The shop owner was an elderly man with frosted temples. He was lifting the bamboo steamer to scoop porridge when he caught sight of Jiang Yu and Jiang Na. His face immediately softened. He quickly set down his ladle, wiped his hands, and greeted them warmly.
"Lord Chiba! Miss Jiang Na! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here for breakfast today?"
He clearly recognized them at once. With that, he lifted the bamboo curtain to lead them inside and called toward the kitchen.
"Steam two more trays of cherry cakes! Warm a pot of honey syrup!"
By the time he turned around, he had already neatly wiped down the wooden table by the window.
"Please sit. Today's cakes are made with fresh cherry blossoms—sweet and fresh."
His familiarity was warm, without the formal courtesy of strangers. Even his gaze toward Shi Jin, as their companion, softened with kindness.
"This must be your friend. Please, join them. Try our shop's food."
Jiang Yu nodded slightly and replied softly, "Good morning, Uncle."
He led Jiang Na to sit, and as he looked up, his gaze swept the shop discreetly.
A few wooden tables were scattered about; all the guests were neighbors. The kitchen was filled with the smell of cooking. No unusual auras, no hidden movements.
Only then did his furrowed brow relax a little—but he still kept Jiang Na by his side, protected.
Shi Jin sat down across from them, resting his elbow lightly on the table. He smiled gently and nodded at the old man, his tone lazy and warm.
"Thank you, Uncle. I'll take the chance to enjoy a local breakfast with Lord Chiba and Miss Jiang Na."
The old man laughed even more happily, waving his hand repeatedly.
"No need to be polite! Sit tight, it'll be ready soon!"
With that, he returned to the steaming bamboo steamers, his footsteps light.
The window seat offered a view of falling cherry blossoms at the street corner. Morning light filtered through the window frame onto the wooden table, sprinkling tiny specks of light, mixed with the warm smoke of the shop. It looked peaceful and cozy.
But the three at the table each had their own plans. Even the sweet scent of cherry cakes in the air quietly wrapped around a silent undercurrent of testing, rippling softly in the morning mist.
The old man quickly set out the dishes.
The cherry cakes were glistening white, embedded with pink petals. The porridge was warm and thick, with the fragrance of rice. Honey syrup was poured into a white porcelain pot.
The breakfast was warm and inviting… yet it only made the silence at the table feel heavier.
Jiang Yu was the first to lift his chopsticks. He placed a cherry cake into Jiang Na's bowl, then looked up at Shi Jin across from him. His gaze was deep and cold, directly breaking the silence.
"Speak plainly. What is your real purpose for coming to Floating Sakura Island?"
As he spoke, his fingertips lightly pressed against the table. Pale blue magic quietly spread from him, condensing into tiny light patterns at his side. Not a deliberate barrier, but carrying the imposing pressure of the island's ruler. The air around them seemed to freeze.
Shi Jin was scooping porridge. He lifted his eyes at the words, his eyes still curved, his smile lazy and frank. He took a slow sip and said softly:
"Naturally, to travel and sightsee. Floating Sakura Island's cherry blossom forests are famous across the magical continent. I had to come see them for myself."
This casual answer stood in sharp contrast to Jiang Yu's solemnity.
As if seeing through Jiang Yu's disbelief, he picked up a cherry cake with his chopsticks and added calmly, without defensiveness:
"As for hiding my magic and suppressing my aura… I simply didn't want my deep magic foundation to trigger the island's protective formation, disturb the peace, and ruin my trip. When traveling, keeping a low profile is only common sense."
Jiang Yu's suspicion did not fade in the slightest. His fingers tightened slightly until his knuckles whitened.
If he was only a tourist, how could he possess such unfathomable magic? How could he completely avoid the Shadow Ravens' detection, even suppress his aura to that of an ordinary person?
"Keeping a low profile" was far from enough to dismiss his doubts. He did not believe a single word.
Beside them, Jiang Na's fingers holding her chopsticks stilled. Conflicting thoughts churned in her chest.
Over the past few days, she had wrapped herself in light cherry magic, quietly sensing her surroundings.
Shi Jin's actions were casual: he wandered the forests, tried the food, and showed no trace of probing magic. He really did seem like an ordinary traveler.
And "keeping a low profile while traveling" was normal for high-level mages. It sounded reasonable, pushing her judgment closer to "tourist."
But then she remembered the bloodstained piece of cloth her brother had brought back, the blade that could stir heaven and earth's magic, and the spontaneous trembling of the Kiyotaki Sword earlier—
that was resonance between divine weapons and high-level magic of the same origin. There were no exceptions in the magical world. It could not be triggered by an ordinary cultivator.
These contradictory signs deepened her confusion. Looking at the gently smiling Shi Jin, he only seemed more unfathomable… yet she could find no real evidence to support her doubts.
Shi Jin seemed to accurately catch the subtle ripples of magic around the siblings—one tense and heavy, the other chaotic and hesitant.
But he did not care. He took a bite of the cherry cake and said lazily:
"What? Does the Island Lord still think I'm not here just to sightsee?"
