"Welcome Susu." Master Xinyue started. I had talked to him about Susu these following days, today he got to meet her in person.
Susu bowed to Master Xinyue, "Greetings to Master Xinyue! Master Yinuo talks about you a lot. You're really great!" she smiled.
Master chuckled at her remark. "Thank you Susu! Yinuo talks about you a lot too."
They exchanged a few words, after Susu finally began "Master Xinyue," her voice a soft whisper, "We come before you with a grave matter. The recent deaths in Jade Falls are troubling."
Master Xinyue, his eyes veiled in contemplation, raised a hand, silencing her. "I know, Susu. I am aware of the whispers." He sighed, his face etched with worry.
I stepped forward, my resolve hardening. "We believe, Master, that this is no ordinary matter. Someone is trying to get hold of the ancient artifact that lies beneath Jade falls."
The Master looked at me, his gaze piercing.
"The bodies...they are deprived of their energy threads, right Master?" Susu interjected.
"Indeed. However, how does it relate to the artifact." he asked.
"Master you might now know, but the ancient artifact requires chains of human energy thread and essense to unlock. The deaths are surely related to it." Susu enlightened him.
"That's why, these deaths aren't mere causes of drowning, murders, or demons." I spoke. "Master, I propose a deeper investigation on this matter. This act must immediately be stopped."
He paused, "This is a dangerous path, child. It might be beyond your grasp."
I protested , "Master, you know I can do it you're just worried of me, right? Master, let me try. I cannot stand by and watch as more innocents perish."
"I agree," Susu added, "How about an investigation group? We'll need a team strong and capable individuals."
Master Xinyue looked at us, considering. Finally, he nodded. "Very well. I trust your judgment child. You, Susu, along with Bai Lin, Hua Lin, and two other cultivators will spearhead this investigation. Elder Li will also be joining you."
"Thank you, Master!" My heart soared with relief.
"Master, can we bring another person. He had been eyeing on this case too." I added
Master Xinyue's face hardened. His mind is set. This is a decision he has made.
Susu placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "We will do our best, Yinuo. Together, we will find the truth."
I knew she was right. Though Lin Jian was a valuable asset, we would succeed. Together, we would uncover the truth behind the deaths in Jade Falls, even without him.
The tension had been thick all afternoon.
Lin Jian hadn't taken it well when I mentioned—perhaps too casually—that our team could handle the upcoming investigation without him. His ego had flared, as always, but he couldn't argue with the facts. He was needed elsewhere. We both knew it.
So he sulked in his usual quiet way, brooding behind narrowed eyes and short replies, until somehow we ended up sitting across from each other, sharing a late-night snack of plums under the courtyard lanterns. The silence between us was heavy, not quite hostile, but definitely not easy.
"I want you to be careful on this trip," he said suddenly, his voice quieter than usual. No smirk. No sarcasm. Just an unguarded seriousness that threw me off.
He wasn't even looking at me—just at the moon, like he was speaking to the night instead.
"Oh? And why the sudden concern?" I tried to sound breezy, to keep things from slipping into territory I didn't know how to navigate. "I thought you believed I was... supremely capable."
"You are," he said, finally glancing my way. "Doesn't mean I'm not allowed to worry."
I blinked. It wasn't like him to say things like that out loud. He shifted, nudging a pit away with his foot, as if annoyed by his own honesty.
Then, almost offhandedly, like he was throwing the thought into the air to see if it stuck:
"Have you ever thought about the future? You know. Hypothetically."
I raised an eyebrow. "You? Thinking about the future? That's new." I tried to smirk, but the flutter in my chest betrayed me. "Alright then, Mr. Hypothetical, where exactly do you imagine us?"
His eyes drifted back toward the sky. "Somewhere quiet. Maybe by the coast. Far from this mess."
It was such a simple image, but I could see it—waves, silence, maybe even peace.
It was unnerving how easily the idea slipped into place.
"I used to imagine something like that with my sister," he added after a beat, voice a little rougher now. "She'd wear dresses like yours—white, lined with fur. Always had these stupid little ornaments in her hair. But she was an archer. The best I've ever seen." He smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "She's far away now."
