The Abandoned Temple. Night.
Gù Míng slid the door open.
Han Yuan stood there, shivering violently, his face pale and drawn.
"Han Yuan? Why are you back?" Gù Míng asked.
"A-Ming..." Han Yuan managed to say, his breath short.
"I was hoping you wouldn't come back," Xiangling said from inside, pouting.
"Aren't you the one who wanted him back a moment ago?" Gù Míng countered.
"I... I... Gù Míng, whose side are you on?" Xiangling demanded.
Gù Míng ignored her and went to Han Yuan. He supported his trembling frame and helped him to the cot, letting him sit down before covering him with blankets.
"A-Ming..." Han Yuan called out softly. Gù Míng looked at him.
"Aren't you curious why I have been like this?" Han Yuan asked.
"You were locked up in the cold prison in the Heavenly Palace since young," Gù Míng replied, finishing tucking the blanket around him.
"So the coldness went into your body, eating away your lifespan."
"Hah. So you know," Han Yuan said quietly.
"Haven't you ever thought that there are other possibilities? Other than these so-called fates? Have you ever thought... that the Orb of the Universe doesn't exist at all?" He watched Gù Míng closely for a reaction.
"That's nonsense! The Orb of the Universe exists!" Xiangling declared.
Gù Míng just sat down back at the table, saying nothing.
"Besides you and those old men from the Heavenly Palace, no one else has seen this 'Orb'," Han Yuan said, his voice gaining strength. "Even the inheritors of its power haven't."
"The Orb is sacred! It chooses whom it sees!" Xiangling defended.
"Enough," Gù Míng said.
He slid off his chair and laid down on the floor near the cot, without a blanket.
"I won't bother arguing with a mere immortal," Xiangling sniffed, then jumped off the table and snuggled onto Gù Míng's chest for warmth, falling asleep.
An hour passed. Gù Míng slept on the floor. Han Yuan sat on the bed, eyes closed, meditating. The shivering had stopped. He stood up silently, carefully lifted Gù Míng and the sleeping rabbit, and placed them onto the cot. He covered them both with the blanket.
"A-Ming," he whispered, looking down at Gù Míng's sleeping face. "Do you really want to die for the world?"
He turned and left the room.
Outside, the night was cool, the sky full of stars around a bright full moon. Han Yuan stood under it, looking up. Gù Míng appeared at the open window, awakened by the movement.
"The moon is so beautiful tonight," Han Yuan said softly, almost to himself.
"It really is," Gù Míng replied from the window. Han Yuan turned and smiled at Gù Míng peeking out. "Are you talking about me, or the moon?" he teased.
"The moon, of course," Gù Míng replied, turning his gaze back to the sky.
The next day. Afternoon. Jìng'ān Chéng Market.
Gù Míng strolled through the bustling market, Xiangling perched contentedly on his shoulder. Mortals pointed and whispered at the sight of the rabbit. The air was filled with noise, smells, and the energy of a Shadow Puppet Show performance drawing a large crowd.
"So this is how mortals entertain themselves. Interesting." Han Yuan appeared suddenly behind Gù Míng.
"Why are you following me?" Gù Míng asked, not turning from the show.
"I'm bored." Han Yuan replied.
"Where is the rabbit?" "Sleeping," Gù Míng said, pointing to Xiangling who was indeed dozing on his left shoulder.
Suddenly, the crowd surged towards a large mansion nearby, murmuring. Gù Míng, curious, followed. Han Yuan stayed close behind him. They pushed through the crowd to the front gate. Gù Míng looked up at the plaque: Wèi Mansion. He looked into the courtyard. His eyes went blank. Standing in the center of the yard, perched atop a crudely made puppet body, was the severed head of the old man, Wèi Bó. It was smiling grotesquely, fresh blood dripping onto the stones.
Several immortals in the uniform of the Light Realm's investigators were examining the scene. Han Yuan looked intently at Gù Míng's blank face.
"What's wrong? Do you know him?"
"We met once," Gù Míng said, his voice flat.
"Ma'am," one investigator reported to a woman sitting calmly in an ornate wheelchair. "It looks like... the head died last night, but the bleeding seems fresh, as if he just died."
The woman in the wheelchair, Head Investigator Yáo Jǐng, frowned. This was complex. Spells were needed, but mortals were watching. Revealing immortal powers here was forbidden. She signaled to her attendant, Lù Chén. He stepped forward.
"Everyone disperse! Official investigation!" Lù Chén commanded the crowd.
People began to leave, grumbling, until only Gù Míng and Han Yuan remained.
"I said dismiss," Lù Chén repeated, looking pointedly at them.
Gù Míng turned to leave. Han Yuan caught his hand.
"No need to continue investigating," he said loudly, looking directly at Yáo Jǐng. "I killed him." Everyone froze. Gù Míng looked back, surprised.
"Let go," Gù Míng said quietly to Han Yuan. Han Yuan released his hand.
"You two are immortals," Yáo Jǐng stated, her eyes sharp and cautious.
"Immortals are not allowed in the Mortal Realm without authorization!" she said, her voice rising with fury.
"You are curious about something you should not be curious about," Han Yuan replied smoothly.
"The point is that I killed that old bald man."
"Alright. He made a confession," Yáo Jǐng commanded, her voice regaining its calm authority. "Arrest them both!"
Heavenly chains materialized and fastened onto Gù Míng's and Han Yuan's wrists. Neither resisted. "Take them for questioning," Yáo Jǐng ordered.
Inside a Heavenly Prison Carriage.
"A-Ming," Han Yuan said, leaning back against the carriage wall.
"Hmm?" Gù Míng replied, his eyes closed.
"Why are you playing along?" Han Yuan asked. Gù Míng didn't answer.
Interrogation Room. Heavenly Prison Branch - Mortal Realm.
"Who are you? State your names," Yáo Jǐng demanded, seated behind a stark metal table.
"Gù Míng," Gù Míng replied simply.
"Why don't you guess?" Han Yuan said playfully.
"I don't have time for your games," Yáo Jǐng snapped.
"Since you confessed, then please collaborate." Lù Chén entered the room. "Did you find anything else at the mansion?" Yáo Jǐng asked him.
"No, Head Investigator."
"Why are you still investigating?" Han Yuan interrupted.
"I said I killed him."
"Who knows, what if you are covering for someone else?" Yáo Jǐng replied, coldly.
Han Yuan let out a small laugh. "Covering?" he said, still laughing softly. "The people from the Heavenly realm are indeed idiots. Except for my A-Ming of course."
"You!" Yáo Jǐng said angrily, glaring at him. "Don't think you can provoke me with that."