Jintian went stiff, freezing mid-frown as his eyes widened. He stayed like that for at first a few seconds, and then a full minute, his mind alternating between racing thought and emptiness.
After two minutes had passed, Huixian sat down next to Xingyue, looking between Jintian and her sister with concern. "I think you broke him." She whispered, and Xingyue also seemed troubled.
There were many reactions she had expected from Jintian. Complete, utter silence was not one of them.
After another minute passed, Xingyue cleared her throat. "Umm… Jin… Jintian?" She asked hesitantly, and the youth slowly looked up at her, his eyes blank.
"Yes?" He responded, his tone perfectly even.
"Are you… okay?"
Shen Jintian laughed, the sound similar to creaking furniture. "I'm okay. I just think I misheard you before. Could you repeat what you said?"
Huixian rubbed her temples. "Definitely broke him." She muttered, while Xingyue's ears turned pink. The elder sister cleared her throat again, her tone gentle as she spoke.
"According to your original destiny, you were meant to achieve the Second Circle only." She said. "Your heart was too damaged to continue past that, at that time. You moved to Chenghe with your sister, and we met for a second time, and…"
"Got married." Jintian finished for her, the light slowly returning to his eyes. "Got married. Right, yes, that is what you said."
Huixian stood, sighing. "I'll make us some tea." She said, excusing herself to the kitchen. Jintian shook his head, before his eyes narrowed as he looked at Xingyue.
"But that has changed?" He questioned, and the young woman nodded, her starlit eyes closing. For a few moments, he thought he saw a sadness cross her features.
"I have known how I would die since I was six years old." She said quietly, a serene kind of smile curving her lips upwards. "Five years from now, I would be attacked by a cultivator, they would pluck my eyes from my head, and I would die. This is something that I had made peace with when I was only a child."
Jintian stared at her, the shock draining away from him to be replaced with… pity. He thought about what he would have done, if he had known the village would be attacked since he was a child.
Suddenly, he felt like he could understand why his parents and his master had hidden the details of his birth from him.
"I'm sorry." He said finally, the pity turning into something deeper, more meaningful to him. He meant those words. "That you had to know that, I mean."
Cao Xingyue smiled and shook her head. "No, it is okay. It frightened me then, but I have long since learned to appreciate and cherish every moment I have as a result of it. All in all, I feel like the knowledge has been more blessing than curse."
Huixian returned with the tea then, setting down mugs for each of them and pouring. When he saw her gently take Xingyue's hand and place it on the cup, he studied Xingyue's face once more.
"You're blind." He realized, and she laughed.
"Oh no no, dear Jintian, I am not blind. I am merely unable to see what is in front of my eyes." She rebutted. Jintian was about to question how that could be different than blindness, but figured he had been insensitive enough about it. He instead thought back to her earlier words, his brows creasing.
"But wait… if my future has changed, and you were once my wife, then does that mean…" He began, and she nodded, taking a sip of her tea.
"It started almost a year ago. The night that you left Chenghe, actually." She confirmed. "My death changed. I won't tell you what it is now, but it is a far more pleasant one than it used to be, at least. I could not be sure of why, but I knew it must have had something to do with you."
Jintian pursed his lips, taking a deep breath. Xingyue smiled. "I am sure you have many questions. Please, ask them. So long as it does not pertain to your present future, I will answer as best as I can."
The youth laughed at that, looking at her incredulously. "Isn't my future the thing you are supposed to tell me?" He asked, and she shrugged helplessly, her smile only growing. He hummed in thought for a few moments. Organizing his mind, he finally nodded.
"You're not a cultivator?" He ventured, and she shook her head.
"No. I am an oracle, from a long but forgotten line of oracles. The gift has not awakened in our family for generations, but it did recently enough that it was not too much of a fright to our parents when I opened my eyes. Our great great grandfather, though, was a Ninth Circle cultivator." She said, and Huixian rolled her eyes at that.