And then, casually—too casually—he added, "You remind me of her sometimes. That's probably why I look out for you. Like a sister."
The words landed strangely, too light for how heavy they felt in my chest.
"You know," he continued, shrugging, "if I'm being honest, I've thought about Li Yang too. She's…strong. Strategic." His gaze flicked sideways. "If I had to settle down, it wouldn't be the worst match. She's someone I could grow to like. And let's face it—I could benefit from it."
There it was—classic Lin Jian. Honesty, served with a dash of calculation. A gentle reminder of where we stood… or where he wanted me to believe we stood.
I looked down at the plum in my hand, then muttered, "That… actually doesn't sound bad."
He let out a soft laugh, more breath than sound. "Right? I mean, it'd be boring. But I think we've earned a little boring."
The silence returned, but it felt different now. Not awkward. Not heavy. Just… still.
The crickets filled the quiet that followed, and for a moment, everything else faded. No pretense.
No game. Just that strange, lingering thing between us—unspoken, but no longer hidden.
We were still calling each other fake friends. But in the space between sarcasm and silence, the truth had started to creep in.
And maybe—just maybe—we were starting to let it stay.
I dedicated the remaining hours to packing, and the following day marked our departure.
"Yinuo, Susu, I'm sure this carriage ride is quite the change from your usual life in the mountains," Hua Lin chuckled, her melodic voice a soothing balm in the otherwise tense atmosphere. She's actually good, maybe I misjudged her about the murder.
We smiled, Susu's eyes twinkling with a lively curiosity. "Indeed, senior Hua Lin. But we'll sure enjoy the journey nonetheless. The bustling towns, the changing landscapes... it's a welcome respite from our usual solitude." she said.
Bai Lin, ever the stoic, simply nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed on the passing scenery. The other two cultivators, Cai and Ming, engaged in hushed whispers about their previous experiences with the Jade Falls, their faces shadowed with an unspoken anxiety.
Elder Li, the seasoned leader of this expedition, cleared his throat. "We'll reach the first town by evening. We can stop at the Mountain Mist Inn for the night. It's a decent place, though not particularly grand."
"And then?" I asked, my mind already buzzing with the investigation ahead. "Where do we go after that?"
Elder Li smiled, a faint twinkle in his eyes. "We'll be staying at Duke Lin's estate for the next two nights. He's graciously offered his hospitality, and it's a strategic location for our research. It seems the Duke himself has some concerns regarding the Jade Falls."
As dusk painted the sky with hues of orange and purple, our carriage pulled up to the Mountain Mist Inn. The warm, welcoming scent of roasted meat and spiced tea greeted us as we stepped inside.
We settled for the night and continued our journey the next day.
As the morning arrived we continued our travel, and had just gotten in Duke Lin's mansion. I had barely settled into a cozy corner when a young boy, no older than ten, approached me, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and hope.
"Excuse me, pretty miss ," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "My name is Xiao. I live with my grandfather, the Duke, and... and there's something wrong with our beloved Eternal Tree."
His voice cracked with emotion, and he clutched at his sleeves as if to stop himself from breaking down entirely.
"The tree is withering," he whispered, "and my grandfather says it's connected to the Jade Falls somehow. Can you help us?"
Intrigued, I leaned closer, a strange feeling of familiarity settling in my gut. "Tell me more about this Eternal Tree."
Xiao led me out to the courtyard, where a magnificent, ancient tree stood, its branches bare and its leaves withered. A profound sadness radiated from it, a silent plea echoing through the air.
"It used to be so vibrant, full of life!" Xiao cried, his voice choked with tears. "It's the heart of our garden, a symbol of our family's prosperity... but now it's dying."
As I placed my hand on the tree's rough bark, an unfamiliar energy pulsed beneath my fingertips. It was a faint, almost imperceptible tremor, but it felt familiar, eerily connected to the Jade Falls we were about to investigate.
"This tree," I said, a profound realization dawning on me, "this tree is not just connected to the Jade Falls... it's a part of it."