Whispers in the Sect

The first thing Lian Yu felt was warmth. A different kind of warmth.

Not the steady heat of the sacred spring's waters, nor the lingering ember of her phoenix's qi within her veins.

This warmth was heavier, softer.

It pressed gently against her shoulders, shielding her bare skin from the cool morning air that had begun to seep into the mist-covered clearing.

She stirred, her fingers brushing against the fabric draped over her. Her mind, still sluggish from sleep, took a moment to process the unfamiliar texture.

Silk.

Not mine.

Her breath hitched. Memory surged back like a crashing wave—the sacred spring, Xie Wushen's arrival, the uneasy truce of silence between them. She had drifted into sleep without meaning to, lulled by exhaustion and the tranquil warmth of the waters.

And yet—

She had woken up covered.

She stiffened.

Her gaze flickered downward, taking in the black robes wrapped loosely around her. The material was cool where it had not touched her skin, but where it had…

She swallowed.

He did this.

A slow exhale left her lips, but it did little to steady the strange pull of emotions tightening in her chest.

Xie Wushen had draped his robe over her.

Xie Wushen—the coldest, most ruthless disciple of the Black Dragon Sect. The one feared by even the elders. The one who didn't care for anyone.

And yet, he had noticed her sleeping form, had seen her bare shoulders, and had—

Why?

Lian Yu sat up, pulling the robe tighter around herself. The mist curled around her in lazy tendrils, the water rippling slightly as she shifted. The sacred spring had lost some of its warmth, signaling dawn's approach.

Her heart beat unsteadily against her ribs.

For a long moment, she simply sat there, staring at the dark silk wrapped around her body. The scent of cold steel and sandalwood clung to it, unmistakably his.

A small part of her wanted to keep it.

To pretend, just for a moment longer, that someone like Xie Wushen had spared a thought for her.

But that was foolish.

Whatever had happened here—**whatever this was—**it was nothing more than a fleeting accident. A passing moment in the quiet veil of night.

A mistake.

And Lian Yu refused to be someone's mistake.

She exhaled sharply, shoving down the absurd tangle of emotions threatening to surface. With careful hands, she peeled the robe off her shoulders, standing slowly in the cooling waters. Droplets trickled down her skin, tracing the curve of her spine before vanishing beneath the surface.

The early morning air sent a shiver down her body, but she ignored it.

Stepping onto the stone ledge, she moved swiftly, reaching for her own robes. She dried herself as best she could before dressing, each movement sharp, precise—controlled.

Once fully clothed, she hesitated only briefly before turning back toward the dark bundle of fabric that lay where she had left it.

She should leave it.

But something about abandoning it like this felt… wrong.

Instead, she bent down, carefully folding the robe into a neat square. Her fingers brushed the fine embroidery along the edges, the weight of the silk unexpectedly heavy in her grasp.

Without another thought, she placed it atop the smooth stone beside the spring, where he would see it should he return.

She did not owe him gratitude.

She did not owe him anything at all.

And yet, somehow, it felt like leaving this behind was the only way to put the night to rest.

With one last glance at the now-still waters, she turned and walked away, her steps silent against the moss-covered stones.

The golden barrier shimmered as she passed through it, sealing shut behind her.

She never looked back.

—x—

The walk back to the sect felt longer than usual.

Lian Yu's body ached—not from fatigue, but from the simmering frustration coiling tightly within her. Each step did little to ease the tension in her chest, the remnants of the night clinging to her like an unwanted shadow.

The moment she stepped past the outer training grounds, her sharp gaze swept over the courtyard, searching.

Jiang Yuefeng.

He was exactly where she expected him to be—leaning lazily against the entrance to one of the sect's sparring halls, chatting with a few junior disciples. His golden eyes gleamed under the morning sun, easy laughter spilling from his lips. He had the audacity to look completely at peace while she was still trying to untangle the mess of emotions left behind from last night.

Lian Yu's jaw clenched.

He didn't warn me.

