Ripples

Xu's gaze remained fixed on the tree line. "Visitors."

For better or worse, the stillness of their morning was about to be disturbed.

Yue's hands stilled over the fabric she was folding. She turned to him, catching the tension in his posture. "Are they trouble?"

Xu didn't answer immediately. He was listening, reading the movements in the distance. Finally, he murmured, "They move like men who have no patience."

A frown creased Yue's brow. She had know what that meant. She set the clothes aside and stepped closer to the window. In the distance, shapes moved through the trees.

Lian, who had been quietly playing with a wooden carving Xu had made for her, glanced between the two adults. "Who is it?" she asked innocently.

Yue gave her a reassuring smile. "Just some travelers passing through."

Xu didn't correct her, but his fingers tapped lightly against his sleeve.

The visitors came into view soon enough four men, rough in appearance, their clothes dusty from travel. One of them, a stocky man with a thick beard, stepped forward, eyes scanning the small house. His gaze lingered on Yue before he smirked.

"Well now," he said, voice casual but laced with something unpleasant. "Didn't expect to find such a pretty thing all the way out here."

Yue's expression didn't change, but she felt Xu shift beside her. It was subtle, but she knew him well enough to recognize controlled tension in him.

She stepped forward before he could, keeping her tone even. "This is private land. If you're lost, I suggest you turn back."

The bearded man chuckled, glancing at his companions. "No need to be unfriendly. We were just looking for a place to rest our feet." His eyes flicked back to her. "Maybe share a meal."

Xu finally spoke, his voice cool. "Keep moving."

The man turned his attention to Xu, his smirk fading slightly. He seemed to reassess the situation, but arrogance kept him rooted in place. "And who might you be?"

Xu didn't answer. He simply held the man's gaze, unblinking, unreadable. The silence stretched, thickening the air. The bearded man shifted uncomfortably, as if an unseen weight pressed upon him.

One of his companions lean, with a scar across his cheek muttered, "Come on, let's go."

The bearded man hesitated, then scoffed. "Fine. Didn't want to stay in this backwater place anyway." He spat on the ground and turned, leading his men away.

Yue exhaled slowly as they disappeared into the trees. She looked at Xu. "They'll be back."

Xu nodded. "I know."

Lian tugged at Yue's sleeve. "Were they bad men?"

Yue hesitated before kneeling beside her. "Some people don't know how to be kind. But don't worry, Xu and I won't let them cause trouble."

Lian looked over at Xu, who met her gaze with the smallest nod. That seemed to be enough for her.

Yue stood, glancing at Xu again. "What will you do?"

Xu's gaze drifted back to the tree line. "Resolve the problem.. peacefully "

The afternoon sun hung low, casting golden light through the trees, but the warmth did little to soften the air of tension that lingered around the small home.

Xu stood by the doorway, sharpening a blade with slow, deliberate movements. The soft shhkt, shhkt of the whetstone against metal filled the otherwise quiet space. Yue sat nearby, threading a needle, her fingers steady. Lian, played quietly, her small hands carefully arranging smooth stones into neat patterns.

"They'll be back," Yue murmured after a while, her voice low.

Xu didn't look up. "Yes."

She studied him, watching the way his hands worked efficient, precise. He was always like this, unreadable. "What do you think they want?"

He finally met her gaze. "They were scouting."

Yue frowned. "For what?"

Xu set the blade aside and leaned back slightly. "Weakness."

The word was simple, but it carried weight. Yue understood immediately. The men hadn't come just out of curiosity they had come to test the waters, to see if this place, if they, could be taken advantage of.

Lian, ever perceptive, looked up from her game. "Are they coming to steal?"

Yue's chest tightened slightly.

Xu gave a small nod. "Maybe."

Lian's small fingers curled around one of the stones. "Then they're stupid."

Yue blinked, surprised. "Lian.."

The girl huffed, crossing her arms. "Because Xu is here"

For a moment, the tension cracked, and Yue let out a soft chuckle. "Well, we'll do our best to make sure nothing bad happens, alright?"

Lian nodded firmly, trusting them completely.

Xu glanced at the window, his sharp eyes tracing the tree line. Night would fall soon. If those men were truly planning something, they wouldn't wait long.

Later that night

A soft breeze rustled the leaves, whispering against the wooden walls of their home. Inside, the lamps had been dimmed, casting flickering shadows against the walls. Yue and Lian had long since gone to rest, but Xu remained awake.

He sat near the door, his back against the frame, one knee drawn up, fingers tapping idly against the hilt of his blade. His gaze was distant.

Memories flickered through his mind shadows of the past. The feel of steel in his hands, the weight of lives taken.

His fingers tightened slightly.

A sound in the distance pulled him from his thoughts. A faint rustling too heavy to be the wind. his senses sharpened.

A moment later, there was another sound. A footstep.

Then another.

Xu exhaled slowly.

They had come.

He rose to his feet, silent as the night itself, and reached for his blade.