Sumeru — the entrance to Gandharva Ville.
Under the dim light of the street lamps, Tighnari returned with several forest rangers. Their clothes were torn and smudged, showing varying degrees of injury.
Guards stood at the gates, and upon seeing them, one quickly ran forward.
"Chief Officer, you're finally back!"
Tighnari's tone was calm as always. "Mm. Nothing happened while we were gone, right?"
"No, sir."
"Good."
"Oh, right! Chief Officer, Amir came back in a hurry this afternoon looking for you! But later, he seemed to calm down and didn't say anything more."
"Amir… his team was assigned to patrol the valley area, wasn't it?"
"I'm not sure, sir. If you're concerned, perhaps you should ask him directly."
"Alright."
Tighnari nodded and walked into the settlement. He turned to his team. "Good work today, everyone. Go rest."
"Yes, Chief Officer!"
Once they dispersed, Tighnari headed alone to Amir's quarters.
It was late, but thankfully, the lights were still on.
He knocked on the door. "Amir."
"Chief Officer?"
The door opened, revealing Amir's relieved expression. "Praise the Dendro Archon—you made it back safely."
Tighnari's face stayed composed. "I heard you were looking for me earlier. Did something happen?"
"We found a [Withering Zone]!"
Tighnari frowned. "As I thought… none of your team members have a Vision, correct?"
"That's right. The Withering appeared right across the narrow section of the valley. It's still expanding. We couldn't get close enough to investigate, so we came back to report."
Tighnari sighed, rubbing his temple. "Expansion phase, huh… There's nothing I can do tonight. I'll handle it in the morning."
"Ah—you don't need to, sir!"
"Hm?"
"Collei and the Traveler already went and cleared the Withering this afternoon."
Tighnari blinked, surprised. "They… cleared it? Just the two of them?"
"There was also that little flying creature with them. After they came back, they told me it was gone. To make sure, Nasrin and I went to check ourselves. The valley's completely clean—no trace of corruption."
"Were they injured?"
"No. They didn't even have a scratch."
Tighnari went silent for a moment, then nodded. "I see. Good work."
"It's our duty, sir!"
"Get some rest, then."
"Good night, Chief Officer!"
Tighnari walked down the path, thoughtful.
As Collei's mentor, he knew her condition well.
Even though she had a Vision, her Eleazar left her with limited control over her limbs. She could handle basic patrol work, but he'd never once taken her to fight a Withering Zone. At best, she'd only ever heard him describe the procedure.
As for the Traveler, yes, rumors said she was powerful—but she'd collapsed not long after entering the rainforest. She should still be in a weakened state.
And yet those two managed to completely purge a Withering Zone in its expansion phase… without getting hurt at all.
That didn't add up.
Either his information was outdated—meaning the Traveler's power had already returned—or Collei's strength had increased dramatically after recovering from her illness.
He leaned toward the latter.
Either way, Withering outbreaks near Gandharva Ville had been a nightmare lately, and he couldn't handle them all alone.
Now, with Collei and Lumine's help, the burden on his shoulders finally felt a little lighter.
---
Xia Zhi knocked on Cloud Retainer's door.
She appeared almost immediately, eyes bright. "You're here! Well? How did it go?"
Xia Zhi smiled. "What else? I played that song Ping asked for—the same one you recorded and sent her."
"I told you to pick your best piece!"
"There's no such thing as a 'best.' It's all about personal taste."
"That's true. If Ping asked for that one specifically, then it's probably her favorite… So? How did she react?"
Xia Zhi leaned lazily against the wall, smirking. "Under my superb performance, she was completely entranced—and, of course, fell for me at first sight."
Cloud Retainer burst out laughing.
"You don't believe me?" he asked, feigning offense.
"Ping? Falling for someone? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
He nodded with mock solemnity. "I thought so too. After I finished the song, she was sitting there with her eyes closed, savoring it. So I called her name—just to wake her up."
Cloud Retainer's eyes gleamed. "And she must've been furious!"
"Actually, no. She didn't get angry. She even… tried to give me a flirty look."
Cloud Retainer swatted his arm. "Don't joke like that! Ping, flirting? I can't even picture it!"
"Still," Xia Zhi mused, "if she did try, she'd probably look gorgeous doing it."
Cloud Retainer considered it, then nodded. "That's true. She's always had that quiet kind of beauty."
They chatted a bit longer about Ping before turning in for the night.
Halfway through, Cloud Retainer's phone buzzed on the nightstand. She picked it up—Ping had sent her a message.
It was an audio file.
She tapped it open.
A familiar melody filled the room.
"This sounds like the one you played tonight," she said.
"Yeah."
"But it feels… different from before."
"How so?"
"I can't explain it. It just sounds better somehow."
"Maybe I've improved these past few days," he said lightly.
"I see."
She kept listening—until the recording abruptly stopped halfway through.
"Ugh! She used my own trick against me!"
Cloud Retainer grabbed his arm and shook him.
Xia Zhi chuckled, resigned, and pulled out the Guqin.
He placed it across her lap and began to play.
The live music was even richer than the recording—each note luminous, alive.
Cloud Retainer listened, utterly captivated. The lines of Xia Zhi's face seemed sharper, more magnetic under the moonlight.
His chest… his shoulders… the curve of his waist…
Her lips felt dry. Her heart pounded.
Oh no. Oh no no no—
And then… well, the song didn't exactly reach the final verse.
To be fair, Cloud Retainer's legs turned out to be far more compelling than any instrument.
----
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