She stormed toward him, barely sparing a glance at the startled disciples who sensed the storm brewing around her. Jiang Yuefeng turned just as she reached him, brows lifting at the sight of her.

"Lian Yu—"

Before he could finish, she threw the jade pendant he had given her straight at his chest.

He caught it reflexively, blinking in surprise. "What the—?"

"You should have told me," she snapped.

Jiang Yuefeng frowned. "Told you what?"

Lian Yu narrowed her eyes, resisting the urge to shake him. "That Xie Wushen would be at the sacred spring."

A heavy pause.

Jiang Yuefeng's expression shifted in an instant—his usual playful ease vanishing. His grip on the jade pendant tightened. "Xie Wushen was there?"

Lian Yu crossed her arms. "You didn't know?"

His gaze sharpened, scanning her face as if searching for something. "No," he said slowly. "I didn't."

Lian Yu's stomach twisted slightly at the way he was suddenly too serious. "So you didn't send me there knowing he'd be there?"

Jiang Yuefeng scoffed. "What do you take me for? If I had known, I would've warned you—or better yet, told you to stay away."

She held his gaze, looking for deception, but found none.

He really didn't know.

Lian Yu exhaled sharply, some of her anger bleeding into something more like frustration.

Jiang Yuefeng, however, wasn't done.

He stepped closer, his usual playfulness gone. "Did he hurt you?"

She blinked. "What?"

Jiang Yuefeng's jaw tightened. "Did he hurt you for being there?"

She almost scoffed, but the tension in his shoulders made her pause. His golden eyes weren't teasing now—they were serious.

Worried.

She almost didn't know how to respond to that.

"…No." She hesitated, glancing away. "He didn't."

Jiang Yuefeng frowned. "Not at all?"

The words he covered me with his robes nearly left her lips, but she swallowed them back, shoving the memory deep into the back of her mind.

No. She wasn't thinking about that.

She crossed her arms instead. "If he had, would I be standing here?"

Jiang Yuefeng didn't seem convinced. "You're telling me he just let you stay?"

Lian Yu exhaled sharply. "Yes."

Silence.

Jiang Yuefeng looked at her as if she had just told him the sky was red. "Xie Wushen let you stay?"

Lian Yu rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to draw a picture for you?"

"No, I want to make sure you're not lying because that doesn't make any sense."

Lian Yu scowled. "I have no reason to lie about this."

Jiang Yuefeng ran a hand through his hair, looking genuinely dumbfounded. "Xie Wushen doesn't just let people intrude on his space. Ever."

Lian Yu frowned, arms still crossed. "Maybe he was too tired to bother with me."

Jiang Yuefeng let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. "Too tired? He's the strongest disciple in the sect. If he wanted you gone, you'd be gone."

She stiffened slightly at the reminder.

Xie Wushen was ruthless, feared. If he had considered her presence an offense, he wouldn't have hesitated to remove her.

And yet, not only had he let her remain…

He had covered her with his robes.

Lian Yu clenched her fists, pushing the thought away. "Well, he didn't," she muttered.

Jiang Yuefeng stared at her for a long moment, still visibly thrown by the idea. "Huh."

"Huh?" Lian Yu echoed, irritation sparking again. "What does 'huh' mean?"

Jiang Yuefeng shook his head slightly, his gaze distant, calculating. "It means something's off."

Lian Yu sighed, rubbing her temples. She was too tired for this. "Look, it doesn't matter. I just wanted to make sure you didn't send me there on purpose. Now that I know you didn't, I can move on."

Jiang Yuefeng didn't respond immediately. His expression was unreadable, but something about the way his gaze lingered on her face made her uncomfortable.

Like he knew she wasn't telling him everything.

Finally, he sighed. "Fine."

But the sharp look in his eyes told her he wasn't letting this go.

Lian Yu turned to leave, but just before she could walk away, Jiang Yuefeng called out:

"Lian Yu."

She stopped, glancing back.

His usual grin was gone, replaced by something softer. "If Xie Wushen ever does anything to you…" His fingers curled slightly around the jade pendant. "Tell me."

