That same night, in the forest Mu thought was only part of a dream, his eyes open. He was standing right in the middle of pitch darkness, surrounded by trees.
"...What... Where am I?"
A chill crept down his back. He wanted to scream, but something told him not to. Cuz if he scream, something worse might find him.
Instead, he took a few slow steps forward, trying to figure out where he was.
"Heavens... How did I end up here? The last place I remember was the tunnel... and that demon, the chains, the Buddha... And now I'm just—what the hell—back in a forest?"
His foot came down on a dry stick. Crack.
The sound echoed and a dozens of red eyes flicked open above him. Bats, hanging silently from the branches.
Mu stood still, not a single breath came.
He used to be fearless—but now? Even his legs felt unsure.
"Okay... Mu. Deep breaths. It's just a dream, right? No need to freak out. Just breathe."
He let out a shaky breath, trying to steady himself.
He passed under the bats without looking up. Then, an owl turned its head slowly–round and full staring right at him.
Mu forced a weak smile at it and walked past, acting like he didn't care.
After wandering a bit more, trees gave way to stone, and the gates of the Bai Clan appeared up ahead.
"What? The Bai Clan? What the hell am I doing here? I need to get out of here now."
He took the left path to sneak away but then stopped. He heard someone was crying.
The sound was faint. From inside the Bai Clan, near a tree behind the wall.
Mu hesitated. The Bai and Chen families weren't on good terms. He shouldn't care.
But that voice… looks too sad.
"Why... why does everyone think I'm weak? Even my sister looks at me like I'm nothing... I hate this world..."
It was a girl. Her voice soft, but full of pain. She cried quietly, as if even tears were tired of her.
Mu looked away. He didn't want to care, but he did.
"...Tch. Just one peek."
He found a stone block, dragged it over, and climbed to see over the wall.
"I hate this feeling," he muttered under his breath.
Peeking over, he spotted her.
Pink hair, sitting on the tree branch, her head low, sobbing quietly. She looked young, maybe his age. Her hair glowed faintly under the moonlight.
Mu stared, stunned by her appearance, but reminded himself who she was. A Bai.
Still, his voice came out before he could stop it.
"Hey."
She looked up, startled and slipped off the tree.
Mu couldn't help it but laughed. She stood up, furious.
"What are you laughing at? Who do you think you are, sneaking into my house and mocking me?!"
Mu was still trying to stop laughing, but seeing her mad somehow made it worse.
She turned away to leave.
"Wait!" he called out. He didn't even know why.
She paused, not turning. "What do you want?"
Mu scratched the back of his neck. "I was passing by... heard someone crying... I felt bad, that's all."
She stared up at him. His face caught her off guard. He didn't look cruel. Just... curious. Kind, maybe.
"...Can I come in?" he asked, this time a bit more softly.
"mmm... am not really sure."
Mu jumped and landed on one of the tree branches. Ruoxue stood beneath, clutching her hands, unsure.
"You coming?"
She hesitated. "O-okay."
She reached for a branch, but couldn't lift herself.
Mu leaned down, offering his hand.
She looked at it for a while, then took it. He helped her up.
Now they both sat on the branch. Neither said a word at first.
Then Ruoxue glanced at him.
"Um... can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, sure."
She cleared her throat.
"How are you so... calm and confident? Like it's nothing."
Mu looked off into the distance, thinking. "Guess it's because of where I grew up. Home was peaceful. Always felt safe."
Ruoxue nodded slowly. "Sounds nice."
"Yeah," he said, then smiled. "I'm Mu, by the way. You?"
Before she could answer, Meihua called from behind the wall.
"Sister Ruoxue! Where are you?!"
Ruoxue looked at Mu, gave a small, shy smile. "I have to go. Sorry... Bye."
Mu wanted to stop her. He didn't even know why he wanted to do that.
She waved at him, gave a little hop off the branch, and sprinted.
He sat there, frustrated.
"I didn't get your name!"
From somewhere beyond the trees, her voice came back:
"Ruoxue!"
Mu smiled. "Ruoxue... what a name."
He hopped down and wandered toward home, hands tucked into his sleeves, whistling softly to himself.
By the time he got home, the sky had begun to bright. He hadn't slept since last night.
He rushed into the clan, slipped back into his room, and threw himself on the bed.
Just a short nap before—
"Mu Chen! Get up! It's time for school!"
His mother's voice cut through the room.
Mu stayed quiet, pretending to sleep.
Then—Whack! Xueyin beat him with a cane.
"Agh! Mom!" He jumped out of bed, hands on his backside. "I'm up, I'm up!"
Xueyin walked out but hid by the door. Mu flopped back on the bed.
Whack! again.
He bolted upright, groaning.
"You tricked me!"
And ran straight to the bathroom.
The Chen clan compound was already alive with movement. Everyone was getting ready for their day. Some heading off to work, others busy with their morning routines.
Mu's nephew, Chen Yubo, stood by the gate, waiting for him to come out so they could walk to school together. But Mu? He was still locked in the bathroom, singing to himself like he had no idea time existed.
Inside, Mu was halfway through bathing and seriously thinking about skipping school altogether. But the thought of Xueyin's cane quickly killed that idea.
He was still toweling off when someone knocked. Wearing nothing but his boxers, Mu swung the door open without thinking, only to find Yubo standing there. His eyes widened and he immediately slammed the door shut.
"Ah—sorry, Mu! I didn't mean to... I just wanted to say I'm already late, so I have to go now!"
Mu's voice came muffled from behind the door. "Alright, fine. Just go."
Once his nephew left, the whole house felt strangely quiet. Only a few guards remained at the gate. Mu rushed to dress, grabbed his bag, and stepped out. Walking to school alone was already annoying, but today, it felt worse.
When he finally reached the school's front entrance, he spotted Qiyao and his two friends leaning against the wall, chatting and laughing. Mu slowed his steps, turned around, and was just about to use the other gate when he heard a voice call out.
"Well, well. Look who showed up."
Mu turned slightly. "Look, I'm not here to start anything. If you want trouble, go cause it in your little MO clan library."
Qiyao's smirk faded. His expression darkened, and his jaw clenched as he started walking toward Mu, each step louder than the last.
"What did you just say?" Qiyao hissed. "Don't you dare talk about my clan like that again. You're going to pay for that, right now."