"I heard Emperor Gao of Silang is unwilling to part with even a fraction of his army," Xiao Delun said, swirling his teacup idly. "He's always been paranoid that the Xue Empire might invade his borders, so he's essentially walled himself in."
"Yet, Xue has never shown any real interest in Silang," Li Yao replied, shaking his head.
"That's because Silang is heavily fortified," Xiao Delun countered, leaning back in his chair as though stating the obvious. "Xue knows it would cost too much to breach their defenses."
I found myself nodding slightly. Emperor Gao was infamous for his insularity. He poured all of his resources into fortifying his capital, surrounding himself with wealth and comfort while ignoring the needs of his outer provinces. The man ruled not like a sovereign of the people, but a merchant guarding a vault.
"He doesn't believe he'll ever need help from anyone," I added, drawing their attention. "So long as his coffers stay full and his walls hold, he thinks his empire will thrive. To him, diplomacy is a luxury, not a necessity."
Xiao Delun grinned and tapped the table. "Exactly. I met a former court official once who said the same. Emperor Gao cares only for prosperity within his walls. The rest of Silang? Neglected. That's why so many of his people flee south or east in search of better lives."
Li Yao chuckled darkly. "It doesn't surprise me. Rumor has it Emperor Gao's only real passion is himself. And..." He leaned in, voice lowering. "...he's also said to have a fondness for men."
Xiao Delun let out a bark of laughter. "Oh, speaking of such rumors…" He turned to me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Have you heard about Sect Leader Ruan's lover?"
My hand stiffened around my teacup.
"I've heard bits and pieces of that story, but not the whole thing," Li Yao said eagerly. "Come on, Xiao Delun. Share the details."
Xiao Delun glanced at me, his expression curious. "Priest Luo, would you mind if I do?"
My mind raced. Were they talking about me? Or could there have been another target of Ruan Yanjun's notorious behavior? For reasons I couldn't quite explain, I wanted to know. I forced myself to smile and replied calmly, "Not at all."
Xiao Delun leaned in closer, lowering his voice as though sharing a grand secret. "A reliable fellow merchant told me that Sect Leader Ruan has been traveling with a man whose beauty is utterly ethereal—beyond comparison, they said. And get this… they hold hands in public! Sect Leader Ruan is so possessive, he'll glare daggers at anyone who dares to look at his beloved for too long."
My stomach twisted, and my heart skipped a beat. That description… it couldn't possibly be about me. Could it? I forced a frown to mask my unease. "Are you certain it was a man? A woman in disguise could easily fit such a description."
"I agree," Li Yao chimed in, nodding. "I've seen women who wear men's clothes. They claim it's more practical."
"It was a man," Xiao Delun insisted firmly. "My friend was absolutely certain. He even described the man's features to me."
Li Yao laughed. "Fine, then describe him. Convince us if you can."
Xiao Delun's eyes lit up. "He said the man was tall and slender, with skin as pale and flawless as the finest jade," he began, his voice taking on the rhythm of recited verse. He even added sweeping hand gestures, as if performing on stage. "His hair was like a silken waterfall—jet-black and flowing—and his eyes, sharp yet gentle, held a gaze that could pierce straight into your soul. And his voice—ah, his voice—gentle, elegant, melodic."
My face flushed with heat.
My heart skipped.
That couldn't be possibly be me, right?
Li Yao clapped his hands, laughing so hard he nearly spilled his tea. "That doesn't sound like a man at all! Are you sure this friend of yours wasn't just enchanted by some clever woman?"
"He swore on his ancestors' graves," Xiao Delun replied stubbornly. "It's a man."
Li Yao snorted, swirling the tea in his cup. "It's easy to conjure such nonsense. Every rumor exaggerates."
I said nothing, though my heart pounded in my chest. Could this really be about me? Was I truly the target of this absurd gossip tying me to Ruan Yanjun?
"And one more thing," Xiao Delun said, grinning mischievously. "He's also a priest."
"A priest?" Li Yao echoed, suddenly intrigued.
Li Yao's head turned toward me, his gaze narrowing as he scrutinized my features. "Now that you mention it…" he said slowly, leaning closer, "our friend Luo Fan here is also a priest…and not exactly hard on the eyes. Could it be that this rumor is about him?"
The two men burst into laughter, their loud guffaws drawing the attention of other patrons in the tea shop.
"If that's the case," Xiao Delun said between chuckles, "I'd say Sect Leader Ruan has remarkable taste. Truly impeccable."
They erupted into laughter again, the sound earning disapproving glances from other customers. I remained seated, forcing myself to stay calm even as my cheeks burned with embarrassment.
It wasn't real. They were only joking, surely.
Summoning a polite smile, I joined their laughter with a forced chuckle. "Please don't include me in such baseless rumors."
