Mei Chengyu furrowed his brows and immediately started toward Yu Sui, intending to leave the center of the formation.
The Listening Wind Ruler rang again. Yu Sui's message stopped him.
"Don't come over yet. If you leave the barrier, it'll be easy for them to break through."
Mei Chengyu stayed where he was. The Listening Wind Ruler's faint green light reflected in his eyes, like fireflies dotted across a pitch-black summer night.
Before he could ask anything, Yu Sui bombarded him with a string of messages.
She explained why she and Wan Qi had come to Taixu Hall, then said she would leave the bamboo tube on the ground and have Mei Chengyu send someone to collect it.
"Senior Martial Brother, if you agree, look up at me."
Mei Chengyu's fingers gently rubbed the glowing surface of the ruler. He didn't look up at Yu Sui, but instead sent her a voice transmission.
Yu Sui accepted it without hesitation.
She heard Mei Chengyu ask in a calm voice, "Are you hurt?"
"No," Yu Sui replied softly.
Only then did Mei Chengyu look up at her. His dark eyes revealed no hint of emotion.
He ended the voice transmission and turned to call Zhang Pinghui over to collect the things.
Yu Sui melted back into the darkness.
The two hadn't argued or traded barbs the previous night. They'd spoken calmly, without sarcasm or snide remarks, yet in the end they'd fallen into an awkward stalemate where neither was willing to speak first.
After returning to the dormitory, Yu Sui recalled the moment she and Mei Chengyu had parted ways at the Taoist Saint Hall and found the memory rather absurd.
In that instant, they'd both tacitly chosen to calm down, avoiding words they might regret and actions they might wish they