For a moment, the room fell into a silence so heavy the very mist seemed to crystallize.
Gu Xingyu gripped her pocket watch, her heart thumping against her ribs like a muffled drum. She had never spoken with such intensity, nor had she ever laid bare her fears and desires so clearly.
Then, through the oppressive air, a voice broke the stillness.
"I believe you."
It was Lin Lie. His tone was flat, as if he were stating an inconsequential fact.
Everyone froze. Xingyu turned to meet his gaze; his downcast eyes held no dramatic flair, yet there was a strange sense of… familiarity within them. He stood and walked to an old trunk in the corner of the workshop, pulling out an ancient notebook with a frayed, worn leather cover.
"My grandfather left this behind," he said, his voice dropping into a low, reverent murmur.
He flipped through the brittle pages until he found a specific entry. Spread out on the table was a yellowed parchment, its edges crumbling and ink slightly bled. In the center was a hand-drawn diagram—the exact same pattern as Xingyu's pocket watch: the five totems surrounding a central, circular lock.
Beside the sketch were scrawled notes:
"...Resonance Core of Yao... The Five Seals... Triggered by the Chosen One..."
"...Should one from another realm carry this, the Morning Star shall light the path..."
"This is what I remembered the moment I saw your watch," Lin Lie said, looking up at Xingyu. "It's no coincidence. You didn't choose to come here. It chose you."
Xingyu stared at the diagram, her mind reeling. She had thought she was just an interloper in a strange land, but now she realized—this watch, this journey, had perhaps been orchestrated by a will far older than her own.
Luo Ye frowned. "How did your grandfather get this? Did he know about the Bearers of Yao?"
Lin Lie shook his head. "When I asked him as a child, he only said: 'This drawing isn't for you. It's for someone who doesn't belong to the Yao Realm.'"
Shui, the Water-bearer, slowly stood up, his usual flippant grin fading into a rare look of contemplation. "...Well, even I'm starting to believe in fate now."
"So, what happens after you find all five of us?" Luo Ye asked suddenly.
The question pulled everyone back to the present. "Are we supposed to fight? Go to some temple for a sacrifice? Or... are you going to use our Yao-powers for something else?"
He wasn't accusing her, but the unease in his voice was clear. He looked at Xingyu, his eyes like burning embers. "I admit this damn watch reacts to me, but I don't know why. If I'm going to risk my neck, I need to know the destination."
Xingyu didn't rush to answer. She placed the pocket watch in the center of the table, letting the five icons rotate like a miniature galaxy.
"I don't know the final destination," she said honestly. "The watch only told me to find the five Bearers. Once the seals are gathered, it will reveal the next step."
"So even you're in the dark?" Luo Ye raised an eyebrow.
"I am," she nodded. "But I know it didn't choose you for nothing. Every one of you... possesses Yao-power, and every one of you has a reason to be chosen."
"A reason?" Luo Ye scoffed. "You mean some 'destiny' crap?"
Xingyu shook her head. "I mean... is there anything in your heart that remains unfinished?"
She looked directly at Luo Ye. His defiant gaze flickered for a split second. "You said you've been cooking for refugees since you were six. You fought, you stole, you struggled to survive—why? Who are you trying to find? Or what are you trying to prove?"
Luo Ye fell silent.
Xingyu turned to Lin Lie and Shui, her voice gentle yet firm. "Each of you has a 'Why' in your heart. You don't have to tell me. But I believe this journey isn't just my fate. It will change your futures, too. When we gather the seals, we'll know what to do. At that point, you can choose to stay or leave. But for now... I just hope you'll walk this path with me."
Just as her words settled, frantic footsteps thundered outside.
"Lin Lie! Lin Lie, are you there?!"
It was the "Yao-Doctor," Sang Qi. He burst in, drenched in sweat and looking panicked. "That board of yours! The floating one... can it carry a person? Someone lying flat, without falling off?"
Lin Lie looked confused. "What for?"
"I was gathering herbs on the mountainside and found a man collapsed in the brush—he's covered in blood!" Sang Qi grit his teeth. "I tried to move him, but he's too tall, too heavy. I thought of your board; if we can turn it into a stretcher—"
"I can do it," Lin Lie said immediately, turning to grab his board. No more words were needed; his actions were his answer.
"Where is he? I'm coming too!" Luo Ye stood up, his fists clenched, ready for a fight.
"Me too—" Xingyu started to stand, but a cool hand pressed down on her shoulder.
"Easy there, lady. Your ankle isn't healed yet. Do you want to be a martyr?" Shui smiled gently, his palm firm. "Sit tight. Don't add to the chaos."
Xingyu paused, feeling the dull throb in her ankle. "...Fine."
"Don't worry. With them there, no one's dying," Shui said with surprising stability. "But just in case, I'll send some supplies."
He curled his fingers in the air, and moisture condensed into a shimmering, translucent water-skin floating in mid-air. "Purified Yao-water. For cleaning wounds or drinking. It's more useful than me on a steep mountain trail anyway."
Luo Ye grunted but didn't refuse. Lin Lie tucked the water-skin into his tunic and nodded. "Thanks."
"Oh, a thank you from Lin Lie? I'm so moved I might evaporate~" Shui teased.
"Shut up," Lin Lie threw back over his shoulder as he, Luo Ye, and the doctor sprinted out toward the mountains.
The trail was treacherous, with tall grass soaking their boots in morning dew. Lin Lie led the way, his modified board hovering a few inches off the ground with temporary levitation modules.
They finally reached a patch of flattened grass. There, lying in his own blood, was a man.
He looked to be in his twenties, tall and powerfully built. His clothes were shredded, revealing deep gashes on his shoulder and waist. He was pale, soaked in sweat, but his jaw was set tight—he was fighting to stay conscious.
"Hey! You alive?" Luo Ye knelt by him. The man groaned low in his throat.
"He's in shock, but he's breathing. We need to stop the bleeding—now!" Sang Qi barked. "Luo Ye, hold his tunic open. Lin Lie, get the water and tear some cloth!"
They worked like a seasoned team, their movements hurried but increasingly synchronized.
"Okay, lift him!" Sang Qi shouted.
Lin Lie stabilized the board. "I'll control the hover. You two help me slide him on."
"On three! One, two—LIFT!"
The board vibrated as the heavy body was settled onto it. Sang Qi kept pressure on the abdominal wound, practically leaning over the injured man to keep the blood loss in check.
"Hang in there! Don't you dare fall asleep on us!" Luo Ye muttered as he pushed the board.
The man's eyes flickered open—deep, earthy brown pupils that lacked focus but stared intently forward. He didn't speak, but his lips curled into the faintest of smirks.
He was still alive.