment longer.
She stood silently near the doorway, her pale gaze lingering upon Peng Yang, who still sat rigidly in the wooden chair.
The earlier sharpness in Peng Yang's demeanor had dimmed somewhat, replaced by exhaustion she was trying very hard not to show. Her fingers remained curled tightly against her sleeve, and although her expression was composed, there was clearly far more weighing upon her than she had spoken aloud.
Xing Yue watched her quietly.
Humans.
No matter how long she spent among them, she could never fully understand them.
Their emotions tangled endlessly together like threads soaked in rainwater. Loyalty mixed with resentment. Affection buried beneath mockery. Pain hidden inside casual words spoken with smiles.
They exhausted themselves over bonds that wounded them just as often as they comforted them.
And still, they clung to those bonds fiercely.
It was incomprehensible.
Yet strangely fascinating.
Xing Yue sighed softly to herself.
"Insufferable," she muttered under her breath.
Whether she meant Jiang Yunxian, Peng Yang, Rong Qi, or humanity as a whole, even she did not seem entirely certain.
Then, without waiting for a reply, she turned and stepped out of the shed.
The sunlight welcomed her immediately, warm against her robes as the wind swept gently across the endless farmland. Ahead of her, Jiang Yunxian's laughter could already be heard drifting faintly through the fields while Rong Qi complained about something in obvious annoyance.
Behind her, the old farmhouse remained standing beneath the quiet afternoon sky, still and watchful like a secret waiting patiently to be uncovered.