The night pressed heavily outside the house, thick with silence that made every small sound feel deliberate.

Ru Yi adjusted the blanket over Xiao Yi, smoothing it gently over the child’s small frame. He was already half-asleep, his breathing soft, and tiny fingers still loosely curled around Ru Yi’s sleeves. Like he was afraid she might disappear.

"I’m not going anywhere," Ru Yi whispered before easing his hand free.

The lantern by the bedside flickered, casting long, wavering shadows across the walls. Outside, the wind stirred faintly through the bamboo, a dry rustling that seemed too loud in the stillness.

The others should’ve been back by now.

Ru yi frowned, glancing towards the door. The unease had been sitting in her chest for a while now, subtle but persistent. Like a thread being slowly pulled taut.

Then—

A faint sound.

It didn’t come from the front to show any of them had come home. Instead, it came from the back of the house.

Ru Yi’s entire body froze.

Yexue was yet to return from the market with Madam Xiao. Qingyue and Lieyin had gone to see the village head.

She was all alone with a sleeping Xiao Yi.

The sound came again...A dull scape, soft and careful. Her eyes sharpened as she rose silently, her steps light as she moved toward the back door.

Every instinct in her body awakened now, her senses stretching forward. Searching for any sign of danger.

She slid the door open.

The yard lay still under the dim wash of the moonlight. It was entirely empty, there was no danger lurking in the dark.

The bamboo fence stood undisturbed. The shadows stretched long and harmless across the ground. Nothing moved.

Ru Yi stepped out anyway, scanning the corners, the roofline, the trees just beyond the yard.

There was nothing.

Had she imagined the sound?

After a moment, she exhaled slowly and turned back inside. The moment she stepped through the doorway, she felt something off in the atmosphere.

Her gaze snapped to the inner room and her blood ran cold.

There was a man standing inside, dressed in black. His face was covered with a mask. And in his arms—

Xiao Yi!

The child had woken, his small body struggling weakly, voice muffled by the man’s tight grip.

Ru Yi didn’t think. "Put him down!"

The man turned sharply, clearly not expecting her to come so soon. For a split second their eyes met...his cold and calculating above the mask.

Then he moved.

Ru Yi lunged forward, grabbing a wooden stool and hurling it at him. He twisted, the stool smashing against the wall instead.

Too fast.

He dashed for the door.

Ru Yi intercepted him by grabbing his sleeve and yanking hard. "You’re not going anywhere with him!"

The man reacted instantly, his arm snapping out.

Pain exploded across Ru Yi’s side as something sharp tore into her skin. She gasped, her grip loosening.

It was a blade.

He kicked her back, sending her crashing into the table.

The lantern toppled, the flame sputtering wildly before going out, plunging the room into darkness.

Xiao Yi cried out.

Ru Yi forced herself up, ignoring the burning pain spreading through her side. Her vision swarmed, but she locked onto the man’s silhouette.

"Give him back!"

She charged again, reckless and untrained.

This time, the man didn’t hold back. His strike came fast.

Ru Yi raised her arm in time, the blow glancing but not strong enough to send her stumbling again. Her breath came ragged now, each inhale sharp with pain.

She couldn’t win like this. But she couldn’t let him Xiao Yi, not while she was still alive.

The man shifted his grip on the child, preparing to leave—

Only for the door to burst open.

A flash of steel cut through the darkness. "Put him down!"

Lieyin’s voice. Cold. Deadly.

Still...Ru Yi sighed in relief.

The masked man had no time to react before Lieyin’s blade came down. He twisted, barely avoiding the strike, but was forced to release Xiao Yi to defend himself.

Qingyue slipped in immediately, catching the child before he hit the ground.

"It’s alright, it’s alright," Qingyue murmured, pulling Xiao Yi close.

The room erupted into movement.

Lieyin pressed forward relentlessly, her sword a blur of controlled fury. Each strike drove the man back, her presence overwhelming, suffocating.

"You chose the wrong house," she muttered under her breath.

The man faltered. Just once. But that was all it took for Lieyin to slice clean across his arm.

He hissed, stumbling back, clearly realizing he had lost control of the situation.

Without another word, he leapt toward the window, crashing through it and disappearing into the night.

Silence followed, broken only by Ru Yi’s uneven breathing.

Qingyue turned immediately. "Ru Yi..."

Lieyin rushed to Ru Yi’s side, her eyes blazing with anger when she saw the blood seeping through her robe. "Why are you always in some sort of trouble? I leave for a short while and you almost get yourself killed?!"

"Xiao Yi..."

"How about you worry about yourself first!" Lieyin thundered, her sight beginning to blur. "What would’ve happened if I hadn’t gotten here on time?"

Ru Yi flinched, as if she wasn’t in enough pain already. "But I’m not dead—"

"Maybe you should be!" Lieyin yelled, making Qingyue gasp. She’d taken it too far but she was beyond caring. "At least it won’t feel like my heart is about to explode whenever I’m far from you!"

Lieyin stood up and stormed out, rubbing furiously at her eyes when it started to sting. She’d run with everything she could when she felt that throbbing pain deep inside her.

What would’ve happened if Lieyin wasn’t able to sense when she was in danger?

A stunned Ru Yi stayed on the floor, staring at the space Lieyin had gone through. What did she ever do to deserve her anger?

Qingyue dropped Xiao on a chair and brought out another lantern. Light filled the room once more and she was able to see the tears rolling down Ru Yi’s cheek.

"Lieyin didn’t mean any of what she just said," Qingyue said softly. "Let me tend to your wound before it gets worse."

Ru Yi pushed Qingyue away when she came close. "Don’t come near me."

"If you don’t take—"

The front door slid open and a worried Yexue walked in, taking in the scene all at once. "What happened here?"

Ru Yi, who had been holding in the pain, finally broke... "You’re back!" With the last strength she could muster, she stood up and lunged into Yexue’s arms.

Ru Yi clutched the sleeves of Yexue’s robes like her life depended on it. Then she finally let herself break apart, after holding it in for too long.