[Cloud City · Streets]
Cloud City's busiest commercial street was packed with people, signs crammed together so tightly—red, green, blue—that they seemed desperate to fill every inch of space.
Yin Wuwang walked alone down the sidewalk, wandering aimlessly. Xie Qingyan had said he needed to go to the police station to confirm some information with Captain Lin, telling him to "find something to do on your own." He'd wanted to tag along, but Xie Qingyan said the people at the station had seen him nearly kick down the interrogation room door last time, and they were still a bit scared of him.
Fine then. He'd just wander by himself.
Even though he'd been here for a while now, the modern world still felt strange to him. It was completely different from the cultivation world—dust, car exhaust, and all sorts of smells wafting from various shops. The bakery's sweetness was cloying enough to make his teeth ache, the coffee shop's aroma mixed with sour bitterness, and the roadside stall's cooking smoke blew directly into people's faces. Pedestrians on the street walked at breakneck speed, shoulders bumping shoulders, no one sparing anyone a glance. Vehicles roared down the road, horns blaring one after another. And those flashing neon signs, lit up even in broad daylight, were harsh enough to hurt his eyes.
Noisy, chaotic, completely disorderly.
Yin Wuwang felt like his sharp senses were being assaulted on all fronts.
As he walked, his steps suddenly slowed, his gaze caught by the display window of a shop on the street.
It was a jewelry store.
The display window held all sorts of accessories—gold, silver, gem-studded, plain—refracting scattered sparkles under the lights. Yin Wuwang stood before the window, his gaze falling on a pair of silver rings. The design was very simple, no fancy gems, just clean lines. Among all the dazzling jewelry, they stood out for their understated elegance.
A scene suddenly flashed through his mind.
A few days ago in the interrogation room, Su Xiaoqing had sat across from them, eyes red and swollen, voice hoarse. Her left hand had unconsciously rubbed the ring on her fourth finger, stroking it over and over, as if seeking some kind of comfort. At the time, Little Deer Assistant had explained in his head that it was a wedding ring—when mortals married, they exchanged rings and wore them on the fourth finger of the left hand, symbolizing being together forever.
Together forever. When Yin Wuwang had heard that, something stirred in his heart. Mortals used a small metal circle to promise eternity—he'd found the custom rather interesting. No need to say it aloud; just put it on, and the other person would know.
He stared at that pair of rings for quite a while, and a slender figure surfaced in his mind—silver, simple, clean lines. Very fitting for Fuguang.
The moment this thought emerged, Yin Wuwang startled himself, yet couldn't help glancing at the display window again. No, this kind of thing has no purpose other than declaring a relationship—how could I buy it? Besides, he and Fuguang weren't in that kind of relationship. Fuguang probably didn't even know he liked him. But those rings gleamed with a soft luster under the lights, as if silently calling to him.
Yin Wuwang stood rooted to the spot, waging an internal war. Going in to look should be fine, right? Just looking, not actually buying. He'd lived over three thousand years and had seen all kinds of rare treasures—what could be so special about mortal jewelry? He was just curious, wanted to see the craftsmanship level of this world. Yes, that was it. He was just curious, definitely not because he wanted to buy rings to give to a certain someone.
Yin Wuwang took a deep breath and pushed open the jewelry store's door.
[Cloud City · Jewelry Store]
The lights inside the store were even more intense than outside, warm yellow illumination making every gemstone gleam. The air carried a faint fragrance—that expensive yet subtle kind of scent. Glass display cases showcased all manner of jewelry, from dazzling diamond necklaces to delicate jade earrings, from ornate ruby brooches to simple silver bangles.
A young saleswoman approached, wearing a professionally warm smile: "Hello, sir. What would you like to see?"
Yin Wuwang's gaze swept around the store before settling on that pair of rings in the display window: "Those."
"This pair?" The saleswoman walked to the display, carefully retrieved the rings, and placed them on black velvet for viewing. "You have excellent taste. This is a very elegant design—the material is platinum PT950, simple and sophisticated, perfect for proposals or weddings."
Yin Wuwang picked up one of the rings and examined it in his palm. The band was lighter than he'd imagined, the silver metal gleaming with a deep, cool luster under the lights. The inside was polished smooth, cool to the touch. He held the ring up to eye level, imagining what it would look like on Xie Qingyan's slender fingers.
