Sha Chen carried Xin Yi through the settlent with surprising gentleness.
People stopped to stare as they passed.
Wolves pausing mid-conversation. Children pointing. Warriors bowing their heads in respect.
But Sha Chen ignored them all.
His white eyes were fixed ahead, his jaw set with determination.
"I can walk," Xin Yi mumbled weakly.
"No."
"I am not that fragile—"
"You nearly drowned. You were attacked by a kraken. You are shivering like a leaf." His arms tightened slightly. "You are not walking."
She wanted to argue. But honestly? She was too tired. Too cold. Too scared.
So she just let him carry her.
[DING! (◕‿◕)]
[Host is accepting help!]
[Character growth!]
[Also Host is too exhausted to fight! ☆]
They passed the communal dining hall. Several of Sha Chen’s harem females were gathered outside, talking amongst themselves.
Měi Lán looked up first. Her expression imdiately shifted to concern. "Xin Yi! What happened?!"
But before anyone could answer, Zi Jue stepped forward.
"The Alpha carries her like a princess," she said. Her voice was dripping with disdain. "Again. How fortunate for the outsider."
Xin Yi rolled her eyes. Even in her exhausted state, she could not help it. Of course. Of COURSE Zi Jue would make this about jealousy.
"Zi Jue," Sha Chen’s voice was low. Dangerous. "Not now."
The female wolf’s mouth snapped shut. But her eyes blazed with fury as she watched them pass.
"PRETTY LADY!"
A small blur of black and white fur ca running.
Zhao Li.
The little girl’s face was scrunched with worry. "What happened?! Why is Uncle Sha Chen carrying you?! Are you hurt?!"
Despite everything, Xin Yi smiled. "I am okay, little one. Just......a little accident."
"An accident?!" Zhao Li’s eyes went wide. "Did you fall? Did you trip? Papa says I trip a lot too! He says I have clumsy feet!"
"Sothing like that," Xin Yi said softly.
Bái Fēng appeared behind his daughter, scooping her up. "Co, Zhao Li. Let the Alpha take care of his guest."
"But—"
"No buts. She needs rest."
Zhao Li pouted but waved enthusiastically. "Get better, Pretty Lady! Then we can play!"
"I will. I promise."
They finally reached Xin Yi’s room. Sha Chen pushed the door open with his shoulder and carried her inside. The room was exactly as she had left it that morning. Simple. Clean. Comfortable.
He set her down gently on the bed, so gently she barely felt the mattress beneath her.
"Rest," he said simply. "I will send Ài Yún and Měi Lán to attend to you."
"Wait—" She grabbed his wrist before he could leave. "Thank you. For....for saving ."
His expression softened, just slightly. "You are under my protection. Of course I would save you."
"Still. Thank you."
He looked at her hand on his wrist. Then at her face, his eues flickering with warmth.
"Rest, Xin Yi," he said again. Quieter this ti. "I will handle the creature."
Then he was gone.
The door closed softly behind him.
Xin Yi let out a long, shaky breath.
[DING! (◕‿◕)]
[Emotional mont achieved!]
[Sha Chen is showing his softer side!]
[Romance developnt! ☆]
"Stop it, System," she muttered. "This is not romance. This is... this is just......gratitude."
[DING! (¬‿¬)]
[Sure, Host]
[Keep telling yourself that! ☆]
Before she could argue further, the door burst open.
Ài Yún rushed in, carrying a stack of thick blankets. Měi Lán followed close behind with a tray holding a steaming teapot and cups.
"Xin Yi!" Ài Yún imdiately started wrapping her in blankets. "You are freezing! Your lips are blue! What were you thinking going that deep into the water?!"
"I didn’t—I was pulled—" Xin Yi’s teeth were chattering now. The shock was wearing off, and the cold was settling into her bones.
"Here." Měi Lán poured tea into a cup and pressed it into her hands. "Drink. It is ginger and honey. It will warm you."
