Chapter 13: The Observatory Beneath the Dried Lake
For some, forty-three years was a lifetime.
For others, it was merely a night.
And for Ye Wuchen, even the rise and fall of entire civilizations had become little more than distant memories.
A City That Had Forgotten Its Lake
Six days after leaving the Northern Wastelands, Ye Wuchen arrived at Lanyue City.
The city stood along the western frontier of the Great Yan Empire, where fertile plains gave way to crimson mountains and vast stretches of barren land.
Its towering walls were constructed from dark stone, reinforced with defensive formations that glimmered faintly beneath the afternoon sun.
Four enormous gates connected the city to the surrounding trade routes.
Merchants entered beneath banners bearing the emblem of a silver crescent. Spiritual beasts pulled luxurious carriages through the streets, while cultivators in embroidered robes walked among ordinary travelers.
Above the rooftops, several flying vessels drifted toward a harbor built into the mountainside.
Lin Qingyue looked around with interest.
"Lanyue is much larger than I expected."
Mu Cang nodded.
"It wasn't always like this."
Han Zhen stood beside him, staring at the bustling streets.
His expression was complicated.
Forty-three years ago, Lanyue had been a modest frontier settlement.
Now, its walls were taller, its streets wider, and its population several times larger.
He stopped before a shop selling formation lanterns.
"That used to be a tea house."
Mu Cang followed his gaze.
"Probably."
"And that street..."
Han Zhen pointed toward a broad avenue lined with shops.
"There used to be a canal there."
"It dried up thirty years ago," Mu Cang replied.
Han Zhen fell silent.
For the first time since leaving the ruins, the reality of those forty-three years seemed to settle upon him.
The world had not waited.
It had continued changing without him.
Ye Wuchen observed the city quietly.
To Han Zhen, forty-three years had transformed everything.
To Ye Wuchen, even the Great Yan Empire itself was something that had appeared during his absence.
The difference was merely one of scale.
"Where is the observatory?" he asked.
Mu Cang unfolded the map.
"West of the city, beside the dried lake."
"Then let's find somewhere to stay first."
Lin Qingyue looked surprised.
"You're not going there immediately?"
"It's nearly evening."
"Does that matter?"
"Not particularly."
"Then why wait?"
Ye Wuchen glanced toward a nearby restaurant.
"Because we've been traveling."
Lin Qingyue stared at him.
That was certainly true.
But she had expected a more mysterious explanation.
Mu Cang chuckled.
"Young people should learn to rest occasionally."
Ye Wuchen looked at him.
"An excellent suggestion."
Lin Qingyue sighed.
For once, she decided not to argue.
The most prosperous establishment in Lanyue City was the Moonfall Pavilion.
It occupied an entire street near the central marketplace and provided lodging, dining, and private cultivation chambers.
The pavilion belonged to the Luo family, one of the city's three great cultivation clans.
Its current patriarch was a late Golden Core cultivator.
In Lanyue, that made the family an important local power.
When Ye Wuchen's group entered, a young attendant immediately approached.
"Honored guests, welcome to Moonfall Pavilion. Would you like rooms or a private dining chamber?"
"Both," Lin Qingyue replied.
The attendant smiled.
"Certainly. Four rooms?"
"Yes."
He led them toward the reception desk.
But before they reached it, an argument erupted near the entrance.
"Three thousand spirit stones?"
A young man in white robes slammed his palm against the counter.
"For a single month?"
The receptionist maintained a polite expression.
"Young Master Wei, the price includes access to our highest-grade cultivation chamber."
"Last year, it cost two thousand!"
"The chamber's spirit-gathering formation was recently upgraded."
"Upgraded?"
The young man laughed coldly.
"Do you think I can't recognize a formation?"
Several customers turned to watch.
Lin Qingyue glanced toward the commotion.
Mu Cang looked uninterested.
Han Zhen was busy examining a decorative lantern.
Ye Wuchen studied the spirit-gathering formation embedded beneath the pavilion's floor.
The receptionist had not lied.
It had indeed been upgraded.
Unfortunately, the upgrade was rather poor.
Two additional energy channels had been added to the original formation, but their placement disrupted the circulation of spiritual energy.
