Bi Kan grunted, patting down the last mound of disturbed earth with the heel of his boot. He let out a long, ragged sigh, his arms and back aching from the grim, manual labor.

  "I really should have brought a shovel," he muttered, kicking a stray rock over the last of the three messy, unmarked graves.

  He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with a blood-streaked sleeve, exhausted.

  The ugly, echoing ghost of the leader's final, pleading cries still lingered in the back of his mind, a sound he knew he wouldn't soon forget.

  "Phew, finally." The sun was a bleeding orange smear on the horizon, casting long, menacing shadows across the road.

  "It's getting dark, I should go." He gathered himself, taking one last look at the patch of freshly turned soil before getting back on the path.

  It wasn't guilt that drove him to bury them, but a cold, calculated pragmatism. It would be best if no one found the bodies. A formal investigation would mean interrogations, scrutiny, and a black mark on his record. Even though self-defense was a valid claim, killing fellow sect members was still a grave sin.

  "Besides," he reasoned with himself, his footsteps quickening on the stone pavements, "I don't want to explain myself. That's too tiresome. Talking to Elders, dealing with the administration… I'd become infamous overnight."

  He continued his journey towards the small town protected by the sect. It wasn't as grand as the sprawling marketplace shared by four rival sects, including the Jade Pathways sect, but for a boy seeking a simple mattress, it was more than enough.

  As he arrived at the town's wooden palisade, the guards stationed at the gate gave him a respectful nod, their eyes noting the jade leaf emblem on his robes.

  The town was already bathed in the soft glow of lanterns, the sky a deep, star-dusted indigo. A wave of bone-deep weariness washed over him. "

  Might as well rest now before buying anything," he decided. "I wouldn't want to travel back in the dark." The throbbing bruises on his arms and the tender ache in his cheekbone solidified his decision. He found a modest inn, using a few of his new Spirit Stones to purchase a room for the night and a small jar of medicinal ointment.

  He made his way up the creaking wooden stairs to the second-floor landing.

  It was there, leaning against the railing with an air of quiet contemplation, that he saw her. His breath caught in his throat.

  A jolt, potent and unfamiliar, shot through him. It was a girl, perhaps seventeen, but her presence was a calm, deep ocean of power that dwarfed his own. Gods, she was a Core Disciple! And so young!

  Her hair was the color of spun gold, cascading over the shoulders of her immaculate jade-green robes. Her eyes, which turned to meet his as he hesitated on the top step, were a startling shade of amethyst, a perfect match to the polished stone resting in the hollow of her throat.

  She was, without a doubt, the most astonishingly beautiful person he had ever seen.

  "J-Junior Brother greets Senior Sister!" he stammered out, his face flushing a brilliant red as he quickly cupped his fists in a formal bow.

  "A Senior Sister greets her Junior Brother," she replied, her voice smooth as flowing water. A small, elegant curve of her lips seemed to hold a hint of knowing amusement at his flustered state.

  "You seem to be in a hurry. What brings an Outer Disciple to a place like this so late?"

  Bi Kan’s mind scrambled to form a coherent sentence. "J-Junior Brother Bi Kan is here to… to purchase a mattress!" he blurted out, then immediately felt foolish.

  "But I was caught up in some… business on the road, and my body has suffered for it. So I am here to rest for the night." He was about to ask her own purpose for being here but caught himself. That would be presumptuous, an overreach of his lowly station.

  "A mattress?" Her smile widened slightly. "As it happens, my family owns the 'Lu's Fine Wares' just down the main square. I'm sure they could accommodate you. It'll do you well."

  Bi Kan’s mind connected the dots. The Lu family. A Core Disciple. Of course. Her presence here wasn't a coincidence; this town was part of her family's sphere of influence. "

  T-this Junior Brother will head there tomorrow, then. I thank Senior Sister for her… advice."

  She gave him a playful wink, a gesture so unexpected it made his heart skip a beat, before turning and descending the stairs with a silent, graceful elegance.

  He watched her go, a phantom scent of something like night-blooming jasmine lingering in the air.

  "H-heh," he chuckled to himself, finally disappearing into his own room. "I caught myself being quite infatuated earlier there."

  He began to carefully apply the cool, soothing ointment to his bruised forearms and cheek, the sting of the medicine a grounding sensation. "But I am young… and she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen.

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  The simple softness of the inn's cushions was a luxury Bi Kan hadn’t realized he craved. He lay on his back, hands laced behind his head, and stared up at the rough-hewn wooden ceiling, the dancing firelight from the hearth casting flickering shadows across the planks.

  His body was a tapestry of aches and exhaustion, but his mind refused to rest. It drifted back to the sect, to the two people who had, against all odds, become his anchors.

  Ming Mei… He pictured her quiet diligence, her brow furrowed in concentration as she practiced the Blooming Lilac Palm. Had she taken a mission? It was the most logical explanation for her absence."Why wouldn't she leave a note.."

  A surge of protective anxiety tightened his chest, quickly followed by a chiding voice of reason.

  Then again, why would she leave a note for me? he thought, a wry smile touching his lips. I'm not her guardian. She's a cultivator in her own right now, fiercely independent. She is not as fragile as I imagine her to be.

  His thoughts then turned to the explosive force that was Shi Lam. He replayed Mei’s breathless account of the duel. Stage 6. A monster forged in the fires of humiliation. But was he safe? The Li family’s pride was a venomous thing.

