Morning didn't arrive.
It accumulated.
Light seeped into the sect like a rumor—slow, persistent, impossible to stop. Lu Yan woke already aware of it, of the way attention had thickened overnight. Not loud. Not obvious. Just… more.
He sat up, letting the pressure in his core settle before he stood.
Foundation Establishment — Late Stage (Compression, Stable)
Stable. Holding. The kind of stability that invited testing.
Outside, footsteps layered over one another, patterns overlapping where they hadn't before. He washed, dressed, and stepped into the corridor without hurry.
The air felt watched.
Not hostile.
Interested.
At the training grounds, Lin Yue was already there.
Not at the center this time.
Off to the side.
Alone.
Her frost lay quiet, subdued into a thin sheen that caught the light and gave nothing back. She stood with her arms folded, gaze forward, posture composed. Anyone watching would think her calm.
Lu Yan knew better.
He took his usual place near the stone rail. Didn't announce himself. Didn't hide.
Lin Yue felt him anyway.
Her shoulders tightened, then eased. She didn't turn.
Wei arrived moments later, slowed when he saw where Lin Yue stood. He hesitated, then chose a different spot entirely, farther from her than before.
That didn't go unnoticed.
Neither did the third arrival.
She didn't wear sect colors.
That alone drew eyes.
A soft ripple moved through the gathered disciples as she entered the grounds, flanked by two attendants who stayed just far enough back to not interrupt the line of sight.
Princess Zhao Qingyue.
She smiled as she walked, open and warm, as if she'd wandered in by accident rather than invitation. Her robe was simple by imperial standards, but the cut was deliberate, the fabric too fine to be mistaken for anything else. She stopped near the edge of the training area, gaze sweeping the space with bright curiosity.
And then she saw Lu Yan.
Her steps slowed.
Her smile sharpened.
She dismissed her attendants with a small gesture and approached him directly.
Lin Yue's frost stirred.
Not outward.
Inward.
Princess Zhao Qingyue stopped an arm's length from Lu Yan and bowed lightly. "Disciple Lu Yan."
He inclined his head. "Your Highness."
"Oh, please," she said, waving it away. "I'm not here officially. Just… observing."
Her eyes lingered on him, unguarded. "You're calmer than the rumors suggest."
"I don't feel a need to perform," he replied.
Her laugh was soft. "That's exactly what they said."
She leaned closer—not touching, but close enough that her warmth brushed his sleeve. "May I stand here?"
Lu Yan didn't move. "You already are."
Her smile widened. "Good."
Lin Yue turned then.
Her gaze landed on Zhao Qingyue.
The frost responded instantly—thin, precise, unmistakable.
Zhao Qingyue noticed.
Her eyes lit up. "Oh. You must be Lin Yue."
Lin Yue inclined her head, formal. "Princess."
"No titles," Zhao Qingyue said cheerfully. "I find them distracting."
Lin Yue's gaze flicked to Lu Yan, then back. "As you wish."
The space between them tightened.
Zhao Qingyue clasped her hands behind her back. "I've heard so much about you. The Ice Fairy. They say you make even silence feel cold."
Lin Yue's lips curved faintly. "They exaggerate."
Zhao Qingyue tilted her head. "Do they?"
Lu Yan watched both of them, still, attentive.
The Manual stirred, amused.
High-value interest detected. Emotional volatility forecast: severe.
The elder called for the session to begin, voice cutting through the tension. Disciples moved into place. Lin Yue stepped away, taking her position without another word.
Zhao Qingyue didn't move.
She stayed.
Close.
"You won't join?" Lu Yan asked.
"I'm terrible at following instructions," she said lightly. "I prefer watching."
"Dangerous habit."
"So I've been told."
Her gaze flicked toward Lin Yue again. "She doesn't like me."
"She doesn't know you," Lu Yan replied.
"That's worse," Zhao Qingyue said, amused.
