The last threads of Yin settled into place. I exhaled slowly, feeling the Veiled Void Aperture seal itself with a soft, internal click, like a door closing deep within my spine. The gathered Yin no longer surged or resisted. It lay dormant, heavy and quiet, obedient beneath my control.
No leakage. No backlash. Good.
I rose from the lakebed and tested my circulation. Qi flowed smoothly through my meridians, only slightly cooler than before. Strangely, it felt pleasant. The task was complete. I ascended without resistance this time. The lake no longer dragged at me or pressed in with that suffocating awareness. It was almost as if it had forgotten I existed, or perhaps had come to regard me as a thing of Yin myself.
When I surfaced, the mist parted in silence, revealing the pavilion and the chariot hovering above the dark waters. I did not linger. I flew toward the pavilion to inform Uncle Tianrong that I was finished and would soon be leaving. Along the way, my thoughts drifted to the subtle changes within me. Something about my temperament felt altered, as though my personality was being quietly rewritten by an unseen hand. The sensation was most apparent when I spoke with her. I glanced briefly toward the chariot before refocusing.
I arrived and pushed the pavilion doors aside, stepping inside. Before I could speak, space itself seemed to bend. A tall figure coalesced near the entrance to what I presumed was the inner hall. His presence warped the surroundings, making him seem farther away than he truly was. Black hair streaked faintly with violet fell loosely over his shoulders. Elder Tianrong regarded me with faint amusement, as though he had been watching long before I arrived.
"I am done," I said, bowing respectfully. "I shall be leaving."
"Mm." That was all.
The pavilion doors opened behind me on their own. As I stepped through, they snapped shut, final and decisive. I immediately took flight toward the chariot. Inside the pavilion, another figure manifested soundlessly.
"Is it done?" the man asked.
"Indeed," Tianrong replied calmly. "A simple matter. But tell me, why tamper with your son's emotions, Leiming?"
Leiming was silent for a moment before answering. "I have always been worried about his personality. He is too detached. He lives as though following a script, with no true attachments to the other characters, or even to the stage itself. That path will ruin him." He paused. "No man is an island, perhaps love and a child of his would make him a bit normal."
"Perhaps," Tianrong replied.
As I departed the island, I glanced back only once. Moongaze Lake lay shrouded in mist, its surface smooth and dark, but the oppressive weight I remembered was gone. The Yin still lingered, dense and ancient, yet it felt diminished, as though something essential had been taken. Perhaps it had.
I turned away. The chariot hovered above the water, thunder formations humming steadily beneath it. Zhou Taiping was the first to notice me.
"Welcome back, Young Master," he said.
I nodded. "Let's depart." Zhou called back the guards he had stationed around the lake as I entered the chariot.
Inside, Ruyang sat at the tea table, a book in her hands.
"You're done?" she asked, lowering it with a smile.
"Indeed. Did you miss me?" I replied, smiling.
"I did," she said, returning the smile.
"Of course you did," I said lightly. "I'll need to enter seclusion to rid myself of the residual Yin in my body." I removed the bracelet and handed it to her, but she pushed it back.
"It's a gift. It's yours," she said.
I chuckled softly. "Now I feel bad for having no gift for you."
She smiled. "No worries. There's always another time."
"Indeed," I said with a grin as I walked toward the cultivation chamber, ordering the chariot to start moving. "Hurry up, lest Minghuang be bored to death."
Thirty minutes later, I was done dispelling the Qi, and I felt myself again. I saw a bright light from the window of my chamber. It seems we have met Minghuang. I rose from my meditation mat and adjusted my robes; the last trace of residual Yin had dispersed, leaving my Qi balanced and familiar—no lingering heaviness or oppression, just normal.
The chariot slowed to a halt with a low hum. I stepped into the main cabin. Ruyang had already set her book aside, her eyes briefly scanning my posture.
"Done already?" she asked. "You look like yourself again."
"I am. The bracelet was of great help," I said. "Yin really is a disturbing thing."
"By the way, does it have a name, the bracelet?"
"Hmm, I have no idea," she said, trying to remember.
"Hahaha," I laughed. She studied me for a moment, then nodded.
"Still, I'm glad. When you went back into the lake, I worried you'd overdo it."
I paused. "You worried?"
She met my gaze without flinching. "Of course."
That answer lingered longer than it should have. I cleared my throat. "Ahem, let's not keep Minghuang waiting." I gestured toward the door with a small bow.
"After you." Ruyang smirked faintly, as if amused by my formality, and stepped past me, her movements fluid and precise.
I followed, keeping my pace measured so as not to appear too eager.
"You know," I said, letting my voice drop into a teasing tone, "for someone who acts so serious all the time, you worry more than you let on."
Her amber-gold eyes flicked up at me, unamused. "I don't worry. I just… notice things."
"Notice things, huh?" I grinned. "So when I dive into a lake full of Yin and nearly freeze my butt off, that counts as… noticing?"
She tilted her head, lips twitching. "Depends. Did you notice me noticing you?"
I laughed. "Caught me! But I bet you'd deny it just to keep that perfect poker face of yours."
Why do I feel so happy? This is weird, but not bad… ehh, whatever. Her lips curved into a sly smile.
"Maybe. But I don't need anyone worrying about me."
"Of course not," I said, smirking. "Still, it's fun watching you try to act like you don't care. Makes me wonder—how much of you actually does?"
Her eyes narrowed, playful but sharp. "Curious, are you?"
I shrugged casually. "Maybe a little. Or maybe I just like knowing who's secretly keeping tabs on me."
Ruyang glanced away, a faint pink coloring her cheeks. "You talk too much. Maybe all three—care, curiosity, interest. Pick your favorite."
I talk too much? This is a first… Why do I pay her so much attention? I leaned closer, grinning. "You just admitted it. Careful, you're giving away all your secrets."
The chariot hummed beneath us as we neared the meeting room. Light spilled from the doorway ahead, warm and inviting.
"Ahh, you lovebirds are here. Did you have a good time? I can see that you did from your face, Ruyang."
"As crass as always, cousin," Ruyang said, frowning.
"Would you stay for tea?" I asked, looking at Minghuang.
"Ahh, unfortunately I can't. Duty calls," he said, waving a communication token.
"How unfortunate," I said, looking at Ruyang with a smile.
"We will meet again, maybe even sooner than you realize," she said, smiling.
I followed them out of the carriage and escorted them to theirs, watching it ride off.
"You seem happy, Young Master," Yanruo came up behind me, saying.
"Happiness, huh? Perhaps I am," I said, smiling.
"lets go", I said flying back towards the chariot.