Wind rustled the leaves outside Xiao Feng's window as he opened his eyes to a new morning. His body was sore from the night's training—and from the events that followed. Shuye was already awake, seated at the table, quietly sipping tea while reviewing scrolls.
"Morning, lazy wind," she teased, not looking up.
Xiao Feng groaned, sitting up and stretching. "I thought cultivators didn't need this much rest. Clearly, I'm behind."
Shuye finally looked at him, her eyes softening. "We both needed that. Rest isn't weakness. It's clarity."
She stood and handed him a steamed bun. "Eat. We've got work to do."
---
Later that day, Xiao Feng and Shuye sat before Grand Elder Yun in a secluded courtyard.
"You've formed a Red String Bond," he said with narrowed eyes, observing the faint glow around their wrists.
"Yes," Shuye admitted, glancing at Xiao Feng. "We didn't plan it. The Lover's Hollow bound us before we even realized."
Grand Elder Yun tapped the ground with his finger. "That realm does not activate for just anyone. It is drawn to fated pairs or those with karma entangled. But this... changes things."
"Changes?" Xiao Feng asked.
Grand Elder Yun sighed. "There are elders in the sect who oppose any form of union between inner disciples, let alone someone they view as an outsider."
"I'm not just her lover," Xiao Feng said, voice calm. "I'm a cultivator, and I'll prove my worth."
Grand Elder Yun smiled faintly. "Then prove it in the upcoming Sect Trials. Defend your place—and hers."
---
The Wind Sect buzzed with activity as the Sect Trials approached. Shuye returned to her duties as a guiding elder, while Xiao Feng trained tirelessly under Grand Elder Yun. Each day, he refined his Wind Control Techniques, shaping gales with precision, speed, and ferocity.
He also practiced emotional suppression, focusing his spirit so the Black Wind wouldn't act on his panic or anger. On one occasion, a gust from his palm sliced through three stone pillars. Grand Elder Yun only nodded and said, "Again."
---
One evening, Xiao Feng found Shuye napping beneath a spirit tree. He lay beside her quietly, pulling a blanket over them both.
She stirred. "You're getting good at sneaking around."
"Maybe I learned it from you."
They shared a quiet laugh. Shuye reached out, touching the red string faintly glowing between them.
"I never thought I'd be tied to anyone," she whispered. "Yet here I am, anchored to a troublemaker."
"I'm not going anywhere," he replied, gripping her hand.
---
Meanwhile, deep inside the sect's administrative hall, Elder Bai stood with Bai Xu and another elder known as Cold Wind Elder.
"We must remove him during the trial," Cold Wind Elder said. "If he wins, his status rises, and we'll have no reason to challenge his bond with Shuye."
"He must be humiliated publicly," Bai Xu added. "Disqualify him. Break his spirit."
"Let's start with a setup," Cold Wind Elder suggested. "Send assassins again—subtler this time. If he retaliates and kills disciples, we'll claim he's dangerous and unfit."
"And if he doesn't?" Bai Xu asked.
Cold Wind Elder grinned. "Then we'll rig the trial to expose his Black Wind. Either way, he loses."
---
The next night, Xiao Feng noticed strange activity near his training ground. Two inner disciples he didn't recognize stood watching him from behind a tree.
He walked toward them, sensing tension in the air.
"Something to say?" he asked coolly.
The disciples bowed mockingly. "No, Elder's pet. Just admiring your progress."
Their tones dripped with disdain. Xiao Feng ignored them and turned to leave, but one suddenly dashed at him, a poisoned needle in hand.
Instinctively, the Black Wind stirred—but Xiao Feng held it back, dodging the attack and catching the disciple's arm with a wind lock technique.
"Enough," he growled.
Shuye arrived moments later, sensing the disturbance. Seeing the scene, she frowned.
"What's going on?"
"They attacked me," Xiao Feng said, releasing the disciple.
"They were just sparring," the other disciple lied quickly. "He overreacted."
Shuye didn't believe them, but she said nothing. "Come, Xiao Feng. You've got bigger challenges ahead."
---
Later that night, Shuye placed a scroll on Xiao Feng's table. "This is your registration for the trial. You'll be representing me and Grand Elder Yun. That means you'll be a direct target."
Xiao Feng's eyes flicked over the scroll. "Let them come."
She hesitated. "They might try to kill you. They might succeed. If they do, the string..."
He reached across the table, placing a hand on hers. "Then I'll just have to win."
---
A few days passed. Xiao Feng and Shuye visited the outer market at the base of the sect mountain to buy some rare herbs for stabilizing wind veins.
There, among the stalls, Xiao Feng noticed a small commotion—a young boy being bullied by a few rogue outer disciples.
Xiao Feng stepped in without a word. He held out his hand, and a sharp current of wind knocked the bullies back, just enough to stun them.
"Careful," he warned. "Wind can slice, but it can also whisper. I'm choosing the latter today."
The boy bowed deeply. "Thank you, elder brother!"
"Call me Xiao Feng," he said, patting the boy's head. "Stay safe."
Shuye approached, smiling. "You just can't ignore trouble, can you?"
"Maybe I like fixing broken wind currents," he replied with a smirk.
---
Back in their quarters that night, Shuye brought out a wooden box. "A gift."
Inside was a green jade hairpin engraved with wind runes. "For protection," she said, fixing it in his hair. "Not all things must be sharp to be strong."
"Does this make me handsome?" he asked.
"You've always been annoying," she replied, hiding a smile.
Later that night, they shared a simple dinner, exchanging stories of their childhoods. Shuye revealed her time as a neglected elder's daughter, constantly having to prove herself. Xiao Feng spoke about the warmth of his "brothers" and the journey that led him here.
Their laughter echoed softly in the room, and for a brief time, the coming trials seemed far away.
---
But the calm would not last.
The night before the trial, a letter arrived—unsigned and stained with red ink.
"A string can bind love… or snap under pressure. If he steps into the arena, he won't step out. You've been warned, Elder Shuye."
Xiao Feng read it twice. His eyes were calm, but the Black Wind stirred faintly at his back.
"They'll come at us from the shadows now," he said.
Shuye took his hand and pressed her forehead against his. "Then we'll show them what it means to stand in the wind's heart."
---[To Be Continued]---