Two weeks had passed and a calm, healing quiet had settled over the inn and Pang'an. It felt more like a held breath than the absence of silence.
Qianyi still lay in a deep, healing slumber, her face a mask of serenity. A soft, earthy, golden glow pulsed around her emitting a gentle, hypnotic hum.
Curled by her head was the small, pristine white fox pup, Li Wei. His seven tails were tucked neatly around his body, and his frost-amber eyes, though now in a smaller face, held the same unwavering vigilance.
He had not left her side, a silent, furry sentinel whose very presence kept the room cool and the energy around Qianyi perfectly ordered.
The door to the room slid open softly. Yisha entered, her own divine aura a subtle, warm radiance that made the morning light in the room seem to bend toward her in admiration. She no longer just reflected light; she was a source of it.
She knelt beside the bed, her gaze shifting between her unconscious sister and the fox. "Any change?" she whispered.
Li Wei shook his head once, a small, weary motion. The frustration in his eyes was palpable. He was a being of action, forced into a vigil of helpless patience.
Yisha reached out, her fingers pausing just before they touched one of his tails. "She's stronger than she looks," she said, her voice soft with a newfound gravity the tribulation had forged in her. "Her foundation was always the steadiest of us all. She's just... rebuilding it on a celestial scale."
The fox let out a soft huff, a puff of cold mist that hung in the air. It was an acceptance, not an agreement.
From the doorway, another presence made itself known. Wù Fēng leaned against the frame, his arms crossed, observing them. The whimsical god was uncharacteristically still.
"She will wake when her spirit is ready," he stated, his voice calm and certain. "Rushing her would be like demanding a mountain to grow faster. It has its own time."
His gaze then fell on Yisha, and the professional mask softened almost imperceptibly. "Your control over Clarity improves. The light no longer flares with your worry. It holds steady."
Yisha looked down, a faint blush touching her cheeks that had nothing to do with her power. The unspoken tension from the moment he'd caught her after her tribulation still hung between them, a silent, confusing current beneath the surface of master and disciple.
Before she could form a reply, a commotion from outside drew their attention. Newcomers.
"Yǒu rén zài ma," a young girl's voice yelled as she walked the street.
Yisha and Wù Fēng moved to the window. Down on the street, the owner of the voice was a girl marching with an air of ownership. By her side trotted two dogs: one, a large, sturdy "Snow-Wind Dog" with a thick grey-and-white coat and piercing blue eyes that held a wolfish intelligence; the other, a small, spirited "Whisker-Hound" with a distinctive bearded snout, wiry grey fur, and an expression of comical alertness.
They watched as Xuan Che, returning with a basket of fresh produce, found his path blocked by the girl and her canine escort.
"Shéi a?!" the girl demanded, planting her feet as if Píng'ān itself belonged to her and Xuan Che was a trespasser.
"Nǐ yòu shì shéi?!" Xuan Che retorted in kind, setting his basket down.
"This is my town, and I've never seen you before!" Her dogs, sensing her defensive posture, let out low growls, the Snow-Wind Dog baring its teeth while the Whisker-Hound let out a high-pitched yap.
"We just saved this town! If this is YOUR town, where were you? We've been here for two weeks already."
The girl let out a flustered huff, her cheeks reddening. "Well, that's... none of your business!" She put her hands on her hips, then began to circle him like a general inspecting a new recruit. "You said you saved this town... from who? I was only gone two months."
The girl let out a flustered huff, her cheeks reddening. "Well, that's... none of your business!" She put her hands on her hips, turning her head with a sharp motion that sent her two long, thick braids swinging—one of them whipping through the air and nearly slapping Xuán Chè in the face.
Her skin was pale, almost porcelain-like, a stark contrast to her rough-and-tumble attire: a set of patched, grey-and-dun-colored robes that, while clean, were clearly well-traveled.
She then began to circle him like a general inspecting a new recruit. "You said you saved this town... from who? I was only gone two months."
"The people of this town left because there was a blight here. They went east... to Wàng Yōu Zhèn."
The girl's bright brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight at the name. "Wàng Yōu Zhèn," she blurted out, her earlier hostility vanishing into pure excitement. "Where the Zuì Mèng Lóu Pavilion is?"
"Mm, yes. That Wàng Yōu Zhèn. You know about the Pavilion?"
"Dāngrán! Everyone knows about the Zuì Mèng Lóu... and the handsome gentleman who works there. The one with the silvery-white hair and his amber eyes. So dreamy!"
Xuán Chè shook his head in disbelief. "You've met... him?"
"No. Not yet," the girl said, now suddenly shy as she played with the end of one of her braids. "But I've seen his portrait."
Wù Fēng and Yisha chose that moment to walk up. Having heard the tail end of their conversation, Wù Fēng could barely contain his laughter as he greeted the young lady. "You're a spirited one, Miss..."
"Wǒ jiào Zhōu Línglóng!"
"My grandfather is the Magistrate here. And you are...?"
"I am Wù Fēng. These are my two disciples, Xuán Chè and Yīshā."
"Disciples?" Línglóng scrunched her nose, looking him up and down. "You don't look old enough to be a Master."
Wù Fēng looked immensely pleased, a humble, disarming smile gracing his lips. "You are too kind, Línglóng gūniang." It was a talent of his, this ability to make people feel clever and seen, all while gently steering the conversation like a leaf on a stream. "Xuán Chè," he began, his tone light and conversational, "when you spoke with the townsfolk, did you meet an elder who seemed to be in charge? A man of respect?"
"We did," Xuán Chè confirmed. "An elder. Everyone deferred to him."