"We're only teasing," Li Yao said, waving a hand. "There's no way someone as virtuous as Priest Luo would be involved with the leader of the Eternal Damnation Sect, right?"
I smiled faintly, offering no further comment.
Discreetly, my gaze flicked upward toward the mezzanine. Through the gaps in the decorative shell curtains, I spotted Ruan Yanjun seated there, sipping tea with infuriating composure. He didn't look down, didn't move, but I knew he'd heard every word. He had probably heard more than that.
A nerve tensed in my jaw.
"Anyway," Xiao Delun said, straightening up after their laughter subsided. "Let me continue with the story. It gets better."
"It's not a story. It's a rumor," I corrected gently, though my voice carried little conviction.
"Call it what you like," he said with a wave of his hand. "But this one's far too entertaining to leave unfinished."
"Then let's hear it," Li Yao urged, clearly enjoying himself.
I wanted to object. I didn't want to hear another word of this ridiculous tale. But stopping them would only draw suspicion.
"Rumor has it," Xiao Delun continued, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "that Sect Leader Ruan traded this unparalleled beauty to Emperor Gao in exchange for an ancient scroll. Naturally, Emperor Gao, being utterly smitten with the man's divine looks, accepted the deal without hesitation."
Li Yao burst into laughter again. "Sect Leader Ruan must have been desperate for that scroll!"
Xiao Delun grinned. "But wait, it doesn't end there. You see, Emperor Gao's cousin, a marquis with a notorious love for gambling, happened to be present during the exchange. The marquis challenged the emperor to a dice game. And wouldn't you know it? The emperor, being equally fond of gambling, couldn't resist. He accepted the challenge."
"And?" Li Yao asked, leaning closer in anticipation.
"The emperor lost!" Xiao Delun exclaimed triumphantly. "With no way to retract his wager, he had no choice but to hand over the beauty to the marquis. The marquis whisked him away to one of his secret residences along the coast, where he planned to keep the man hidden and… indulge his desires."
I clenched my jaw, trying to maintain an air of indifference even as my fists tightened under the table.
"But here's the twist," Xiao Delun said, lowering his voice further, forcing Li Yao and me to lean in closer. "On the night the marquis intended to, uh, 'claim' the beauty, something strange happened. The servants heard the marquis screaming in terror. When they rushed to his chambers to check, guess what they found?"
Li Yao's eyes widened. "What did they find?"
"They found the marquis," Xiao Delun said, voice dropping to a dramatic whisper, "without his... pleasure tool. And they found it stuffed in his own mouth instead."
Top of Form
Xiao Delun exploded into laughter, nearly knocking over his tea. Li Yao clutched his stomach, doubling over in hysterics. Their unrestrained cackles rang through the teahouse, drawing disapproving stares from nearby patrons.
I exhaled slowly, pressing my fingers to my forehead.
"Gentlemen, enough," I said sharply. "That's revolting. Surely we can move on to a more palatable topic?"
"Relax, Priest Luo," Xiao Delun replied, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "That's the end of it. No more twists, I promise."
"Or is it?" Li Yao added with a smirk. "I heard that Sect Leader Ruan changed his mind and went back to retrieve his lover."
"It seems like he did," Xiao Delun agreed with a shrug. "Because after that… incident, they were seen traveling together again."
"And now," Li Yao leaned in, lowering his voice, "I hear Sect Leader Ruan will be at the upcoming Dark Path Coalition congregation. Who knows? Maybe he'll show up with his fabled beauty once more."
Xiao Delun's eyes gleamed. "You know what? We should stop by the venue, just for a couple of days. I want to see that priest with my own eyes."
"You're seriously going to delay your business over a rumor?" I asked, trying to keep my tone even, though heat prickled at the back of my neck.
"Rumors are born from embers of truth," Xiao Delun said with a shrug. "And if the tale's true, I want to see the man who supposedly made Sect Leader Ruan give up a priceless scroll just to take him back."
"You're setting yourself up for disappointment," I muttered, taking a slow sip of tea to calm the storm stirring in my chest.
"Even so," Li Yao chimed in, "it's worth investigating. If it's true, it'll be the talk of the decade. If it's not—well, we'll enjoy the journey."
"I never imagined merchants to be such lovers of idle gossip," I said dryly.
"It's what keeps us entertained on long roads," Li Yao replied with a grin. "Speaking of which, where are you headed, Priest Luo?"
I hesitated. "I'm also attending the congregation."
Both men froze, mid-sip, eyes locked on me in disbelief.
"You don't mean to say… you're a cultivator?" Li Yao asked slowly.
"I am," I replied with a calm smile.
Their jaws dropped in unison.
Xiao Delun leaned forward. "Forgive me, but… what level are you?"
"Level six," I answered. Or six and a half as Ma Huan called it.
