Ye Kaishan entered the hall. Inside, Song Yan was still engrossed in her work. Sensing his presence, she looked up.
She paused her writing and looked at him."What were you doing out this late?" Song Yan frowned, setting her brush down.
"Well, I was just wandering around town and didn't realize it was already night," he replied as he approached and sat on a nearby chair.
"Sigh..." She gathered her papers. "My work is already done here. Meeting representatives from sects and clans is exhausting."
Standing from her seat, she continued,"I'll take a bath. After that, we have to visit a place."
"This late? For what?" Ye Kaishan asked, puzzled.
"I just have to check on someone. Nothing serious," Song Yan replied calmly.
"But is it important? It'll be midnight soon." Ye Kaishan frowned.
"Yes..." Song Yan paused briefly. "It's important. It won't take much time," she added, offering a slight smile."Anyway, I'll cleanse myself. You wait here." With that, she left the hall.
Left alone, Ye Kaishan approached the window and rested his hands on the sill. Outside, the wind howled, carrying the occasional sound of night insects and—snoring?
Irritated, he looked toward the courtyard.There, Song Tao lay on a chair, using her hands as a pillow, a thread of saliva dangling from her mouth.
"Damn, this old coot... how can she sleep through this wind?" Ye Kaishan muttered, closing the window."Hmm, that'll do." The snoring finally stopped.
He walked back to his chair and leaned into it, closing his eyes.
Mistveil Town – Song Manor
"This should do," Song Yan said, changing into fresh clothes."If I remember correctly, she should be there..." she murmured to herself with a hint of worry. After arranging her robes, she left the bathing chamber and headed to the hall.
As she entered, soft snoring reached her ears. She approached quietly."Is he sleeping?" she muttered.
There sat Ye Kaishan, asleep in the same position he'd been in earlier.
"Wake up!" Song Yan gently shook him.
"Yawn... what's new?" Ye Kaishan blinked awake and looked at her.
She wore a navy silk robe that flowed in the breeze, with matching accessories. Her hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin. For a moment, he paused.
"Are you listening?" Song Yan frowned at his dazed expression. "Are you alright?" She shook him again.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ye Kaishan responded,"Oh—I'm fine." He looked down, clearing his mind.
"So, what were you saying?" he asked, regaining composure.
"Do you remember the tea pavilion where we sat and drank tea?" Song Yan asked.
"Yes. What about it?"
"Good. We're heading there," she nodded.
Ye Kaishan frowned but didn't ask further."Okay, let's go." He reached out, took Song Yan's hand, and the two disappeared from the hall.
At the corner of the tea pavilion, space distorted. Song Yan and Ye Kaishan stepped out.
"So, what are we doing here?"
"It should be exactly here," Song Yan muttered, frowning as she looked around the pavilion.
Seeing her frustrated, Ye Kaishan finally asked,"Who are you looking for?"
"Sigh... it's a beggar girl. If I remember correctly, she should be around here—injured and unconscious. But I don't know why she's not here now."
"A beggar girl?" Something clicked in Ye Kaishan's mind.Is she talking about the same beggar girl I saved this afternoon? he thought, furrowing his brows.
Song Yan noticed his thoughtful expression and frowned."Don't tell me you know something." She looked at him sharply.
"Can you describe her?" he asked, looking ahead.
Still uncertain, Song Yan described the girl.
"...and she should be about our age." She finished and looked at him expectantly."Now tell me, did you meet her?"
"I met—well, how should I put it..." Ye Kaishan scratched his head."I saved a beggar girl this afternoon from a cultivator. Your description matches her appearance."
"You saved a beggar from a cultivator?" Song Yan's mind jumped to a possibility.Sword Sect disciples...? she thought.
"Did you reveal yourself in front of them?" Her tone grew serious.If he did, taking him to the competition could be problematic.
"Nope!" he answered instantly. "Honestly, they were pretty weak. I didn't need to reveal anything."
Song Yan sighed in relief."If they haven't seen you, that's good."
"But tell me—why are you looking for this beggar girl?" Ye Kaishan asked curiously.
"Teleport to the barren area outside town. I'll tell you there."
Though he still had questions, Ye Kaishan didn't press. He used space laws, and the two vanished again.
The space twisted, and they emerged near a small, half-broken, half-tidy hut.
Song Yan peered inside, Ye Kaishan beside her.
