With a lift of his hand, Pei Jinglan halted the group.
He swept the riverbank with a calm, unhurried gaze. Wherever his eyes landed, shoulders subtly drew in, conversations thinned, and even the louder rogue cultivators seemed to remember how to breathe quietly.
They had come because they'd received word that a kelp-type spirit herb grew somewhere along this stretch of river. The crowd alone confirmed at least that part was true.
The other part, about the spirit beasts being 'nothing special'… Pei Jinglan's mouth tightened slightly.
When he leaves the realm, he would find that seller and 'thank' them properly.
"Senior brother, senior brother, is this where the spirit herb is?" Qin Xueyi voice was bright as a bell as she asked.
Pei Jinglan felt the first stirrings of a headache and answered with one word.
"Yes."
Qin Xueyi opened her mouth as if to ask why they were stopping instead of charging in, just then the brush behind them shifted.
A second girl stepped out.
Her looks drew everyone's gazes, but her current state dulled it into something more pitiful than dazzling. Her robe was scuffed and tugged crooked at the shoulder, as if she'd wrestled it free from thorns. A few strands of hair had escaped her pins and clung to her cheek with dried sweat.
She moved to the back of the group.
The moment she appeared, Qin Xueyi's expression stiffened into a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Sister Han Suyin, are you all right?"
Han Suyin wanted to ignore her, but she knew what that would buy her later. So she lowered her eyes and replied in the gentlest tone she could manage.
"I'm fine. My robe caught on a branch and it delayed me."
Pei Jinglan's voice carried from the front, cool and flat.
"If a few twigs can snag you, your footwork is lacking. Correct it."
From her tree, Yue Rin watched the exchange and felt, annoyingly, like she'd been slapped too.
Han Suyin's fingers tightened once at her sleeve. Then she released the fabric and bowed her head.
"Understood, Senior Brother."
Pei Jinglan didn't linger on it.
"lets move."
He led them toward the river's edge.
As they approached, one of the older disciples spoke up. "A precious herb sitting in plain view, and none of these people dare enter for it." He glanced at the water. "What do you suggest, Pei Jinglan?"
He was a senior too, so he didn't bother with honorifics.
Pei Jinglan studied the river bend. The water looked clean, the current steady, and in the deeper section the faint teal glow flickered beneath the surface like something breathing.
He already had a guess about the guardian, but the information had come from the same mouth that lied about the spirit beasts strength inside this realm. Trusting it blindly would be stupid.
Risk was high. Reward was higher. And after their master's investment, returning with scraps would be a disgrace.
He made a decision without changing his expression.
"We camp here for the night."
The nearby rogues shifted at the words, some relieved, some displeased. A camp meant stability. It also meant tension that lasted longer.
Pei Jinglan's gaze slid to Han Suyin.
"Han Suyin. Go ask what guards the kelp."
Han Suyin blinked, caught off guard. Before she could respond, Qin Xueyi slipped close and wrapped both hands around Pei Jinglan's arm as if she belonged there.
"Senior brother, it's a bit harsh to send her alone, but… it matches what Master said. Sister Han needs to speak with people more. To open up." Her voice sounding sweet as sugar.
Pei Jinglan's jaw flexed. For a moment it looked like he might shake her off.
Then he didn't.
"Mm," was all he gave.
Qin Xueyi beamed as if she'd won something, and tugged him a step away. The rest of the group fell in behind them without question.
Han Suyin was left standing where she was.
The moment their backs turned, she felt it. That shift in the crowd. The looks that measured her like a piece of meat, not a person.
From the outside, it was obvious the group didn't care about her. What stunned her most was Pei Jinglan's audacity.
He was the one who insisted she come. He'd even involved her master to force it.
And now he tossed her into the crowd like a spare tool.
Han Suyin swallowed the heat in her chest and forced herself to move. Finish the task quickly. Return quickly. Don't make it worse.
As she walked, voices followed her.
"Little beauty, come here. I'll tell you whatever you want," someone called, laughter thick with slime.
"Why ask? Just sit on my lap and I'll teach you plenty," another added.
"A sect girl running errands. How generous," a third sneered. "What's your price?"
Han Suyin kept her face blank and her gaze scanning.
