Night had passed, and none could tell when morning had crept in. At first light, birds sang as if conversing across lifetimes, their songs weaving tales of old. The sun rose bright and golden, while snow still fell.....light and delicate. The skies were clearing, the winter wind sharp, yet within it lingered an unusual warmth, as though the heavens themselves hinted at change.
That very morning, the academy students set out early toward Butterfly Mountain, where their examinations in the Department of Medicine would be held. Excitement coursed through them like fire through dry grass. Their chatter and laughter filled the courtyards, and before long the academy stood empty.....or so it seemed. The walls themselves knew better. For though the students had left, not all souls had departed.
From his chamber stepped Lao Duan, his hair disheveled, a sword clasped in his weary hand. His bloodshot eyes betrayed that he had not slept a moment through the night. Not long after, Wei Xiong emerged from the same room, fresh and lively as though he had woken from the most peaceful of dreams.
But the instant Lao Duan's gaze fell upon him, his face twisted like a stormcloud. A chill swept through the corridor as he unsheathed his sword and leveled its edge at Wei Xiong. The air rang sharp with killing intent.
The commotion stirred Mo Yan and the others, who had gathered that morning within the courtyard. Hearing the uproar, they rushed outside, only to be met with a startling sight.....Lao Duan's blade poised at Wei Xiong's throat.
Wuzu, alarmed, darted forward without hesitation. Her heart pounded, but her voice remained firm as she implored, "Brother, put the sword down!"
Yet Lao Duan's fury refused to be stilled. His anger burst forth like thunder, and in that rage he spilled his grievance to the one person who could soften him....his sister.
Meanwhile, Yu Sui turned his face away, his shoulders trembling as he fought to smother a laugh. The corners of his lips twitched uncontrollably, and Mo Yan, catching sight of that rare mirth, found himself smiling as well...as though Yu Sui's laughter was the only treasure he had ever sought. Yu Sui pressed his hand to his mouth, struggling in vain to suppress it. He had forgotten to mention something rather important the night before.....Wei Xiong's peculiar habit of talking in his sleep.
No one wished to share a room with him. For good reason.
Wuzu persisted in calming Lao Duan, but his patience snapped, his voice booming like a lion's roar:
"Wei Xiong! This man did not let me sleep a single moment through the night!"
Then he turned to Yu Sui with indignation, complaining as though to a trusted elder brother:
"Brother Yu! This fellow kept shouting in his sleep! One moment, he claimed an elephant had barged into the room. Another, he screamed of floods. Then of wars breaking out! And not once...but twice.....he struck me across the face in his delirium! Tell me, Brother, how am I to live like this? Punish him!"
Wei Xiong stood there sulking like a child scolded unfairly, his cheeks puffed with grievance.
And then...like rain bursting through stormclouds...the courtyard erupted. Su Nian, Duie, Yu Sui, and even Wuzu herself burst into laughter, their voices rising and echoing through the academy halls until it seemed even the walls themselves chuckled along.
Mo Yan did not laugh...he only gazed at Yu Sui, as though the sight of his joy alone was enough to fill him with warmth. To see Yu Sui smile was to taste the sweetest victory, and he treasured it like a rare gem in his palm.
But joy is a fragile thing. And none realized when a shadowy gaze....ominous and venomous...fell upon that moment of bliss.
The heavens had allowed laughter to bloom, only so that tragedy might strike with sharper cruelty.