Perils of rumors

For the past week, Li Chenwei had been watching Wen Yuhan with the relentless focus of a sword poised to strike. Subtlety, however, was not his strong suit. Every time he spotted Wen across the courtyard or in the dining hall, he found himself staring, scrutinizing the older disciple's every move, as if he could catch some hint of the darkness he knew lay hidden beneath Wen's polished exterior.

Unsurprisingly, Chenwei's intense vigilance had not gone unnoticed. Whispers spread quickly among the disciples, and before long, his so-called "interest" in Wen Yuhan had become a topic of speculation.

"Did you hear?" one disciple murmured to another as Chenwei passed by, his eyes once again fixed on Wen. "Junior Brother Li has developed an… admiration for Senior Brother Wen. Poor Senior Xu—his attentions have been replaced."

Chenwei, oblivious to the rumors swirling around him, continued his surveillance with single-minded determination. He dismissed any glances from his fellow disciples as irrelevant, focused solely on his mission: to keep a close eye on Wen Yuhan. Let them think what they want, he thought. As long as I stay close enough to catch him in the act.

But the rumors continued to grow, winding their way through the sect until one day, Chenwei found himself face to face with a young aristocratic-looking boy whose expression was a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

"Junior Brother Li?" the boy called out, his voice clear and carrying a note of authority. He looked up at Chenwei with a frown, sizing him up as if trying to gauge his worth.

Chenwei blinked, surprised. He recognized the boy immediately: Zhou Yingjie, Fourth Young Master of the sect and half-brother to Zhou Lianyi. Born to the Sect Master's second wife, a noblewoman from the Moon Flower Sect, Yingjie carried himself with a certain aristocratic grace, and his eyes held a sharpness that seemed out of place in someone so young.

"Fourth Young Master," Chenwei greeted him stiffly, bowing in respect.

Yingjie continued to frown, crossing his arms as he studied Chenwei. "So," he said at last, "is it true?"

Chenwei blinked, feeling an uncomfortable twist in his stomach. "Is… what true, Fourth Young Master?"

Yingjie rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed at having to explain himself. "That you're interested in my Uncle Yuhan." He tilted his head, looking Chenwei up and down with a mixture of skepticism and curiosity. "Everyone's saying you're following him around all the time. Watching him. Staring at him."

Chenwei's face flushed with embarrassment. "What? No! I'm not… interested in him like that!" he stammered, horrified. "I'm just… observing him."

"Observing him?" Yingjie repeated, his tone dripping with disbelief. He gave Chenwei a smirk that looked entirely too knowing for someone his age. "So, you're trying to see if he likes men? That's why you're always watching him?"

Chenwei's jaw dropped. "What? No, that's not…!" He sputtered, his face turning red as he struggled to find his words. "I'm not… I don't care who he's interested in!"

Yingjie raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Then why are you following him around like some love-struck junior? It's pretty obvious you're interested in him, and everyone knows you have a… history of, well, confessing to the wrong people." He gave a smug little shrug. "So, are you trying to figure out if he's into men before you embarrass yourself again?"

Chenwei's mortification only deepened. Confessing to the wrong people… That failed confession to Senior Xu had become an embarrassing memory he'd rather forget. But now, with Yingjie's eyes gleaming with curiosity, he felt trapped, every explanation he tried to think of somehow sounding worse in his head.

"I'm not interested in… that," he snapped, trying to keep his tone steady. "I'm watching him for… different reasons."

"Different reasons?" Yingjie gave him a look of pure skepticism, crossing his arms. "You mean because you don't trust him?" he asked, sarcasm lacing his tone. "Right. So you're watching him constantly to make sure he isn't… what, secretly a demon?"

Chenwei clenched his fists, trying to keep his temper. "I just think there's… more to him than he lets on," he said, feeling flustered under the boy's skeptical gaze. "I'm… observing him to understand his true nature."

Yingjie snorted, clearly unimpressed. "You really expect me to believe that?" He rolled his eyes. "Look, I get it. Uncle Yuhan is… complex. Some people find that interesting. Mysterious, even." He gave Chenwei a look that was both mocking and oddly sympathetic. "But you could at least try to be honest about it."

Chenwei exhaled sharply, feeling the boy's condescension settle like a stone in his chest. "Fourth Young Master, I am being honest," he said through gritted teeth. "I don't… I don't like him. I'm just watching him because I don't trust him."

