*Hours before*

“Are you sure about this?” Xinyi mumbled, her fingers twisting the fabric of her robes worriedly. She was giving him that look he always disliked. The one of pure concern that made his chest hurt.

“I said I’d do it, did I not?” He replied, looking away. Why must she act this way? Could she not just treat him like everyone else? Her kindness was… weird.

Ever since he’d arrived in the sect, he’d been looked down on. The majority of the disciples were from noble or at least rich families with lots of prestige and honor. To be allowed entry was a honor in itself. Xieren, however, was an exception.

He was just a child found on the side of the road. He’d been alone for as long as he could remember and had fended for himself from day one. He wasn’t sure why he was taken in but was grateful for the opportunity to do more than just scavenge for food and hope to die a peaceful death.

But to his disappointment and everyone else's amusement, he found himself struggling to get very far. Simple exercises were like uphill battles to him, with him lagging behind even the youngest of disciples. No matter how hard he worked, nothing came out of it.

That’s when Xinyi came into his life.

She had spotted him in the infirmary after being beaten by some fellow disciples who tried to cut his hair. He’d bitten them and they, in turn, broke one of his fingers. He’d originally only sought to get some pain killing medicine but Xinyi, the observant girl she was, notice what the medic there fail to. She offered to help him set it, ensuring that he could still use it with little trouble. She had even told him that doing it the way she observed him doing it would just make it unusable. After that, she never left him alone.

“Yes, but going into the forest alone is dangerous!” The young lady warned, bringing Xieren back to the present. “What if you get attacked?”

“I might be weak here but I can take care of myself.” He assured her, confident he’d grown at least a little stronger in the last few days. He felt energized and excited, as if the stars were allied in his favor this day.

Xinyi looked unconvinced.

“Just… be mindful of your surroundings, alright?” She muttered, looking very much reluctant to let him go but knowing she wasn’t going to convince him. Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out a slightly smaller pouch. At her level, she could store a few items in her Space with little effort. Xieren… couldn’t.

He was not bitter about it. 

“Here, take this.” She said, holding out the pouch. “This should help keep most divine beasts away, though it might also attract some but that beast rarely leaves the mountain…” She explained, which led into her muttering to herself. Not wanting to wait for her to remember that she was mothering him, he snatched the pouch from her hand.

“Thanks, sister.” He called out, running to the exit before she could stop him. Xinyi stared at his back, wanting very much to follow but unable to. She could only hope he’d be okay alone.

***

Xieren knelt on the ground, searching the ground for herbs. Due to complications, he now had to collect the herbs needed by Xinyi. Luckily for him, low level herbs like the one she needed were common and could be found just about anywhere.

The bad news was that it had taken him hours to find them.

The sun was beginning to set and he’d only just finished gathering enough for Xinyi to finish her latest pill. It was intended for Xieren but no one needed to know that.

Huffing out a breath, Xieren looked around, hoping to catch sight of some herbs that helped with fevers. For a while, he’d been getting sick and needed to take some medicine to help keep it manageable.

Today was when it should be peaking so he had to get some now before it got bad. Just as he spotted some of the stuff, he felt a slight shudder ripple through the earth. Freezing, he listened out for the source, barely breathing in fear he’d be heard.

Silence was all he was met with though his fears didn’t subside. Carefully, he reached for the bag of herbs and started back to the sect, knowing that staying out at night was surely dangerous. While divine beasts were rare this close to a sect, there were still the odd beast to be wary off. They were usually low level but for someone of his rank, it might be deadly.

Looking over his map, he followed the path until he felt the earth shudder again. This time, it felt a lot closer. With his instincts in high alert, Xieren quickly hid behind some rocks, quickly slowing his breath as he felt it creep closer.

Hiss~

Shivering, Xieren’s fists clenched as he heard the low and dangerous hiss of a divine beast. It must have been huge from the noise it made as it past but he was not going to chance it by looking. After waiting a few seconds, he began to worry.

Why wasn’t it leaving?!

Instead, it remained nearby, flitting it’s tongue out, it’s menacing hiss now coming out inquisitive. Was it looking for some-

Xieren’s eyes darted to the pouch Xinyi had given him. It’s scent was still strong but the winds would have made it hard to find the source.

