It's been three days now and dawn on the third day definitely brought more clarity.
They had learnt more about their medicine Fairy in those three days, including about her Immortal father. Her dad had also been a blood Cultivator who reached rank #3 before he even became an immortal, "then Puff... He disappeared," she said.
And they had both agreed she might be trust worthy especially considering she stopped a group of hunters from searching the place, and... Mei, may or may not be feeling some type of way.
Longwei woke up without pain for the first time since the fight with Lian Xue. His ribs were healed (mostly), the wound by his side was now a thin pink scar. His Qi flowed smoothly through his meridians that had once been ravaged by contamination, now clean and stable.
Most importantly: the voices were quiet.
Not gone because he could still hear them if he focused, about ixty-three whispers instead of two hundred screaming souls but they were manageable now almost ignorable.
Almost.
Mei stirred by his side, she woke more slowly, stretching like a cat, her shoulder moving freely without the sharp pain that had plagued her.
"Last day," she said quietly.
"Last day," he agreed.
They'd been here three days, three days of healing and growing stronger but the village was too exposed and too known. Some bounty hunters Yanmei had chased off might return with reinforcements or other blood cultivators would hear about Rank #7,392 recovering in a neutral clinic and see opportunity.
They had to move.
The question was: where?
Then came a soft knock, Yanmei's voice: "If you're both awake, come downstairs. I want to teach you one more thing before you leave."
The clinic's main room had been transformed.
All the furniture was pushed against the walls. In the center, Yanmei had drawn a meditation circle using some kind of luminescent powder, characters and symbols that seemed to shift when viewed from different angles.
"Sit," she instructed, gesturing to the circle's center.
Longwei and Mei sat with their legs crossed facing each other and the powder glowing dimly beneath them, warm against their skin even through their clothing.
Yanmei circled them slowly, checking the formation. She wore a simple robes today and her hair was let down instead of in its usual messy bun. Longwei noticed Mei's eyes tracking her movement, lingering on the curve of her neck or the way the morning light caught in her brown hair.
Interesting. He thought. When did that start?
"The cleansing array removes resentment," Yanmei said, kneeling beside the circle. "But you can't cleanse after every fight, it's too time consuming, too exhausting. You need a way to manage the voices daily and keep them contained between full cleansings."
"How?" Longwei asked.
"Meditation, but not the standard cultivation meditation you've learned." She placed her hands on two specific points in the formation. It brightened. "This is a technique my father developed. He called it 'Embracing the Echo.' Instead of fighting the voices, you integrate them and make them part of your consciousness instead of invaders."
"That sounds dangerous," Mei said, still watching Yanmei's hands.
"It is... Done wrong, you accelerate your descent into madness. Done right, you gain strength from the dead with their knowledge, their techniques, their determination becomes yours." Yanmei looked up and caught Mei staring. Held her gaze for a beat longer than necessary. "My father used this to climb to Rank #3, It's also part of what broke him in the end. So listen carefully."
Mei looked away first, color rising in her cheeks.
With the bond, Longwei felt a form of confusion from her. She was noticing things, small things. Like the way Yanmei moved, the sound of her voice. Things that shouldn't matter but somehow did.
Yanmei explained the technique. Longwei listened but part of his attention was still on Mei, on the way she leaned forward when Yanmei spoke, unconsciously mirroring her posture. On how her breathing changed when Yanmei's hand brushed against hers while adjusting the formation.
She doesn't even realize she's doing it.
"Now try," Yanmei said. "Close your eyes. Turn inward and find the voices."
They practiced for an hour, Longwei successfully integrated Elder Feng's echo, giving the old man a quiet space in his consciousness in exchange for his knowledge. The technique worked, he could feel Elder Feng's lifetime of earth cultivation experience becoming accessible, not as intrusive thoughts but as available wisdom.
Through it all, he was still sensing Mei's divided attention. She was learning the technique, yes. But she was also hyperaware of Yanmei's presence, every time the physician moved close to adjust her posture, every casual touch of guidance made Mei's focus fractured.
When they finished, Yanmei smiled. "Excellent. You both have the foundation, practice daily and integrating the remaining voices will become easier."
She stood, stretched. Her robes pulled tight across her body for a moment before settling. Mei's eyes tracked the movement before she caught herself, looked away quickly.
"I'll make breakfast," Yanmei said. "You should rest before we continue, there's more I need to teach you."
She left for the kitchen.
Mei sat very still, staring at the floor.
"You okay?" Longwei asked.
"Fine." Too quick. Too defensive.
"Mei..."
"I'm fine." She stood abruptly. "I'm going to wash up before breakfast."
