The next morning, Ye and Rui returned to NYU's old campus. The 404 dorm was quiet—Xiao Ma had moved out, but the painting still hung on the wall, now blank as a sheet of paper. Rui stood before it, her hand resting on the canvas.
"I can still feel him," she said, closing her eyes. "Feng Qin. He's not gone—just hiding. Waiting for Feng Xinyu to call him."
Ye nodded, pulling a roll of red thread dipped in cinnabar from his bag. "We need to bind the painting. If we can trap Feng Qin, we can get information about the Yin Nest."
He began wrapping the thread around the frame, his fingers moving quickly. Rui watched, fascinated by how sure his hands were—like he'd done this a hundred times.
"So," she said, breaking the silence. "Xuanqing Mountain. What's it like?"
Ye smiled, not looking up. "Quiet. Lots of trees. My master—Qingyunzi—was a pain in the ass. Drank too much rice wine, forgot to buy groceries, made me clean his socks. But he taught me everything. How to draw talismans, how to fight spirits, how to survive."
Rui laughed. "He sounds like my dad. Forgets to water his plants, burns toast, but he's the best medium I know."
Ye finished wrapping the thread, stepping back. The thread glowed red, casting a faint light on the walls. "Done. Now we wait for Feng Qin to show himself."
They sat on the dorm room floor, backs against the wall. Rui pulled out her notebook, sketching runes while Ye sharpened his peachwood sword with a small knife.
"These runes," Ye said, nodding at the notebook. "What do they do?"
"Protection," Rui explained. "My grandmother taught me. This one—Sowilo—repels darkness. This one—Algiz—calls for help from the ancestors."
Ye leaned over, pointing to a rune. "Can you draw this on a talisman? Combine it with my cinnabar. Might make it stronger."
Rui nodded, flipping to a blank page. She drew the Sowilo rune, and Ye painted over it with cinnabar. The rune glowed, blue and red light mixing.
"Cool," Rui said, grinning.
Ye's eyes crinkled. "Yeah. Cool."
They sat in silence for a while, the only sound the hum of the heating vent. Rui found herself staring at Ye—his profile, the way his hair fell over his forehead, the faint scar above his eyebrow.
"What's the scar from?" she asked, nodding at his face.
Ye touched it, smiling. "Dao Feng. We were practicing swordplay when I was 15. He swung too hard, nicked my eyebrow. Felt bad for a week—brought me candy every day."
Rui laughed. "He sounds like a good brother."
"He is," Ye said, his smile fading. "I have to find him. Even if it kills me."
Rui placed a hand on his arm. "It won't. I won't let it."
Before Ye could respond, the painting flickered. The blank canvas vanished, replaced by the cliff—and Feng Qin, standing at its edge. He stared at them, his eyes glowing black.
"You think you can trap me?" he said, his voice echoing. "Feng Xinyu will destroy you. She's stronger than you know."
Ye stood, sword in hand. "Tell us about the Yin Nest. How do we get in? How do we stop her?"
Feng Qin laughed. "You can't stop her. She's been waiting ten years for Dao Feng. For the whisk. And now that she has the blood pool… she'll be unstoppable."
Rui stepped forward, her hands glowing blue. "Tell us, or I'll send you to the Underworld. I can feel your fear—you don't want to go back to being trapped in the painting."
Feng Qin's smile faded. "The Yin Nest is in Chinatown's underground bunker—built during WWII as a bomb shelter. It's under Mott Street. The entrance is hidden in Lao Guo's funeral parlor. But beware—she's got Fiends guarding it. And Dao Feng… he's alive. Trapped in the core of the Yin Nest. Feeding her power."
Ye's jaw tightened. "We're going to save him."
Feng Qin shook his head. "You'll die. Just like the others."
With that, he vanished. The painting went blank again. Ye collapsed onto the floor, his hands shaking.
"Hey," Rui said, kneeling beside him. "We're not going to die. We have the whisk, we have each other. We'll save Dao Feng."
Ye looked up at her, his eyes wet. "Thank you. For not laughing at me. For believing."
Rui smiled, wiping a tear from his cheek. "Always."
They stood, gathering their things. As they left the dorm, Ye stopped, turning to Rui. "Tonight. We go to the Yin Nest. We save Dao Feng."
Rui nodded. "Tonight."
Outside, the sun was setting, painting the sky orange. Rui took Ye's hand, and he squeezed it. For the first time, she wasn't scared. She had a partner. And together, they were going to win.