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Jin Ling’s eyes were still glazed with sleep when he came upon the disturbing sight.
Another cat, drained of life and nailed to his door. Another warning.
By now he had gotten used to them, anticipated them even, but there was never an easy way to deal with the emotions that came with it. The paranoia of not knowing what it meant, and the sheer gruesomeness of someone killing an innocent animal just to send him a message.
His inability to decipher it, to resolve the problem, added salt on the wound.
At this point, Jin Ling was done hopping from inn to inn. He was a cultivator – he should be able to get to the bottom of this. Whoever was messing with him, they would know better once he found them.
Packing his things, Jin Ling made sure he had everything in order. Preparation was all about being ready for a situation before it happened, after all.
As with his deity binding nets, sometimes plans did not turn out as intended. However, Jin Ling might as well renounce his title as Sandu Shengshou’s nephew – as the Jin sect’s heir – if he was going to let himself get caught out by anyone making a mockery of him.
The many near-death experiences he faced in the past few days had done little to deter him. Jin Ling felt he’d gotten off lightly, but he took that to mean he had more chances to prove himself. Arrows were carefully inspected for functional imperfections, and he cleaned his bowstring to pristine-perfect.
The monotonous process was comforting, in a way, and allowed him to take his mind off the lingering threat.
He set off for the next city before the sun set.
Their paths crossed in Langya.
As he listened to the stories from the Lan disciples, Jin Ling reckoned he had gotten off lucky.
Dead cats nailed to doors would always struggle to be pleasant, but Jin Ling would probably never eat again if he saw its severed head floating in his dinner. Ouyang Zizhen had even found a cat corpse in his bed.
It was more than suspicious, and clearly intentional that they were being led to the same place by similar events.
Lan Sizhui suggested teaming up. Not that they had any other option. They were less likely to be picked off if they stayed together, and with more manpower they could investigate better. Jin Ling did not enjoy their company, but it was preferable to dealing with it alone.
Besides, Lan Sizhui was there, and he seemed to be the brains in the group. As much as his perfect disciple act irritated Jin Ling to no end, there was no doubting his competence, and competence achieved two very important things. One, staying alive longer, and two, earning Jin Ling’s grudging respect.
That did not mean Jin Ling was going to start getting along with them. This was a one-time transaction of mutual benefit, and becoming friends was not part of the deal.
At least, it was easy to keep up that decision with the other disciples. They reacted to Jin Ling’s surly attitude with the same old tune he had come to expect from anyone his age.
Not Lan Sizhui.
The boy was a bit like a mini Hanguang-jun, Jin Ling thought resentfully. He appeared where chaos erupted, mediating fights before they got too far, and since Jin Ling was here, he was the source of the chaos more often than not. The most infuriating part of it all, however, was how calm he remained. Jin Ling envied that composure, wishing he possessed it in the sect meetings he sat in on, where elders would spare no opportunity to chastise him for his outbursts.
It made him wonder what he could do to provoke a reaction. What could he say that would make Lan Sizhui snap? He bet it would be glorious to see that perfect image crumple away to reveal the true frustrations hidden beneath.
Jin Ling watched the barely imperceptible tension in the head disciple’s jaw as he recited another Lan precept, a morbid curiosity forming inside him with his imagination of it unfurling viciously, lashing out at everything around.
A side mission began curling its designs in his head. He wanted attention from this authority, he wanted to be seen and reacted to. He wanted Lan Sizhui to look at him and do something that was not calculated. Something spontaneous enough that Jin Ling could feel the pride of getting under his skin. That feeling of acknowledgement by someone he…
Maybe, just maybe, he was a little invested.
The voyage onward was landmarked with another encounter.
Lan Sizhui did most of the talking, and the mysterious hunter they had come across pointed them in the direction of Yi City.
As they made way for the new destination, the gaggle of disciples following along blindly, Jin Ling sped up his steps to walk shoulder to shoulder with his odd fixation.
“Are you alright, Jin Ling?” Lan Sizhui asked him, keeping his voice low and considerate. No one else seemed to pay them any mind, but Jin Ling did not require their attention. It was easier to talk to Lan Sizhui than a group.
“Didn’t you notice something weird about that hunter?” Jin Ling asked, equally quiet. It came less from a point of keeping a low profile, and more because he selfishly did not want anyone else to latch onto his idea and steal his limelight. He wanted Lan Sizhui’s eyes on him alone.
“He did seem to appear very conveniently,” Lan Sizhui mused, entertaining his suggestion. “Did Jin Ling notice anything out of the ordinary?”
There it was. The floor to contribute was given to him just like that, so easily and all he had to do was ask for it.
Jin Ling crossed his arms. “He was preparing his bows and arrows, but it looked as though he might as well have never held a weapon in his life.”
Lan Sizhui’s grey eyes flashed with interest.
“Oh?”
Something lightened in Jin Ling’s chest, despite the danger they were all headed in. It was like rainfall clearing, the crisp air left behind after.
“It’s hard to imagine any decent hunter who doesn’t know at least basic archery,” Jin Ling pointed out, “first, no one handles a bow so delicately. The way he was waxing it would have done little against the rain. Second, his attire was unsuitable for hunting, and that large cap would obstruct vision. Someone who pretends they are something they are not is likely to be dangerous.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lan Sizhui’s lips. Jin Ling wondered what was so funny in indignation.
“You make a fair point, but how do we know he is malicious, and not merely lacking in proficiency?” Lan Sizhui questioned.
“The targets near his house. They had marks where they were clearly hit by someone experienced,” Jin Ling fired back. “I don’t think he owns the house, or is a hunter like he’s pretending to be.”
Lan Sizhui hummed. For a moment, Jin Ling allowed a wave of self-consciousness to flow over him. So what if the man had deceived them? Was he bringing up a pointless argument, given they had no other leads to follow?
And then, it was like rain clouds clearing to make way for the sun. The slight crack of the head disciple’s expression came, a chip in the facade, but it was far from the irritation Jin Ling had thought he would face.
Heat crept up his neck instead, raising the hairs on his body as a warm, genuine smile beamed down at him.
“The mystery will only be solved if we follow the trail,” Lan Sizhui acknowledged instead of disparaged, like he was looking at the other perspective while standing beside Jin Ling, as opposed to the other side of him. “However, you make a very good point. No one else could have picked it up. That’s impressive, Jin Ling.”
Jin Ling was horrified to discover a fluttering feeling in his chest from the complement to his observation.
No, no, no. What had he done? He had set out to elicit a reaction from Lan Sizhui, but this was beyond his expectations. Jin Ling had been outdone once again. This was something unprepared for. This was an anomaly.
He would soon come to realize that Lan Sizhui would form a lot of the anomalies in his life.
“W-Whatever!” Jin Ling sputtered out, forcefully whipping his head around and stomping ahead of the group. His boots crunched against the uneven ground mutinously. Why did his chest feel like it was going to burst? Perhaps this was that true humiliation people spoke of, the kind that could only be caused by losing to one’s mortal rival.
“What was that about?” he heard Lan Jingyi ask from behind.
Jin Ling would never, ever become friends with them.
Especially not that Lan Sizhui!