The result was a formation that consumed considerably more spirit stones while providing only a minor improvement.
Ye Wuchen looked away.
Someone had paid a substantial amount of money for a rather mediocre alteration.
A pity.
"Young Master Wei."
A clear female voice interrupted the argument.
A young woman descended the staircase.
She wore dark violet robes embroidered with silver flowers. Her black hair was secured with a jade ornament, and her expression carried the practiced composure of someone accustomed to handling difficult customers.
Her cultivation had reached the middle Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Is there a problem?"
The white-robed young man's expression changed.
"Luo Xinyi."
The woman smiled faintly.
"Young Master Wei, I would appreciate it if you didn't frighten our guests."
He crossed his arms.
"Then explain why your family increased the price."
"Because the chamber was improved."
"By whom?"
"Master Duan."
The young man frowned.
"The formation master from the provincial capital?"
"Correct."
He hesitated.
Master Duan was a respected third-grade formation master.
Few cultivators in Lanyue dared question his expertise.
Luo Xinyi noticed his hesitation.
"Would you still like to reserve the chamber?"
The young man gritted his teeth.
"Fine."
He placed a storage pouch upon the counter.
"One month."
"An excellent choice."
Luo Xinyi accepted the payment.
The dispute ended.
As she turned to leave, Ye Wuchen spoke quietly.
"The southern channel is reversed."
Lin Qingyue looked at him.
"What?"
Ye Wuchen nodded toward the floor.
"The formation."
Luo Xinyi stopped.
She turned.
"Excuse me?"
Ye Wuchen looked at her.
"The southern energy channel is reversed. That's why the formation consumes more spirit stones than it should."
The pavilion fell quiet.
Luo Xinyi studied him.
"Fellow Daoist, are you a formation master?"
"No."
Lin Qingyue closed her eyes.
Of course.
Luo Xinyi's smile remained.
"Then how did you determine that?"
Ye Wuchen glanced toward the decorative floor tiles.
"By looking."
A few nearby cultivators laughed.
The white-robed young man, who had been preparing to leave, turned back.
"Interesting."
He looked toward Luo Xinyi.
"Your formation master charged a fortune, and this fellow says he can identify a mistake by looking at the floor."
Luo Xinyi ignored him.
Her gaze remained on Ye Wuchen.
"Would you mind explaining?"
Ye Wuchen considered refusing.
But Lin Qingyue had already begun examining the floor.
A moment later, her expression changed.
"Wait..."
She crouched.
The formation channels were hidden beneath decorative stonework, but traces of spiritual energy leaked through the gaps.
She extended her spiritual sense.
Then frowned.
"The southern channel..."
Luo Xinyi's expression sharpened.
Lin Qingyue looked up.
"He's right."
Silence.
The white-robed young man stared.
Luo Xinyi approached.
"Are you certain?"
Lin Qingyue nodded.
"The energy enters through the western array, divides into three channels, and should circulate clockwise. But the southern channel pushes against the eastern return flow."
She paused.
"That would create resistance."
Luo Xinyi's expression became serious.
"How much resistance?"
Lin Qingyue hesitated.
"I can't calculate it without examining the entire formation."
Ye Wuchen spoke.
"Approximately thirty percent of the additional consumption."
Everyone turned toward him.
He continued calmly.
"The actual improvement in spiritual concentration is less than one-tenth."
The white-robed young man burst out laughing.
Luo Xinyi did not.
She looked toward the floor.
Then toward Ye Wuchen.
"Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to wait a moment?"
"Why?"
"I would like to ask our resident formation master to verify your observation."
Ye Wuchen considered the request.
Then glanced toward the reception desk.
"Will that delay our rooms?"
Luo Xinyi blinked.
"No."
"Then do as you please."
She bowed slightly.
"Thank you."
Lin Qingyue looked toward Ye Wuchen.
"Do you realize you just questioned a third-grade formation master?"
"Did I?"
"Yes!"
Ye Wuchen thought for a moment.
"Then I hope he appreciates constructive criticism."
Lin Qingyue had no response.
Half an hour later, an elderly formation master hurried into the pavilion.