On a makeshift cot, a boy and girl slept soundly—peacefully, as if they hadn't slept like this in ages.
Song Yan's gaze settled on a cold meat bun beside them. Confirming the girl was alright, she withdrew her eyes.
"Did you give them the meat buns?" she asked.
"Yes," Ye Kaishan replied.
Hearing this, Song Yan chuckled."Well, in necessary situations, you're surprisingly soft."
"Hey, leave that part alone..."
"Ye Kaishan, clearly flustered and a little embarrassed, quickly changed the subject.'So… why exactly are you looking for her?'
"Alright." Song Yan was still smiling. But as her gaze shifted to the sleeping Jiang An, her amusement faded into a solemn expression.
As you see them now, they may look like beggars—but that wasn't the case until eight years ago," she continued.
"The Jiang Family was a prominent family in the Southern Continent, much like the Song Family. There were two Saints in their lineage, a couple who watched over the entire clan."
Song Yan and Ye Kaishan sat down on a nearby rock as she continued her story.
"But misfortune never sends a warning before it arrives.
"The Saint of the Jiang Family was already very old, and among the younger generation, there was no one strong enough to protect the clan.
As the twilight years of both Saints approached, their strength began to wither.
One day, while in seclusion attempting a breakthrough to the next realm, their souls suddenly erupted, and both Saints perished."
The Jiang Family held a final memorial and buried them in the ancestral graveyard. Afterward, the elders gave strict instructions to the younger generation to keep the Saints' deaths a secret.
"There were many small and large families eyeing the Jiang Family's treasures and resources.
They were not ignorant of the declining condition of the Saints.
One night, however, an elder of the Jiang Family betrayed the clan—driven by greed for power and wealth—and leaked the information."
"Before long, several forces joined hands and attacked the Jiang Family."
"Jiang Mei, mother of Jiang An and her younger brother, was the matriarch of the clan at that time. Jiang An was twelve, and her brother just two years old."
"Jiang Mei made hurried preparations to help the younger generation and her children escape. The children fled the disaster, but not for long."
"The allied forces soon discovered their location and began a merciless slaughter."
"In the night, under the dim glow of white-blue moonlight, a haze of bloody red spread across the atmosphere. Hiding in the nearby bushes under the concealment of a treasure given by her mother, Jiang An witnessed the bloodshed of her kin."
"She pressed her brother's mouth tightly to prevent him from crying out and watched, helplessly, as her family members were killed one by one. Tears streamed silently down her chin—grief, rage, despair, and helplessness churned within her like a storm."
"When the first ray of the morning sun broke through the horizon, she slowly rose, holding her brother's hand, and walked away—without looking back."
"She changed their clothes to resemble beggars, avoiding suspicion, and took shelter in this very thatched hut."
"She has no qualifications to become a cultivator," Song Yan added softly.
"So what's the purpose if she's just an ordinary person?" Ye Kaishan asked.
"True, she doesn't have the qualifications to become a normal cultivator," Song Yan replied with a subtle smile. "You'll understand tomorrow."
"Normal cultivator?" Ye Kaishan repeated, puzzled.
"That's enough. It's late. We should go," Song Yan said, ending the conversation.
Ye Kaishan still had questions, but since it was already night, he held them back. As she wished, he didn't press further.
With that, Ye Kaishan and Song Yan vanished into the void.
Mistveil Town — Song Manor
Space distorted, and Ye Kaishan and Song Yan stepped out into the bedroom.
"Take a rest. Tomorrow is a big day," Song Yan said.
"But… there's only one bed."
"Umm… don't worry, we both can fit," Song Yan replied hesitantly, her face turning slightly red.
"If you say so." Ye Kaishan grinned, climbed onto the bed first, and lay down, closing his eyes.
Afterward, Song Yan slowly climbed onto the bed as well, lying beside him before gently closing her eyes.
The bed was just big enough for two, so the soft sound of Song Yan's breathing was clearly audible to Ye Kaishan.
After some time, he opened his eyes and turned slightly to watch her, resting his head on his elbow for support.
"I have to say… even in sleep, her beauty hasn't diminished a bit," Ye Kaishan muttered with a smile tugging at his lips.
Suddenly, her eyes twitched.
Seeing this, Ye Kaishan quickly shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
The night faded as the first light of dawn spilled into the room.
the day of the recruitment competition.