All the contestants stood up and shuffled inside of a large common room to wait for their entries to be read and ranked. The contestants, many of them hungry after expending all their energy on writing, flocked together and talked loudly. Some complained of the vagueness of the prompt, others bragged about their prowess, and others seemed to be shouting for no reason at all.

Li Xiulan shoved her way through the crowds, looking for Song Fen. In all the chaos of being directed to a different area, they had lost each other. She asked a few groups of people if they had seen her, all of whom replied with shrugs or just plain ignored her. Just as she was about to ask yet another group of friends, she heard some commotion from behind her.

“Ugh, it’s you?” a young man’s voice proclaimed. “I don’t even know why you entered. You can’t even speak, how could you write? Not to mention your cultivation skills! We all know you only got into the White Snake sect because of your brother. What, you want to humiliate us even more?”

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Li Xiulan pushed through the crowds of people to see Song Fen cowering beneath a man in robes from the White Snake sect. He had a face that was puckered in such a way that it looked like he had eaten something sour and his hair, although pulled back, was still visibly greasy. He didn’t even try to conceal that he carried a sword on him. His robes had been altered so that the stitching was made of a shiny silver, not the plain white that the usual disciples wore.

“I- I didn’t mean t..to… to bump into you…” Song Fen stuttered, tears on the verge of spilling over.

“Eh? What was that? I can’t hear you! Speak up!” the man yelled, leaning closer to Song Fen and making her take a step back. Li Xiulan gritted her teeth and ran forward.

“Hey!” she yelled back, standing in between Song Fen and the man. “Leave her alone! Can’t you see she was minding her own business? You’re also a member of the White Snake sect, so surely you should have some decency in you!” She scowled at him, trying to build up all the presence she had into something terrifying. Judging by the man’s expression, it wasn’t working.

“Hmph,” he scoffed. “Do you know who I am? This pathetic girl is far beneath me. It’s well within my rights to discipline her if she’s embarrassing the sect.”

“You, you shouldn’t… shouldn’t fight him,” Song Fen whispered. “It- it’s my fault, for being here… I shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have come.”

Li Xiulan watched the man’s sour face twist in pleasure, no doubt congratulating himself for making a girl cry. Before Li Xiulan could even think, she stepped forward and punched him in the face.

This was a very bad idea for multiple reasons. The most important one was that this man was a cultivator, and a high-ranked one at that. When Li Xiulan’s fist connected with his face, instead of the satisfying hit she had been hoping for, her hand rebounded off.

A wave of pain flew through her wrist as if she had just punched a rock. Before she had even let out a cry of pain, the man grabbed his sword and unsheathed it halfway, thrusting the hilt directly into her stomach. What would already have been a painful blow was enhanced by the man’s spiritual energy, launching Li Xiulan across the floor. Like a stone skipped on the surface of a pond, she bounced against the floor once before slamming into the back wall.

The contest hall went silent. People stared in apprehension, not sure whether to step in or leave them alone. Li Xiulan’s head was ringing, and her vision refused to focus. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Vaguely, she heard Song Fen say her name, and then she was at Li Xiulan’s side. Li Xiulan could hear Song Fen yell something at the man, but couldn’t quite tell what it was. The man approached her slowly, footsteps echoing loudly against the wooden floor. He leaned down so his face was in her field of view.

“My name is Hou Jin, and my word is the word of the White Snake sect. You would do well to remember that.”

It seemed like somebody called him away. Everybody else in the hall moved as far away from the two as possible, giving them space. Li Xiulan clutched her stomach, trying to ignore the pain. It didn’t work.

“Li Xiulan?” Song Fen said lightly. It sounded like her voice was underwater. Li Xiulan wondered if she had gotten a concussion from being slammed into the floor. Looking up at Song Fen’s face, although it was a little blurry, she could see her look of guilt.

“You didn’t have to… to do that, you know,” Song Fen said. “But t...t-hank you.”

Song Fen placed her hand on Li Xiulan’s back. It was as if the red-hot flames of pain were doused with ice water where Song Fen touched her. Li Xiulan gasped as something seeped into her body, curling around her lungs and radiating through her. The coolness spread all through her body, pooling in her stomach where she had been hit. Even the ringing in her head slowly subsided, replaced by the voices in the lobby whispering from far away. 