His name was Duan Shou.
He wore a gray robe and carried a wooden case containing dozens of formation instruments.
His expression was irritated.
"Young Mistress Luo, what exactly is the problem?"
Luo Xinyi explained the situation.
Duan Shou frowned.
"A reversed channel?"
"Yes."
"Impossible."
He opened his wooden case.
"Who made this accusation?"
Luo Xinyi indicated Ye Wuchen.
The elderly master turned.
His gaze swept over the black-robed young man.
No detectable cultivation aura.
No formation master's insignia.
Not even a trace of spiritual energy.
Duan Shou's expression darkened.
"You're the one who claims my formation is defective?"
Ye Wuchen glanced at him.
"Yes."
For thirty-seven years, Duan Shou had studied the art of formations.
He had repaired defensive arrays for cultivation sects, constructed spirit-gathering formations for wealthy clans, and once received personal praise from an elder of the Great Yan Imperial Formation Association.
Although he was only a third-grade formation master, his reputation in Lanyue City was considerable.
And now, a young man with no detectable cultivation had publicly questioned his work.
Worse, the young man appeared entirely uninterested in the significance of his accusation.
Duan Shou took a slow breath.
"Young man, do you understand the complexity of a third-grade spirit-gathering formation?"
"Somewhat."
"Somewhat?"
"Yes."
The old master's beard trembled.
Luo Xinyi stepped forward.
"Master Duan, please don't misunderstand. We merely wish to verify whether the formation is functioning correctly."
Duan Shou snorted.
"Very well."
He opened his wooden case and removed a circular bronze instrument.
Nine small needles surrounded its center.
"This is a Nine-Channel Spiritual Compass. It measures the circulation of spiritual energy within a formation."
Several cultivators gathered around.
The white-robed Young Master Wei, who had already paid for the cultivation chamber, watched with considerable interest.
Duan Shou placed the compass upon the floor.
A thin stream of spiritual energy entered the instrument.
The needles began rotating.
One after another, they settled into position.
Duan Shou smiled.
"As you can see, the spiritual circulation is stable."
Luo Xinyi leaned forward.
"Then there's no problem?"
"Naturally."
He looked toward Ye Wuchen.
"Young man, perhaps you should spend a few decades studying formations before making such claims."
Ye Wuchen examined the compass.
Then he looked toward Lin Qingyue.
"What do you think?"
Lin Qingyue blinked.
"Me?"
"Yes."
She hesitated.
The instrument was clearly displaying a stable formation.
But something still bothered her.
She crouched beside it.
The nine needles pointed in different directions.
Eight remained perfectly still.
The ninth trembled almost imperceptibly.
Lin Qingyue narrowed her eyes.
"Master Duan."
The elderly formation master turned.
"What?"
Duan Shou frowned.
"Minor fluctuations are normal."
"Even when the other eight are stable?"
"Of course."
Lin Qingyue looked toward Ye Wuchen.
He said nothing.
She returned her attention to the instrument.
Then she noticed something.
The ninth needle wasn't merely trembling.
It was repeatedly attempting to rotate in the opposite direction.
Her expression changed.
"The southern channel is pushing against the return flow."
Duan Shou's smile disappeared.
"Nonsense."
Lin Qingyue pointed toward the compass.
"The instrument is measuring the combined circulation, not the efficiency of each individual channel."
She looked up.
"Wouldn't that allow an inefficient formation to appear stable?"
Silence.
Duan Shou stared at her.
Luo Xinyi turned toward the elderly master.
"Master Duan?"
He frowned.
"The young lady has misunderstood the instrument."
"Then perhaps," Ye Wuchen said, "you should isolate the ninth channel."
Duan Shou looked at him.
"What?"
"Disconnect it from the other eight."
"That would disrupt the formation."
"Temporarily."
The old master hesitated.
Ye Wuchen continued.
"If the channel is functioning correctly, the total energy consumption should increase when it's removed."
Luo Xinyi considered the statement.
That was reasonable.
A properly functioning energy channel should improve the formation's efficiency.
Removing it should make matters worse.
Duan Shou looked around.
The gathered cultivators were watching him.
