True friendship in cultivation is rare as phoenix feathers. When found, it must be treasured like the most precious spiritual pearl, for in the pursuit of the dao, having someone to share both victories and setbacks with can mean the difference between breakthrough and stagnation.


    — Master Song Lin, Schr of the Jade Path


    The morning sun cast long shadows across the city manor’s courtyard as Ren Chun struck a dramatic pose.


    "Did you think I’d sit around here and pine away for you to return? No! I have to go on a quest! For justice!" Ren Chun punched the air with enthusiasm.


    Xin exchanged a bewildered nce with Feng Yu. The cool morning breeze rustled through the courtyard’s cherry blossoms, scattering pink petals around them. "I thought you’d stay around for at least a day or two to help me train."


    Ren Chun jabbed a finger toward Xin. "Ha! There you go, assuming other people’s time like the world revolves around you! Even if you are a county princess, you should know better now! If you had asked me yesterday, I would have made time, but I’ve had an epiphany and need to go cultivate it!"


    Heat crept up Xin’s neck. "You’re right. I apologize for assuming."


    "I thought you wanted to finish our duelter," Feng Yu said, adjusting her sleeves.


    Ren Chun spun toward her, finger tracking the movement. "Ha! You reced me in a single day. Just because you’re good with a sword and have a pretty face doesn’t mean you deceive me!"


    A pink flush spread across Feng Yu’s cheeks as she stared at him in obvious confusion.


    Xin pulled the earth pill from her sleeve pouch, its polished brown surface gleaming in the morning light. "This is yours regardless, ording to our deal."


    Ren Chun snatched the pill and thrust it skyward. Sunlight sparkled off its surface as he examined it with wide eyes. "Amazing! So you aren’t a fraud!"


    "So about the training—" Xin started.


    Ren Chun thrust his palm toward her face. "No way! I have my special quest now. I’lle back and see if you’re aroundter."


    The morning sunlight glinted off the earth pill in his other hand as he bounced on his heels. Xin crossed her arms. "The dawn scale mission will take weeks."


    "Weeks? A mere breeze of time!" Ren Chun puffed out his chest. "Plus, my quest is pretty big. I’m going to finish my bone reinforcement!"


    "I hope you prepared enough painkillers." Feng Yu shifted beside Xin.


    Ren Chun winced and studied the earth pill. "At least this will help some. But I’m not totally without resources—I’ll manage. Been nning this for a while, just didn’t have enough spirit stones before. Now I do!"


    Cherry blossoms drifted around them as Xin smiled. "Thank you for helping with the blood lotus. When you’re done, I hope you’lle back and show off your progress."


    "Ha ha. Of course!" Ren Chun spun on his heel and waved without looking back as he strode through the main gate.


    Feng Yu turned to Xin. "Is he always like that?"


    Xin watched the gate where Ren Chun had disappeared, considering her words carefully. "Sometimes. Though I suspect he’s not quite as na?ve as he wants people to think." She smiled. "But he’s okay."


    "Sometimes that might be a defense mechanism." Feng Yu brushed a fallen petal from her sleeve.


    Xin sped her hands behind her back and stepped closer to Feng Yu, putting on her most winning smile. "Sooooo... about that training? We can’t leave until the scale collecting tool arrives anyway..." She batted her eyshes for good measure.


    "Haa..." Feng Yu sighed and shook her head, though a slight smile tugged at her lips. "Okay. I suppose we can spar?"


    Xin nodded eagerly and turned toward the clear area near the residence entrance. The morning sun warmed her face as they walked away from the gate. "I’d love to practice sparring for sure, but I was also hoping you could help me with some qinggong?"


    Feng Yu stopped abruptly, her boots scuffing against the stone path. "Qinggong?" Her brows drew together in a deep frown. "That’s a bit too much, isn’t it? Sparring is one thing, but qinggong and qi techniques?"


    Xin spread her hands in a pleading gesture. "I only know water stepping foot, and apparently I’ve been doing that wrong this whole time."


    Feng Yu’s frown deepened, creating small creases between her brows.


    "Besides, Ren Chun helped teach me without issue." Xin straightened her spine. "And I’ll make you that fire pill as promised. We’re going to work together anyway—wouldn’t it be better if I’m skilled enough to not be a burden?"


    A cool breeze swept across the courtyard as they settled onto the covered balcony outside the residence. Petals danced past their feet while sparrows chirped in the nearby trees.


    "But..." Pink crept up Feng Yu’s neck. "We just met and teaching qi techniques is... intimate."


    "Intimate?" Xin blinked rapidly. "What do you mean? Ren Chun taught me and it seemed perfectly normal?"


    The pink on Feng Yu’s neck zed into a full crimson flush across her face. "I-I actually thought you two were a couple after hearing about it. I didn’t realize you were just questpanions."


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    "C-couple?" Xin sputtered, nearly choking on air. "But Master Qingfeng taught me several things as well!"


    Feng Yu shook her head, some of herposure returning. "That’s different—masters naturally teach their disciples. Their cultivation level towers so high above that we are just a mere raindrop to them. But between people of simr age and cultivation..." She smoothed her robes. "The connotations are entirely different."


    Heat zed across Xin’s cheeks. She bit the inside of her cheek, then sprang to her feet. "Ren Chun! I’ll show you some justice!"


    The tter of porcin made her spin around. A wide-eyed servant stood frozen with a tea service, the cups rattling against their saucers. Xin cleared her throat and took the tray, focusing on the familiar motions of preparing tea to calm her racing pulse.


