Langtian slowly stood up, one hand braced against the wall to steady himself. His body still ached and throbbed, but at least he could walk now. The pill that Senior Sister had given him truly worked like magic, though it did come with a few odd side effects.
He reached for the black robe she had handed him and gently unfolded it.
The fabric was soft, cool, and surprisingly clean. As he draped it over his shoulders, it fell around him in flowing layers. A little too big, with its long sleeves drooped past his wrists, and the hem brushed against his ankles, but it was comfy, sturdy, and infused with the faint, comforting scent of dried herbs and faint traces of smoke. A scent like medicine and firewood. Like an alchemist's room.
Before he could adjust it properly, Yue Ling stepped closer.
Without a word, she began fixing the robe for him.
Her fingers were quick and gentle, tugging the folds into place, straightening the collar, tightening the sash around his waist. She gave the shoulder a firm brush, dusting it clean, then gently tapped his chest twice.
Pat pat.
"Hehe, as I thought. This looks good on you," she said with a bright smile.
And then— "Oh wow! You're even taller than me now!"
She raised her hand, stood on her tiptoes, and measured the height difference between them. Langtian was now half a head taller than her.
"I can't believe the little boy from ten years ago has grown this big!"
Langtian's face flushed red.
"T-Thanks, Senior Sister Shangguan…" he murmured, quickly looking away.
Yue Ling chuckled, then turned toward the mess he'd made earlier. The fallen shelves and scattered ingredients lay strewn across the floor. She crouched down without complaint and began picking them up one by one, righting the broken shelves and gathering the loose herbs into a basket.
Watching her do that made guilt churn in Langtian's chest.
"I-I'm sorry…" he said, lowering his head.
"Don't worry. It's not your fault," Yue Ling replied gently, not even turning around.
She retrieved a shallow bamboo basket from the corner of the room and knelt gracefully on the floor, her sleeves brushing the ground as she began gathering the scattered pills one by one. Among them were crushed herbs, tiny spirit stones that shimmered faintly with qi, and a few oddly shaped beast parts—fangs, bone fragments, dried claws.
"Let me help you." Langtian quickly knelt beside her, scooping up a handful of crushed leaves with care.
"Yeah, these are just dried ingredients I'd been processing," Yue Ling said softly as she continued picking through the mess.
But then, as they both reached out for the same small piece of bone—
Their hands touched.
Langtian froze.
His fingers brushed against her skin, smooth, cold, and impossibly soft.
Their eyes met.
Time seemed to stop for a brief heartbeat.
Because from this close, she looked even more beautiful.
…
"What's wrong? The pill's side effects still bothering you?" Yue Ling asked as she picked up the bone and dropped it into the basket.
"Ah, n-nothing!" Langtian said quickly, his voice cracking slightly as he turned his head away, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Eh?" she tilted her head. "Then why'd you suddenly space out like that?"
"Ah… I-It's just…" he fumbled with his words. "I still can't believe we'd meet again like this…"
Yue Ling paused, then shook her head with a soft, knowing chuckle.
"Silly junior brother."
She stood up, dusting off her hands, and Langtian exhaled, finally releasing the breath he'd been unconsciously holding.
Her gaze drifted across the room and landed on the shattered remains of the stone table lying cracked and broken on the floor.
"Well," she sighed, "looks like I'll need to carve a new one soon."
"Senior Sister! Leave that to me!" Langtian stood up with sudden urgency, his back straight and his eyes gleaming with determination.
Yue Ling raised a brow at him, amused. "Sure," she said with a smirk. "But let's finish this mess first."
She walked over to the corner, grabbed a broom, then tossed another one toward him. Langtian caught it awkwardly.
It was handmade, rough but sturdy, woven from dried branches and straw, bound together with twisted vine cord.
"That's funny," Yue Ling said with a little laugh. "I made this extra one just this morning for no reason. It's like the heavens knew you were coming."
"R-Really?" Langtian blinked.
"Pffft—nah! Just kidding! I was bored, okay? I made a bunch of random stuff!"
"I-I see…" Langtian muttered, smiling awkwardly.
And so, the two of them began sweeping.
The soft rustling of straw against stone filled the air.
_____________________________
A few minutes later, with the shelves mostly fixed and the mess somewhat cleaned up, Yue Ling gave Langtian a light tap on the shoulder, smiling.
"Alright, little junior brother, let's head out!"
"Yes," Langtian nodded.
But just as they were about to step through the threshold, something tugged at the back of his mind.
Something… odd.
"Wait! Senior Sister, where did you get these clothes?"
He looked down at the black robe again. The fabric was high quality, clearly not something one could just find in a cursed valley filled with nothing but demonic beasts.
Then, where did the silk come from?
And more importantly… the color, the style of this robe…
It reminded him of something unsettling.
The evil sects.
Dark-robed cultivators. He and Yue Ling now looked like someone who had been practicing the dark arts.
Before he could ask more, Yue Ling turned around and grabbed him by the wrist, carefree as ever.
"Just follow me, and I'll show you around!"
"O-Okay…" Langtian muttered, still puzzled.
And just like that, they stepped out of the house.