Refusing the test would only deepen their suspicions.
"Very well."
He knelt and adjusted the compass.
Several needles shifted.
A faint humming sound emerged from beneath the floor.
The southern channel disconnected.
Immediately, the instrument's central crystal brightened.
Duan Shou froze.
Luo Xinyi leaned closer.
"Master Duan?"
The elderly formation master's expression changed.
The formation's spiritual concentration had barely decreased.
Yet its energy consumption had fallen substantially.
He stared at the readings.
"Impossible."
Lin Qingyue's eyes widened.
"It really was reversed."
Duan Shou examined the instrument again.
Then again.
His face gradually turned pale.
After several moments, he withdrew his spiritual energy.
The compass dimmed.
No one spoke.
Finally, Luo Xinyi asked quietly, "Master Duan, is there a problem?"
The elderly man lowered his head.
"Yes."
A murmur spread through the pavilion.
Duan Shou took a long breath.
"The southern channel was installed incorrectly."
Young Master Wei laughed.
"So I was paying an extra thousand spirit stones for a defective formation?"
Luo Xinyi's expression tightened.
"Young Master Wei, the pavilion will compensate you appropriately."
"Naturally."
He crossed his arms.
"I would hope so."
Duan Shou ignored him.
Instead, he looked toward Ye Wuchen.
"Young man."
Ye Wuchen turned.
"Yes?"
"How did you notice?"
"The circulation was uneven."
"Without using an instrument?"
"Yes."
Duan Shou stared at him.
Then slowly bowed.
"This old man was mistaken."
The pavilion fell silent.
A respected third-grade formation master had publicly admitted his error.
It was not something the gathered cultivators had expected to witness.
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"Then correct it."
Duan Shou straightened.
"I intend to."
He hesitated.
"May I ask where you studied formations?"
Ye Wuchen thought for a moment.
"A long time ago."
"Under which master?"
"Several people."
Duan Shou's eyes brightened.
"Could you name one?"
Ye Wuchen looked at him.
"Probably not anyone you would recognize."
The elderly formation master considered this.
Perhaps the young man belonged to a hidden lineage.
Perhaps he had inherited the teachings of an ancient formation expert.
Whatever the case, Duan Shou understood one thing.
He had encountered someone whose knowledge exceeded his own.
He cupped his hands.
"Then I thank you for your guidance."
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"You're welcome."
He turned toward the reception desk.
"Are our rooms ready?"
The attendant, who had been watching in astonishment, hurried forward.
"Y-yes, honored guest!"
"Good."
Ye Wuchen walked toward the staircase.
Lin Qingyue followed.
As she passed Duan Shou, the elderly master stopped her.
"Young lady."
She turned.
"Yes?"
"Your understanding of formation principles is quite good."
Lin Qingyue looked surprised.
"Thank you, Senior."
Duan Shou nodded.
"Continue studying. You have talent."
She bowed respectfully.
Then hurried after Ye Wuchen.
For some reason, the praise made her happier than she expected.
By the time the group reached their rooms, news of the incident had already begun spreading through Moonfall Pavilion.
A mysterious young man had identified a flaw in Master Duan's formation.
A female disciple had verified it.
And the respected master had admitted his mistake.
Such events were rare enough to attract attention.
Luo Xinyi stood inside her private study, listening to a report from the pavilion's steward.
"Have you identified them?" she asked.
The steward bowed.
"The young woman appears to be an Azure River Sect disciple named Lin Qingyue."
"And the others?"
"Two mortal scholars. One elderly, one younger."
Luo Xinyi frowned.
"And the black-robed young man?"
The steward hesitated.
"We couldn't find any information about him."
"No sect affiliation?"
"None."
"No cultivation records?"
"None."
Luo Xinyi leaned back in her chair.
"Interesting."
The steward lowered his voice.
"Young Mistress, should we investigate further?"
She considered the question.
Then shook her head.
"Not aggressively."
"Understood."
"Treat them as honored guests. Reduce their lodging fees, and ensure no one disturbs them."
The steward bowed.
"As you command."
After he departed, Luo Xinyi approached the window.
Beyond the pavilion, Lanyue City glowed beneath the evening sky.
