Star Calendar Year 7300.
"Hey, did you hear about that young miss from the Fanghu?"
Inside a teahouse on the Luofu, the morning air was already thick with the steam of tea and the low hum of lively chatter. In the Xianzhou, sharing gossip over morning tea was more than a pastime; it was an art form.
A group of locals sat huddled around a circular table, their conversation shifting toward the latest scandal.
"Oh, oh! You mean that one!" one of the men exclaimed, leaning in so far his nose nearly touched the table. "Let me tell you, my neighbor's mother's nephew's maternal uncle's cousin—who happens to be the grandson of the great-grandfather of my second uncle—works for that young miss's family trading caravan. He told me the inside details. He swore me to secrecy, so you all absolutely must not repeat this."
His introduction was a tangled mess of genealogy, yet it served its purpose perfectly.
"Oh? Spill it, spill it!" his companion urged, eyes wide with anticipation.
The storyteller cleared his throat, took a measured sip of his tea to build the suspense, and then spoke with a gravity usually reserved for the Ten-Lords Commission. "First of all, you know the young miss came to our Luofu specifically to find someone, right?"
The three companions nodded in unison.
"Then guess who she came looking for?" The man smirked, holding the secret like a winning hand in a game of Celestial Jade.
"How should we know?" a woman at the table huffed. "Stop keeping us in suspense!"
"Tsk, so impatient. Fine. I'll give you a hint: it's someone who has risen to legendary prominence on our Luofu."
"Is it the Vidyadhara High Elder—Lord Imbibitor Lunae?" she guessed.
"No."
"Then is it the newly promoted Sword Master—Lord Jingliu? I heard she's the undisputed number one in the Alliance! Even if she's a woman, what if..."
"No! Where is your head at?" the man scoffed.
Another man at the table, who had remained quiet, suddenly frowned as a realization struck him. "Wait... no way..."
The storyteller's eyes lit up. "Aha! You've got a lead?"
The man's voice turned hesitant, almost fearful. "I was thinking... could it be... the Carefree Wanderer?"
The table went dead silent. A moment later, the two women burst into hysterical laughter.
"Hahahaha! How is that possible? You're killing me!" One woman clutched her stomach, nearly spilling her tea.
"Exactly," the other added, wiping a tear from her eye. "The Carefree Wanderer hangs out with the High-Cloud Quintet every day. With our ace pilot and the Sword Master guarding him like hawks, even high-ranking locals don't get a chance to breathe the same air, let alone a merchant girl!"
The storyteller revealed a triumphant grin. "Hey, don't laugh. She really did come looking for the Carefree Wanderer." He sat back, savoring the shock on their faces. "Listen to me. Normally, no one could get close to him with those two Lords watching. But three days ago, the Carefree Wanderer was sent to the Fanghu on an official mission. While he was out there stabilizing a scourge of Abundance, he happened to save her."
A collective gasp went up. "You mean..."
"Exactly!" The man slapped the table like a storyteller's gavel. "The young miss, blinded by love and unaware of the immensity of heaven, forgot why no other woman has appeared by his side for decades. she thought her beauty and her family's wealth would be enough to capture his heart."
"Tch," the woman scoffed. "If the Carefree Wanderer were that easy to win over, I would have been at his door this morning, alright?"
In the private room adjacent to the table, the atmosphere was considerably more tense.
A beautiful Foxian maiden with snow-white hair and twitching ears turned toward the black-robed man sitting beside her. Her fluffy shawl shifted as she leaned in close.
"Hey! Kenta, is that true?" Bai Heng poked his shoulder. Her voice was light and playful, but there was a sharp, probing edge to her emerald eyes.
Kenta's hand holding the teacup trembled for a fraction of a second. He quickly steadied it, pretending to be deeply absorbed in the aroma of the tea.
Across from them, Jing Yuan and Dan Feng exchanged a knowing look—the universal look of two friends realizing a "good show" was about to start. Yingxing simply sighed and shook his head, his white hair swaying.
"Ahem," Kenta coughed, trying to sound unbothered. "Tsk, it's all minor stuff. I didn't think it was worth mentioning."
Bang!
Jingliu, who had been sitting silently on his other side, set her teacup down on the table with enough force to crack the porcelain.
"Kenta," she spoke indifferently, her eyes remaining closed. "I feel my swordsmanship has reached a new plateau. Let's spar at the training ground later."
Kenta: "..."
If you wanted to cut me down for 'saving' another girl, you could have just been honest about it.
Jing Yuan spoke up, gracefully throwing his mentor a lifeline. "Speaking of which, Martial Uncle Kenta, the five of us already agreed to let you join the High-Cloud Quintet officially. It was just a matter of a name change. Why did you refuse?"
The table grew quiet. Every member of the Quintet was curious about this.
Kenta cast a look of immense gratitude at Jing Yuan—Good kid, I'll teach you a new move later—and then leaned back.
"I've been active across the Xianzhou for several hundred years. I have my own prestige and my own path," he explained softly. "If I had joined you back then, it would have overshadowed your brilliance. The Quintet belongs to the five of you."
He paused, his calm, peaceful gaze sweeping over his dearest friends. "Anyway, am I not already an honorary member? I prefer the title the people gave me—the Carefree Wanderer."