A Past That Won’t Stay Buried

The night air was cool, the scent of burning wood lingering in the small house. Yue sat cross-legged on the floor, lazily poking at the fire with a stick. If she was still thinking about the debt collectors from earlier, she didn't show it. She had spent the entire day humming while she cooked, chatting idly as she washed clothes, and acting as if trouble hadn't come knocking that morning.

Shen Xu, however, wasn't as quick to forget.

From across the room, he studied her carefully. She wasn't some simple village girl who had nowhere else to go. That much was obvious. She moved too fluidly and spoke too sharp, She was running from something, or someone.

As if sensing his stare, Yue glanced up and smirked. "You're staring again."

"You avoided my question this morning," he said calmly. "Who were you running from?"

She arched a delicate brow. "So direct."

"I don't waste time."

Yue tapped a finger against her knee, as if considering. Then she sighed, stretching her arms behind her head.

"Fine, I'll tell you," she said. "But I want something in return."

Xu raised an eyebrow. "You're negotiating?"

"I always negotiate." She grinned. "You may have scared off those debt collectors, but that's only the start. If I tell you the truth, you have to promise me something."

He waited.

"Promise me that no matter what happens, you won't leave me behind."

The fire crackled, filling the silence between them.

Xu studied her carefully. A promise like that meant nothing to him, he had already interfered in her problems twice, and he wasn't the kind of man to turn his back on someone under his protection. But she was asking for more than just help. She wanted assurance.

"You expect trouble?" he asked.

Yue let out a bitter laugh. "I'd be shocked if it didn't come."

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached for his cup of tea, taking a slow sip as he thought. Yue watched him, waiting.

Finally, he set the cup down and met her gaze.

"Alright."

For a brief second, her smirk faltered, as if she hadn't expected him to agree so easily. Then she exhaled, rolling her shoulders.

"Well, no point hiding it now." She leaned forward, her voice lowering slightly. "I wasn't just running from debt collectors. I was running from a man."

Her words dripped with distaste.

Xu remained silent, letting her continue.

"A disgusting, self-obsessed bastard who thought he could own me," she spat, her eyes flashing with hatred. "He has wealth, power, and thinks that means he can take whatever he wants including me."

Her fingers curled into fists, nails digging into her palms.

"I refused," she continued, her voice colder now. "I made it very clear that I would never belong to him. But men like him don't accept 'no' as an answer. He tried to trap me shut every door, bribe every official, make sure I had nowhere to go except to him."

Xu's gaze darkened slightly.

"I had to act fast," she went on. "I took what little I had, borrowed from the wrong people, and ran before he could lock me in a golden cage. I thought if I disappeared, he'd lose interest. But.." She let out a bitter chuckle.

Xu set his tea down. "And now?"

Yue leaned back, exhaling sharply. "Now, I wait and see if he thinks I'm worth chasing."

He didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, without another word, he stood up.

Yue blinked. "Where are you going?"

"Checking something."

Before she could ask what, he was already gone.

Xu moved silently through the village, his footsteps making no sound. The streets were quiet, the few lantern-lit homes casting long shadows in the night.

She had been right about one thing. Men like that never gave up.

He reached out with his senses, brushing past the small flickers of life in the village. He wasn't searching for a farmer or a merchant. He was looking for something wrong.

And then

He found it.

At the edge of the village, hidden just beyond the tree line, someone was watching.

A presence restrained, carefully masking their aura but not enough to escape his notice.

Xu's eyes narrowed.