Yang Ning slowly rose to his feet and brushed the grass clippings from his hands. "Senior Disciple Dong, I think... I more or less know what's going on. But it's already late today. I'll go report this to the Law Enforcement Hall first thing tomorrow morning."
Dong Xiaojie nodded. "That sounds good. Better to be cautious." She paused, her face creasing with concern. "But Boss Yang, just to be safe, I still won't go back tonight. I'll meditate in the main room of your shop and keep watch over you. Don't worry—just go sleep in the back room. I won't disturb you."
Yang Ning hurriedly waved his hands, refusing. "Th-this is too much! I couldn't possibly trouble you, Senior Disciple Dong!"
Dong Xiaojie smiled, her tone sincere. "Boss Yang, we've known each other for a long time. We're friends, at least. How could I see a friend in danger, caught in a life-threatening situation, and just go home and sleep? I, Dong Xiaojie, couldn't stand by and do nothing."
At that moment, her mind unexpectedly conjured up her master Shi Xuanfei's strange behavior toward Yang Ning earlier that day—the unusual affection in her every gesture. Dong Xiaojie couldn't help sighing inwardly.
"Besides..." She trailed off.
"Besides what?" Yang Ning pressed.
Dong Xiaojie shook her head, pushing those suspicions aside, and waved a hand. "It's nothing. Don't worry. I happen to need a quiet place to cultivate for the night and consolidate my cultivation, too. There's no need to refuse, Boss Yang."
Seeing how resolute Dong Xiaojie looked and how sincere her tone was, Yang Ning knew that insisting would only seem affected. He could only nod and reluctantly agree.
"All right... Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Disciple Dong."
"It's no trouble at all, Boss Yang. You're too kind."
Then the two of them turned and started back up the stone steps they'd come down. Before long, they reached the mountaintop. The familiar outline of the Myriad Things Come shop stood quietly in the night, warm light spilling from its windows—the unmistakable glow of kerosene lamps. There was a noisy generator in the storage shed next door, but it was too crude; its power barely kept the freezer running. So the shop still relied on kerosene lamps for its everyday lighting.
"Boss Yang, is someone in your shop?" Dong Xiaojie asked, puzzled by the light shining through the windows.
Yang Ning was also taken aback. He scratched his head, looking uncertain. "At this hour... Could it be..."
Yang Ning and Dong Xiaojie walked up to the shop. Yang Ning reached out and gently pushed open the familiar wooden door.
"Jingle-jingle—"
A clear, pleasant chime rang out at once, shattering the silence around them.
Yang Ning looked up. Xu Yinyin, who had been resting her head on the counter and seemed to have fallen asleep, jerked her head up like a startled fawn and opened her eyes, her gaze instantly darting toward the entrance.
"Boss!" She sprang up from her stool. Her eyes, still a little bleary with sleep, lit up the moment she saw Yang Ning, bright as stars in the warm, gentle glow of the kerosene lamp.
"You're back!"
Xu Yinyin's face blossomed into a radiant smile. As if presenting him with a treasure, she immediately picked up a can of his favorite happiness water that she'd prepared and set beside her. Then she hurried over and offered it to him with both hands.
Yang Ning looked at Xu Yinyin standing before him. A distinct red mark from sleeping face-down for so long still showed on her left cheek. One arm seemed to have gone numb after being pinned beneath her head for too long; she was awkwardly moving it about, trying to bring the feeling back.
A pang of guilt welled up inside him. He took the cold can of Cola and said apologetically, "It's my fault. I was in such a hurry when I left this morning that I forgot to tell you: if the sun set and I still hadn't come back, you could've closed up and gone home. You didn't need to wait."
Xu Yinyin hastily waved her hands. "It's okay, it's okay! I'd be cultivating alone at home anyway, so it's the same wherever I am. And here at the shop... I can... I can keep an eye on things for you, too." Her voice grew quieter and quieter as she spoke.
Dong Xiaojie knew Xu Yinyin, of course. Every year, the sect held sparring contests between the peaks. Though Xu Yinyin was young, she had already stood out in the new generation's competitions two years earlier, leaving a deep impression on disciples from every peak.
Watching the scene before her—Xu Yinyin's undisguised delight and the astonishing brightness in her eyes whenever she looked at Yang Ning—Dong Xiaojie couldn't help thinking of her master Shi Xuanfei's many oddities that day, and how clearly her attitude toward Yang Ning differed from the way she treated others. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Yang Ning and Xu Yinyin, and she sighed inwardly for her master. Master, oh, Master... It seems your path is fated to be rocky, with formidable rivals all around you...
She gave a timely cough, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere. Only then did Yang Ning react, hurrying to introduce them. "This is Dong Xiaojie, Senior Disciple Dong of Jade Maiden Peak. She was also a customer I delivered goods to today."
"And this is Xu Yinyin, the direct disciple of Hall Master Yun of the Law Enforcement Hall."
Xu Yinyin immediately put away the girlish sweetness she'd shown Yang Ning. She cupped her hands and bowed respectfully to Dong Xiaojie, offering just the right amount of flattery. "Greetings, Senior Disciple Dong. At last year's Sect Grand Competition, your stunning display as you fought three disciples from Beast Taming Peak at once left a deep impression on me. The Eldest Senior Sister and Second Senior Sister of Jade Maiden Peak are known as the 'Twin Stars of One Sect,' and their fame has spread far and wide. I've admired you for a long time."
Before you continue