"Allegedly." She corrected. "Allegedly a cultivator. He lied about a lot."
"He's the reason we have the Beast Core. And the War Bow." Xingyue argued, and Huixian waved a hand.
"Yeah, but he could have won them in a bet. He was also a gambler. The two go hand in hand." She said. Shaking her head, Xingyue turned back to look at Jintian, who had been watching their disagreement with a small smile. They were obviously very close.
"Anyways, dear Jintian, no, I am not a cultivator. What else do you want to know?"
Jintian looked at her deeply for a few moments. "Did you know it was me, that day?" He asked, and she at first stiffened, before nodding, the tips of her ears growing ever so slightly pink.
"I… although I did not know you would be there that specific day, yes. I knew it was you." She admitted, her voice a whisper. "I recognized your voice. I have dreamt about that day… many, many times."
Jintian looked at her in confusion, unsure of the reason for her shyness. Xingyue only bowed her head slightly lower, and Huixian cleared her throat. "Anything else?" She asked in her sister's stead.
The youth looked at Xingyue for a few moments longer, before rubbing the back of his head. He guessed if he had known he would marry someone his entire life, hearing their voice would also be a little overwhelming for him.
Since she'd said that his present future was off limits, he decided to ask about his past future. Realizing how ridiculous the thought was, he chuckled to himself, before raising his head. "When you first met me, you said that you saw me commanding the dead. However, if I never made it past the Second Circle, how did I do that, exactly?"
Xingyue took a breath, the color of her skin returning to normal as she sat straighter. "Honestly, that day was the first time I had ever seen your specific future. My knowledge of your future ended the day that I would die. However, after performing a divination for you specifically, I learned of what you would do after my death."
She then turned her head away, a sadness crossing her features. "It was… something that I am glad has been changed. I would rather not discuss the kind of person you would have become. There were mountains of corpses, oceans of blood. Legions of souls and undead creatures answered your call. And the world… burned."
Jintian shivered at that, subconsciously clutching his chest. The hatred was still with him, an everpresent companion in his life. He held a tight reign on it now, but he could imagine a circumstance in which he could lose control of it.
He sighed, looking outside of the window to the sky it peered upon. However, as Huixian followed his gaze, she knew that he was looking at something further than she would ever see. Eventually, he turned his attention back to them.
"I have one last question. Do you know who my father is?" He asked quietly.
Xingyue hesitated for a few moments. "I don't. That is something beyond me, at least for now." She admitted. Jintian pursed his lips, but accepted it with a nod.
"Alright. That is everything I wanted to know." He said. "I know you probably learned everything there was to me already, but is there anything you want to ask?"
"Is it true that you've never had a girlfriend!?" Huixian immediately blurted out, and Jintian looked at her, dumbfounded, as Xingyue did the same. She looked between the two of them, before shrugging. "What? You always said that's what he'd tell you, but I wanted to know if it was true or not."
Jintian, at first, chuckled, and then broke out into full laughter that filled the room. Xingyue's ears went pink once more, and Jintian nodded his confirmation. "Whatever future… past future… whatever I told you was correct." He finally admitted, a refreshing smile on his face. Huixian looked a little relieved when she saw it.
The youth had seemed so somber, so withdrawn from their mortal affairs, that she wanted her sister to hear his laughter. She smiled to herself when she felt Xingyue's hand squeeze hers beneath the table, and she rose to her feet.
"Alright, a deal's a deal." She said. "Jintian, if you'll come with me, we can get the Core. What you do after that, is up to you. But Xingyue will be making pork dumplings for lunch, so I recommend at least staying for that. "
As she walked away, Jintian rose with her, though looked at Xingyue curiously. "You will?" He asked, and then winced. "Oh, I meant no offense. I don't doubt that you can cook, just…"
"If I may sound a little arrogant, I think I'm a really good cook. I just need to know where everything is, beforehand." Xingyue said, her chest puffing outwards just slightly with pride.
