Approaching the reception desk, Yue Rin couldn't help staring at the floor, nerves twisting in her stomach.
Please let there be no spots left. Please. If there's truly a god in this world, listen for once.
If other rogue cultivators heard that thought, they'd probably cough blood from rage. Some had traveled from other kingdoms just to be told the same thing: no spots left.
Yue Rin was still piecing together what to say when the staff member behind the desk spoke first. "Yue Rin! Finally. I was wondering if you wouldn't come."
Yue Rin froze.
This person knew her name?
She lifted her head, then blinked hard. Behind the desk stood A-Ling.
A-Ling had that girl-next-door look: soft features, bright eyes, the kind of face people trusted without thinking. Only now she wore the Rogue Alliance Pavilion uniform, neat and official, fitted close across the chest. Her black hair was gathered into a bouncy ponytail, and a small name tag rested over the left side of her heart, stamped with A-Ling's name above the Rogue Alliance emblem.
"A-Ling? You work here?"
"I've always worked here." Her smile wasn't the professional one she used for customers. It loosened into something relaxed.
"But… I thought you worked at the Willowshade Inn."
"I used to." A-Ling nodded. "I was part-time here at night. A few days ago I finally got a permanent contract, so I quit the inn."
That explained it. Yue Rin usually came during the day.
A-Ling's eyes flicked over her, quick and neat. "So you're here for a Verdant Pine secret realm entry token, right?"
"Uh… y-yes. How did you know?"
"Because that's all anyone talks about lately." A teasing curve touched A-Ling's mouth. "And you're a rogue cultivator. Of course you'd want in."
Damn. Spot on.
Unfortunately… not quite right.
A-Ling tilted her head, a crease forming between her brows. "You're really late, though. Did something happen?"
Saying something happened would be a lie. It was more like Yue Rin had been avoiding coming here. But admitting that would be the same as stamping coward onto her forehead.
"Uh… cultivator things." The words came out too fast. "You know. Stuff."
A-Ling's face shifted into instant understanding, and she dropped a palm into her other hand like it all made sense. "Ah. Things mortals can't comprehend, right?"
"…Yeah. Something like that."
Lying to someone this nice made Yue Rin feel like scum. But it was either that or her pride.
A-Ling's lips twitched, like she had to swallow something. Then she put on an apologetic face. "Unfortunately, all the spots are sold out."
Yue Rin's shoulders relaxed so fast it was almost embarrassing.
Yes! Fate had spoken!
And then A-Ling leaned forward, eyes bright. "But I've got something for you. Lean down a little."
…Oh no.
There wasn't a huge difference in height between them, but the desk was in the way. Yue Rin leaned in, and A-Ling rose on her toes to reach her ear. "Remember when you helped me chase off those men who were pestering me?"
The warm breath near Yue Rin's ear made her shiver. "Y-yeah." She straightened a fraction, like that would make her sound righteous. "That was just what a righteous person should do!"
"There aren't many righteous people like you." A-Ling's voice softened, then sharpened with old irritation. "Those men bothered me for days. Reporting them to the guards was useless, since they never directly harmed me." Her gaze flicked aside for a heartbeat. "Until you showed up. You beat them until they ran, and then you got thrown in prison for a week because of me."
"W-well… that was in the past."
It had happened only a few days after Yue Rin first got acquainted with her. Hearing those disgusting, suggestive remarks aimed at someone that kind had made something snap inside her. She'd marched over in full view of the inn's customers and staff and started swinging. At least she'd been smart enough not to use Qi. Otherwise, she would've sat in prison a lot longer.
"I never forgot that favor." A-Ling's voice was quieter now, like she didn't want anyone nearby to hear. "After I learned you're a rogue cultivator, I kept thinking about what I could give you in return. But mortal gifts don't mean much to cultivators, right?"
Not if you're a terrifying expert. For people like me, a decent meal still matters.
Although she thought, she kept it to herself.
"And with the secret realm opening soon… those entry tokens. I knew you'd want one." A small pride warmed A-Ling's voice, softened by guilt. "So when the Pavilion received them, one just… happened to go missing." Her eyes darted, quick and guilty, and she lowered her voice another notch. "And I just found it under my desk today."
