When the third knock sounded, Qiguan Yuan opened his eyes.
His eyes were a little bloodshot, their corners slightly red. He clearly hadn't had enough sleep.
He looked at the ceiling and lay there for two seconds before slowly sitting up. The silver-white ears atop his head drooped, like someone too sleepy to lift their head.
He got out of bed. Without putting on shoes, he stepped barefoot onto the wooden floor, walked to the doorway, and pulled the door open.
Someone stood outside. He wore red too, but his clothes were different from Qiguan Yuan's.
His robes were covered in golden feathers, layer upon layer, like a peacock displaying its tail.
He was about as tall as Qiguan Yuan, with a very pale face, bright eyes, and unnaturally red lips.
As soon as the door opened, he smiled, his eyes curving into two crescents. "Senior."
Qiguan Yuan leaned against the doorframe and looked him up and down. His gaze swept over the feathers, lingered briefly, then withdrew.
His expression didn't change much, but the ears atop his head perked up a little, as though trying to identify a scent.
Qiguan Yuan had never thought much of Lu Zhao's flashy peacock aesthetic and couldn't understand it at all.
But then he remembered that the man seemed to be a bird to begin with, so he said nothing.
"What brings you here?" His voice was a little hoarse, his throat not fully awake yet.
Lu Zhao stood in the doorway, holding something that looked like a letter. He bowed slightly, his feathers swaying gently in the breeze.
"Senior, I've run into some trouble. I truly can't handle it, so I had no choice but to come disturb you."
Qiguan Yuan didn't move aside, nor did he show any intention of inviting him in.
He leaned against the doorframe, his silver-white ears drooping again, as though he might fall asleep at any moment.
His silver hair hung over his chest, and his whole bearing was languid.
Lu Zhao waited a moment. Seeing that Qiguan Yuan had nothing else in mind, he continued on his own. "After you stepped down, Senior, I took over as Yue Lao. As you know, my cultivation is still shallow, and many duties are beyond me, so I took in a young attendant to help manage things."
Qiguan Yuan looked at him without speaking, signaling for him to continue.
"Not long ago, that young attendant dozed off and muddled up a marriage bond in his drowsiness." Lu Zhao's tone grew heavier as he reached this point.
"It was originally a destined match, but the young attendant turned it into an ill-fated bond. My cultivation is meager, and ill-fated bonds are particularly difficult for me. I searched through all the notes you left behind but couldn't find a way to resolve it. With no other choice, I could only come to you."
After hearing him out, Qiguan Yuan didn't answer immediately. He reached up and rubbed one drooping ear, slowly working from its base to its tip.
After the rubbing, his ears looked a little livelier and stood up slightly.
"Who?"
Lu Zhao hurriedly drew a sheet of paper from his sleeve and offered it with both hands. "Their names are here."
Qiguan Yuan took the paper and glanced down. The handwriting was very neat, every stroke carefully formed, nothing like the chicken scratch in Qiguan Yuan's Marriage Register.
Two names were written on it.
Ji Shiyu.
Jiang Wantang.
Qiguan Yuan narrowed his eyes at the two names.
They sounded somewhat familiar.
But he couldn't remember them.
Since he couldn't remember, he stopped thinking about it. Too much effort.
He folded the paper once and held it between his fingers. "When will this ill-fated bond break?"
Lu Zhao thought for a moment. "In roughly ten days. After ten days, the red thread will snap on its own, and there will be no reversing it."
Qiguan Yuan gave a hum of acknowledgment. He tucked the paper into his sleeve, turned, and walked back into the room.
He went to the bed, picked up the dark red robe draped over the screen, and slipped it on. He tied the sash slowly, fastening the ties one by one, then straightened his collar.
He walked to the doorway and bent down to put on his shoes. They were the same black cloth shoes, their uppers perfectly clean.
Once he had them on, he straightened and glanced at Lu Zhao. "Let's go."
Lu Zhao froze for a moment, then smiled. Sure enough, Senior was still very accommodating.
He moved aside and, once Qiguan Yuan came out, followed behind him.
They passed through the moon gate, walked past the old elm, and pushed open the gate out of the courtyard. The bronze wind chime swayed a few times against the frame, its tinkling carrying far through the quiet woods.
Qiguan Yuan walked ahead at an unhurried pace.
His hair was untied, falling over his shoulders and down his back, lifting a little in the breeze.
The silver-white ears atop his head had already withdrawn, leaving no trace.
Lu Zhao followed, watching Qiguan Yuan's back. His red robes stood out in the woods, and his silver hair hung to his waist, swaying gently with his steps.
He couldn't resist asking, "Senior, those ears on your head just now..."
Qiguan Yuan answered rather absently, "Oh, didn't you know I was a nine-tailed fox?"
Lu Zhao recalled the lesser immortals' gossip. There had indeed been talk of Qiguan Yuan having been a nine-tailed fox demon before becoming Yue Lao. But he had always assumed it was only a rumor, so he had never taken it seriously.
Lu Zhao opened his mouth, then swallowed the rest of his words. He lowered his head and obediently followed without speaking again.
Although Qiguan Yuan had stepped down eight hundred years ago, Lu Zhao still respected him greatly.
The moon rose. Moonlight filtered through gaps in the leaves and fell in patches on the woodland path, like scattered silver.
Qiguan Yuan stepped through those patches of light, his elongated shadow swaying across the tree trunks.
He walked steadily, every step landing firmly, nothing like someone who would lose his way.
In fact, a closer look would reveal a red thread wound around his little finger.
With the red thread pointing the way, Qiguan Yuan wouldn't get lost, so he kept his eyes half-closed and secretly dozed.
Lu Zhao had some difficulty keeping up behind him. He wore too many feathers, and they caught on the shrubs as he walked, making a string of soft rustling sounds.
Qiguan Yuan didn't wait for him or slow down. He kept walking until he reached the edge of the woods, then stopped.
Ahead lay the lights of the town below the mountain, scattered here and there like a handful of flecks of gold.
Qiguan Yuan stood at the edge of the woods, watching those lights. The wind lifted his silver hair and pressed his dark red robes against his body.
He watched for a while, then turned his head and glanced at Lu Zhao. "Since you've only held the post for eight hundred years, I'll settle this for you. If it happens again, you're on your own. Don't come bother me."
Having to work even after retiring left Qiguan Yuan rather displeased.
Lu Zhao nodded hurriedly. "Thank you, Senior. Those two are currently in a place called the Village Above the Clouds, not far from Cloud-Hidden Town. Sorry for the trouble, Senior."
Qiguan Yuan said nothing more. He turned and headed back the way they had come.
His red robes looked very dark beneath the moonlight, his silver hair swaying behind him like flowing silk. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
"That young attendant."
Lu Zhao hurriedly answered, "I'm here."
"Have him copy the Marriage Record a hundred times. No sleeping until he's finished."
With that, Qiguan Yuan continued on his way. His retreating figure grew smaller and more distant until it finally disappeared into the depths of the woods.
Moonlight shone brightly on the place where he had vanished. Nothing was there.
Lu Zhao stood where he was, looking in that direction, and let out a long breath.
He looked down at his feather-covered clothes, reached out to smooth down a feather sticking up, then turned and walked in another direction.
After two steps, he suddenly stopped and felt the top of his head. There was nothing there. He lowered his hand and continued walking.
The moon rose above the treetops. The woods quieted, leaving only the rustle of wind through the leaves, like whispered conversation.
Meanwhile, Qiguan Yuan leisurely let the red thread lead the way.
He toyed with the feather he had plucked from the top of Lu Zhao's head while he wasn't looking.
It really was quite pretty.