Li Xiulan opened her eyes and found herself able to see Song Fen clearly. The pain was a whisper of what it had been moments ago. After making sure that she was not dying, Li Xiulan cautiously pushed herself up to a sitting position.

“Did you just heal me?” she asked in amazement. Song Fen rubbed her arm.

“I just shared my spiritual energy with you. It should dull t…t-he pain, but it will take much more time to fully heal the injuries. You should… lie back down.” 

Song Fen helped lower Li Xiulan back down, letting Li Xiulan rest her head in her lap. She moved her hand from Li Xiulan’s back and laid it on her forehead, concentrating on her energy flow. It reminded Li Xiulan of being sick when she was a young girl. Her mother would lay a cold cloth across her forehead and kiss it. Song Fen’s energy felt like that; a soft kiss against her skin, clearing away even the sharpest of pains.

Unaware of the marvelous nature of her soothing abilities, Song Fen frowned.

“It really was a dirty t...t-rick to attack you… like that,” she muttered. “You probably didn’t realize, since you aren't a cultivator, but… he put a lot of his energy into that blow.” She looked Li Xiulan up and down, checking her injuries. “I’m amazed that you’re not seriously hurt… most people would at least have passed out.” She seemed to confirm that Li Xiulan did not have any broken bones or bleeding, nodding in approval.

“I’m told that I’m very hard to get rid of,” Li Xiulan joked, grateful for the relief from her pain. She looked at Song Fen’s determined face and felt herself smile. 

“You-” she started before immediately cutting herself off. She had been about to say you hardly stuttered, but that probably wasn’t something Song Fen wanted to hear. “I mean, thank you. I shouldn’t have done something so stupid. But who was that guy, anyway? Hou something? Who does he think he is to treat you like that?”

“Hou Jin. He’s the son of the sect leader,” Song Fen answered solemnly. Li Xiulan blinked slowly, not entirely sure that she had heard correctly.

“What, seriously?”

Song Fen nodded. Li Xiulan leaned back.

“If that’s true, how am I not dead right now?”

Song Fen chuckled darkly. “He may have a high rank, but he isn’t that strong. He’s t..t-rained his whole life and he’s hardly a match for my brother.” Li Xiulan raised an eyebrow.

“Your brother? He’s a White Snake cultivator too, I assume. Is he strong?” she asked. Song Fen’s newfound confidence seemed to evaporate a bit.

“O-oh… yes, I suppose.” She shook her head, refusing to say more.

The two of them stayed on the floor even as the other contestants were called away for dinner. Song Fen insisted on keeping Li Xiulan still until she had healed enough to move and promised that she would bring Li Xiulan food later. After pouting and complaining for a while, Li Xiulan finally shut up and allowed Song Fen to continue healing her.

They waited in the empty hall as the sun began to set. Despite the fact that she was lying on a hard wooden floor, Li Xiulan found herself feeling almost comfortable. Although Song Fen didn’t speak much so as to not break her concentration, the sensation of her energy flowing through Li Xiulan’s body was a reminder of her presence. It was soft and systematic, finding the places where Li Xiulan still ached and wrapping them up gently, soothing her electric nerves until the pain was gone, then moving on to the next place.

“It’s gotten late,” Song Fen whispered, breaking the silence after what felt like an eternity. The sound brought Li Xiulan back to reality and she blinked her eyes open. Song Fen was right; the hall was almost completely dark, lit only by distant lamps in the courtyard. It seemed that nobody had remembered they were there.

Song Fen lifted her hand gently from Li Xiulan’s skin, taking with it that wonderful feeling. Li Xiulan wanted to grab her and pull her back, but she refrained, knowing how much effort Song Fen had put into treating her. She pushed herself into a sitting position, allowing Song Fen to finally move her legs and stretch after so long of being Li Xiulan’s pillow.

Now that Li Xiulan was no longer distracted by her pain or by Song Fen’s energy, everything felt… different. She gazed out into the courtyard through the open pavilion door while Song Fen stretched. What struck her was the silence.

It was like the world was holding its breath. Out in the country, even on the quietest night the trees would rustle, insects would chirp, the wind would blow. Here, there was nothing.

Some kind of feeling washed over her. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it was like ants were crawling beneath her skin. She crept a little closer to the door, wondering if perhaps she was just too far away. She paused at the threshold. She wanted to stick her head out to check, but something screamed at her not to move. Somewhere across the courtyard, she heard a distant rustling.