Lian Yu's breath caught slightly at the unexpected weight in his voice.

For all his teasing and smugness, this—this quiet promise—was genuine.

She looked away. "I can handle myself."

Jiang Yuefeng huffed. "Of course you can. That's not the point."

She didn't respond. Instead, she resumed walking, ignoring the way her heart felt heavier than before.

As she disappeared past the training grounds, Jiang Yuefeng remained, still holding the pendant she had thrown at him. His golden eyes flickered with something unreadable.

Xie Wushen had let her stay.

…Why?

—x—

The sun had barely begun its ascent when the first whispers began to spread.

A few junior disciples, still lingering near the sparring halls, had witnessed the confrontation between Lian Yu and Jiang Yuefeng. Curiosity had drawn them in; their new senior sister storming across the courtyard, fury etched into every step, was not something they saw every day.

And Jiang Yuefeng—the golden boy of the sect—looking uncharacteristically serious?

It had been a rare sight, and when their sharp ears had caught the name Xie Wushen, the shock had nearly made them stumble.

Lian Yu had been alone with Xie Wushen?

And she had walked away unscathed?

That was news and news in the Black Dragon Sect was like dry grass in a wildfire—it spread fast.

By the time the junior disciples made their way back to their assigned tasks, their hushed words had already been passed from ear to ear.

Lian Yu was at the sacred spring.

Xie Wushen was there.

He let her stay.

And just like that, the rumor slithered its way into the ears of those who would take the most offense.

"What did you just say?"

The courtyard outside the disciple lodgings was quiet, save for the rustling of silk and the sharp sound of a teacup being placed onto a lacquered table.

Yan Qingmei—one of the most influential female disciples in the sect—tilted her head, dark eyes narrowing as she regarded the trembling girl kneeling before her.

The younger disciple hesitated under her gaze, shifting uneasily. "Senior Sister, I—I heard it myself. She confronted Jiang Yuefeng this morning, accusing him of not telling her that Senior Brother Xie would be at the sacred spring."

Yan Qingmei's grip tightened around her teacup.

Lian Yu.

Her name had already been an annoyance as of late.

Ever since she had clawed her way into the sect—an orphan with no background, no noble name to carry her—she had become an unrelenting thorn in their side. She should have stayed at the bottom of the rankings, where she belonged.

And yet, she was climbing.

Too fast. Too boldly.

Yan Qingmei was going to tolerate it. But this—this—was something else entirely.

Xie Wushen.

The cold, untouchable heir of the Black Dragon Sect. The strongest disciple. The one who barely acknowledged anyone unless it was necessary.

He was not someone you encountered without consequence and yet, he had let Lian Yu—her—remain at the sacred spring.

Hadn't cast her out.

Hadn't punished her for intruding.

Had simply… let her be.

Yan Qingmei's fingers curled against the table.

And Lian Yu had the nerve to storm into the training grounds this morning, throwing accusations at Jiang Yuefeng as if she had some sort of right to demand explanations?

As if she were important enough to even warrant Xie Wushen's notice?

Yan Qingmei exhaled through her nose, cold amusement flickering in her gaze. "And what did Jiang Yuefeng say?"

The junior disciple swallowed. "He… seemed shocked. He said it didn't make sense. That Xie Wushen never lets anyone get away with intruding on his space."

The words sent a ripple of unease through the small group of female disciples gathered in the courtyard.

Yan Qingmei let them stew in it for a moment, before rising gracefully to her feet. Her silk robes pooled around her as she stepped forward, tilting the younger girl's chin up with a single, manicured finger.

"Good girl," she murmured. "That will be all."

The disciple nodded quickly, retreating.

Yan Qingmei turned to the others, expression unreadable. "She's getting ahead of herself," she said lightly. "She's forgetting her place."

The other disciples glanced at one another.

"What do you want to do, Senior Sister?"

Yan Qingmei smiled, slow and deliberate. "Remind her."

A soft murmur of agreement rippled through the group.