The sound of creaking echoed as feet stepped on the aged wooden stairs descending from the second floor.
Slivers of escaped morning sunlight slipped into the dimly lit shop, casting a warm glow that illuminated the figure of his Senior Sister, Lian Rougang.
Her white martial robe with dark blue stripes was wrinkled, and her midnight-black hair, loosened from its usual partial updo, fluttered lightly with each step. Her eyes, narrowed with a mix of concern and relief, locked onto him the moment she emerged.
Bandages still wrapped around her hands and legs, though they hung loose and untightened, the frayed edges swaying with her movements. A faint scent of medicinal herbs clung to the cloth, hinting at the injuries she had sustained.
"Good mor—" Ji Wuye began with his usual faint smile, ready to greet her, but the words caught in his throat as her expression shifted.
CREAK!
CREAK!
CREAK!
Her footsteps abruptly quickened, each one more urgent than the last as she descended, ending with a small leap from the final wooden stair.
The sweet scent of jasmine drifted into the air, enveloping Ji Wuye's senses as her cascade of midnight-black hair swayed into his vision.
"You foolish, reckless—" Lian Rougang's voice faltered, her words cut short as she collided into him. Her soft frame pressed tightly against his chest, her warm breath brushing against his neck.
Trembling hands gripped the fabric of his torn martial robe urgently, her fingers digging into the material as though afraid he might vanish into thin air.
"Senior, I—" Ji Wuye started, his brow furrowing with a mixture of guilt and concern, only for her to stop him with a sharp, unsteady breath.
"Don't. Don't you dare speak yet," she whispered fiercely, her tone wavering between anger and relief, the latter threatening to spill over. The bandages that once confined her wounds lay forgotten on the wooden floor, discarded in her haste.
Her grip on him only tightened, her knuckles whitening as she clung to him desperately. Ji Wuye, his arms initially stiff and frozen at his sides, slowly raised his hands to embrace her trembling form.
The light gesture of his touch seemed to unlock a wave of emotion within her, her shoulders shuddering as she fought to maintain her composure.
"I told you!" Her voice cracked, trembling with barely contained emotion as her words spilled near his ear. "Even if you're strong, I'm still your Senior—your Big Sister! Did you forget that? Did you forget what it means?"
Her questions broke under the weight of her suppressed emotions, the anguish she had been holding back now threatening to pour forth as his hand lightly stroked her loosened hair in a comforting gesture.
"I'm sorry, Senior," Ji Wuye murmured softly.
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Instead of soothing her, his words only seemed to make her grip him tighter, her fingers digging firmly into the fabric of his back as if she could physically keep him anchored there. A stuttered breath escaped her lips, the sound fragile and laden with a turbulence of feelings.
"Sorry?" she repeated, her voice shaky as she let out a trembling breath that fanned warmly against the side of his neck.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was? Every moment, every heartbeat... and at that moment...i-i saw you..." Her voice trailed into a pained whisper, her face buried against the curve of his shoulder as she fought to regain her composure.
"Don't you dare do this again... I can't—I won't stand by and watch you throw yourself into danger like that..."
Then, silence stretched between them, broken only by the steady rhythm of their synchronized breathing.
The air seemed to grow heavy with unspoken words and turbulent emotions. Finally, Ji Wuye spoke again, his deep voice resonating with a tenderness that undercut the usual stoicism.
"I'm sorry, Senior," he repeated, his voice lower and gentler this time as he slowly began to disentangle himself from her embrace.
The sudden loss of contact seemed to catch her off guard, her hands freezing midair as her gaze lifted to meet his. Her eyes, wide and raw with emotion, stopped him in his tracks.
Vulnerability, so rarely seen in her composed demeanor, radiated from her expression, cracking the facade she usually maintained. A glimmer of dampness clung to her lashes, catching the soft morning light.
And then, the sight struck him deeply. The eyes that usually held calm wisdom and maternal warmth were now different—reddened, glistening with unshed tears, and marked with fresh trails cutting through the dried ones on her cheeks.
The scent of salt mingled with the lingering jasmine, painting a poignant picture.
The composed and dignified Senior Sister he knew had crumbled, revealing a side of her that was raw, unguarded, and heartbreakingly human.
"Don't..." she whispered, her voice barely audible as she caught him studying her fragile state intently.
A blush rose faintly to her cheeks, dusting them with a rosy hue as she turned her face away sharply, though her fingers betrayed her words, still clutching at the fabric of his sleeves as if afraid to let go.
"Let me go," she murmured, though her actions spoke otherwise, clinging to him with a tenacity that belied the words.
A soft snort, light and tender, escaped Ji Wuye's lips, easing the tension that had built between them like a taut wire. The moment stretched like a delicate thread holding them together in an intimate embrace.
"Hmm..." he hummed faintly, as if on the verge of saying something more, his deep voice rumbling with unspoken thoughts and emotions. But fate had other plans.
"Hoamm.." A drowsy yawn from upstairs broke the fragile silence, shattering the private, suspended world they'd created for those fleeting moments. Lian Rougang froze in his arms, her posture stiffening completely as the sound pulled her back to reality.
Ji Wuye watched, as if observing a master artisan at work, as his Senior Sister skillfully pieced herself back together. Despite the rawness and tears that remained, glistening like dew on her flushed cheeks, she carefully reconstructed her composed facade layer by layer.
The crystalline traces of emotion lingering on her lashes didn't vanish entirely; instead, they transformed into a dignified sheen, like stubborn droplets that refused to fall, clinging to her defiance.
Her serene expression returned, though her eyes still held unspoken volumes of worry and care that not even her best efforts could fully mask.
"I may have lost my composure," she admitted softly, gathering her midnight-black hair between practiced fingers as she began the well-rehearsed motions of restoring her appearance.
"But don't think this means I'll let the matter rest." Her hands moved deftly, weaving the strands back into her signature partial updo with graceful efficiency.
Pausing mid-task, she fixed him with a penetrating stare that seemed to cut straight through his calm exterior, pinning him in place. "The others will have their own questions, their own concerns," she continued.
"But for now, I need to understand everything—both for myself and so I can calm them down."
Her fingers completed their meticulous work, deftly restoring her midnight tresses into a semblance of composure, and she squared her shoulders with quiet determination. "I want all the details, Junior," she declared with finality, her tone brooking no room for argument her eyes hardened into steely resolve.
"What happened at that time... I have a feeling it's as grave as the incident that nearly saw you expelled. Perhaps worse."
Ji Wuye, however, met her intense gaze evenly with his crimson eyes that seemed to glimmer with an inner light.
"It's all under control, Senior," he replied, his voice steady yet gentle, fully aware of how his words might affect her after the raw vulnerability she had displayed.
...
After finishing his explanation of what had transpired and outlining his upcoming plan, the urgency of pressing matters left Ji Wuye momentarily alone in the dimly lit shop basement.
Now, seated in a disciplined cross-legged position, he remained still, his surroundings silent and heavy with atmosphere.
The dim light barely illuminated the room, reducing visibility to a blur of shadows that danced across the brick floors.
The stagnant, hot air only deepened the oppressive feeling, as if the very space held its breath in anticipation.
Brick walls surrounded him—a crude yet familiar space. He was in the basement, or more specifically, the room he and the shopkeeper had once used for private negotiations.
Yet Ji Wuye's crimson pupils stayed open, sharp and focused, unfazed by the weight of the air or the eerie dimness.
His attention was fully absorbed by the sight before him—countless transparent screens, faintly glowing, floating in the air like ghostly apparitions.
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/5TW6K5M/Notif-1.webp]
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/sRXSJZR/Notif-2.webp]