Today is the first day of the phoenix festival. The festivities will st for three days and will include, a martial tournament, a Skysword race for cultivators, and various shops and stalls.

  I look toward the horizon. The sky has only just started turning the deep blue of early morning. The shops won’t open for another hour. All the same, I’m too excited to go back to sleep.

  I hop out of bed and quickly get dressed before heading out the door. The crisp chill of early spring nips at my skin as I breathe in the refreshing breeze. It will be a beautiful day I think.

  Until the stalls begin setting up, I should wander around the city for a little while. Despite being here for almost a month, I’ve cked the time to explore my surroundings properly.

  I pull my robe tightly around me for warmth and begin wandering down the street.

  It’s a beautiful pce. The architecture gives off an odd sense that “inside” and “outside” are one and the same, as if the entire town were a natural thing that had simply grown out of the ground like trees.

  Flowers and trees lined the walkways and many homes had Gardens full of everything from herbs for tea to spiritual herbs for the sect.

  As I walked the scent of early morning dew mingled with the sweet perfume of the flowers. Without realizing it, I had found myself walking through one of the rger city gardens.

  A small smile came to my lips. Of course this might be someone's property, but surely they wouldn’t mind if I were to simply look around for a moment? It really was so pretty…

  “Who’s there?”

  I jump at the sudden voice and quickly nestle myself behind a bush. Then immediately facepalm. This is going to look a lot worse if I try to hide and pretend I wasn’t here.

  I sigh and stand back up. Only to step back in surprise.

  The sight that met my eyes left me a little breathless.

  Short bck hair framing the round cute face of one who had clearly only just woken up and wasn’t a morning person.

  Eyes closed and hair messily braided in the back. They seemed to be half asleep still. But what really struck me was the sense of raw serenity that their presence held. The peace their expression gave off was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

  I was so used to the stressed expressions of Hàorán's servants, the anger, the pain. How could I help but admire the perfect peace of this person.

  I stepped forward and reached out for a handshake.

  “Um. hello? I’m Yi Nuo. I apologize for coming in here if it wasn’t allowed. I was merely wandering without focus and simply ended up here when-”

  The girl hushed me for a moment as her hand reached upward. Past my outstretched hand, and to my surprise, to my face.

  Her hand wandered over my face for a moment before she spoke again.

  “You are… very pretty.”

  I stepped back in surprise.

  “You… you’re blind. Aren’t you?” Not so much a question as it was a search for confirmation. Suddenly it made sense.

  The closed eyes, the messily done hair. She wasn’t half asleep. She couldn’t see.

  “Let’s start over. I am Yi Nuo. and you are?”

  The girl smiled, and the sight took my breath away. The scenery of the garden lit by the rising sun still didn’t hold a candle to a single peaceful smile from this girl I’d only just met.

  My heart pounded in my chest as she spoke.

  “I’m Shu Yi. It’s good to meet you. And you were right. You really aren’t supposed to be in my garden~”

  Ugh… I knew it.

  Embarrassment flushed my cheeks as I fled from the garden. Leaping over the fence and sprinting back to the soup shop.

  I smmed the door behind me and slid my back down the gss before sitting down on the floor. Slowly my racing heart slowed to a reasonable pace as I breathed.

  “She really was beautiful though…”

  . . .

  “Shall I chase after her master?”

  I brushed my servant's fur for a moment before taking a sip of my tea.

  “No. She didn’t know this pce was off limits, and besides. Wasn’t she cute? Like a flighty pup.”

  I smiled a little. That girl struck me as the friendly, but easily tricked type.

  “Perhaps just keep a careful watch over her for now. She seems to be a bit accident prone~”

  “Understood master.”

  I feel the soft fur of my servant slip away from my hand as he heads off to carry out my commands.

  Leaves crunch behind me, informing me of approaching steps.

  “Young mistress Shu. The Patriarch has called you. Please follow me if you would.”

  The smile fades away from my lips repced by a bitter grimace.

  “...guide me to him”

  I hadn’t always been the young dy of the Long family. Some years ago, they had found me sitting out beside the road and had taken me in. Although most of them treated me well, the patriarch had always struck me as shifty. And my dreams had confirmed as much.

  Nothing concrete but… at the very least the feeling I got whenever he looked at me, was nothing good.

  I pushed through the hard wooden doors that led to the family’s inner chamber, stepped inside and bowed.

  “This young dy of the Long family greets the patriarch.”

  An odd scent permeated through the air here. Sour and yet bitter at the same time. I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose at it.

  “Shu Yi… You have grown even more beautiful since we st spoke.”

  A shiver of disgust went down my back.

  I heard the ft sound of a hand patting fabric as the man spoke again.

  “Come, won’t you sit beside me Shu?”

  The burning taste of bile rose behind my lips for a moment before I swallowed back the scathing response I would have dearly loved to give.

  “No thank you patriarch. I don’t believe I'm qualified for such a position.”

  “Nonsense! But alright. I suppose I’ll respect your feelings this time. You have heard that the phoenix festival starts today?”

  I couldn’t help but cock my head in confusion. Yes I knew about it, but what of it? I had never participated before. Surely that wouldn’t change, right?

  The patriarchs voice lowered to a thick gravely tone.

  “This year marks the first festival in years that a friend of mine will be in town to watch. I would like you to participate in the tournament Shu. Demonstrate to this friend of mine, your refined skills.”

  “A… friend?”

  The thick sour scent in the air grew stronger as the patriarch spoke again. This time with a slightly smugness in his voice.

  “Yes… a very old friend I haven’t seen in many. Many years…”

  SorisBckwinter