Then her eyes caught on someone sitting farther from the crowd.
A person wearing a cloak. Alone. Quiet. Their posture was relaxed, but not careless. What drew her attention wasn't just their distance, but the fact that when she'd stepped onto the bank earlier, she'd felt their gaze land on her, quick and assessing, then move away.
And now, unlike the others, they weren't watching her at all.
An unknown danger was still better than a confirmed one.
Han Suyin turned and walked toward them.
Yue Rin was half-lost in her own thoughts, building drama in her head like it was free entertainment, but she stayed alert. The moment Han Suyin came close, Yue Rin looked up.
Han Suyin felt that wary yet curious gaze, and her shoulders relaxed by a hair.
She stopped at a respectful distance and bowed slightly.
"Hello. I'm Han Suyin. I'd like to ask about the spirit beast in the river. Would you mind helping fill in what I don't know?"
Yue Rin blinked. She hadn't heard what the group had said earlier, so she didn't know why this girl was suddenly in front of her, but the respectful tone, combined with how she'd been treated earlier, softened Yue Rin's annoyance.
"I don't know its official name," Yue Rin admitted. "But I've seen it. I can describe it."
Han Suyin's relief lasted half a breath before disappointment tried to creep in. A name would've been faster.
Still, she nodded. "Please."
Yue Rin tilted her head. "Feel free to sit. It'll take a moment."
Han Suyin almost refused out of habit. Then she decided sitting was a small price for useful information. She lowered herself beside the tree, keeping a careful gap between them.
The moment she settled, her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl.
Han Suyin clutched her abdomen, face heating in embarrassment.
Yue Rin paused, lips twitching as if she might laugh. She held it back and asked instead, voice oddly gentle.
"…Are you hungry?"
Han Suyin shook her head too fast, then realized how ridiculous that looked. She swallowed and mumbled, "Just a little."
Yue Rin reached into her backpack and produced a few plain biscuits.
She held them out.
Han Suyin hesitated, then quickly said, "You don't need to- I can catch fish later."
"You can't hunt properly on an empty stomach, Take them. It's just a gift."
Something in Yue Rin's tone made it hard to refuse without looking rude. Han Suyin took the biscuits with reluctant fingers and began taking small bites.
As she ate, Yue Rin spoke again.
"I'm Yue Rin. A rogue cultivator. Nice to meet you."
Han Suyin nearly choked mid-chew, swallowed awkwardly, then managed, "Nice to meet you too." Her eyes flicked toward Yue Rin's hood. "Are you a girl?"
Yue Rin raised an eyebrow. "How did you guess?"
"Your voice," Han Suyin replied bluntly.
Yue Rin's ears warmed. She covered it by digging out a waterskin and offering it.
Han Suyin stared at it, confused. "Why are you giving me this?"
"Those biscuits make you thirsty, and don't worry, I rinsed it out. It's clean."
Han Suyin accepted the waterskin, drank, and felt warmth spread in her chest that had nothing to do with water.
When she handed it back, she suddenly remembered why she came and straightened.
"You said you would tell me about the spirit beast."
Yue Rin took the waterskin, then grinned, eyes bright with mischief.
"My bad, my bad. It was just… cute, watching you nibble those biscuits like that."
Han Suyin's face became so red it almost looked painful. She dropped her gaze to her knees, mortified.
Yue Rin was about to continue when her hand brushed something soft and ticklish inside her backpack.
She jerked her hand back so fast it made her whole body shiver.
Han Suyin startled. "What's wrong?"
Yue Rin cleared her throat, trying to pretend she hadn't just flinched like a coward.
"Nothing. Nothing. Let me check something, then I'll tell you everything."
Han Suyin nodded and leaned her head back against the tree. A quiet breath slipped out of her, softer than she meant it to be.
She was surprised at how comfortable she'd already gotten beside a stranger. Eating and drinking what they offered, without fearing poison or mockery.
Maybe it was because they were the same gender.
Or maybe it was because after her parents died, and after she entered the sect… she'd forgotten what simple care even felt like.
Han Suyin almost laughed at the irony.
The first person to show her warmth, outside her parents, wasn't a senior sister or a noble sect brother.
It was a rogue cultivator she'd met by chance under a tree.