“So, what kind of movies do you guys like?”

“Movies? I don’t really watch them. How about you Tianlan? Seen anything interesting lately?”

“Why would I waste my time watching movies?”

“...”

Meilin found all eyes on her as they both seemed to agree that watching movies had little practical use.

“You can learn things from them. Things about people.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. There are so many different kinds of people out there. You don’t get to see them when you’re like us.”

“Like us?”

“You know. We’re from powerful clans. We can’t relate to the commoners. But through movies, we get to see what life is like through their eyes.”

“Is that right?”

“Mm. I know that I wasn’t thinking properly before, but even now, I still envy them a little.”

“Why?”

“You’re thinking that they live horrible lives, aren’t you?”

“Well, it’s true that if they run afoul of a powerful expert, they could lose their entire families in moments. I wouldn’t exactly call that living the dream.”

“That’s true, but with weakness comes a sort of freedom, don’t you think? Freedom from expectation.”

“What expectations do you want to be free from?”

Meilin looked down to the ground.

“While I know that my parents won’t force me into anything, it’s still my duty as their daughter to choose a husband from a clan of similar standing to our own.

“I’ve met the boys from those clans, and all of them are rotten inside and out.

“They only ever think of themselves, and I’m sure that if I ended up with one of them, they would just see me as a decorative ornament.

“There wouldn’t be any love there.

“But for the commoners, love is all they have.

“It’s beautiful, in a way.”

“But it’s also fragile,” added Tianlan. “It could be snatched away from them in an instant, and they wouldn’t be able to say anything about it.”

“That’s true,” she admitted. “But doesn’t that make it even more precious?”

Tianlan shrugged his shoulders and said no more.

“I feel that, even if they could trade places with me and gain the world, they would refuse if it meant they had to give up on each other. That’s the kind of feeling the movies give me.”

“Sounds nice and all,” said Hei, “but you would be surprised how quickly people change their colours when money, power, and status enter the picture.”

“They change?”

“You have to remember that often times, what we call ‘love’ is just settling for whatever you can get. That being the case, there are those who would immediately jump ship to swim to treasure island.”

“But wouldn’t that be lonely? I can’t see why anyone would do that.”

“That’s because you’re on treasure island. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side.”

***

“Still nothing.”

She was looking at the most recent progress report from her attendant. They had still yet to find any good leads.

Though it was the expected result, it still disappointed her.

She sighed and placed the report back down before opening her top drawer.

Inside was a stack of similar reports. All those that had come before.

She had read them countless times, combing through every detail, trying to find anything she might have missed.

But she never did.

This time was no exception.

***

“So... What if we knock you out first? Then flying won’t be an issue, right?”

“Please don’t do that...”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse. Just think about it. One moment you’ll be standing here, then, in the next, you’ll be reunited with your big sister. Wouldn’t that be far more convenient?”

“...”

“Personally, I think it’s a good idea,” said Tianlan.

“I would really rather not. I need to mentally prepare.”

“... To meet your sister?”

“You don’t know how she is. When she gets angry, everyone suffers.”

“Oh. Like Tianlan.”

Tianlan’s eyes flashed with a cold blue light as he glared at Hei.

“There he goes again.”

“I’ll seriously kill you. You know that?”

“Yeah. Sure, buddy.”

***

“Ma’am!”

A young woman appeared in the room.

She was dressed in black and was kneeling with her head lowered, waiting to be acknowledged.

“Is there anything new?”

“Reporting. Young Master Jihan has managed to extract useful information from the captive. He appears to be a member of a demonic cultivator sect which has been performing a string of kidnappings as of late.”

“Is that all? Don’t all demonic sects do that?”

“Yes, but this sect is looking for yin physiques in particular, Ma’am.”

“Yin physiques?”

Her eyes widened.

If there was one thing her clan wasn’t lacking in, it was yin physiques. It was almost unusual for a girl of their clan not to have one.

“If that’s the case,” she said, “then this is our strongest lead yet.”