A stranger who understood formations better than a respected third-grade master.
An Azure River disciple with unusual talent.
And two mortal scholars traveling alongside them.
An unusual group.
She wondered what had brought them to Lanyue.
That evening, Mu Cang unfolded Shen Yulan's letter upon a table.
The four companions gathered around it.
Outside their window, the city's lanterns illuminated the streets.
Han Zhen examined the map.
"The old observatory should be here."
He pointed toward the western edge of the dried lake.
Mu Cang nodded.
"That's what the letter says."
Lin Qingyue looked toward Ye Wuchen.
"Do you know anything about the observatory?"
"A little."
She raised an eyebrow.
"How little?"
Ye Wuchen considered the question.
"I visited it once."
Mu Cang looked surprised.
"When?"
"A long time ago."
Han Zhen frowned.
"How long?"
Ye Wuchen looked toward the map.
"Long enough that the surrounding landscape was different."
Lin Qingyue stared at him.
The dried lake had existed for centuries, according to local records.
How could he have visited the observatory before the landscape changed?
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
After traveling with Ye Wuchen for so long, she had learned that some questions rarely received satisfying answers.
Mu Cang examined the letter again.
"Yulan said someone would be waiting."
Han Zhen nodded.
"But she didn't say who."
"Perhaps another scholar."
"Perhaps."
Ye Wuchen looked toward the western horizon.
Beyond the city walls lay a vast depression where a lake had once existed.
At its center stood the remains of an ancient observatory.
The Star-Observing Terrace.
He remembered the name.
Not because the place had been powerful.
Not because it had possessed extraordinary treasures.
But because, long ago, he had once stood beneath its roof and watched the stars.
Someone had asked him a question that night.
A question about the heavens.
He could remember the voice.
But not the speaker's face.
Ye Wuchen's silver eyes narrowed slightly.
That was unusual.
His memory had never been ordinary.
Even events from unimaginably distant ages remained accessible to him.
Yet this particular recollection lacked a face.
He looked toward the map.
"System."
[Yes, Host.]
"Retrieve my historical records concerning the Star-Observing Terrace."
A brief silence followed.
[Searching.]
[One relevant record located.]
Ye Wuchen waited.
[Record status: Incomplete.]
His expression remained unchanged.
"Display it."
[Star-Observing Terrace.]
[Visit recorded.]
[Date: Unavailable.]
[Accompanying individual: Unidentified.]
[Conversation transcript: Missing.]
Ye Wuchen studied the information.
Another incomplete record.
Another missing identity.
But this time, the absence concerned his own past.
"Can you recover the missing information?"
[Insufficient data.]
He dismissed the display.
Lin Qingyue noticed his silence.
"Fellow Daoist Ye?"
"Hm?"
"Is something wrong?"
"No."
She looked unconvinced.
But Ye Wuchen had already folded the map.
"We'll visit the observatory tomorrow."
Mu Cang nodded.
"Good."
Han Zhen looked toward the darkening sky.
For the first time since leaving the ruins, he seemed almost hopeful.
The following morning, they departed Lanyue City through its western gate.
The landscape changed rapidly.
Cultivated fields gave way to dry grasslands.
The road narrowed.
And beyond a low ridge, the remains of the ancient lake came into view.
It was enormous.
A vast depression stretching toward the horizon.
Its former shoreline was marked by pale stone cliffs.
At the bottom lay cracked earth, scattered ruins, and the remnants of structures that had once stood beside the water.
Mu Cang stared.
"I've never seen anything like this."
Han Zhen looked equally astonished.
"The lake was already dry when we were young, but..."
He shook his head.
"I didn't realize how large it had been."
Lin Qingyue extended her spiritual sense.
"The spiritual energy here is strange."
"How?"
"It isn't weak."
She frowned.
"But it doesn't circulate normally."
"Continue."
She examined the surrounding terrain.
"The energy seems to gather beneath the lakebed, then disappear."
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"A reasonable observation."
Lin Qingyue looked toward the center of the depression.
"Could there be an underground formation?"
"Possibly."
They descended along an ancient stone path.
As they approached the lakebed, the ruins became clearer.
