“You do. You do, that’s why you let him save you. And then you said ‘oh I owe you, let’s meet up again sometime’ and that little young master probably rejected you because he doesn’t want to talk to you again since you’re so strange,” Zhen Yueyue said. She nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied with her own explanation.

Fan Yi smiled. “Zhen Yueyue, you are the strange one.”

“I am quite strange, but not the same type of strange as you,” Zhen Yueyue tilted her chin up confidently.

Fan Yi’s smile widened and he simply nodded as he reached the guest courtyard. He pushed the door open without knocking and stepped in.

Zhen Yueyue followed after him and let out a soft gasp. She moved forward with hurried steps and knelt down beside Wu Lingtian’s bedside. “How handsome!”

Fan Yi resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Is this that kid?” Zhen Yueyue looked back at Fan Yi who nodded. She whipped her head back around to take a closer look. “Wow, he’s so good looking. His face is like tofu!”

“Don’t touch him randomly,” Fan Yi waved Zhen Yueyue’s hand away.

“What? Is your heart hurting?” Zhen Yueyue raised an eyebrow.

“He is asleep. Why would you randomly touch someone in such a vulnerable state?” Fan Yi shot back.

Zhen Yueyue pouted but stood nonetheless. “So? What do you want me to do?”

“Play something to rouse his consciousness,” Fan Yi said, glancing at Wu Lingtian. “It’s been a few days. I gave him a life saving pill, but he still isn’t awake.”

Zhen Yueyue’s brows furrowed. “The one that Sect Leader Fei made?”

“Mn.”

“Oh dear,” Zhen Yueyue turned to Wu Lingtian. “You fished him right back from Naihe didn’t you?”

Fan Yi let out a sigh. “Can you do it?”

“I could,” Zhen Yueyue said. “I’ll try. I have never played for someone in his state before, so I don’t know how effective it will be.”

“Anything is good.”

Zhen Yueyue nodded. She sat down and carefully rested her erhu on her thigh. She began to play a calming tune.

Fan Yi took a sat on the other side of the table and watched Wu Lingtian in silence but even by the end of the song, the man did not make any movement.

“Was that the right song?” Fan Yi asked.

Zhen Yueyue raised an eyebrow at Fan Yi. “Of course, it was the right song. Do you think I’m just some jianghu scammer?”

Fan Yi looked at her skeptically as she sighed and stood. She smoothed out her dress and fixed her hair as she lazily threw a gaze a Fan Yi. “Have you ever thought about whether he wanted to wake up or not?”

Fan Yi’s eyes widened.

“When a song is played to soothe a person’s soul or to awaken them, the cultivator’s spirit is temporarily connected,” Zhen Yueyue said. She flicked her wrist and the erhu seemed to disappear into her sleeve. “Sect Leader Fan, some people have a chance to live but no longer want to. Some people want to live but feel that they are unable to. Life and death aren’t something so easily comprehended, you should know this.”

Fan Yi nodded.

“This child…His soul is whole and it is healthy,” Zhen Yueyue said. “You have no need to worry. Just…treat this as him cultivating in seclusion. He will wake eventually.”

Fan Yi’s eyes remained on Wu Lingtian’s still body and he began to feel a bubble of doubt rise in his chest, followed by unwarranted panic that began to slowly encase his entire person. His hands clenched into fists and his normally peacefully visage showed a flicker of irritation.

Zhen Yueyue observed him silently. “Maybe if you talk to him more, he’ll realize there’s someone that still wants him alive.”

Fan Yi’s head snapped up to look at Zhen Yueyue. “What do you mean?”

Zhen Yueyue smiled. “You don’t need to ask me, Sect Leader Fan. You know.”

Fan Yi felt the pressure within his chest. He swallowed and nodded. “Thank you, Miss Zhen. I will pay you accordingly.”

“No need,” Zhen Yueyue sighed. “I don’t need a poor man’s money.”

Fan Yi frowned slightly. “We aren’t poor.”

“Alright,” Zhen Yueyue shrugged. She led the way out of Fan Yi’s residence.

“Are you still performing at Six Ladies?”

“Of course,” Zhen Yueyue said. She nudged him playfully. “Come visit me some time.”

“I’ll think about it,” Fan Yi said. He paused for a moment. “How’s the family?”

Zhen Yueyue’s eyes lit up. “Do you want to hear something adorable?”

“…Go ahead.”

“A-Lin bought me this hairpin yesterday,” Zhen Yueyue gently touched the flower pin in her hair. She looked at Fan Yi with a brilliant smile. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Fan Yi took in Zhen Yueyue’s shining visage and smiled gently. “Yes. Quite beautiful.”

“That’s what I told her! But then she didn’t believe me. She only said that I was saying that to make her feel better, but obviously I wouldn’t be,” Zhen Yueyue murmured.

Fan Yi chuckled and nodded. “Has Miss Yu’s parents said anything about your engagement?”

“Mn! They said they’ll think about it,” Zhen Yueyue rolled her eyes. “Obviously I such a powerful cultivator, but they still doubt me just because I don’t belong to a sect or a clan. How ridiculous.”

“Terrible really.”

“This is why I say righteous sects can’t even compare to unorthodox ones,” Zhen Yueyue grumbled. “Except A-Lin! My A-Lin is the best.”

“Of course, she is. You’re A-Lin is the best,” Fan Yi echoed.

Zhen Yueyue frowned. “If you don’t want to listen to me talk about my significant other, then don’t ask.”

“I wanted to hear,” Fan Yi replied vaguely, though sincerity was obvious in his voice.

Zhen Yueyue fell silent and eventually let out a noncommitted hum.

The two old friends walked until the gates of Screeching Sparrow Sect. Fan Yi stayed at the top of the steps as Zhen Yueyue pulled out her long sword. She turned to Fan Yi.

“Talk to him more.”

“Okay.”

“Tell him things that happen around the sect,” Zhen Yueyue advised. “That’s what I did with A-Lin when she was…well, you know.”

“Mn.”

“It’ll work, I promise,” Zhen Yueyue said. She waved slightly as she ascended off the ground. “Don’t just contact me if you need something. Stop by for a drink some time.”

“I will,” Fan Yi nodded.

With one last wave, Zhen Yueyue departed, leaving only the rustle of leaves behind her.