The Talisman Paper was still burning hot in my sleeve, feeling like a red-hot iron against my forearm. I lowered my head and emerged from the back door of the kitchen. The water stains on the wet Stone Slab reflected the morning light, and the sound of sweeping gradually faded behind me. Lu Jiuxuan hadn't gone far; I knew that. But he didn't look back either. He just leaned the broom against the wall, hitched up the hem of his Outer Robe, and turned into the small path paved with Green Bricks on the East Side.
I followed, softening my Footsteps. The Menial Laborer robe was damp with sweat and felt cool against my back. The Suppression in my throat eased slightly; when I spoke, it was no longer like swallowing sand, but the trailing end of my voice still floated upward uncontrollably. I cleared my throat, forcing my tone down, and tested it: "Ye San." The voice was barely audible.
The end of the small path led to the Side Courtyard, where several Side Rooms were nestled against a bamboo fence, all with closed doors. I walked up to the third door and pushed, but it didn't budge. Just as I was about to step back, a Silver Light suddenly spilled out from the crack in the door, crawling over the threshold like water until it reached the soles of my shoes. I looked down; the light flowed to my feet, gently coiled around them, and the door clicked open.
Lu Jiuxuan stood inside, his back to me. His Silver Hair was tied up at the back of his head, with a few strands hanging down over his shoulders, swaying slightly with his breathing. His right hand was suspended in mid-air, a strand of Sword Qi circling his fingertips, weaving intricately as he drew a circle inside the room. The Sword Qi traced the base of the walls once before returning to his palm, humming softly as it stabilized.
"Come in," he said, his voice colder than this morning. "The door will open in half an hour. Don't waste time."
I stepped inside, and the door closed behind me. A flash of Sword Qi sealed it shut again. The room was unlit, but light filtered through the window paper, casting a greenish hue on the floor. There was a wooden table, a chair, and a few rolls of old cloth piled in the corner, likely spare clothes.
"Change your clothes." He didn't turn around, his fingers still adjusting the Sword Qi. "The Gender Swap Technique won't last forever. You need to finish changing before the Barrier fails."
I stood still. "Turn around."
His shoulders stiffened. "Stop wasting time and hurry up."
"If you don't turn around, I won't undress."
He spun around abruptly, his Silver Hair whipping slightly, his gaze pinning me down. "Do you think I want to look? The Barrier only blocks the outside; it can't block sound. If you make a noise inside, people outside will still hear it."
I gritted my teeth, untied my sash, and threw my Outer Robe onto the table. I yanked off my Hair Ribbon too, and my black hair instantly scattered, falling to my chest. I reached for the roll of coarse men's clothing, but my fingers paused the moment they touched the fabric—the Copper Ring on my left ear was still there.
I raised my hand to take it off, but the Copper Ring was snagged, painfully pulling at my earlobe. I yanked hard, and a bead of blood welled up, dripping onto my collar.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing." I lowered my head and pulled on the men's clothes. Before I could even fasten the lapels, I heard his Footsteps move.
He turned around.
I looked up sharply, meeting my reflection in the Bronze Mirror—my shoulders were half-bare, my hair loose, the collar slipped down to my collarbone, and he stood three steps away, his gaze fixed directly on the Amber Pendant on my chest.
He stopped moving.
I froze too, my hand gripping the edge of the garment, unmoving.
He took a step forward, the Sword Qi in his palm trembling slightly. I instinctively backed away, my back hitting the door, making a dull thud.
"That Pendant of yours..." he stared at it. "It's moving?"
I didn't answer.
He suddenly reached out, his fingertip brushing across my collarbone, touching the Pendant.
In that instant, the Amber Pendant burned fiercely, as if coming alive. My breath hitched. I felt it absorbing something—not air, but the residual Demonic Qi lingering in the room. There shouldn't be any Demonic Qi inside a Sword Qi Barrier, but the remnants clinging to me from when he dragged me through the Ruined Temple and the Black Market last night were being drawn out bit by bit, drilling into the Pendant.
Lu Jiuxuan's expression changed. "It's absorbing Spirit Flow."
I raised my hand to block it, but in my haste, my sleeve knocked over the Bronze Mirror in the corner. The Mirror Surface shattered on the floor into several pieces, reflecting multiple versions of me—hair messy, eyes panicked—and the Pendant glimmered faintly in every shard.
He didn't look at the mirror, only at the Pendant. "This thing... it's not an ordinary Magical Artifact."
"It's just a Relic." I pulled my collar up high, stuffing the Pendant inside my clothes. "I picked it up."
He didn't believe me. His fingers were still suspended in the air, an inch from my chest. I could feel the Sword Qi in his palm shaking, as if being interfered with by something. His breathing also changed; it was faster than before.
"You have residual Demonic Power in your body," he said. "It's reacting."
"So what?" I tied my sash, my hand trembling slightly. "If it absorbs it, it absorbs it. It didn't hurt you."
"But it's getting stronger." He withdrew his hand; his fingertips were slightly red, as if scalded. "That touch just now pulled away thirty percent of my Sword Qi."
I froze.
Sensing something, he narrowed his eyes. "You didn't know?"
"Know what?" I tied the last strap and patted the dust off my sleeve. "It's always like this. It gets hot when it touches Spirit Flow. I thought it was normal."
He stared at me for two seconds, then suddenly raised his hand and retracted his Sword Qi. The light in the room dimmed sharply. The Barrier began to collapse; silver threads of energy coiled up from the base of the walls and finally retracted into his sleeve.
"Are you dressed?" he asked.
"Like a man now," I looked up, keeping my voice low. "I can still pass."
He didn't answer and turned to open the door. As his hand rested on the bolt, he suddenly paused. "Don't let it show again in the future. There are people in the Academy who specialize in hunting down rare treasures. If they see something like that, they won't ask where you got it."
"Got it." I walked past him, my sleeve brushing against his arm.
He didn't move, nor did he look back.
I reached the doorway and put my hand on the doorknob, when I suddenly heard him say, "Your earlobe is bleeding."
I touched it, and my fingertip came away with a smear of red.
"Minor thing." I opened the door and stepped out.
He followed out and casually closed the door. The Sword Qi completely dissipated, and the door returned to looking like an ordinary wooden door.
"Where to next?" I asked.
"The Mess Hall," he said. "You still have to keep working. The Steward won't let you off easily."
I nodded and walked forward. Sunlight shone on the Stone Slab; it was still wet. After taking a couple of steps, I suddenly felt a weight in my chest—the Pendant was still burning hot, even hotter than before, as if it had swallowed something it shouldn't have.
I reached out to touch it; through the cloth, I could feel it vibrating faintly.
Footsteps sounded beside my ear; he was catching up. I quickened my pace, not wanting him to notice anything.
But after only a few steps, my fingertip suddenly burned as if seared by fire. I fiercely clenched my sleeve and looked down—a Gold Pattern briefly surfaced on my palm before vanishing.
My breathing hitched.
I bit my lower lip and pulled my sleeve down to cover my hand.
"What's wrong?" he asked from behind.
"Nothing." I looked up, steadying my voice. "The Barrier was too stuffy; I was a bit breathless."
He hummed in acknowledgment and asked no further questions.
We walked one behind the other, neither of us speaking. The Sutra Chanting Sound of the students' Morning Class drifted from beyond the bamboo fence, and a Bell Toll sounded in the distance.
I looked down at my Shadow, stretched long by the sunlight.
The Pendant pressed against my skin, hot as a Branding Iron.