Xin Yi wrapped her trembling fingers around the cup and took a sip.
Hot. Sweet. Perfect.
"Thank you," she whispered.
The two won fussed over her like mother hens. Ài Yún piled more blankets on top of her until she looked like a cocoon. Měi Lán rubbed her hands and feet to get the circulation going.
"The mark," Měi Lán said slowly after a brief mont of silence. "Ai Yun told you got a mark..... Can... can I see it?"
Xin Yi nodded and pulled her leg out from under the mountain of blankets.
The tattoo was still there. Still glowing faintly in the dim light of the room.
The serpent coiled around the lotus. Intricate. Beautiful. Mysterious.
Both won leaned in close, studying it.
Měi Lán’s breath caught, and her eyes went wide. "That is......"
"What?" Xin Yi looked between them. "What is it? Do you know what this ans?"
Měi Lán’s hand trembled as she reached out to touch the mark. Her fingers hovered just above it but did not make contact.
"I have seen this mark before," she whispered.
The room went silent.
"Where?" Xin Yi’s voice was barely audible. "Where have you seen it?"
Měi Lán pulled her hand back. Her expression was troubled, and filled with uncertainty.
"In the old temple," she said slowly. "The one hidden in the mountains. The one that was here before the wolves. Before any of us."
Ài Yún gasped. "The Temple of Mán Shū?"
Xin Yi’s heart stopped.
Mán Shū.
The goddess.
The one System had ntioned but knew nothing about.
[DING! (⊙_⊙)]
[CONNECTION DETECTED!]
[The mark is related to Mán Shū!]
[This is BIG! ☆]
"Mán Shū?" Xin Yi repeated. "Who is that?"
"The goddess," Měi Lán said quietly. "The one who supposedly created this world. Or......or brought people to it. The stories vary." She looked at the mark again. "But this symbol, the serpent and the lotus, it is carved all over that temple. On the walls. The floors. The altar."
"What does it an?" Xin Yi demanded. "What does it DO?"
"I do not know." Měi Lán shook her head. "No one knows. The temple has been abandoned for centuries. Lin Zhiying and Wang Xianmo went there once. To explore. To try to understand. But even they could not decipher the markings."
Xin Yi looked down at her ankle. At the glowing tattoo that had appeared after the kraken attack.
"So this is.....what? A blessing? A curse? A brand?"
"I do not know," Měi Lán said again. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I need to go to that temple," Xin Yi said despite her shaking hands.
"No!" Ài Yún grabbed her hand. "It is too dangerous! The path is treacherous! And there are rumors of......of things living in those mountains. Dark things."
"I do not care. I need answers."
"Then wait," Měi Lán said firmly. "Wait until you are healed. Wait until the Alpha returns. He knows that temple. He can guide you."
Xin Yi wanted to argue with them and disagree.
But she was so tired.
So cold.
So scared.
"Fine," she whispered. "I will wait. But only until tomorrow."
Měi Lán nodded. "Tomorrow. I promise."
Ài Yún tucked the blankets tighter around her. "Now rest. Drink your tea. Let your body recover."
"And Xin Yi?" Měi Lán’s expression was serious. "Do not tell anyone else about this mark. Not yet. Not until we understand what it ans."
"Why?"
"Because marks like this......they draw attention. Dangerous attention." She looked at the door. At the settlent beyond. "And if the wrong people find out..."
She did not finish the sentence.
She did not need to.
Xin Yi pulled the blankets up to her chin and nodded.
"I will keep it hidden."
[DING! (...)]
[Smart choice, Host]
[The mark is DANGEROUS]
[Trust no one]
[Except maybe Sha Chen]
[And Ài Yún]
[And Měi Lán]
[And Zhao Li because she is precious]
[Okay maybe trust so people! ☆]
The two won stayed with her as she drank her tea. As her shivering slowly subsided. As exhaustion finally pulled her under.
Her last thought before sleep claid her was of the serpent coiled around the lotus.
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