Línglóng's face lit up with recognition and pride. "That sounds like my Yéye!" she said. "He's the village elder. Everyone listens to Yéye."
"Of course they do," Wù Fēng nodded, his expression one of gentle understanding. "It must have been so difficult for him to lead everyone away. And for you to be separated from him... you must have been on a very important task to be gone for so long."
The girl puffed out her chest, eager to prove her own importance. "It was important! I was... conducting reconnaissance!" Then, her bravado faltered slightly, the words tumbling out in a rush of confessed rebellion. "Well... I was running away, actually. Yéye arranged a marriage for me. With a merchant's son from the next major city over."
Wù Fēng's eyes widened with just the right amount of sympathetic curiosity. "A marriage? But you seem so young for such a commitment."
"It wasn't that!" Línglóng lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, leaning in. "They came to propose two months ago. He was handsome and rich, but... I heard rumors. Awful ones. They say four of his concubines have died in the last few years. All of them... mysterious deaths." She shuddered dramatically.
"I wasn't going to be the fifth! So I took my dogs and left to visit a friend. I thought Yéye would be angry, but then I came back and the whole town was just... gone."
Wù Fēng's pleasant smile never wavered, but his gaze sharpened, filing away this crucial piece of information. A pattern of mysterious deaths, a proposal coinciding with the blight's peak, and a girl who fled just in time.
"How fortunate that your intuition kept you safe," he said softly, his mind already connecting the threads. "Truly, the heavens were watching over you."
While Wù Fēng, Yīshā, and Xuán Chè chatted with Zhōu Línglóng, a quiet miracle was unfolding in the sun-drenched bedroom.
Qianyi's spirit stirred. The afternoon sunlight, thick and golden, draped the room in a warm embrace, and she seemed to drink it in through her very pores. Her fingers twitched, then stretched, her arms rising as if greeting the sun after a long, deep slumber. A serene smile touched her lips as she slowly blinked her eyes open, feeling not as if she had survived a tribulation, but as if she had enjoyed the most restful night of her life.
A soft, cold nudge against her hand drew her gaze downward. There, a small, pristine white fox pup with intelligent amber eyes looked up at her, his seven tails giving a tentative, hopeful flicker.
A smile of confusion and sheer delight bloomed on her face. "Li Wei...?" she whispered, her voice raspy from disuse. She reached out, her fingers sinking into the impossibly soft fur behind his ears and felt him lean into her touch with a quiet, profound relief.
After a moment, she slipped on her shoes and, with the fox padding silently at her heels, made her way downstairs and outside. She stepped into the street and stopped, her breath catching. The air was sweet with the scent of damp earth and blooming life.
Trees rustled with vibrant green leaves, birdsong trilled from the branches, and the very grass underfoot seemed to pulse with vitality. The town had been reborn.
Her gaze traveled down the street, finding Yisha, Wù Fēng, Xuán Chè, and a new, animated girl deep in conversation. As she began walking toward them, she realized it wasn't just the town that felt new. Her own hummed with a deep, resonant, and profoundly stable power she had never known before.
She was halfway to them when Yisha, in the middle of the conversation, suddenly stilled. It was a feeling—a lightness in her spirit, a magnetic pull she would recognize anywhere. She turned.
QIANQIAN!!!
The name erupted from Yisha in a burst of pure, unadulterated joy. Her face, alight with a relief so profound, brought tears to her eyes, sparkled like the sun. She broke into a run, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat and throwing her arms around her sister in a tight, wordless embrace that said everything.
"You're awake! How do you feel? Are you hurt? Does anything feel strange?" Yisha bombarded her with questions, pulling back only to cup Qianyi's face in her hands, her gaze scanning for any hint of imperfection and finding only radiant, renewed strength.
"Wǒ méi shì," Qianyi assured Yisha, her voice now clear and steady, infused with a new, earthy warmth.
Yisha, not fully convinced, instinctively flashed a look at Wù Fēng—a silent, desperate plea for a master's confirmation.
Wù Fēng met her gaze and gave a single, small, but unequivocal nod, his smile gentle and sure. The tension drained from Yisha's shoulders in a wave of visible relief.
Zhōu Línglóng and her canine companions chose that moment to approach. The two dogs, curious, spotted the tiny, pristine-white fox and their tails began to wag with excited interest. They took a single, eager step forward.
It was a mistake.
In a flash, Li Wei's seven tails fanned out into a magnificent, threatening plume. Though he was small enough to fit in Qianyi's arms, his tiny frost-amber eyes flashed with an ancient, predatory intelligence and a wave of killing intent that was anything but playful. A low, subsonic growl rumbled from his chest.
The Snow-Wind Dog immediately flattened its ears and dropped to its belly with a terrified whimper. The smaller Whisker-Hound let out a startled yelp and hid behind Línglóng's legs, peeking out with wide, fearful eyes.
Xuán Chè couldn't help but chuckle at the instantaneous role reversal. "Qiānyí, zhè shì Zhōu Línglóng," he said, making the introduction.
"Wǒ jiějie," Yisha stated firmly, her tone leaving no room for debate. Then, her gaze dropped to the fox, her voice dropping into a protective, possessive tone that brooked no argument. "Hé wǒmen de shuāng hú."
Línglóng's eyes went wide. She looked from the terrifying little fox to the formidable young women, comprehension dawning.
"Ò," she breathed, grabbing the scruffs of her cowering dogs and pulling them back. The message was received. Keep my dogs away.
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© 2025 Kiesha Richardson, writing as QiXia. All rights reserved.
Death Blooms for You is an original work of fiction by QiXia. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or adaptation of this story in any form is prohibited. All characters, events, and settings are created for entertainment purposes and bear no intentional resemblance to real persons or situations.