She fled upstairs.
Longwei sat alone in the meditation circle, still processing what he'd seen. The tension between them had been building for days, small touches during wound treatment, comfortable intimacy while bathing, glances that lingered. He'd noticed but apparently Mei was just now noticing.
"This is going to get complicated."
He tried using bond to check up on her again, but he felt only static. Mei had pulled back, shielding herself while she processed whatever she was feeling.
He let her have the space.
Breakfast Was Awkward.
They ate in near silence, Mei focusing intently on her food and Yanmei seemingly oblivious to the tension... Or pretending to be.
"We need to talk about your next move," Yanmei said, breaking the quiet. "The Jade Sea Islands are your best option, a true neutral territory with no sect oversight but you'll need resources and protection. A base of operations."
"We're fugitives with no money and a bounty on our heads," Longwei said. "Not exactly prime candidates for setting up shop."
"Which is why you need a patron. Someone powerful enough that attacking you means attacking them." Yanmei leaned back. "I know someone, a pirate lord named Captain Shēnyǔ. She controls several islands, and she also needs strong cultivators to defend her territory. You'd have sanctuary in exchange for service."
"Service means killing for her," Mei said, finally speaking.
"It means defending her holdings from raiders and rival pirates, which likely involves killing... Yes." Yanmei's voice was pragmatic. "But you'd be choosing when, how and who. Better than running blind."
"You've thought about this a lot," Longwei observed.
"I've thought about a lot of things." She looked directly at him. "Including coming with you."
The words hung in the air.
"What?" Mei's head snapped up.
"Let me come with you. I'm a physician, yes. But I'm also Core Formation Stage Two. I can fight, I can heal and... I know resentment management techniques you've barely scratched the surface of." Yanmei's voice was steady. "And I'm tired of staying in one place, treating patients, watching the world from the safety of neutral ground."
"You want to join us," Longwei said carefully. "As what? An ally?"
"As a partner, I want to bond with you."
Mei stood so fast her chair scraped across the floor. "You can't be serious."
"I am... Completely." Yanmei turned to face her. "I know this is sudden, I know you barely trust me but think about it practically: Longwei needs partners to manage the resentment. You need help protecting him, healing him and keeping him sane. I can provide all of that."
"Why?" Mei's voice was sharp. "Why would you want to bond with a blood cultivator? You've seen what it costs."
"Because I've spent ten years watching blood cultivators destroy themselves. Because my father's final wish was that I help them." Yanmei stood, moved closer to Mei. "Because you're different, and he spares defeated enemies and tries to maintain impossible standards. If I'm going to bond with anyone, it should be someone actually trying not to become a monster."
She was close now, very close. Close enough that Mei had to tilt her head back slightly to maintain eye contact.
"And because," Yanmei said quietly, "I find both of you fascinating and attractive and worth the risk."
The air between them heated.
Mei's breathing quickened. "Both of us?"
"Both of you." Yanmei's eyes were steady and honest. "Is that a problem?"
Mei was in shock.
"I need air," Mei said. She turned and walked out of the clinic.
Yanmei watched her go, then turned to Longwei. "I may have pushed too hard."
"Maybe..." He said with his hands up.
"Besides you knew she'd react like that."
"I suspected but I also suspected she needed to hear it explicitly, to stop wondering if what she's feeling is reciprocated." Yanmei sat back down. "Your ice phoenix is attracted to me. She doesn't understand it, doesn't know what to do with it. But it's there."
"And you?"
"I find her beautiful, strong, complex... And yes, attractive." Yanmei smiled. "I've always been drawn to both men and women, It's never been a conflict for me but for her... this is new territory."
"It is," Longwei agreed with a grin. "Give her time."
"Will you?"
"Will I what?"
"Bond with me and let me join you. Even if Mei isn't ready."
Longwei considered. Practically, it made sense, they needed allies and someone with medical knowledge was as peak as it gets...
But this wasn't just practical, yanmei had made it clear she was attracted to both of them. A bond would mean intimacy with complications.
Maybe complications are what we need, maybe Mei needs to understand she's not losing me by sharing or maybe having Yanmei interested in her too removes the threat.
"Yes," he said. "If Mei agrees, but I won't do this without her consent."
"Fair." Yanmei stood. "I'll give her space but tonight, we'll need to discuss this properly. All three of us."
She left him alone in the kitchen.
Longwei sat, processing what the fuck just happened. Outside, he could sense Mei, she was definitely confused, but also kind of into it.
This is going to change everything.
But maybe change was necessary, and he (Longwei) wasn't "Truly" against whatever was going on.