Fuguang had beautiful hands—well-defined knuckles, long fingers, steady and powerful when gripping a sword yet gentle and delicate when turning pages. If he wore this ring—
"Sir?" The saleswoman's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What do you think of this style?"
Yin Wuwang snapped back to reality, realizing he'd been staring at the ring for quite some time. Clearing his throat, he tried to sound casual: "It's alright. How much?"
"Twenty-five hundred dollars."
No psychological burden there—after all, he was Jiang Wuye now. As for what the original Jiang Wuye would think when he saw this expense after they left... that wasn't something a lofty Demon Sovereign would concern himself with.
The cash in his wallet wasn't enough, but he had a credit card. He nodded. "I'll take them."
"Wonderful!" The saleswoman beamed. "Is this for a proposal? Is your partner male or female?"
Yin Wuwang coughed, feeling his face grow warm. "Um, for a pro... proposal. Male."
"Oh, how lovely! Your beloved will surely be thrilled. Typically, engagement rings go on the middle finger, and wedding rings on the ring finger. Which finger would you like it to go on? We'll need to confirm the size."
Pressing his hand against his slightly racing heartbeat, Yin Wuwang thought: The middle finger, I suppose. After all, during the bonding ceremony, he could personally craft a ring with protective enchantments for Fuguang.
"The middle finger."
"Your ring size should be about this—please try it on. Is your boyfriend's finger size similar to yours?"
Twisting the ring on his middle finger, Yin Wuwang recalled the hand he'd secretly held before. "This would be slightly too big for him."
"Alright, I'll set aside a half-size smaller. We offer engraving services—would you like that? We can engrave a name or special date on the inside as a personalized keepsake."
Yin Wuwang paused. Fuguang—he wanted to engrave "Fuguang" on the inside. On both rings.
That way, even if Fuguang never knew these rings existed, even if they remained hidden in his storage ring forever, never seeing the day, those two characters would always be there. Like a silent promise, a secret belonging only to himself.
"I want the engraving." He heard himself say.
"What would you like engraved?"
Yin Wuwang was silent for a moment. Even though he'd decided, an inexplicable nervousness welled up inside him.
He had never told anyone the weight those two characters carried. From the moment he was rescued from the snow, the name "Fuguang" had been carved into the deepest part of his heart, deeper than any inscription. Now he was about to tell these two characters to a mortal saleswoman in the modern world, to have them engraved on rings—it felt strange, like spreading open a secret he'd kept for three thousand years under the sun.
But he said it anyway, with an inexplicable pride.
"Fuguang."
"Fuguang?" The saleswoman repeated. "Is that a name? What would you like on the other ring?"
"...Yes, it's a name. Engrave the same on both." One "Fuguang" means he is my guiding star; the other "Fuguang" will be treasured by me.
"Alright, I've noted that down." The saleswoman wrote a few lines on the form. "Engraving takes three to five business days. We'll notify you when it's ready for pickup. Would you like to pay a deposit first?"
"Full payment by card." The words came out before he could stop them.
He was afraid he'd change his mind.
After paying and receiving the pickup slip, Yin Wuwang walked out of the jewelry store to find the sun had already begun to set. He stood at the street corner, head lowered, looking at the thin piece of paper in his hand—white paper printed with the store name and pickup date, plus a line of small text: "Item: Platinum pair rings, Engraving: Fuguang." Those two characters printed on paper, black and white, clear as day, like some unalterable contract.
Yin Wuwang put the pickup slip back in its envelope, carefully folded it, and placed it in his innermost pocket. He wondered when to give them to Fuguang—after this world ended? Back in the cultivation realm? Or wait longer? He'd waited three thousand years already, always waiting for an opportunity, a chance to speak. But every time the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down. What was he afraid of? Rejection? Disgust? That saying it aloud would shatter the hard-won peaceful coexistence back to how things were before?
Forget it, stop thinking about it. Yin Wuwang shook his head and started walking toward the detective agency.
The ring matter could wait. Right now, there was still a case to solve.
[End of V2_Chapter 20]
Next: Back at the agency, someone notices every little detail...