  Would they let such a public shaming go unanswered? He imagined assassins in the dark, a poisoned meal, a dozen subtle plots to erase the Outer Disciple who had dared to break one of their own. Or perhaps Shi Lam, with his newly ignited fuse, was already carving a path of bloody vengeance through the ranks of his old tormentors.

  He’s a good man, Bi Kan affirmed to himself, but a good man pushed too far is a dangerous thing.

  "Hah, perhaps I overthink far too much," he sighed, rolling onto his side. "Time to shift to a better topic." His mind, seeking solace, immediately conjured the image from the landing.

  The cascade of golden hair, the robes that clung to curves both elegant and powerful, and those startling amethyst eyes that seemed to see right through him.

  He imagined her smile, the playful wink… and his thoughts took a decidedly less noble turn. A lecherous grin spread across his face before he caught himself, shaking his head violently as if to dislodge the image.

  "Gods! Overthinking or being a pervert… both are bad, but one is definitely worse!"

  He rolled onto his other side, then onto his back again, trying to force his mind into the blank stillness required for sleep.

  But the thoughts, now an unwelcome cocktail of worry and infatuation, kept haunting him. The more he tried to ignore them, the more vivid they became.

  The next morning found Bi Kan heavy-eyed and weary, having managed only two hours of restless sleep. But the exhaustion was a familiar companion, and his purpose was clear. He splashed cold water on his face, the bracing shock clearing the last cobwebs from his mind.

  "Alright, no overstaying my welcome. Time to buy a mattress."

  He descended the creaking stairs, his thoughts already on the Lu family’s shop, only to be met by a scene of crude intimidation at the reception desk.

  Three burly men, their clothes stained and their knuckles scarred, had cornered the kind, middle-aged woman who ran the inn.

  "Oh come on, lass," the bald leader slurred, a greasy smile on his face. "Come join me in my room. I'll make it worth your while."

  "For the last time, I am not that kind of woman!" the innkeeper retorted, her voice trembling but firm as she clutched a wooden broom like a weapon.

  "Scram, you pigs, or I'll have the town guard on you!"

  The man spat a glob of phlegm onto her clean floor. "You dare refuse me? After I was so polite?" A rough-looking man beside him laughed.

  "Haha! Looks like you can only afford whores, Boss!"

  The leader's face darkened with humiliation. "Tch! You embarrass me in front of my own men! Perhaps I should pay a visit to that husband of yours, rough him up a little, eh?!"

  The threat struck home. The woman's eyes widened in terror, but her fear was instantly channeled into a desperate fury. She swung the broom, smacking the bandit squarely on his bald head. "O-Oi!" He grinned, his trap sprung.

  "This is self-defense now. Get her, boys! Your body will be the price for this insolence!"

  They surged forward, grabbing her arms. Tears streamed from her eyes as she fought back, swinging the broom wildly.

  "Haha! Boss, she's a fighter!" one of them grunted, wrenching the broom from her grasp and snapping it over his knee.

  The bald man scratched his head, his eyes filled with a repulsive anticipation. "Don't hit her face. Just a tap to the gut to calm her down. I want her pretty when I take her."

  As one of the thugs drew back his fist, a hand shot out, catching his wrist in a grip of iron. Bi Kan stood there, his eyes filled with a contempt so cold it seemed to lower the temperature in the room.

  "You fools are actively courting death, aren't you?"

  The men took a half-step back, their eyes widening at the jade leaf emblem on his robes. A disciple. "T-tch! He's just a kid! He’s alone! Grab your knives—"

  A few chaotic moments later, three broken bodies were unceremoniously tossed out the inn's front door, landing in a heap on the dusty street.

  A crowd began to gather, murmurs of satisfaction rippling through them as they recognized the town's resident troublemakers. Bi Kan emerged, calmly wiping his hands on a rag.

  "Are the guards here that useless?" he mused aloud.

  The town guard finally arrived, apologizing profusely to the Disciple. Though Bi Kan held no official authority, his status demanded respect.

  He smiled and went back inside, tossing a small collection of crude knives onto the reception desk. "You should be fine now, Auntie. But next time," he said, his voice turning serious, "stab them. It’s far more effective than a broom."

  The innkeeper, her face streaked with tears of relief, rushed forward. "I-I thank you, Young Master! Please, if you ever visit again… your room will always be free!"

  "No, you mustn't," Bi Kan protested, holding up his hands. "I was merely helping someone in need."

  "No!" she insisted, shaking her head so vigorously her simple brown clothes and white overalls bounced. "You have done a great service! Please, accept this as my thanks!"

  Bi Kan sighed, recognizing the futility of refusing such earnest gratitude. "Many thanks, as well, Auntie."

  As he turned to leave, a smooth, melodious voice drifted down from the top of the stairs.

  "A fine display, Junior Brother. It seems my family owes you a debt of thanks as well."

  Lu Tian descended the stairs, her amethyst eyes shining with a mixture of amusement and genuine appreciation.

  "Those thugs were from a rival merchant family, trying to muscle in on our territory. I was just about to deal with them myself when you so elegantly handled the matter."

  She stopped before him, the faint scent of night-blooming jasmine filling the air.

  "Since you saved me the trouble, allow me to escort you to my family's shop personally. We will find you the finest mattress in town."