GONG.

Li Xiulan jumped, clasping her hand to her mouth. Her heart beat fast in her chest and she turned toward the source of the noise.

Song Fen also gazed in that direction, further into the pavilion.

“What was that?” Li Xiulan asked, her breathing a little heavier than it should have been. 

“T...t-hat’s the signal that the grading is done,” Song Fen replied. “It’s much louder hearing it from the inside.”

Li Xiulan’s eyes widened. Almost immediately her hand dropped to her side, her anxieties forgotten.

 “What? What are we waiting for then? We have to go check it out!” She launched herself up onto her feet. As soon as she was upright, the pain flared up in her stomach, the cloudiness returning to her head. Song Fen rushed to her side and grabbed Li Xiulan’s arm to steady her.

“Hold on, Li Xiulan. There’s no rush. The results will… they’ll still be there. Take your time.”

Li Xiulan squeezed her eyes shut and took a few deep breaths, leaning her weight against Song Fen. Even after all that work Song Fen had done, it seemed she wasn’t fully healed. After what seemed like an acceptable amount of time, she opened her eyes again and forced herself to smile, although there was still a stabbing pain in her abdomen.

“Sorry to worry you. I’m just excited,” Li Xiulan said. “Aren’t you dying to know if you moved on?”

Song Fen shrugged a bit. “I mean, I suppose. But, you were hurt trying to protect me, so… you’re more important right now.”

Li Xiulan had to admit that was a little touching. Not only had she acted impulsively, she had also failed to assess the situation and nearly ended up shattering half her bones. If anything, Song Fen should be laughing at her. Li Xiulan straightened up to the best of her ability.

“I’m fine now. Let’s go check the results,” she said, trying to keep any trace of pain off of her face. Song Fen searched Li Xiulan’s face for a sign that she was lying. Unable to find anything, she sighed.

“Alright… if you’re really sure.”

The two of them made their way towards the center hall where the noise of the gong had come from, Song Fen supporting Li Xiulan all the way. There was a large scroll of paper posted against the wall, declaring the seats of the contestants who had moved on. The first thing they noticed upon stepping inside, however, was the extremely overbearing aura of anger that coated the entire room.

“What? They must have missed my number. I’m the single best scholar in my entire village- no, the entire sect! How could I possibly have been eliminated?”

“This is ridiculous! Too many people entered this year. Surely I would have won if this contest were normal.”

Complaints were flying around. There were some, though, who wore smug looks on their faces, taking harsh words from the others. One of them was Hou Jin.

“Of course I made it through. What kind of failure would I be if I couldn’t even pass the qualifying round?” he bragged. Li Xiulan rolled her eyes. His skills must have been somewhat impressive to make it through, but certainly there were some skilled men that had been eliminated anyway due to how many people had entered. There was no reason for him to get such a big head about it.

There was a crowd of at least twenty angry scholars who seemed to agree with her. They were slowly surrounding Hou Jin, all of them seeming ready to punch his lights out. However, his display of power earlier against Li Xiulan kept them from attacking.

Song Fen pulled at Li Xiulan’s sleeve, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Come on. Let’s check the results.”

They approached the board carefully, making their way around groups of arguing men. Their eyes made their way around the scroll, hearts beating fast in anticipation. Li Xiulan jumped, pointing at the corner of the scroll in excitement.

“Look, look!” she cried. There, right next to each other, were row eight, seats eight and nine. Song Fen clasped a hand over her mouth in disbelief.

“I… I-?” She had no words to say, but the joy was shining through her eyes. She let go of Li Xiulan’s arm to cover her face with her other hand as well. Li Xiulan didn’t even notice that she had lost her source of balance, the pure joy coursing through her veins keeping her on her feet anyway.

“We did it!” Li Xiulan choked out. Consciously, she knew this was only the first round. They would still have to make it through three more rounds before they even made it to the finals. Despite that, the pride still filled her chest, overflowing and flooding her senses.

Li Xiulan placed a hand on her chest and took a few more deep breaths. Her heart rate slowed down, although it was still beating faster than usual. Remembering her manners, she turned to Song Fen and bowed.

“Congratulations,” she said, letting sincerity fill her voice. Song Fen scrambled to return the bow.

“And you, as- as well,” she replied. They both raised their heads at the same time, their eyes meeting. Both shone with pride.