Evening arrived quickly, and the figures of Yu Yan and Xiao Wu once again appeared on the hill east of the village.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry—check if the moon holds any special energy!"
The instant they reached the summit, Xiao Wu urged Yu Yan impatiently; she was even more anxious than he was.
If the moon really did contain absorbable energy, then that energy would have been discovered by her—Xiao Wu—not Yu Yan. A joy impossible to describe.
"There's a high chance, but we can't rule out nothing. Prepare yourself mentally."
While Xiao Wu was still elated, Yu Yan gave her a precautionary shot; his rule was always to expect the worst, so no outcome could wound him too deeply.
"Hey, hey, hey—don't throw cold water on people when they're happy!"
Xiao Wu's finger wagged gently in front of Yu Yan's face, reminding him with utmost seriousness.
Rationally, Yu Yan's words were flawless; emotionally, they were rather poorly timed.
Fortunately, her expression showed she hadn't been affected.
After considering her words, Yu Yan nodded. "All right, all right—I won't say it next time."
"Enough chatter—check the moon for special energy, quick, quick, quick!"
Under her urging, Yu Yan entered cultivation; his mental force spread out completely, searching for any unique energy shed by the moon.
Sadly, no matter how he searched, no trace of moon essence appeared.
Unable to find it, Yu Yan opened his eyes, met Xiao Wu's expectant gaze, and shook his head.
"Nothing?"
"Turns out your jinx was right—such a pity."
Though the words were accusatory, Yu Yan heard no blame; Xiao Wu sounded as if she were simply chatting with a friend.
"Maybe the timing's wrong—just like purple qi can only be absorbed from the rising sun, moon energy might need a special moment too."
Yu Yan voiced his guess and the reasoning behind it.
"Possible!"
The moment she heard him, Xiao Wu forgot her disappointment and began pondering what times might be special for the moon.
While she mused, Yu Yan did the same, gazing at the crescent above.
Soon a phrase surfaced in his mind.
Full and waning moon.
The moon's true form wasn't a crescent—it should be a perfect circle.
In every myth and legend Yu Yan knew, spirits absorbed moon essence on the night it was full.
Following that logic, they might have to wait until the full moon.
"Xiao Wu, I have a guess."
"Yu Yan, I have a guess!!"
They spoke at the same instant, eager to share.
Yu Yan wanted to tell her because, without her, it might have taken ages to realize the moon—like the sun—could hold special energy.
Besides, after two months together their bond had deepened to the point of sharing harmless little secrets.
Xiao Wu simply wanted to share the joy of having solved the riddle—and to show off.
The only annoyance: Yu Yan had figured it out too, robbing her of the chance to gloat.
"My guess might be wrong—why don't you tell me yours?"
Seeing her frustration, Yu Yan played dumb, hoping she'd enlighten him.
After studying him a moment, Xiao Wu explained: her idea matched his—they should wait until the full moon, when the moon would be special.
That conclusion wasn't hard to reach, so her thinking of it was no surprise.
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."
At the end of her reasoning, Yu Yan gave her a big thumbs-up.
"Hmph—who do you think I am? After helping you this much, you'd better make me Crayfish when we get back—it's been ages."
Xiao Wu beamed, head swaying, pride written on her face, and seized the chance to state her price.
What delighted her more was that Yu Yan had guessed the answer yet still indulged her need to shine.
Yu Village lay beside the Balak River, rich in aquatic life, so the tasty little Crayfish naturally found their way onto Yu Yan's table.
The first time she tasted them, Xiao Wu fell in love, but since they were troublesome to prepare, Yu Yan rarely bothered.
"No problem—you've helped me plenty; a good meal is the least I can do."
In such high spirits, rewarding themselves with Crayfish felt right, so Yu Yan happily agreed to her reasonable request.
Under the moonlight the two small figures sauntered down the hill…
The next few days held no full moon yet, but Yu Yan kept searching for moon essence each night—still without result.
One morning at breakfast, Old Man Yu pushed open the door.
"Little Yan, Xiao Wu, eating?"
Old Man Yu greeted the two youngsters warmly as he entered.
"Yep, we are. Grandpa Yu, want some?"
Yu Yan set down his bowl, fetched a chair, and placed it near the table for the old man.
"No, no—I ate before I came; you two go ahead."
Old Man Yu sat and motioned for Yu Yan to continue:
"I came to say my son's back today to help harvest the fishponds. Come over and meet him."
"Sure, no problem—we'll head over after we finish eating."
Yu Yan nodded and gave a time.
Xiao Wu kept shoveling rice; Yu Yan's word was hers.
Helping Old Man Yu harvest fish and meeting his son had been arranged beforehand.
"Good—I'll go ready the gear. Don't forget."
Having delivered the message, Old Man Yu took his leave; lingering while they ate would be improper.
"Eat more, Xiao Wu—Grandpa Yu has four ponds; we'll be busy today."
"Yu Yan, lots of villagers have ponds—does your family have one?"
"We have one, mostly for shellfish. After my parents died two years ago, Grandpa Yu, seeing I was young, rented it out. The villagers pay me each year—I'm the one who profits."
"Sorry—I brought up something sad."
"It's all right. Two years have passed; talking about it doesn't hurt much anymore. No need to apologize."