The session unfolded with practiced rhythm. Lin Yue performed flawlessly—controlled, disciplined, frost precise as a blade. Wei kept his distance, visibly cautious.
Zhao Qingyue watched intently.
Not the movements.
The reactions.
She noticed the way Lin Yue's frost tightened whenever she glanced toward Lu Yan. The way Lu Yan's attention never wavered, even when he didn't look directly.
Interesting, Zhao Qingyue thought.
Very interesting.
When the session ended, murmurs rose immediately. Zhao Qingyue clapped softly, delighted. "Beautiful."
Lin Yue bowed stiffly and turned away.
Zhao Qingyue watched her go, then leaned toward Lu Yan. "She's burning."
Lu Yan didn't respond.
"You're cruel," Zhao Qingyue continued, smiling. "I like that."
She straightened, voice carrying just enough to be overheard. "Will you walk with me?"
The murmurs spiked.
Lu Yan considered her for a beat. Then nodded. "Briefly."
Lin Yue's frost flared.
They walked.
Not far. Just along the outer path where the view opened to the valley below. Zhao Qingyue clasped her hands behind her back again, posture relaxed.
"You don't chase," she said.
"No."
"You don't reassure."
"No."
"And yet everyone orbits you."
He glanced at her. "You included?"
She laughed. "Perhaps."
They stopped near a flowering tree. Petals drifted down, pale and soft.
Zhao Qingyue picked one up, twirled it between her fingers. "You know what they say about me?"
"That you're dangerous," Lu Yan replied.
She beamed. "Good. They're paying attention."
Her gaze softened. "You don't belong to anyone."
"No."
"But you're not untouched either."
"No."
She leaned closer. "I wonder what it costs to stand near you."
Lu Yan's core tightened, pressure responding to the new vector.
Foundation Establishment — Late Stage (Compression, Stable)
"More than most expect," he said.
She smiled, satisfied. "Excellent."
Behind them, frost cracked against stone.
Lin Yue stood at the edge of the path, having followed without realizing it. Her eyes locked onto Zhao Qingyue's proximity, her warmth, her ease.
Zhao Qingyue turned, noticing her at last.
"Oh," she said brightly. "You followed."
Lin Yue didn't deny it. "You're close."
"So are you," Zhao Qingyue replied easily.
The two women faced each other, contrast sharp—frost and firelight, discipline and delight.
Lu Yan stood between them.
Not shielding.
Not choosing.
Just present.
Zhao Qingyue's smile didn't fade. "He doesn't stop people from standing near him."
"I know," Lin Yue said quietly.
"Then why are you tense?"
Lin Yue's frost tightened. "Because some distances matter."
Zhao Qingyue considered that. "Then close it."
Lin Yue didn't move.
Neither did Lu Yan.
The petals kept falling.
Zhao Qingyue stepped back at last, hands raised in mock surrender. "I didn't mean to intrude."
Lin Yue's eyes narrowed. "You did."
Zhao Qingyue laughed softly. "Good."
She turned to Lu Yan. "I'll see you again."
He inclined his head.
She walked away, attendants reappearing at her sides, whispers already following her like shadows.
Lin Yue remained.
Her breath was steady.
Her frost was not.
"You didn't warn me," she said.
"I don't warn," Lu Yan replied.
"You let her—"
"I let her choose proximity," he said calmly. "As I let you."
Her gaze searched his face, frustration and something sharper flickering beneath control.
"She'll come back," Lin Yue said.
"Yes."
"And you won't stop her."
"No."
Her lips pressed together. "Then neither will I."
She turned and left, frost trailing behind her, cutting a clean path through the murmurs.
Lu Yan watched her go, then glanced toward the path where Zhao Qingyue had disappeared.
The sect buzzed.
Jealousy had found a new shape.
The Manual pulsed, pleased.
Expansion successful. Emotional yield rising.
Lu Yan exhaled slowly, the pressure in his core deep and steady.
Tomorrow would not be quieter.
And none of them would step away.