His tone was light, but every word pierced their unspoken thoughts.
The faintly suppressed magic around him trembled slightly, touching the pale blue patterns at Jiang Yu's fingers before pulling away instantly.
The atmosphere at the table tensed abruptly. Even the warm porridge in the bowls seemed to carry the undercurrent of magical confrontation.
After that, no one spoke again.
Only the tiny sounds of porcelain spoons touching bowls and chopsticks picking up cakes, soft as if afraid to disturb the hidden storm beneath the table.
Jiang Yu looked down, his fingers still condensed with pale blue light. He slowly scooped the porridge, but his peripheral vision remained locked on Shi Jin. His aura did not relax for a moment. Every swallow hid extreme awareness of his surroundings.
Jiang Na held her chopsticks as gently as possible, light cherry magic covering her body. She chewed one cake for a long time, her gaze occasionally sweeping over Shi Jin before quickly falling back to her bowl. The confusion in her chest made the food taste like nothing.
Shi Jin, however, seemed completely unaware of the heavy atmosphere. He remained casual and unhurried. A little pink powder stuck to his lip after biting the cake; he wiped it away carelessly. His movements were calm, his magic steady, no fluctuations at all—
as if the silence and testing had nothing to do with him.
Warm cooking smoke wrapped around faint magical tension.
The three ate in silence, each lost in thought, but none truly tasting the sweetness of the cakes and porridge.
Only the silence in the room slowly spread in the morning light, hiding the unspoken game within every wordless movement.
Until the old man passed by with newly steamed cherry cakes and asked with a laugh, "Is it to your taste?"
He only received a slight nod from Jiang Yu and a casual "Very sweet" from Shi Jin.
Then the silence fell even deeper. Only the faint clink of bowls and chopsticks echoed softly in the shop.
Shi Jin set down his chopsticks, wiped his lips with a cloth, and placed his spoon gently on the bowl. He said lazily:
"I've seen most of Floating Sakura Island. In a few days, I should leave."
At those words, Jiang Yu looked up. The pale blue light at his fingers flickered sharply. He stared and asked, his tone carrying unmistakable scrutiny:
"A few days?"
Shi Jin rested his fingertips against his chin, as if genuinely thinking. His gaze drifted to the cherry petals floating outside the window, his eyes still curved and lazy.
He slowly spoke two words:
"Two days."
The air froze. The magical tension at the table tightened abruptly.
Jiang Na's fingers squeezing her spoon tightened. Light cherry magic quietly coiled around her wrist. Her inner conflict raged.
Two days—only forty-eight hours. Such a hasty departure perfectly fit a tourist who'd had his fill. It strengthened her belief that he was just a traveler.
But the vicious blade, the trembling of the Kiyotaki Sword… those were no coincidences. How could they belong to a passerby staying only a few days?
These opposing details only deepened her confusion.
Jiang Yu's eyes darkened like a frozen pool. His knuckles whitened. The light patterns at his fingers grew clearer. Pale blue magic spread quietly. Cold calculations churned in his chest.
Two days—enough to lock down the island, monitor every one of Shi Jin's moves, and investigate all his trails.
Whether he truly planned to leave or was only testing, these two days would put his every action under control. Floating Sakura Island must not be endangered.
Shi Jin did not seem to care about his magic fluctuations, nor did he miss the chaos in Jiang Na's eyes. He only chuckled, raised a hand to call the old man for the bill, and tapped his fingers lazily on the table.
As if his announcement of leaving was just trivial small talk, not worth the siblings' wariness.
Only the cool porridge droplets condensing on the bowl edges, the cherry petals falling on the table corner, accompanied by their lingering magical auras…
turned that deadline of "two days" into a clear countdown in Floating Sakura Island's silent game.
The stagnation at the table lingered.
Jiang Na was the first to set down her spoon. She gently pressed her chaotic cherry magic at her wrist, then lightly touched the table, breaking the silence softly.
"I've eaten enough. I want to go out for a walk… watch the cherry blossoms fall at the street."
With that, she looked up at Jiang Yu, her eyes softly begging to escape the heavy atmosphere, then subconsciously glanced at Shi Jin across the table.
She stood up and straightened her clothes.
Jiang Yu's gaze shifted slightly. The pale blue light at his fingers dimmed a little. He nodded quietly.
Jiang Na did not wait any longer. She lifted the bamboo curtain and stepped out first.
Light cherry magic rippled with her steps, scattering into tiny specks of light, melting into the sky of falling petals.
Jiang Yu's pale blue magic did not relax at all. He still stared solemnly at Shi Jin. The light that had dimmed now condensed with cold meaning.
Clearly, he did not intend to lower his guard just because Jiang Na had left.
Shi Jin watched the swaying shadow of the curtain, the smile on his lips unchanged. He tapped the table casually and said lazily:
"The falling cherry blossoms are worth seeing."
Wind slipped through the open bamboo curtain, carrying several petals onto the wooden table, mixed with the remaining fragrance of porridge and honey.
The oppression lightened a little… but hidden testing still lingered.
Only their magical auras quietly clashed within this small space, locked in silent confrontation.