“Shh, follow me!”

Darting into the alleyway, an orange figure led the pink and the white. Settling in the corner, Jing Zhe brought a finger to his lips.

“I’m supposed to be hiding from Yu Shui. Don’t let him know I’m here.” A blatant smile spread across his face.

“Why are you hiding?” Deng QiuShi asked as she knelt, placing Yuan Xia atop her thigh.

She refused to let him touch the ground. Yuan Xia wondered why; he wasn’t wearing any stainable white fabric, nor was his hair long enough to worry about draping over the ground.

Jing Zhe sighed.

“Well, he was supposed to take me to a parent-teacher conference. But my parents and I aren’t on good terms right now.” He glanced at Deng QiuShi and Yuan Xia. “I envy you both.”

With Jing Zhe’s words, Deng QiuShi smiled. “We’re very reliant on each other. From youth, Yuan Xia’s constitution hasn’t been well, so he’s been by my side for most of his life. This is the first time I’ve been away from him for so long.”

Yuan Xia thought about how before he came back to life, his body had indeed been with Deng QiuShi for over a decade. He remained silent, accepting Deng QiuShi’s sticky nature as a norm.

“Is that so?” Jing Zhe’s smile dimmed. “My parents are both Sect leaders, so they’re busy dealing with their Temple of Beneficence and House of Creation. Also because of their current affairs, I’m not allowed to leave home most of the time. I really do feel envious of you two.”

He looked up. A faint moonlight shimmered in his golden irises.

“Anyways, the Trial of Intent is coming up soon.” He turned to Yuan Xia this time. “How are you two preparing? With a Heavenly Spiritual Root, I’m sure you’ve already formed your Golden Core.”

Yuan Xia tensed and shook his head. Jing Zhe’s question reminded him of how he hadn’t broken through his bottleneck yet, and a faint flush crept up his neck.

“No?” Deng QiuShi seemed surprised as well; she hugged Yuan Xia closer to her chest. “How?”

Yuan Xia thought he heard Deng QiuShi whisper something, but he decisively ignored it and looked to Jing Zhe.

Contrary to Deng QiuShi, Jing Zhe appeared much more composed.

“I see. Don’t worry, the trial isn’t meant to be hard. You’re progressing at the same rate as the outer disciples… nothing to be ashamed of!” Encouraging Yuan Xia, Jing Zhe patted him twice on the shoulder.

Deng QiuShi inched backwards, but not enough for the orange-haired boy to notice.

“I’m still at Foundation Building Level 5. Does that mean that Yuan Xia is at the same level?” She inquired. “But he has a Heavenly Root—I have a lower Dual Fire and Earth Root. Shouldn’t he be higher?”

“I’m not sure, I haven’t done any formal cultivation training so I can’t tell.” Jing Zhe shrugged in response.

“You haven’t? Aren’t you the son of two Sect leaders?” Deng QiuShi gasped, not realizing that her question might have touched upon a sore spot.

But Jing Zhe remained unbothered.

“Yes, that’s why I haven’t done anything yet. I can manipulate sound, that’s easy, but as for any formal training, I’d rather not,” he sighed. “Yu Shui knows why I’m rebelling so hard, so he hasn’t caused me any trouble about it. The thing is—he can’t cultivate either, he’s just human.”

Yuan Xia blanked. If Jing Zhe wasn’t cultivating, wasn’t he technically human too?

“Then when you start cultivating, will you go through the Trial of Intent?” Deng QiuShi asked another question, curious about Jing Zhe.

The boy looked at her like she was an idiot.

“I don’t belong to Heaven’s Law Sect. Why should I?”

“...”

The air stagnated for a moment.

“Then which sect do you belong to?” Confused, Deng QiuShi pointed to Jing Zhe’s orange uniform. “That’s from the Temple of Beneficence, right?”

Jing Zhe followed her fingers, his gaze landing on the deep orange kasaya over his shoulders. He hesitated for a second, wondering how to respond. Then, he pointed at the necklace at his chest.

“Do you know what this is?” He held it up for her.

“59 beads… a rosary?” She leaned in, and Yuan Xia inadvertently caught the silver cross hanging at the centre.

“Right! My mother gave it to me.” Jing Zhe hid it back under his kasaya.

“Then, which side do you believe? What Sect do you belong to?”

“Simple; both, and neither.” He shrugged, then readjusted his clothing. “I can’t call myself a disciple of any teaching…. Maybe I really should just move to Heaven’s Law Sect.”

Yuan Xia heard a hint of solemnity in Jing Zhe’s voice. From the start, his words and actions had been misaligned. He wondered what else hid beneath Jing Zhe’s carefully crafted smile.

Realizing his rare lapse of character, Jing Zhe quickly jumped onto his feet. He plastered a wide grin on his face, and reached a hand out to Yuan Xia.

Although Deng QiuShi prevented Yuan Xia from directly touching the ground, she let him take Jing Zhe’s hand.

“You were just at the Autumn Moon Festival, right?” Jing Zhe’s voice lilted with spirit. “This is a rare festival, once-in-a-lifetime! Let’s go back out to the pavilion!”

Deng QiuShi took Yuan Xia’s other hand and shook it. She smiled back at Jing Zhe, and the two walked towards the light.

“I’ll explain the Trial of Intent later. The system isn’t too complicated, so you two will be able to pass it very quickly!” Jing Zhe, surrounded by the haloes of lanterns, appeared less like an ink-wash painting and more like a fairy.

Yuan Xia reached up and rubbed his eyes. Almost immediately, that stunning visage disappeared.

He’d never seen Jing Zhe’s real face. Or Deng QiuShi’s. Even if he could never get his sight back, he’d still try his best.

The bright moon above gave him hope. One day, he could face the two properly and give his thanks.