Chapter Two: The Star That Fell into His Hands
The valley was silent.
Mist coiled around the shattered rocks where the meteor had struck, thick as breath from the underworld. The ground still smoked, glowing faintly red, and the scent of burning pine and spirit energy filled the air.
Jiang Yunxian stopped at the edge of the crater and whistled low.
"Well," he said cheerfully, "it definitely wasn't a wine delivery."
The feather—Rong Qi—hovered beside him, dim light flickering with agitation. "You shouldn't be here. The Elders will have felt that impact. They'll come to investigate—"
"And accuse me again?" Yunxian stretched his arms lazily. "They already think I cause bad luck just by existing. Might as well give them a proper reason."
"You do cause bad luck!"
"Coincidence. I'm merely a man of... remarkable timing."
The feather sighed like an exhausted immortal. "Remarkable timing nearly destroyed a sect last month."
"Which one?"
"...Our sect."
Before Yunxian could respond, a faint light flickered at the center of the crater.
It wasn't fire. Nor spirit energy.
It was something purer, older—the kind of light that remembered the time before Heaven had laws.
Yunxian felt it pulse through his skin like a heartbeat. His jade pendant trembled violently, its glow harmonizing with that light.
He stepped down into the crater, ignoring Rong Qi's frantic protests. The earth was hot underfoot, but he barely felt it. Each step seemed to dissolve the mist around him, revealing fragments of stone carved with symbols he didn't recognize—yet somehow understood.
They whispered as he passed.
> Return what was broken…
Awaken what was forgotten…
At the center of the crater lay not a meteor, but a girl.
She was curled on her side, bare feet dusted with ash, her white robes scorched and torn. Around her, the soil shimmered faintly with runes that resembled constellations. A single silver chain glowed against her wrist—broken, as if shattered from within.
For a moment, Yunxian just stared.
Then, very carefully, he crouched beside her. "You don't look like a falling star," he said. "You look like trouble."
Her lashes fluttered.
Rong Qi hissed, "Yunxian, step back. That's divine energy! She's not human."
"Neither are you, and I still keep you around."
"That's different!"
Yunxian tilted his head, curious. "Her pulse is faint… but she's breathing." He frowned. "Odd. She's not hurt, just… asleep."
He reached to brush soot from her face—and the moment his fingers touched her skin, the world shuddered.
Light exploded from the crater.
Symbols rose into the air like fireflies, spiraling upward in a storm of celestial script. Wind tore through the valley, flattening trees and scattering clouds. The mountains groaned, ancient seals cracking with a sound like breaking glass.
In Yunxian's mind, a voice like a thousand bells spoke:
> "He laughs again."
"The Careless Immortal returns."
And then silence.
The light faded as suddenly as it came, leaving Yunxian kneeling beside the girl, hair disheveled, expression caught somewhere between awe and regret.
He blinked. "...Did I do that?"
"Yes," Rong Qi croaked. "Yes, you absolute disaster."
"Hmm. Well," Yunxian said after a pause, "at least I didn't fall asleep this time."
The girl stirred. Her eyes opened slowly—silver irises, like frozen moonlight. They met his, unfocused at first, then narrowing in confusion.
"Who…" Her voice was soft, yet it carried the echo of ancient temples. "Who dares wake me?"
"Ah," Yunxian said with a half-grin, half-wince. "That would be me. Jiang Yunxian. Professional napper, amateur cultivator, occasional savior of falling stars."
Her gaze sharpened. "Yunxian…"
He blinked. "You know my name?"
She sat up suddenly, hand trembling as she touched his pendant. "This mark… The heavens sealed it away eons ago. You—why do you still bear it?"
"Because it goes with my outfit?"
Rong Qi groaned. "He's being serious, somehow."
The girl's expression darkened. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"Usually not," Yunxian said truthfully. "It keeps life interesting."
"Your touch broke the Star Seal. The gods will come for it—and for you."
Yunxian considered that, then shrugged. "Then we'll share a drink when they arrive."
Her lips parted, half in disbelief, half in something like… recognition. "You truly haven't changed."
Before he could ask what she meant, the ground trembled again—this time, not from divine energy, but from the sound of approaching footsteps.
Dozens of cultivators appeared over the ridge, lanterns blazing, robes fluttering in alarm. The leading Elder's voice boomed through the mist.
"Jiang Yunxian! What have you done this time!?"
Yunxian sighed deeply. "I saved a star. I think."
Rong Qi whispered, "We are so, so dead."
Yunxian smiled, tilting his head as the girl beside him rose, her aura rippling like moonlight over water.
"Relax," he murmured. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Somewhere above, thunder rolled across the heavens—slow, deliberate, as though the sky itself was laughing back.