Yingjie tilted his head, his expression unimpressed. "And you think that sounds better? You're obsessed with him, following him around like a shadow, staring at him every chance you get—and you expect me to believe it's because you don't trust him?" He gave a dramatic sigh, looking entirely too amused. "You're just making excuses, Junior Brother Li."

Chenwei's fists clenched tighter. "They're not excuses. Wen Yuhan isn't… who you think he is."

"Oh?" Yingjie's eyebrows lifted in a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Uncle Yuhan is one of the most respected disciples in the sect. He's led expeditions, saved disciples from demons, and brought us all kinds of rare herbs and treasures. If he isn't who I think he is, then who is he?"

Chenwei bit his lip, holding back his words. He knew what he wanted to say: Wen Yuhan is a murderer, a traitor, a man who will betray this entire sect. But saying that to Yingjie would only make him sound mad, or worse, paranoid.

So he forced himself to speak more carefully. "Just because someone has… accomplishments doesn't mean they're pure-hearted," he muttered, his tone edged with bitterness. "Sometimes, people hide their true intentions behind a mask."

Yingjie's face darkened. "Are you saying Uncle Yuhan is hiding something?" he challenged, his tone defensive. "Because those rumors are just that—rumors."

Chenwei exhaled sharply, feeling his patience fray. "Sometimes you don't need proof to know the truth," he replied, his voice steely.

Yingjie gave him a look of disappointment, as if Chenwei had somehow failed a test. "You sound just like the others," he muttered, almost to himself. "Uncle Yuhan warned me that people would judge him unfairly."

Chenwei's eyes narrowed. Warned him? The idea that Wen had spoken to the boy, planting seeds of distrust toward others, only deepened his suspicions. Of course Wen would try to manipulate him, he thought. It's all part of his plan to cultivate loyalty, even from those he'll inevitably betray.

Yingjie held up the talisman he'd been carrying—a small wooden board with intricately inscribed patterns. "Uncle Yuhan made this for me. It's called 'Cubation.' He says it's a way to practice arranging formations and understanding balance. He even told me it would help me stay calm in difficult situations."

Chenwei stared at the talisman, his skepticism battling with an uncomfortable feeling he couldn't quite place. Wen Yuhan, making games for a child? It didn't fit with the ruthless image he had in his mind.

"Uncle Yuhan says that cultivation isn't just about strength," Yingjie continued, sounding proud. "It's about understanding the patterns of the world and adapting to them. He says that life is like a puzzle, and we need to arrange ourselves to match its shapes."

Chenwei forced down the feeling of discomfort. "Interesting philosophy," he muttered coldly. "But some people use words like that to hide their ambition."

Yingjie rolled his eyes, looking entirely unimpressed. "You're really hopeless, you know that?" he said, his voice tinged with exasperation. "It's obvious you're interested in him, and you're just making excuses because you're too embarrassed to admit it."

"I am not interested in him!" Chenwei hissed, horrified. "You're completely misunderstanding!"

"Oh?" Yingjie crossed his arms, giving him a look that was far too knowing for someone his age. "You follow him around, you stare at him every chance you get, and you're making up these ridiculous excuses about 'observing' him. You're not fooling anyone, Junior Brother Li."

Chenwei felt his face flush with frustration, every explanation only making the misunderstanding worse. "It's not like that," he said, struggling to keep his voice steady. "I… I don't trust him, that's all."

"Sure, if that's what you want to call it." Yingjie smirked. "You're just terrible at expressing your feelings. Maybe you just need some help."

Before Chenwei could form a coherent response, Yingjie reached into his sleeve and pulled out another talisman, identical to the one he'd shown before. "Here. This is one of the Cubation puzzles Uncle Yuhan made for me. If you solve it, maybe you'll understand him better."

Chenwei stared at the talisman, feeling a strange mix of resentment and curiosity. He reluctantly took it, tucking it into his sleeve. "Thank you… Fourth Young Master," he said stiffly, hoping his tone would make it clear he didn't need any help understanding Wen Yuhan.

Yingjie grinned, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "You're welcome, Junior Brother Li. And if you need more advice on confessing to him, you know where to find me."

Chenwei's face flushed even deeper. "I don't need advice on… that!" he spluttered, but Yingjie was already walking away, leaving him seething in silence.

I don't need help wooing Wen Yuhan, he thought furiously. I need to expose him.

But as he looked down at the puzzle in his sleeve, he couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that he was missing something important.