As the sky shifted into hues of orange and violet, Han Yu sat beneath the old plum tree near the edge of the courtyard, lazily flicking pebbles at the stones lining the pond.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Each pebble rebounded with satisfying precision. He wasn't training—just… thinking.
"Li Mei still hasn't come to see me…" he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "She cried when I 'died,' didn't she? So why hasn't she barged in yet, demanding explanations or poking me in the ribs to see if I'm real?"
It was unlike her. Li Mei, the stubborn alchemist with the gentle yet sassy eyes and a temper that could melt cauldrons, had always been outspoken with him. Too outspoken, sometimes.
"She was sad… then happy. I even saw the energy myself—sadness, then joy," Han Yu recalled. "So where is she? Don't tell me she's… ignoring me?"
He clicked his tongue. "I'm not some ghost to be forgotten. Hmph."
Just then—
BAM!
The courtyard gate slammed open.
