Song Meiyu, still on the other side of the courtyard, laughed softly to herself as she planted more. "Sister Linyue! This is going to look so pretty when it blooms!"
Linyue pressed her lips together, trying to convince herself she wasn't accidentally turning the courtyard into a minefield. "Pretty… yes. Hopefully not too fiery." But deep down, a small, traitorous part of her couldn't help thinking… this was actually a little fun. Like gardening, but with the possibility of spectacular explosions.
She shook her head quickly. No, no. This was a backup plan. Strictly for emergencies. There was even a chance they wouldn't need to use it at all. Or… she thought suddenly, they could always use this as a farewell gift. Something to make their exit from this palace memorable, especially for that Demon King of Shulin. Linyue nodded to herself, lips twitching upward in a rare, mischievous smile. Not a bad idea at all.
With renewed determination, she continued planting, scattering seeds until she eventually met Song Meiyu in the middle of the courtyard.
"I'm done!" Song Meiyu announced proudly.
"Yeah," Linyue said, straightening her back and brushing a bit of dirt from her sleeves. "Let's wish they grow beautifully… at the right time."
Song Meiyu's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I can't wait to see the fireworks!"
Linyue gave her a patient look, though she secretly agreed. Neither can I…
"Should we take a look at Brother Zhenyu and Brother Yuying?" Song Meiyu asked, already bouncing on her heels with excitement.
Linyue nodded. "Let's go."
Instead of using the corridor like normal people, the two of them headed back to Linyue's chamber and promptly climbed out the window to reach the backyard. Well… shortcut.
In the dim moonlight, they spotted Shen Zhenyu and He Yuying hard at work. Or rather, He Yuying was using his sword to carve into the earth while Shen Zhenyu supervised him.
"Brother Zhenyu! Brother Yuying!" Song Meiyu called out cheerfully, hopping down from the window ledge and running straight toward them.
"Wait, wait! Stop!" He Yuying yelled, his usual lazy voice suddenly alarmed.
But it was too late. The ground gave way under Song Meiyu's feet with a soft fwump, and she disappeared in an instant. Only her muffled voice echoed from below, "H-hello?! Is this… part of the plan?!"
Linyue froze mid-step. She blinked once, twice. Then she strolled over to the spot where Song Meiyu had vanished and peered down into the hole.
He Yuying crouched at the edge, admiring his masterpiece. "It works well."
Linyue's eyes narrowed as she observed the depth. "It's… pretty deep. Are you digging traps or a well?"
He Yuying scratched the back of his neck, looking only mildly guilty. "I might've gotten too invested. I almost couldn't climb back out myself earlier."
Shen Zhenyu exhaled one of his long, legendary sighs. "You didn't almost couldn't climb out. You couldn't climb out at all. I dragged you out. You were stuck upside down."
Linyue pressed her fingers to her lips, a laugh threatening to escape. "I didn't get to see that," she said, her voice soft but edged with amusement. "What a pity."
Shen Zhenyu's mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile, but he pointed sharply at the hole instead. "Let's help her out before she starts planting fire blossom seeds down there."
From inside the hole came Song Meiyu's muffled protest. "I was thinking about it!"
Shen Zhenyu rubbed his temple. Without a word, he climbed down into the pit like the responsible adult of the group that he was. Moments later, there was a grunt, some shuffling, and then He Yuying leaned over the edge to grab Song Meiyu's arms.
"Pull!" Shen Zhenyu called from below.
With a mighty tug, He Yuying hoisted her out. When she finally emerged, Song Meiyu looked… less like a graceful young lady and more like a radish freshly dug from the earth. Dirt clung to her robes, her face was smeared with mud, and her once-shiny black hair now carried an earthy brown hue.
"Pft—" He Yuying covered his mouth, failing to hide a smirk.
Song Meiyu dusted herself off furiously, puffing her cheeks. "You should have warned me earlier!"
"You should have asked earlier," He Yuying replied coolly, flicking a bit of soil from his sleeve.
Linyue stood nearby, hands folded neatly, her lips quirked in amusement. "I should have just stayed in my room and slept on my bed."
Shen Zhenyu, already climbing out of the hole with zero help from anyone, let out another quiet sigh. He brushed the dirt from his sleeves, glancing at the group like he was the only functional adult present. (Which was completely true.)
"Next time," he said dryly, "let's all agree to stay in our rooms."
Song Meiyu, still standing there like a half-buried radish, scowled as she spat out a stray fleck of dirt. "No! Next time, you should make friendlier traps!"
He Yuying didn't even look up from his work, his voice was calm and lazy. "We're making traps for enemies, not friends. So technically, they should be enemier traps, not friendlier."
Song Meiyu gawked at him. "Enemier isn't even a word!"
"Sounds like a word to me," He Yuying said, nonchalantly poking at the dirt with his sword.
Linyue smiled faintly. "If it isn't a word yet, it suits this group perfectly."
And so, the night went on—filled with more digging, more bickering, and plenty of He Yuying's grumbling.
He Yuying, crouched low with his sword carving out yet another pit, let out a dramatic groan. "I didn't sign up for nocturnal excavation. I'm a cultivator, not a mole."
"Could've fooled me," Song Meiyu smiled sweetly, her face still faintly smudged with dirt. "You dig surprisingly well for someone so grumpy."
"Grumpiness gives me strength," He Yuying muttered.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhenyu stood nearby, watching over the chaos with his usual blank expression. But every few minutes, he let out a sigh—long, heavy, and so full of despair that even the night air seemed to droop.
By the fourth sigh, Linyue finally glanced at him, mild amusement flickering in her eyes. "Brother Zhenyu," she said softly. "You're sighing so much you might dig a hole with your breath alone."
He paused, looking at her for a long second. Then… another long sigh.
Song Meiyu giggled. "There it is! That one sounded extra tragic."
"Tragic is the perfect word for tonight," Shen Zhenyu replied flatly.
Without waiting for their response, he stepped past them to check the next trap site. His back was perfectly straight, his movements precise. But Linyue suspected that, inside, he was asking himself deep, soul-crushing questions. Questions like: What poor life choices brought me here? At midnight. To babysit three professional disasters with fireworks in their sleeves.
The next sigh came even before he finished examining the ground.
Song Meiyu leaned close to Linyue and whispered, "How many sighs before he finally breaks? Ten? Twenty?"
Linyue allowed herself a tiny smile. "Judging by his face… maybe just one more."
Shen Zhenyu, of course, sighed again.