Broken pillars.
Collapsed terraces.
Weathered statues.
And at the center, a circular stone structure rising above the cracked earth.
The observatory.
It was smaller than Lin Qingyue expected.
A single round building surrounded by twelve stone pillars.
Its roof had partially collapsed.
Several walls were missing.
Yet the central platform remained intact.
Mu Cang unfolded the letter.
"This is the place."
Han Zhen looked around.
"But there's no one here."
Ye Wuchen approached the observatory.
The twelve pillars stood in a precise arrangement.
Each bore ancient inscriptions.
Most were too weathered to read.
But one contained a familiar symbol.
A circle.
A vertical line.
And beneath it, a short inscription.
Ye Wuchen stopped.
The words were written in the language of his era.
THE STARS SHALL REMAIN UNTIL THE LAST WITNESS DEPARTS.
He looked toward the ruined roof.
The inscription had not existed during his previous visit.
Someone had added it later.
Mu Cang approached.
"Can you read it?"
"Yes."
"What does it say?"
Ye Wuchen translated the sentence.
The old scholar frowned.
"The last witness?"
Han Zhen looked toward the twelve pillars.
"Could this be connected to the ruins?"
"Perhaps," Lin Qingyue said.
Ye Wuchen examined the central platform.
At its center stood a stone table.
Upon the table lay an ordinary wooden box.
Dark wood.
Brass corners.
Mu Cang froze.
"That..."
Han Zhen stepped forward.
"It's the same kind of box."
The one they had found in the Hall of Witnesses.
Ye Wuchen approached.
The box was not protected by a visible formation.
Nor did it contain spiritual energy.
He opened it.
Inside lay a folded letter.
And beneath it, a small silver token.
Mu Cang immediately recognized the handwriting.
"Yulan."
His voice trembled.
He carefully lifted the letter.
The envelope bore his name.
Mu Cang.
He opened it.
The message was short.
"You came."
Mu Cang's eyes widened.
He continued.
"I hoped you would. I feared you might not."
His hands trembled.
"I cannot remain at the observatory. There are people who still remember the old expedition, and not all of them wish to be found."
Han Zhen frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Mu Cang continued reading.
"Take the silver token to the western district of Lanyue City. Find the shop called the House of Quiet Ink. Ask for the owner."
The final sentence made him stop.
Lin Qingyue leaned closer.
"What is it?"
Mu Cang swallowed.
Then read aloud.
"Tell her that Shen Yulan has finally returned."
Silence.
Han Zhen stared.
"Returned?"
Mu Cang looked toward Ye Wuchen.
"She returned?"
Ye Wuchen examined the silver token.
Its surface bore the same circle-and-line symbol.
But unlike the pendant, it contained no additional stroke.
He turned it over.
A name had been engraved on the back.
Not Shen Yulan.
Not Mu Cang.
A different name.
Xu Ning.
Ye Wuchen examined the characters.
Then looked toward the distant city.
A shop.
A woman named Xu Ning.
And someone who claimed Shen Yulan had returned.
At least this time, the clue pointed toward a living person rather than another sealed chamber.
"Let's go," he said.
Mu Cang nodded.
But before they could leave, a voice emerged from the ruined observatory.
"That won't be necessary."
Everyone stopped.
Lin Qingyue immediately turned.
A woman stood beneath the broken archway.
She wore simple gray robes.
Her hair was tied loosely behind her head.
She appeared to be in her early thirties.
There was no detectable cultivation aura around her.
In one hand, she held a small bundle of papers.
In the other, a wooden writing brush.
Mu Cang stared.
The woman looked toward him.
Her expression softened.
"Mu Cang."
The old scholar's entire body trembled.
Han Zhen took an unsteady step forward.
"Yulan?"
The woman looked at him.
For a moment, genuine surprise crossed her face.
"Han Zhen?"
She lowered the papers.
"You're here too?"
Mu Cang could barely breathe.
He stared at the woman standing beneath the archway.
The face.
The voice.
The familiar way she held her writing brush.
Forty-three years had passed.
Yet she looked almost exactly as she had on the day they entered the Northern Wastelands.
