Chapter 27: The Road to Red River
By the time the sun crept over the distant peaks, the estate was already buzzing. Jing He stood at the courtyard's edge, surrounded by elite guards, looking like a war god sculpted from ice and steel.
And Mei Xiao?
She was trying to mount a spirit horse.
Badly.
"Put your left foot here," the stable boy said for the third time.
"I am!" she snapped, dangling halfway between saddle and shame. "This demon horse keeps moving!"
"It's not a demon, miss. Just a little spirited—"
The horse neighed and shifted again, and Mei Xiao slid right off, landing in a dramatic heap on the ground.
From across the courtyard, Jing He sighed.
He walked over, silent as always, and in one swift motion, caught her elbow and pulled her to her feet.
"You've never ridden before?" he asked.
"I'm from the modern world," she hissed. "We ride Uber."
"…Uber?"
"Forget it."
Before she could protest, he swung up behind her in one smooth motion, pulling her into the saddle in front of him like she weighed nothing.
"W-Wait—what are you doing?!"
"Saving time. We ride together."
Her face turned scarlet. "Y-You could've at least asked—!"
He leaned slightly forward, lips just by her ear. "Would you have said yes?"
"…No."
"Then I made the right call."
They rode in tense silence for a while—well, Mei was tense. Jing He looked like he could do this blindfolded while composing poetry. She, on the other hand, was very aware of the way his arm was around her waist, steady but casual. Too casual.
"Can we talk about how weird this is?" she mumbled.
"No."
"Are all powerful martial men this emotionally stunted?"
"Yes."
She snorted.
By dusk, the land changed. The grass grew tall and coppery, the wind smelled like spice and dust, and the sky burned gold. They were approaching the Lu Clan's territory, and the air felt different—like something ancient was stirring.
Yin Luo, riding beside them, frowned. "It's faint… but I feel another fragment. East of the canyon."
Jing He nodded. "We stop at the village outpost tonight. Gather information, move at dawn."
"Great," Mei muttered. "Another haunted village and a cursed mountain. Can't wait."
She tried to hop down from the horse when they stopped—only to completely miss the step and nearly crash to the ground again.
Jing He caught her. Again.
"You really should stop doing that."
"I'm not used to riding mythical murder ponies, okay?!"
He let out a breath that might've been a laugh. Almost.
Later that night, they settled in a quiet inn—if "quiet" meant suspicious villagers, flickering candles, and the constant howling of spirit wolves outside.
Mei sat in her small room, staring at the glowing shard Yin Luo had given her. It pulsed faintly when she touched it, as if recognizing her.
"What are you?" she whispered.
The shard warmed, ever so slightly.
A knock sounded. Jing He stepped inside without waiting for an answer.
"Could you maybe not barge in like a bossy vampire?"
He raised an eyebrow. "We need to talk."
She sighed. "We always do."
He stepped closer. "That fragment… it's reacting faster than expected. You're changing, Mei Xiao."
Her chest tightened. "Into what?"
He didn't answer right away. But the look in his eyes was… unreadable. Almost protective.
"Into someone who will have to choose," he said finally. "And soon."
"Choose what?"
But he was already turning away.
She stared after him, the shard still glowing in her hand—and somewhere far east, something else awakened with a scream.