The next morning, Gu Xingyu was roused not by an alarm, but by an irresistible aroma.
Actually, she was woken up by her own stomach.
Before she could even push herself up from the agonizingly hard chair in the workshop, the scent of sautéed onions and garlic wafted through the window cracks, making her stomach growl in protest.
"Is that... egg fried rice?" she muttered, rubbing her bleary eyes.
Lin Lie was gone, leaving only a few fresh blueprints pinned to the table; he had clearly pulled another all-nighter. After a quick wash, she limped out of the workshop, following the scent until she reached a bustling street alley.
There, she saw it—an open-air food stall where a wok lid danced and flames roared.
A young man stood behind the counter, clad in a faded red short-sleeved shirt with sleeves rolled up to his shoulders. His shirt was damp with sweat, clinging to his lean frame. With a kitchen towel stained with soy sauce draped over his shoulder, he bellowed while tossing the heavy wok, "Move one more inch, and I'll flip you back into your mother's womb with this spatula!"
The customer before him shrank back, clutching a piece of fried dough with an expression caught between terror and amusement.
"Didn't I tell you? Don't stand so close when I'm tossing! This is a stove, not a stage! You think Yao-Fire is a toy?"
Xingyu froze. This guy's temper is explosive, she thought.
As the man turned, sunlight caught the damp bangs on his forehead. His features were sharp, his brow etched with a permanent fieriness, yet his eyes held a focus more intense than she had expected.
At that moment, the pocket watch in her hand vibrated.
She looked down. The icon representing 'Fire Yao' was glowing a fierce, pulsating red.
Wow, the third one already? She wondered if things were moving too smoothly, but she approached the stall nonetheless. "One order of egg fried rice, please," she said tentatively.
The Fire-bearer didn't look up, merely waving his spatula. "There's one person ahead of you. Wait your turn."
"Oh... okay." She sat down obediently.
His movements were lethal in their precision. One hand controlled the wok, the other manipulated the flames. Yao-Qi spiraled around the stove like fiery serpents, perfectly harnessed. Even the grains of rice seemed to be performing a choreographed dance in mid-air.
He's actually... incredibly cool, she admitted to herself.
Before long, a steaming plate of rice was slammed onto her table. The spatula was casually thrust into a holder. "Taste it. If it's not good, it's on the house."
"Thanks." She took a bite, and her eyes widened. "Wow. This is five-star chef level." She gave him a literal thumbs-up.
"Hmph. I've been cooking for thirty refugees since I was six. I had to grow my own veg, steal my own wood, and fight for my own fire... uh, never mind that." He coughed, as if he'd said too much.
Xingyu suppressed a smile. "What's your name?"
"Luo Ye," he said, hands on his hips. "The best wok-wielder on this street, the youngest Yao-Cuisine Master in the realm, and a master of the Fire Realm... anyway, just remember the name."
He's definitely the one, Xingyu thought.
Just as they were talking, a deafening explosion rocked the end of the alley.
BOOM! CRASH!
Flames shot into the sky from the side of a building, accompanied by the spinning sound of a flying wok lid and the metallic clatter of breaking plates. A charred mechanical part skidded across the ground, landing at Xingyu's feet, still sparking.
Luo Ye's hand froze on his spatula. Then, his face turned a violent shade of crimson.
"LIN—LIE—!!"
He roared, ripped off his apron, tucked his spatula into his belt like a sword, and charged toward the explosion.
By the time Xingyu caught up, Luo Ye was already gripping Lin Lie by the collar amidst the black smoke.
"Did you not blow up my kitchen enough last time? Are you trying to level the entire street now?"
Lin Lie, still gripped by the collar, remained maddeningly calm. "The design from last time was fine. Your wok was just too heavy."
"My wok was too heavy?! Your brain is what's broken!"
The tension escalated instantly. Xingyu tried to step between them, but a cool, refreshing gust of air pushed her back. A light mist rose out of nowhere, enveloping the two men like a silken veil, instantly dropping the temperature.
"If you're going to fight, could you pick a place without fire and grease? I just had a facial; I don't want the smoke ruining my skin."
Xingyu turned to see a young man in pale blue robes standing at the entrance. His hair was a shimmering silver-blue, tied loosely to one side. His features were so exquisite they were almost ethereal, and a playful, slightly irritating smile played on his lips.
"Who the hell are you?" Luo Ye hissed.
"My, forgotten me already? How heartbreaking. I still remember the look on your face when you tried to steal my well water, little sparkler~"
"Call me 'little sparkler' one more time and I'll fry you!"
"Is that any way to treat your savior? I just personally extinguished your fire." He flicked his finger, and a droplet of water condensed in mid-air, landing perfectly on the tip of Luo Ye's singed hair.
"Water Yao..." Xingyu glanced at her watch. The Water icon was rippling like a disturbed pond.
Are all these Yao-bearers this difficult? she wondered.
"Oh, a new face. You're from out of town, aren't you?" The newcomer turned to her, his gaze direct and piercing. "Hmm. You're quite to my taste."
"I'm not food, thank you," Xingyu replied flatly.
"Heh. That serious tone makes you even more to my liking."
After the chaos subsided, they gathered in the workshop. The Water-bearer—who insisted on simply being called "Shui" (Water)—lounged in a chair like a piece of limp seaweed.
"This isn't working," Xingyu whispered, clutching her watch. She needed to take control.
"Everyone—let's play a game," she announced, using her professional 'Psychology TA' voice.
"What kind of game?" Luo Ye asked.
"Hmm, is it a game of who can kiss the other first? I'm game~" Shui chirped.
Xingyu rolled her eyes. "It's a personality test. I can map out your character with just one piece of paper. Draw three things: a mountain, a tree, and a house."
To her surprise, they complied. A few minutes later, she reviewed the results.
She pointed to Lin Lie's drawing. "A tree that looks like a telegraph pole? And your house... is this a fortress? With defense towers?"
"Functionality comes first," Lin Lie said simply.
"You," Xingyu analyzed, "have low security, high control, and a deep tendency for isolation. But your self-discipline is elite. You're the strategist."
Luo Ye interrupted, "What about mine? I drew a chili tree, a volcano, and a house with smoke coming out."
"High emotional volatility. Instinct over logic. You're an 'aggressive-defensive' personality. You pick fights because you're afraid of being hurt. Conflict feels safer to you than cold silence."
Luo Ye went quiet.
Finally, she looked at Shui's drawing: a lake, a weeping willow, and a house made of mirrors, with a figure looking at its reflection.
"You're obsessed with how others see you," Xingyu said. "You use flirting and jokes to blur your true emotions. You act like a clown because you're terrified of letting anyone into your heart."
Shui blinked, a soft laugh escaping him. "Caught red-handed. Should I be moved or guarded?"
"That depends on whether you want to come in or run away."
The room fell silent.
Xingyu took a deep breath and pulled out the bronze pocket watch. She clicked it open, letting the five icons rotate in her palm for them all to see.
"I didn't ask you to draw those things just because I'm a psychology major," she said, her voice dropping into a serious register. "I'm from another world. This watch appeared when I arrived. It told me to find the five Bearers of Yao and assemble the Seal."
She looked each of them in the eye. "The watch glows when I'm near you. That's how I know you're the ones."
She snapped the watch shut. "I don't need you to like each other. I don't even need you to believe me right away. But if this journey is a gamble... I'm betting on myself, and I'm betting that all of you have a wish that has yet to be fulfilled."