Linyue opened the door to her chamber slowly, half-expecting chaos, or perhaps a hole in the roof. Instead, everything was suspiciously normal.
Song Meiyu was sprawled across her bed, limbs stretched to the far corners as if she were personally guarding it from ghosts, thieves, or possibly just He Yuying. Speaking of which, He Yuying sat in a chair by the table, perfectly relaxed, casually popping dried plums into his mouth. Shen Zhenyu stood near the window, silent and brooding as always.
Linyue blinked. Nothing burned. Nothing broken. The walls were upright. The roof still firmly attached. She gave a small approving nod. At least someone in this group had self-control. But peace never lasted long here.
The instant her foot crossed the threshold, Song Meiyu shot up, eyes wide with excitement. "Sister Linyue! How is it?!"
"We can enter the library."
"That's not what I'm asking!" Song Meiyu wailed, flailing her arms dramatically. "You know what I meant. Look! Your cheeks are still red!"
He Yuying crunched loudly on dried plum. "She's right. Did you catch the disease too?"
Song Meiyu whipped her head toward him, eyes narrowing into thin, dangerous slits. "It's not a disease!" she snapped.
Before Linyue could take two steps, Song Meiyu launched herself across the room. "Sister Linyue, ignore him! Now, tell me everything! Did he hold your hand again? Or maybe… did he touch your face?!" Her voice went up half an octave with every word.
In the corner, Shen Zhenyu, who had been trying very hard to mind his own business and brood in peace, finally turned his head. He took in the sight of the three of them, sighed without a sound, and shook his head like he was accepting the chaos he could not stop.
Linyue was completely unfazed. Her expression was calm, unreadable, and just a little too smug to be innocent. "Nothing," she said mysteriously. "I just had to pay an entrance fee. Let's go."
Song Meiyu's eyes widened. "Not with gold or silver, right?"
Linyue only shrugged. A small, elegant shrug that somehow screamed not a no. Then she turned on her heel and walked toward the door. Each step was measured, graceful, and entirely unhurried. She looked every bit the picture of composure. A woman in perfect control. A woman who absolutely had not just kissed the King of Shulin breathless on top of a desk surrounded by fallen scrolls. Her footsteps were smooth. But her heartbeat? Slightly chaotic.
Song Meiyu bounced along beside Linyue, glowing with scandal-powered energy. She was not even walking like a normal person anymore. She floated, propelled entirely by gossip fumes, hands clasped and eyes sparkling.
Behind them, He Yuying let out a long, suffering groan. "Why am I here? I didn't sign up for this parade."
Shen Zhenyu walked in silence, falling into step with the group. His arms were crossed, his lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't say anything, but the small furrow between his brows said plenty.
The four of them marched toward the royal library like a very odd parade: one calm leader, one bouncing gossiper, one snack-deprived grumbler, and one brooding shadow.
The royal library had no idea what was coming.
After pestering a trail of confused palace physicians, flustered maidservants, and mildly terrified guards, they finally reached the royal library. The large double doors stood open as if inviting trouble. A palace physician rushed past them with an armful of scrolls and a wild look in his eyes.
They stepped inside smoothly this time. No need for accidental dramatic kicks or explosive entrances. Which was, if anyone asked Linyue, a little disappointing.
The moment the four of them entered, the entire room seemed to freeze. Dozens of scholars, physicians, and assistants looked up in unison. Every pair of eyes followed them. The stares were sharp, suspicious, and just horrified enough to make it interesting. After a brief moment, as if someone had given a signal, everyone suddenly dropped their gazes. Papers rustled violently. Quills scratched. From a shadowy corner, a suspicious coughing fit erupted. It may have been fake.
Song Meiyu leaned closer to Linyue, her voice low and curious. "Huh? Why do they all look like they just saw a ghost?"
"Maybe they're shocked by my beauty," Linyue answered without a hint of shame.
To her mild surprise, Shen Zhenyu actually let out a quiet chuckle.
He Yuying snorted. "More like they're shocked you brought her in here," he muttered, tilting his chin toward Song Meiyu.
Completely unbothered, Song Meiyu clasped her hands over her chest and gasped, "That's true. I am a little overwhelming."
The four of them continued deeper into the library, weaving past rows and rows of towering shelves packed with ancient books and scrolls. Neatly arranged tables sat between them, complete with little ink pots, calligraphy brushes, and stacks of reference texts. The air smelled of old paper and dried ink. It was all very quiet and very orderly. Too bad they brought Song Meiyu.
"Ooooh!" Song Meiyu gasped, spinning in place. "This place smells like paper and secrets! I love it already!"
"Please don't shout in a library," Shen Zhenyu muttered behind her, though he didn't sound very hopeful about it.
"Do you think they'll let me take a few scrolls back?" she asked brightly, already reaching toward one without hesitation.
"No," Shen Zhenyu said immediately, his reflexes sharp as ever.
Song Meiyu sighed. "Why not? I bet the Demon King would say yes."
Linyue didn't respond. She was already scanning the shelves, looking for anything useful. But her ears were still a little pink. No one mentioned it. Except Song Meiyu. Loudly. Two minutes later.
"Your ears are still pink, Sister Linyue!" she announced. "Did you kiss—"
"Let's try not to burn anything," Shen Zhenyu interrupted, his voice serious. "Or break anything. Or steal anything."
Three heads turned toward him.
Song Meiyu blinked innocently. "Of course! I'm just going to read!" And then she dashed off toward a far corner.
Linyue gave a polite smile and nodded like a responsible adult.
He Yuying knocked over three scrolls and a book as he brushed past a shelf. "...Oops."
Shen Zhenyu's sigh was long, deep, full of regret and quiet suffering.
Soon enough, they all scattered in different directions. The royal library, usually a quiet place of study and silence, now had the low-level chaos energy of their presence.
Linyue walked slowly between the tall shelves, her fingers occasionally grazing the spines of books now and then. The titles whispered of illnesses, herbs, poisons, strange symptoms, and ancient cures. She wasn't even sure where to begin, or what she truly hoped to find. Shu Mingye's people had already combed through all this. What could she possibly find that they didn't?
Still, wandering between quiet rows of books felt peaceful. And as long as no one suddenly caught fire, shouted about pink ears again, or managed to knock over an entire bookshelf, she would count this trip as a success.
She drifted past whispering physicians and jumpy scholars, their eyes darting away the moment she passed. The farther she walked, the older the scrolls became. Dust clung to their edges, the shelves here dim and cool. At last, she reached the far end of the library where no one gave her strange looks. It was a relief. Suspicious glances made her feel like she accidentally wore her robes backwards.
The shelves here were quieter. Even the books looked like they had given up on being read. Linyue scanned the titles, fingers trailing lightly across cracked spines. Most of them were legends, myths, or stories with overly dramatic names like "The Celestial Phoenix's Left Eyelash" or "How I Fought a Tiger with Chopsticks: A Memoir". Completely unrelated to the disease. Absolutely useless. Which made this section oddly relaxing. Then her eyes stopped on a crooked stack of books that looked like they had been shoved into the corner and politely forgotten. "Arrays for Dummies (Who Want to Look Like Geniuses)", "The Lazy Cultivator's Guide to Arrays", "Arrays for the Desperate and Confused".
Linyue raised an eyebrow. "...Hm."
She picked one up and flipped through it. The handwriting was cramped, with small doodles of grumpy cultivators and badly drawn diagrams. It looked like a scam or possibly a prank. She kind of liked it.