They groaned in awe.
"Unbelievable," Li Yao said, shaking his head. "Six years ago, you were half-dead and blind in my wagon. I didn't think you'd survive, let alone become a master cultivator."
"There was little to see back then," I said gently. "I was poisoned. Powerless. There was no hint of what I might become."
Li Yao sat back, a wide grin on his face. "I'm glad to see you thriving. And since we're all headed the same way, why not travel together? It'd be reassuring to have a cultivator with us."
"I agree," Xiao Delun said quickly. "My carriage has cushions. Priest Luo should ride with me."
"Hold on," Li Yao countered, raising a hand. "I found him first. He'll ride with me. I've got a thousand questions for him."
"Fine," Xiao Delun huffed. "Today he rides with you. But tomorrow, he rides with me."
"That's hardly fair," Li Yao snapped. "Half a day isn't enough."
"Then he rides with me after lunch tomorrow."
"Absolutely not. Two days with me—then the third day with you."
I smiled faintly, watching them argue like squabbling children.
Xiao Delun let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine. But there's a problem. Priest Luo is attending the Light Path Alliance convention, which is much farther. Should we keep him with us while we wait for the Dark Path Coalition congregation?"
Li Yao rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then turned to me with an expectant smile. "What do you say, Priest Luo? Do you mind delaying your journey a few days for the sake of our delightful company?"
I offered a wry smile, feeling the weight of their eager gazes. "Actually, there won't be any delays. I've been invited to both congregations."
Their brows rose in perfect unison.
"Both?" Li Yao echoed.
"Yes," I replied calmly. "My sect, Surging Storm, is a neutral sect that walks the path of dual-core cultivation. That means we possess both light and dark cores. We're unaffiliated with either alliance, but in times of unrest, both may request our presence."
"A dual-core sect?" Xiao Delun leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "That sounds… dangerous."
"Rare is more accurate," I said. "We walk a fine line. But balance is at the heart of our training."
"I've never even heard of such a thing," Li Yao murmured, clearly intrigued.
"Most haven't," I admitted. "We prefer it that way."
Xiao Delun clapped his hands once, as if settling a bet. "That settles it then. You're taking us with you. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll get to glimpse this so-called ethereal beauty that's captured Sect Leader Ruan's heart."
Li Yao snorted with laughter. "I'll wager he's not half as beautiful as our Priest Luo here."
"I'll take that bet," Xiao Delun said immediately, grinning with mischief.
"Ten gold pieces."
"Deal."
I shook my head, caught somewhere between amusement and exasperation. "And what if you don't see him at all?"
"Impossible," Xiao Delun scoffed. "This is the dark path's most important event. Sect Leader Ruan will certainly attend—and where he goes, his jewel follows."
"What if they've separated?" I asked quietly, glancing away.
"Nonsense," Xiao Delun waved it off. "Sect Leader Ruan never lets him out of his sight. Everyone says so."
I said nothing more. There was no use arguing. Their minds were made up, and I—ironically—was the only one who knew how false their assumptions might be. I had made sure of it. After all, I had walked away from Ruan Yanjun first.
And he had let me.
As we stepped outside the tea house, Li Yao motioned grandly toward his wagon. "Come, Priest Luo. Time waits for no one."
I inclined my head and approached—but just as I reached the step, I heard hurried footsteps behind me.
"Priest Luo!"
I turned, startled by the familiar voice. The young woman from the tea shop was rushing toward me, breathless, her cheeks flushed. She clutched a small folded slip of paper in her hand.
"This is for you," she said shyly, placing the note into my palm.
I blinked. "What is this?"
She hesitated, glancing nervously at the two merchants beside me. "I… I wanted to say something earlier but couldn't. Please read it when you're alone."
Her earnestness caught me off guard. She bowed her head and darted back toward the shop before I could ask more.
The silence that followed was broken by Li Yao's amused elbow to my ribs. "What did I say? Even strangers can't resist your charm."
Xiao Delun let out a boisterous laugh. "Priest Luo, I fear you may be too beautiful for your own good."
I offered a faint smile, my face warm. Without replying, I climbed up to the front of the wagon and took the empty seat beside Li Yao, just behind the reins.
The wooden bench creaked slightly beneath me as the wagon jolted into motion. Behind us, crates and bundles of trade goods rattled with each bump in the road, filling the air with the faint scent of spices, dried herbs, and ink-dyed parchment.
As we passed under the shade of the trees lining the road, I slipped the folded note from my sleeve and opened it discreetly.
Her name was written at the top in careful, graceful strokes—and beneath it, a complete mailing address.
I stared at it for a long moment, unsure what stirred within me.
Perhaps it was gratitude.
Perhaps something else.
I folded it again with quiet care and tucked it back into my sleeve, not yet ready to understand why it mattered.