Huixian snickered as they both reached the door. "Oh yeah, she's been practicing for as long as I can remember. Always saying 'I hope Jintian likes my food~'." She teased, and Xingyue yelped. Jintian chuckled at that, while Huixian closed the door behind them.
"I did not do that!" Xingyue called after them, and the youth laughed again as he and Huixian walked down the steps.
They reached the store room where the Beast Core was after only a few moments, and the young woman held it out to him. As he reached his hands out to take it, she pulled it back, looking at him seriously.
He raised an eyebrow, and she finally sighed. "Jintian… you've been handling everything she said, really well. You know, about you being her future husband, and all. Or… former future husband." She said, and Jintian nodded. In truth, it had been on his mind this entire time. He just hadn't broached the topic, since he wasn't quite sure how to do so.
"You didn't seem surprised." He mused, and Huixian smiled wryly at that.
"I've been hearing about you since I was a little girl." She admitted quietly, her eyes glancing towards the stairs they had come down from, before landing on him again. "It's… a bit strange, to finally meet someone that your big sister has idolized her entire life."
Shen Jintian blinked, before nodding. "I can see how it would be offputting. Especially since I threatened you with a sword." He said, and she glared at him.
"Don't joke about that, it was not funny. I really thought you were going to kill me." She huffed, and he coughed awkwardly. But then she smiled. "Okay, I guess I can see a little humor in it now. But that's my joke to make, got it?"
She handed him the orb, and he hefted it in his hands. It felt hot to the touch, and he felt his blood race as he made contact with the orb, as if his body itself yearned to absorb it.
"What I was trying to say is… she's going to ask to come with you." She said, and he looked at her in alarm. "Just to Jianling, that's it. She's going to train with a diviner she knows up there. A true one, like she is."
His brows furrowed, but he nodded. "I suppose I can at least take her up to Jianling." He reasoned, and she smiled, nodding.
"Good. The war bow we mentioned earlier is yours, once you do. But…" She took a deep breath. "You have been her idol, her entire life. Growing up wasn't easy for either of us, after our parents died, but especially not for her. But she would always smile and bear it, because she always had you," she gently poked his chest, "waiting for her, down the line. I can't tell you how many times she has begun our days by asking me 'guess what Jintian did in my dream'."
Jintian shifted uncomfortably on his feet, a pressure weighing down on his shoulders that he hadn't even known was there. She saw his expression, and sighed. "I know it's not fair, to have that much expectation on you, but it's how it is. Or, what I'm getting at, was. Now that the future has been changed, she no longer has the certainty she did before. So she might try to secure it, in her own way, during your travels."
Finally he understood what she was leading towards, and he also glanced toward the stairs, before looking at Huixian with resolve. "Don't worry. I won't take advantage of her." He promised, and she smiled, clearly relieved.
"I didn't think you would. I just… wanted to prepare you, for what might happen." She said, and he smiled. He might have done something similar in her position.
"You're a good sister." He murmured, and she rolled her eyes, punching his arm to hide the way her cheeks flushed.
"Yeah, whatever." She mumbled. "Now come on. I'm sure she's wondering what secrets of hers I'm spilling to you."
Jintian stowed the Core inside of his bag of holding, patting it affectionately. Between the various items he'd secured for his travels, such as rope, camping tents, spell formula scrolls, wood, rations, and other things, it was nearing capacity. The interior of the bag was about half the size of the room, and his teacher had told him it was a bit inferior to bags of holding found within the wider world. He had been advised to purchase a new one once he joined the Sect, but… he thought he would continue to hold onto it.
It was his very first magical item, after all.
The pair walked up the stairs, and Jintian's nose twitched as he smelled cooking meat on a stove. Sure enough, when they entered the room he saw Xingyue already preparing lunch.
"We've returned, sister." Huixian announced, and the seer slightly turned her head, before nodding.
