The energy of Yunxiao Mountain was a living thing. In the thin, cold air of the pre-dawn courtyard, it was a current that flowed through a thousand disciples, a silent river of power seeking the sea. Shen Luo knelt upon the stone, her eyes closed, and tried to be a part of that river. She followed the Serpent Coils Form, her body moving through the ancient stances, her breath a slow, steady tide. The qi was there, a cool presence at the base of her spine, but it would not rise. It pooled and swirled, a restless spirit she could not command, and with every failed attempt to guide it upward, a familiar knot of frustration tightened in her gut. She was a vessel that could not hold water, a stream that could not find its way to the ocean. All around her, she could feel the others succeeding, their energies joining the greater flow, while hers remained stubbornly, painfully, alone. Her focus shattered, and the form collapsed, leaving her breathing hard in the quiet mist.
A soft nudge brought her back to herself. "The mountain isn't going anywhere, Luo. You look like you're trying to wrestle it into submission." Lin Mei's voice was a welcome whisper of warmth in the chill. She was already moving into the closing stance, her own energy bright and effervescent, a stark contrast to Shen Luo's sputtering ember. "You're thinking too hard again. You always do."
Shen Luo sighed, running a hand over her damp forehead. "It's no use. I'm stuck. I've been at the peak of the sixth level for months. It's like there's a wall I can't break through."
"Walls are meant to be climbed," Lin Mei said with a cheerful lack of sympathy that Shen Luo both appreciated and envied. "Or, you know, just ignored until they go away. Come on, Elder Wei is looking. Let's get breakfast before he decides we need extra meditation for our 'undisciplined minds'".
As they rose and joined the stream of disciples heading toward the dining hall, Shen Luo's frustration began to melt away, replaced by a different, more familiar warmth. There, walking just ahead of them, was Senior Brother Gu Yan. He moved with an effortless grace that set him apart from the crowd, his white robes immaculate, his posture perfect. He wasn't just practicing the art; he was the art's ideal form. Shen Luo's heart gave a secret, foolish lurch, a flutter she tried to suppress but never could. He was the sect's brightest star, a legend in the making, and he was also the one who had once stopped to help her pick up a fallen stack of jade slips, his smile as fleeting and as warm as a patch of spring sunlight. That small, insignificant moment had become a treasure she kept locked away in the quietest part of her heart.
She was so lost in the memory that she almost walked right into him when he suddenly stopped. Gu Yan turned, his dark jade eyes landing not on her, but on Lin Mei, who had been talking animatedly. "Junior Sister Lin," he said, his voice as calm and smooth as still water. "Your control over the fire element has improved considerably. I saw your practice yesterday."
Lin Mei, for once, was speechless. Her cheeks flushed a brilliant red, and she bowed so quickly she almost dropped her porridge bowl. "Th-thank you, Senior Brother Gu! I'm just trying my best!"
"Your best is better than most," he said, and then his gaze shifted, falling on Shen Luo. For a breathtaking second, his eyes were on her, and she felt a jolt, as if a spark of lightning had jumped from him to her. "And you, Junior Sister Shen. Your stance is solid. Your foundation is strong. Do not be discouraged by a slow current. The deepest rivers often flow the quietest."
He gave them both a small, polite nod and continued on his way, leaving the two of them standing frozen in the middle of the path. Shen Luo's mind was a complete blank. He had noticed her. He had spoken to her. He had called her foundation strong. The words echoed in her head, chasing away the last of her morning frustration and replacing it with a dizzying, incandescent joy. She could feel the blood rushing to her face, and she knew she must be grinning like an idiot, but she didn't care.
"Oh, my heavens," Lin Mei finally breathed, fanning herself with her hand. "Did that just happen? Did the Gu Yan just compliment us? I think I might faint."
"He said my foundation was strong," Shen Luo whispered, as if saying it out loud would make it more real.
"He said you were a quiet, deep river!" Lin Mei squealed, grabbing her arm. "That's basically a marriage proposal in sect terms! We have to celebrate. Tonight. After evening meditation. We're sneaking out to the West Peak for mooncakes."
Shen Luo laughed, a real, unburdened laugh that felt as good as the first warm day of spring. The idea was reckless and wonderful, and for the first time in months, the wall in her cultivation didn't seem so insurmountable. Gu Yan's words were a key, she was sure of it. She just had to figure out how to use them.
That night, true to her word, Lin Mei led her on a secret adventure through the sleeping sect. They crept past the patrolling guards, their giggles muffled by their sleeves, and made their way to the small, abandoned kitchen on the West Peak, where Lin Mei had hidden a jar of sweet wine and a box of the best mooncakes. They sat on the steps, eating and drinking under the vast, starry sky, the world feeling wide open and full of promise.
"I'm serious, Luo," Lin Mei said, her voice soft and sincere in the quiet night. "You're going to break through soon. I can feel it. And when you do, you'll be an inner disciple, and you can actually talk to him without looking like you're about to be executed."
Shen Luo smiled, taking a sip of the sweet, fruity wine. It made her feel brave and a little bit dizzy. "Maybe."
The wine and the excitement of the day made her restless long after Lin Mei had fallen asleep on her shoulder. Gently, she eased her friend's head onto a pillow of folded robes and stood up. She needed to walk, to burn off this energy before she burst. She wandered down the mountain path, the moon lighting her way, her heart still light with the memory of Gu Yan's smile.
She was gone for maybe half an hour, just enough to clear her head and let the cool night air sober her up. When she returned to the West Peak kitchen, the steps were empty. The folded robes were in a neat pile. Lin Mei was gone.
A flicker of annoyance went through Shen Luo. Honestly, that girl. She probably got bored and went back to the dorms without her. Shaking her head, Shen Luo cleaned up their small mess and began the walk back to the junior disciples' quarters, her good mood slightly tarnished.
The dormitory was dark and silent when she slipped inside. She crept to her bunk, expecting to see Lin Mei already fast asleep, but the bed was empty and neatly made. A cold knot of unease began to form in her stomach. Lin Mei was many things, but neat was not one of them. Her space was always a cheerful disaster of scrolls, discarded robes, and half-eaten snacks. To see it so tidy, so empty, was deeply wrong.
Shen Luo stood in the middle of the room, her heart starting to pound. Where could she be? She wasn't on the West Peak. She wasn't in their room. Maybe she'd gone to the latrines? Or to get a drink of water? Shen Luo waited, her anxiety growing with every passing minute. After an hour, she couldn't stand it anymore. She had to find her. Pulling on a cloak, she slipped back out into the night, her mind racing with possibilities, none of them good. She would check the training grounds, the library, the alchemy labs… she would search the entire mountain if she had to. She had no idea that as she began her frantic search, her best friend was no longer on the mountain at all, but standing in a place of ancient darkness, her breath caught in her throat as a face that was not a face began to smile at her from the depths of a mirror that was not a mirror.