    Feng Yu pressed delicate fingers against her lips, but couldn’t quite contain her musicalugh. After a deep breath, she lowered her hand. "Alright. I’ll teach you some qinggong. It would help the mission go smoother."


    "But you just said that it was—"


    Feng Yu shook her head, sending ripples through her sandy brown hair. "It’s fine. You’re interesting enough already to be my martial sister."


    Ice crystallized in Xin’s veins. The word ’sister’ echoed through her mind like a death knell as cold sweat trickled down her neck. "S-sister."


    Feng Yu darted forward and sped Xin’s hand between her warm palms. "I apologize! With everything happening, I forgot about... I shouldn’t have mentioned family."


    The gentle pressure of Feng Yu’s hands anchored Xin to the present moment. "No, no, it’s fine. That’s not..." The words died in her throat as memories flooded her mind.


    Sister. The word sparked something dark and visceral inside her chest. Qian’s sneering face shed through her thoughts, followed by Fei’s mocking smile. Even Suyin’s betrayal burned fresh in her memory. Each image carried a weight of bitterness that threatened to choke her.


    Xin pulled her hand free and straightened her spine. "But martial sister? That seems rather intense. Do you make everyone you meet your sister after a single day?"


    Feng Yu settled back onto her cushion, amber eyes studying Xin with keen interest. "You possess remarkable talent. Your meridian cultivation shows promise, and you create spiritual techniques with startling intuition. Not to mention your budding skills in alchemy."


    She lifted her tea cup, steam curling around her fingers. "Like Ren Chun’s martial prowess, your abilities stand out. Building connections with talented peers of our generation makes sense for the future."


    Xin suppressed a wince. Talent? The golden meridian pill had done all the work. Following the precise steps and timing to create it hadn’t required special skill—just expensive materials and careful attention to detail. And the memories of a certain game obsessed earth girl named Li Mei…


    Xin traced the rim of her teacup with a finger. "I’d be honored to be your martial sister. Truth is, I don’t have any backing or..." The words caught in her throat. "Many friends. My knowledge of cultivationes mainly from observation and trial and error."


    Steam curled between them as they sipped their tea. The gentle clinking of cups against saucers filled a brief lull.


    "But surely Master Qingfeng guided you through the fundamentals before your breakthrough?" Feng Yu set her cup down with practiced grace.


    "I broke through on my own." Xin stared into her tea. "Before that, Qingfeng didn’t teach me anything at all."


    The cup in Feng Yu’s hand froze halfway to her lips. Her amber eyes widened as she blinked rapidly. "On... your own?"


    Xin nodded, her fingers tracing the delicate pattern on her teacup. "I took a golden meridian opening pill."


    The quiet rustle of Feng Yu’s robes apanied her sharp intake of breath as she leaned back. Sunlight caught the amber flecks in her eyes. "How did you find a peerless treasure like that?"


    A smile tugged at Xin’s lips. "It was a bit of fate."


    Feng Yu tilted her head. "Does Ren Chun know?"


    "It never really came up?" Xin shook her head.


    Feng Yu hummed softly, a thoughtful sound that mixed with the gentle chirping of nearby sparrows. "Maybe he thinks you like him then. Maybe he’s courting you for his future wife?"


    Tea sprayed across the wooden nks as Xin choked mid-sip. "What!"


    Feng Yu’sughter rang across the courtyard like silver bells. "I’m just teasing!" She wiped tears from her eyes.


    The mirth faded from her face as quickly as it appeared, reced by an intense stare that made Xin’s skin prickle. "Or am I? Perhaps you’ll need to break his heart in the future."


    Heat crept up Xin’s neck as she gripped her teacup. "What... what? Why would I need to turn him down?" Not that she was considering epting any advances, either!


    A predatory smile spread across Feng Yu’s face. "Because I’m iming you first!"


    The teacup slipped from Xin’s fingers, ttering against the saucer. "Whaaaat?"


    "As martial sister, of course!" Feng Yu bounced on her cushion. "I’ll teach you everything about cultivation, and you’ll make all the fire pills I need!"


    Xin peered over the rim of her hastily recovered teacup. "I’m not your alchemy ve!"


    "Of course not!" Feng Yu’s grin widened as cherry blossoms swirled between them on the morning breeze. "You’re my alchemy sister!"


    Xin traced the rim of her teacup. "Aren’t you being a bit too greedy?"


    Feng Yu tilted her head back and drained her tea in a single gulp. The empty cup ttered against the saucer as she set it down with a triumphant grin. "I’m the greediest person in the world! I want so much that my friends can have plenty too."


    Feng Yu turned toward the sky. The yful energy drained from her eyes, reced by a distant longing that made her seem older than her years.


    "We’re just small roots climbing up an infinitely tall cliff." Feng Yu’s words carried on the gentle breeze. "We won’t get far alone."


    The weight of those words settled in Xin’s chest as Feng Yu spun back around. She propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her sped hands, amber eyes sparkling with renewed mischief. "Maybe I’ll go talk to Master Qingfeng myself after we finish training."


    The words sparked fresh anxiety. What did Feng Yu n to discuss with Qingfeng? The morning sun suddenly felt less warm as unease settled in her stomach.


    Something had shifted during their conversation, but Xin couldn’t pinpoint exactly when or how.


    One moment they’d been equals, and now... now she felt like a stray kitten that had been scooped up by an overly enthusiastic mother cat.