"Lunch will be ready in half an hour. Did you…" She trailed off, and Jintian smiled.
"I'll take you to Jianling." He confirmed, and a radiant smile graced her features as she turned back to preparing the food. Jintian and Huixian settled at the table, and the younger woman seemed to abound with questions about the young cultivator's life. She asked questions to confirm what she'd heard from Xingyue, and things that neither of the two of them knew.
"So you and your friend, Li Liuwen… you would hatch these schemes often?" Huixian asked, her eyes arced into crescents as she smiled. Jintian cleared his throat, recalling the several times the duo had used the tiger and trap method, as well as several other various ploys to increase the profits they could earn.
"Well, yes… but we never truly scammed anyone! All of the items we sold or bought were really of good quality." He hurriedly clarified, glancing towards Xingyue. He then frowned, wondering why he'd felt the need to defend himself.
He then internally kicked himself when he saw that Huixian noticed his glance. "Well, it's a good thing that I recognized you when I did. I really might have let you scurry off with an item that was worth thousands of liang." She said loudly over her shoulder, more to her sister than to him. His face reddened, and he was just about to defend himself further when Xingyue snorted.
"It's not his fault that you probably confused him with some aristocrat. And didn't I tell you to stop making those idiotic bets with rich customers?" She fired back, carrying several plates of food over to their table. Huixian gaped at her sister, clearly offended that she would take his side rather than hers.
Jintian rose to help her, but stopped when he realized that she seemed capable enough. He noticed that she walked with a strange sort of grace, her feet extending just past her body with every step. When her toe touched the table, she smoothly knelt and placed the plates of food down.
She had served a small feast of tofu, rice, pork dumplings, and steamed cabbage. The smell made Jintian's mouth water, and he hurriedly bowed his head in thanks.
"Thank you!" He exclaimed, grabbing a pair of chopsticks and taking a dumpling. Huixian grumbled something about clear favoritism to herself, while Xingyue smiled expectantly towards Jintian.
As soon as he took a bite of the dumpling, he froze, his eyes widening as he chewed it slowly. He felt a shiver pass through him, and he looked towards Xingyue as he swallowed.
"They…" He whispered, his throat burning hot. Xingyue's expectant smile turned into something gentle, and she nodded. He swallowed thickly, while Huixian looked at him in confusion. "They taste just like my mother's."
"You told me how she made them, once." She murmured. "I thought that… at the very least, although I am unable to help you with your future goals… I could do this one small thing for you."
Huixian's gaze immediately softened, and she held Xingyue's hand. Jintian trembled in his seat, and he bowed his head. But no matter how he swallowed, the burn in his throat only grew fiercer.
"... you." He whispered, tears spilling down his cheeks as he brought his hands to his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you. I'd nearly… I'd nearly forgotten what they tasted like. Thank you."
The sisters said nothing, only allowed him his moment of grief, but Xingyue slowly rubbed his back.
Jintian thought that she had the warmest touch he'd ever felt.
-
After lunch, Xingyue said that she would only need an hour to make preparations to leave. True to her word, while Jintian waited outside of the shop, she eventually emerged with a small bag in her hands and her veil once more on her face, Huixian in tow. The younger sister's eyes were red, but otherwise seemed to have been expecting this moment to come.
They hugged, and whispered something to each other. Jintian, of course, heard what they'd said, but chose to put it out of his mind out of respect for the two of them.
Taking a deep breath, Xingyue turned to him, nodding.
"I am ready, dear Shen Jintian." She said, and he nodded back. He took the bag from her hands and stowed it away in his bag of holding, and she took hold of his arm. As they were walking away, Jintian heard Huixian call to him from behind.
"You take care of her!" She shouted, and Jintian looked over his shoulder. Huixian had her hands balled into her dress, tears flowing down her cheeks once more. "And you both come back safe, alright!?"
He nodded, and then once more turned around to resume his journey north.