Yue Rin's mind went blank for a moment.
In that gap, A-Ling slipped a token out and set it on the counter.
It was a round token, a little larger than a coin, made from pale polished wood that felt oddly dense. A pine leaf emblem was carved into the face, and thin green lines ran through the grain like living veins. Along the edge, tiny characters formed a sealing ring.
Yue Rin had entered the secret realm before. She knew what a real entry token looked like.
This one was real.
She wanted to scold her for taking such a risk. But A-Ling's expression was practically begging for praise.
So Yue Rin could only sigh. "A-Ling… you really didn't need to do all that. A simple thank you would've been enough."
A-Ling waved it off. "My father taught me to repay favors a hundredfold."
"Okay, okay." Yue Rin lowered her voice, defeated. "Thank you. I… appreciate it." Then she forced herself onto safer ground. "So it's still one hundred and fifty spirit stones, right?"
A-Ling winced. "No. This opening? Two hundred."
"What?" Yue Rin's eyes widened. "They raised it? Why?"
"More demand than supply." A-Ling shrugged, like it was obvious. "Greedy, basically." Then she leaned forward again. "If you pay with a Ledger card, you can skip the extra checks. Want to do that?"
"Yes. Please." Yue Rin reached into her cloak and fumbled for a moment before pulling out a slim, palm-sized card.
It was lacquer-black, smooth as polished stone, with a thin gold border that caught the light when she tilted it. Her name, Yue Rin, was stamped neatly across the face. Beneath it sat the seal of the Golden Abacus Hall: a small abacus over a coin-ring. If you looked closely, faint formation-lines ran through the lacquer like hair-thin veins, only visible at an angle.
By the time she had it ready, A-Ling had already set an artifact on the counter.
It was a dark metal disk set into a wooden stand. In the center was a shallow rectangular recess shaped to fit the Ledger card. Beneath it was an etched symbol of a finger pressing a seal-mark. Around the rim, tiny marks circled like abacus beads, worn smooth from use. At the top sat a thumb-sized white crystal.
Yue Rin placed the card into the recess, pressed a finger to the seal mark, and fed a thin thread of Qi into it.
A line of light extended from her fingertip, slipped into the card's edge, and raced through it like ink catching fire. For a breath, the formation-lines on the Ledger card lit in delicate threads before the light flowed onward into the crystal. Ripples stirred inside the crystal, slow at first, then faster, as if it were counting. A few breaths later, the ripples stilled.
The crystal flashed green.
"Thank you for your purchase."
A-Ling's face snapped into a professional smile for a heartbeat, then softened again as soon as the words were out.
Yue Rin took the entry token and tucked it into her cloak. Then, after a struggle that felt harder than any fight, she spoke. "Um… A-Ling. Are you… free this afternoon?"
A-Ling looked like she was about to reach out and pat Yue Rin's head. But she stopped herself and lifted her chin instead. "I might be. Why?"
Yue Rin's voice dropped. "I was thinking of going to the bathhouse today, and… maybe we could go together?"
A-Ling tapped her finger against her chin, pretending to consider it. The silence stretched just long enough to make Yue Rin regret her entire existence.
Then A-Ling smiled. "I'm not sure yet. But if I'm free, I'll meet you there." Her eyes curved slightly. "How does that sound?"
Yue Rin's eyes brightened instantly. "Perfect! Then I'll see you later, bye!"
She turned and fled out of the Pavilion like she'd just spotted a heart demon.
A-Ling watched Yue Rin go, then let out a soft chuckle.
They weren't quite friends.
But they weren't far from it either.
Her mind flickered back to the day she'd learned Yue Rin's 'mysterious cultivator' act had a very ordinary side: answering the door half-asleep, shirt loose, hair a mess, yawning like a lazy cat. Compared to that, the hood and quiet voice were almost too funny.
A-Ling's smile softened, soft enough that the next customer approaching the desk hesitated for a step. She caught herself, straightened, and slipped back into her professional expression.
Maybe… she should ask the manager if she could leave early today.