The morning mist of Cloudpeak Sect still clung to the mountain paths long after they descended from the summit. The world below was washed in pale gold, the rising sun unfurling across the horizon like a celestial scroll. The scent of pine and cold stone lingered in the air, each breath crisp enough to sting the lungs.
They had left at dawn.
Xing Yue walked behind, hands folded. Her sky blue robe fluttering in the snowy weather, making her image as the peerless beauty impossible. Her steps light yet precise, as though the mountain winds themselves parted obediently before her. The Scrolls of Hundred Memories, sealed in shimmering threads of spiritual light, were tucked securely beneath her lapel. Their faint glow pulsed now and then, as if remembering the weight of the past on its own.
Inside Jiang Yunxian's lapel, Rong Qi the phoenix feather shimmered with hues of scarlet and molten gold. Every now and then, he would peek out, tiny ripples of feather-light qi stirring the fabric as he watched the pair like a nosy elder trapped inside a sleeve.
Jiang Yunxian, by contrast, looked like someone forced into an overly dramatic painting.
His burnt orang flowed behind his like a ribbon touched by the heavens, each step sending it fluttering in the wind. Even the sun seemed to pause on his over sized sleeves, admiring how the colors danced.
He turned to look at Xing Yue who looked just as beautiful that night.
It was impossible to walk past her without looking back.
Even he couldn't help it.
She caught him staring — again — and the breeze carried her faint smile to him, soft as moonlight.
"You know," she said, voice like dew slipping from a leaf, "I might actually think that you like me."
The words struck Jiang Yunxian harder than a demon beast's palm strike. He almost jumped out of his boots.
He snorted a beat later, trying far too hard to mask the embarrassment.
"That's an overstatement. I'm never like those men."
"Really?" Xing Yue's eyes narrowed with wicked amusement. "Then why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
She leaned slightly closer.
Rong Qi rustled in excitement. This was his favorite kind of drama.
Jiang Yunxian tore his gaze away—again—gave her a full once-over as if to confirm she was, in fact, not sprouting horns, then shook his head and resumed walking.
But the grimacing look he tossed her was priceless.
Xing Yue had paused to tighten the straps of her sash but caught the moment perfectly.
Ahead of her, Jiang Yunxian muttered to Rong Qi, voice just low enough to be petty:
"She's walking as if someone stole her dog. So stern. So arrogant."
"I heard that," Xing Yue said without turning around, her tone calm but her amusement clear as a ringing bell.
"I didn't hide it." Jiang Yunxian sniffed proudly. "I made sure you heard it. Stone-faced god."
And with that, he quickened his pace like a child proving a very unprovable point.
Rong Qi stirred again from inside the lapel, his voice a soft chiming whisper only Jiang Yunxian could hear:
"You know you're being dramatic, right?"
"I know," Jiang Yunxian replied under his breath, lifting his chin proudly. "That's why I'm so good at it."
Rong Qi rustled like a feather trying not to laugh.
Xing Yue, having heard just enough, let out a soft snort.
"And he claims he doesn't remember anything. What a foolish excuse."
Her voice drifted through the mountain path, mixing with the distant cry of spiritual cranes and the rustling of ancient trees. The golden light framed her silhouette like an ancestral painting — one touched by destiny, memory, and secrets yet to unravel.
Behind her, the wind swirled.
The phoenix feather glowed faintly.
And the three of them walked deeper into a world that was anything but ordinary.
Just to help the illiterate phoenix feather find a beast language master.
---
The mountain path eventually widened, opening into a stretch where the forest bowed gently on both sides. Ancient trees rose like silent guardians, their trunks wrapped in silver-green moss and their branches whispering secrets with every breeze. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the canopy, falling upon them like scattered blessings from forgotten gods.
The three continued down the trail—Jiang Yunxian still walking too stiffly, Xing Yue moving with that serene, dangerous grace, and Rong Qi glowing faintly from beneath the lapel, ever-watchful.
As they reached a bend where a brook carved through pale stones, they saw it first:
a faint shimmer, like heat rising off an illusion.
Xing Yue stopped.
Jiang Yunxian nearly bumped into her but caught himself in time.
The shimmering grew clearer, weaving itself into the shape of something small—something no larger than a child—standing in the middle of the path.
A spirit.
Its form flickered between water and mist, like a being sculpted from moonlit streams. Round eyes blinked at them, curious rather than afraid. It tilted its head, droplets falling gently from its limbs and dissolving into the soil.
"A river sprite," Xing Yue murmured, lowering her posture slightly—not in fear, but in respect. "Cloudpeak's northern streams breed them during spring."
Rong Qi peeked out, feathers trembling with excitement.
"Ooh… I haven't seen one in centuries."
Jiang Yunxian frowned. "Centuries? You were born as an illiterate."
Rong Qi sniffed dramatically. "And you were born with no sense of wonder. Let me enjoy myself."
The sprite took a hesitant step closer, ripples forming beneath its feet though no water was there. It looked up at Xing Yue, then Jiang Yunxian, then paused—mesmerized—at the faint fiery glow of Rong Qi.
"Ah," Xing Yue said softly, "I think it recognizes Phoenix qi."
The sprite blinked, large luminous eyes overflowing with awe. Then, to their surprise, it bowed.
A deep, respectful bow—its head nearly grazing the earth.
Jiang Yunxian stared. "Why is it bowing?"
Rong Qi puffed himself proudly.
"Obviously, because I am magnificent."
"No," Xing Yue said gently. "Phoenixes once nurtured the rivers of the southern realms. To sprites born from water and qi… that memory remains."
The sprite suddenly splashed outward, scattering into droplets that floated in the air like suspended stars. The droplets swirled around them, wrapping the group in a cool, refreshing mist. Each droplet shimmered with spiritual energy—soft, harmless, inquisitive.
Jiang Yunxian extended a hand. A droplet settled on his palm, quivering softly before sinking into his skin like a note of warmth spreading through his meridians.
"It's… greeting us," Xing Yue said, almost in wonder. "They usually hide from travelers."
Rong Qi fluffed. "Well, we are not 'travelers.' We are interesting."
The droplets recombined again, forming the sprite's small form once more. It pointed toward the distance with a tiny hand, motioning urgently.
"What now?" Jiang Yunxian muttered. "Is it trying to warn us? Because if this turns into a fight—"
"No," Xing Yue cut in. "Its energy feels… peaceful. Look around."
Only then did they notice it.
The air had shifted.
The wind carried not the chill of mountains but the soft fragrance of blooming spirit blossoms. A faint hum reverberated through the earth—as though something ancient had awakened somewhere far ahead.
The sprite bobbed its head, pointing again. This time more insistently.
"I think," Xing Yue said slowly, "it wants us to follow."
Rong Qi glowed brighter. "Well, why not? When a river sprite invites you, it's either to show you treasure or trouble—and I'd like to believe we deserve the treasure."
Jiang Yunxian rolled his eyes but stepped forward anyway.
"The universe must really enjoy toying with us," he muttered.
The sprite smiled—if mist could smile—and drifted ahead, guiding them down a smaller, narrower path veiled with spiritual fog.
And so their journey continued, no longer three travelers… but four.
Led by a creature born of water and starlight, deeper into a world humming with ancient mysteries.
______
An announcement!!!
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