Fearful, Xieren was just undoing the pouch string when he saw faint mist form from below. Wary, he covered his mouth with his sleeve, trying not to breath it in. He’d read about creatures that spit out poison mist. Sometimes, the mist was meant to paralyze or kill the victim. He wasn’t sure which mist this was but he didn’t want to find out.

Unfortunately for him, the mist soon reached his chest and began to irritate his eyes, making them burn. Unconsciously, he cried out, trying to resist the urge to rub his eyes. Just then, as he let his eyes close, the beast’s hiss drew so close, he knew it had spotted him. Not waiting a second, Xieren broke out into a run, ignoring the crushing sound of stone behind him.

While his vision was blurry, he could make out enough to keep from running into any trees. Not that any trees lasted long as the beast rigorously chased him, attracted to his pouch.

At times like these, a cultivator might have used some spells or anything to defend himself but unfortunately, Xieren was no good at that kind of thing. All he could do was create a flame only large enough to illuminate a room.

A thought crossed his mind just as the beast opened its mouth to let out another stream of mist. Faint mist filled the air, making Xieren’s vision blurrier. Just as he was trying to summon enough qi to summon a flame, the ground disappeared from beneath him.

Darkness consumed his consciousness and the last thing he saw was a vague shape loom over him from far above him.

***

The next morning, Xieren woke up, though he was still very weak from the night before. His memories from then were vague though he felt he’d been helped by someone.

And that someone was carrying him.

The warmth and the steady heartbeat against his cheek was soothing enough to keep him sleeping but this person was very rough with him. Every step echoed through his body and jostled Xieren awake.

He (XR) would have complained but who was he to do such a thing? This person had cared for him and kept him company throughout the night. While his memory might have been vague, he knew that person and this person was the same. How?

His scent.

Xieren’s eyes couldn’t be opened due to the venom spewed so he had to rely on his other senses. Even now, his eyesight was blurry and unclear, showing him only vague shapes passing him by. A tree here, something that vaguely resembled a rock there.

As such,the most prominent thing he could latch onto was smell. And this stranger smelled strange.

The scent wasn’t bad but unfamiliar. It tickled his nose and made him want to guess what it was. Was it a fruit? A Flower? Perhaps a mix of things. Maybe none. All Xieren knew was that he liked the smell and felt content to bask in it was he was lulled back to sleep.

***

Xinyi had spent the night stressing to the point of sleeplessness. Xieren had not returned despite how much he said he would. He was lucky though.

Apparently no one cared enough to even check on him.

Frustration burned in her heart, making her want to scream at those callous disciples who just shrugged off her concern as silly. Saying things like ‘he’ll show up again at some point’ or ‘why be so concerned about him?’ Like Xieren was just some stray that regularly wandered in and out.

Thinking of the quiet and usually sullen youth, Xinyi couldn't help somewhat agreeing with that observation. Xieren was hard to get close to. Even she, as close as she thought she was to him, knew little to nothing about him. The only reason he even spoke to her at all was due to her knowledge of medicine. If not for that…

Perhaps it was one-sided but she still wished to be his friend. She felt he really needed one.

Clenching her fist, Xinyi stared at the ground, wanting to go out a look for him. She longed to run out to search but she wasn’t a warrior. She wasn’t even allowed to leave the grounds without permission. It was that reason alone she hadn’t gone with him when she ran out of herbs.

And now she regretted that choice.

Should she have gone against the rules and went with him anyway? She wondered, walking to the infirmary. One of her tasks was to prepare some of the herbs for the doctor at dawn. It was a hard job, since it required her to wake up early in the morning but it was one that usually brought joy to her. Today however, her worries over Xieren had soured her usual joy.

Opening the door, she called out to the doctor, who was still asleep but liked to be informed when someone showed up. She wasn’t sure how but apparently Master Zhihao could hear and remember stuff said to him while he was half asleep.

Just as she was about to start setting up, she noticed that one of beds were occupied. Jumping at the sight, she tried to recall if anyone spent the night there. While she hadn’t been with Master Zhihao, she was sure she would have been called if there had been. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the person’s face.

