Mingzhu's expression did not change, but the faintest shadow crossed his eyes, as if patience itself had worn thin. He turned without another word, ascending the steps with measured grace.
Dòu Dòu leaned closer to me, stage whispering as though sharing a scandal. "See? He secretly loves me. He just doesn't know how to say it. You'll get used to that too."
My cheeks warmed, though I refused to let the smile show. For a moment, in the vastness of the hall, their sharp contrast,his silence and Dòu Dòu's noise ,felt like the only thread keeping me from drifting apart.
The stairs opened into a wide chamber, its ceiling arched high, glittering with veins of crystal that caught and fractured the lantern-light. Pools lay at either end, their surfaces so still they seemed like mirrors turned inward.
"This will be your dwelling," Mingzhu said at last, his voice steady, echoing faintly against the pearl walls. He did not look at me as he spoke. "Do not wander without cause. Luo Shui does not forgive strangers who stray."
A shiver prickled at the back of my neck. The warning felt less like protection and more like a verdict.
Dòu Dòu drifted lazily across the room, stretching himself over one of the carved couches as if it were his own. "Don't mind him. He means: Welcome, make yourself at home, try not to get eaten by vengeful spirits. He's just terrible at hospitality."
My lips twitched, though Mingzhu's eyes finally cut toward him , sharp, shadowed. "You turn everything into jest. One day, your tongue will invite what even you cannot laugh away."
Dòu Dòu rolled onto his back, folding his arms behind his head with a grin that dared him to press further. "And one day, you'll discover a smile won't break your face. We all have our battles, don't we?"
The tension between them was like two opposing currents colliding ...one icy, one reckless. I hovered at the edge of it, uncertain whether to retreat or speak.
Mingzhu's gaze slid briefly to me, dark and unreadable. "You, mortal. Rest while you can. The river may have chosen you, but it will not shield you forever."
The words struck deeper than I expected, leaving me with a strange chill.
I clenched my hands against the folds of my dress, torn between bristling at his coldness and searching for the meaning beneath it.
The room set aside for me was smaller than the hall, yet still too vast, its walls curving like the inside of a shell. A single lantern glowed above, pale and steady, casting ripples across the pearl floor. I sat at the edge of the couch, hugging my knees, my thoughts churning too fast to quiet.
A soft knock broke the silence. Before I could answer, the door slid open and Dòu Dòu floated in, balancing a tray with exaggerated care.
"Dinner delivery for our resident mortal!" he declared, grinning. "Courtesy of yours truly, finest guide and part-time butler of Luo Shui."
I blinked at the bowls , steamed grains, slices of something that shimmered faintly, and a cup of warm broth. The scent rose sharp and earthy, oddly comforting.
"You… brought this for me?"
"Of course." He set the tray down with a flourish, then softened, his grin easing into something gentler. "You've been dropped into a world that barely tolerates you. At least someone should make sure you eat."