She got up from her seat and started to pace back and forth.

This was both good and bad news.

On one hand, she now had a solid lead. One which could potentially lead to her sister.

But on the other, this was one of the worst possible scenarios. Her sister was raised as a delicate flower. There was no telling how much she would suffer in the hands of demonic cultivators or if she would even manage to stay alive.

Her mind couldn’t help conjuring up hellish scenarios, each more disturbing than the last.

She took a deep breath and turned back to her attendant.

“What is the name of this sect? Where is it?”

“It is called the Crimson Moon Sect, and it is located in the west. Young Master Jihan left to investigate early last night.”

“So we have a solid grasp of the situation?”

“If the information is to be believed, then yes. We have fairly detailed coordinates as well as some of the procedures for getting past their defences.”

Hearing that, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s good to know,” she said. “Really good.”

***

“You think so? I don’t know if I would want to learn that.”

“But if you don’t actively try to get the answer, you’ll only be more shocked when you find out for yourself, won’t you?”

“I suppose... But what if I never found out? What if it never really affected my life? Then I could go about my business not worrying about it, right?”

“So you would gamble with it? I mean, you already have a sneaking suspicion, right? Wouldn’t it still bother you somewhere in the back of your mind?”

“But if it’s limited to that, then I can ignore it fairly easily. If I go to a physician and they confirm it, then wouldn’t it be on my mind constantly?”

“But if you don’t, you might just collapse one day, not knowing why. You could even drop dead right then and there.”

“If that happens, and I wasn’t afraid, then what’s the problem? Isn’t that a fairly peaceful way to go?”

“Huh? What about the people you leave behind? They would be devastated. Especially if they encouraged you to get it checked.”

“Oh... I wasn’t thinking about that...”

“You see, that’s your problem, Meilin. You’re too self-centred. If you think you might have a problem, then go see a doctor.”

“But let’s say no one else knows. Wouldn’t telling them cause them to worry? If it turns out to be nothing, then they would have worried for no reason.”

“So?”

“So? It’s... I-”

“It’s better to be safe than sorry, or so they say. There’s some truth to those words, don’t you think?”

“Better to be safe...”

***

“But I can’t just keep sitting around while Meilin could be suffering, Maria. Do you know how worthless I’ve felt this whole time sending you and the others to do everything for me? It’s time I joined the effort as well.”

“But Young Master Jihan himself instructed us to leave it to him. He only took a few of us who are particularly adept at stealth operations.”

“Are you saying that I wouldn’t be any help, Maria? Is that what Jihan told you?”

“No, Ma’am. It’s just that we cannot afford to lose you too. We still do not know the strength of our adversaries, nor do we know who they are or their intentions. It’s simply too dangerous to have you out on the field before we can confirm these things.”

“But…”

“Please remain in the safety of the Shimmering Sword Sect. I’m sure that’s what your mother would want as well.”

She let out a sigh.

What her attendant said was true.

It was one thing for Jihan to be out on the field, but it would be an entirely different matter if it were her.

For all they knew, the capturing of Meilin could have just been a lure intended to draw her or her father out of the clan.

If it turned out to be the case that this were a trap, and she were to be captured as a result of anxious action, then the magnitude of the problem would grow significantly.

Especially with her Father’s hands tied as they were.

“I understand,” she said. “I’ll wait here.”

She understood what she had to do, but that didn’t mean she was content with the situation.

Every moment that passed by felt like it was the last chance she had, and it was torture to be forced to stand idly by as other people put themselves at risk for her and her family.

“Ma’am. I assure you we’re doing everything we can to see the young miss returned to us safe and sound.”

“Thank you, Maria. Let the others know that I appreciate all that they’re doing for us as well.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Maria was about to leave the room to execute the order when she suddenly felt a hand press down on her shoulder.

That sensation was accompanied by a biting cold that permeated the room and a cool white mist that quickly congealed into the form of a silver-haired young man.