“Brother Xieren!?” She cried, rushing over and leaning over him. Looking him over, she saw he had some scratches and bruises but nothing life threatening. Tear filled her eyes as crashed down on him, relief spreading through her.

He was okay.

Xieren, on the other hand, was greatly bothered. He’d been resting quietly and peacefully, letting the nice smell that still lingered in the air fill him. He really wished the warm back was there too but he was too tired to question it.

Then something slammed into him.

“Gah!” He gasped, sitting up to hold his gut. The thing, person, who landed on him gasped, sounding close to tears.

“B-Brother? Are you in pain?” Xinyi asked, unaware of her attack on his body. “Did someone hurt you!?”

Yes, you!!! He thought, rubbing his stomach. Still, he felt good. He was back at the sect. Xinyi had found him… Wait, that wasn’t right. How did he…?

“Why are you blindfolded? Were your eyes hurt yesterday?” Xinyi asked, carefully reaching over to remove the cloth over Xieren’s eyes. It was black and torn at the edges. Clearly, it was torn from someones robes but Xieren’s robe was immaculate (relatively). So it wasn’t his.

“I was chased by something but i managed to slip away.” He explained, trying to open his eyes. Unlike before, his vision wasn’t blurry, though the sudden light did make it hard to see for a while. As he tried to adjust to the light, Xinyi continued to question him.

“Chased? By what?” She asked, looking over his hands to treat the small wounds there. “The pouch I gave you should have repelled most creatures that are known to this area.”

“Yes, but you also said it attracts certain beasts, right?”

“Well, yes but that beast is a mountain dweller. They rarely leave the summit! There’s no way that it was there.” She stated, looking him in the eye. Her pale blue eyes connecting to his gold eyes, he could see the sincerity there. Unconsciously, Xieren relaxed, glad that he hadn’t been set up by her. Xinyi was annoying at times but she was a nice girl.

“I don’t know what it looked like, since I didn’t directly look at it but it hissed and breathed out a venomous mist.” He said, sitting back and letting her treat his hands. They were more messed up than he’d thought. He must have tried to break his fall before passing out. “Do you know what it was?”

“It was a Wandering Mist Serpent.” Both youths turned to see a handsome man step from the adjoining room. Yawning, the man gave off the impression of someone lazy and drifting. On might be quick to make many assumptions about the man but both youths knew better than that.

Master Zhihao counted on those assumptions to lure his opponents into his traps.

Seeing her master awake so early was new for Xinyi but she bowed in respect to him, greeting him properly. Xieren followed suit, though his body was still a bit sore from his fall. Zhihao took his time examining them both.

The bags under Xinyi’s eyes and her hands clenched on the blanket covering Xieren. The redness around Xieren’s eyes and his stiff movements. Even the faint smell of muck lingering on the boy was obvious to him. So he didn’t bother to ask what he’d been doing, though the question of how he’d gotten into the building undetected was lingering in his mind.

But more pressing issue was the serpent.

“From what you described, the beast you encountered must have been a Wandering Mist Serpent.” He stated, sitting down on a nearby chair. As he straightened up his clothes, Xinyi got up to prepare some tea. It was one of her many jobs under master Zhihao.

“But what would a level 3 divine beast be doing so close to the TianJian Sect?” Xinyi asked, looking back at Zhihao. “Surely someone would have notified the sect leader about it. Moreover, they don’t generally live in this environment.”

Xinyi was correct. Wandering Mist Serpents were most commonly found on mountain tops or other high altitude areas. While the TianJian Sect was mountainous, it was not high enough to draw Mist Serpents near. For one to be this close was strange.

Zhihao thought the same but said nothing, letting Xinyi serve him tea and return to Xieren’s side. Neither disciple could think of anything else to say so the silence fell upon them. Xieren couldn’t help but think about the monster that chased him. If what was said about it was true, he truly had been lucky to not have been caught by such a thing. He could have easily been numbed to the bone and eaten alive. Xinyi’s thoughts were much the same, though guilt for having let him go alone ate at her more. Seeing both young people grow paler under the morning sun, the elder before them felt the need to speak.