"Yulan..."
His voice broke.
"Is it really you?"
The woman smiled faintly.
"Yes, old friend."
Mu Cang stepped forward.
Then stopped.
His expression became uncertain.
He had spent decades searching for someone the world insisted had never existed.
He had encountered false memories, missing records, and impossible contradictions.
Now that she stood before him, he was afraid to believe it.
The woman seemed to understand.
She reached into her sleeve.
Then produced a small object.
A worn wooden bookmark.
Upon it were three badly carved characters.
Mu Cang stared.
His eyes widened.
He remembered making that bookmark when they were young.
He had attempted to carve Shen Yulan's name.
The result had been so terrible that she laughed for an entire afternoon.
He had been embarrassed.
She had kept it anyway.
"Do you remember?" she asked.
Mu Cang's lips trembled.
"You said my handwriting looked like a drunk chicken had walked across the wood."
The woman laughed softly.
"It did."
Mu Cang began crying.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
He simply stood there as tears rolled down his weathered face.
Forty-three years of searching.
Forty-three years of doubt.
Forty-three years of wondering whether the people he remembered had ever existed.
And now one of them stood before him.
Alive.
Smiling.
Remembering.
Shen Yulan stepped forward.
"Mu Cang."
He looked at her.
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"You have nothing to apologize for."
"I couldn't find you."
"I know."
"I searched everywhere."
"I know."
His voice trembled.
"Everyone said you weren't real."
Shen Yulan's smile faded.
She looked at him for a long moment.
Then spoke quietly.
"But you remembered."
Mu Cang closed his eyes.
And for the first time in forty-three years, he allowed himself to believe that his search had not been meaningless.
Ye Wuchen watched the reunion without speaking.
Lin Qingyue stood beside him.
Her eyes were slightly red.
Han Zhen had already approached Shen Yulan and begun asking a dozen questions at once.
The woman answered patiently.
But Ye Wuchen noticed something.
Shen Yulan's expression changed whenever she looked toward the observatory's central platform.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something closer to caution.
He examined her.
She was mortal.
At least, she possessed no detectable cultivation.
Her body showed no signs of ordinary aging.
The preservation was similar to Han Zhen's, but not identical.
More importantly, the silver token within the wooden box had begun warming.
Ye Wuchen looked down.
A faint line of light appeared across its surface.
Then vanished.
Shen Yulan noticed.
Her expression changed.
She looked directly at him.
For the first time, she seemed to truly see the black-robed young man standing beside Mu Cang.
Her gaze moved toward his silver eyes.
She froze.
The writing brush slipped from her fingers.
It struck the stone floor.
No one else noticed.
Shen Yulan stared at Ye Wuchen.
Her face gradually turned pale.
"Those eyes..."
Ye Wuchen looked at her calmly.
"Have we met?"
She did not answer.
Her gaze moved toward the ancient inscription on the pillar.
Then back toward him.
For several moments, she appeared unable to speak.
Finally, she whispered:
"You're not supposed to be here."
Ye Wuchen raised an eyebrow.
"That seems to be a popular opinion."
Shen Yulan did not smile.
She took a slow step backward.
Then looked toward Mu Cang.
"Old friend."
Her voice had changed.
"We need to leave this place."
Mu Cang frowned.
"Why?"
She looked toward the twelve pillars.
"Because the observatory is no longer abandoned."
A faint vibration passed through the ground.
Lin Qingyue immediately drew her sword.
The twelve stone pillars began glowing.
One after another, ancient inscriptions illuminated beneath the morning sun.
Ye Wuchen looked upward.
Above the observatory, the empty sky seemed to darken.
Not because of clouds.
But because something vast had begun casting a shadow across the ruined lake.
Shen Yulan's expression became grave.
"It's begun."
Ye Wuchen examined the changing sky.
For a brief moment, an ancient memory stirred.
A quiet night.
A scholar standing beside him.
A question about whether the heavens could ever change.
Then the memory vanished.
He looked toward Shen Yulan.
"What has begun?"
She turned toward him.
And answered with a sentence he had not heard in an unimaginably long time.
"The observatory has found its missing star."
End of Chapter 13