...༺☯༻...

...o n e...

...☽✧☾...

...The perfect angle. That was all Lu Hua cared about in that crystalline, water-distorted moment. The late afternoon sun backlit the weeping willows dipping their emerald fingers into Emerald Mist Lake, casting long, romantic shadows. Her phone, encased in a garish pink otter case, was held precariously over the water, her reflection a wide-eyed, slightly pouting girl with artfully tousled dark hair. Just one more shot. The filter needed that exact shimmer off the water....

...She leaned back, stretching for the composition, the weathered wooden planks of the little pier cool beneath her sandals. Her heel met empty air. A startled yelp ripped from her throat, swallowed instantly by the shockingly cold water as she plunged backwards. The phone flew from her grasp, a pink blur swallowed by the green depths. Panic, thick and cloying as the weeds suddenly tangling her legs, seized her. She kicked wildly, but the water felt heavier, denser than it should. The surface shimmered impossibly far above, the sunlight fracturing into alien, jade-green patterns. 'Not deep... shouldn't be this deep!' her mind screamed, lungs burning. Darkness crowded her vision, not peaceful, but frantic and cold. The last coherent thought was a furious, waterlogged curse aimed at the stupid lake, the stupid selfie, her own stupid balance....

...★...

...Master Li Chen preferred the silence of twilight. High within the secluded Bamboo Whisper Pavilion, perched on the cliffs overlooking the mist-wreathed Ling Jian Academy complex, the world below seemed distant, manageable. Scrolls of intricate star charts and meridian diagrams lay unfurled before him on a low lacquered table, illuminated by a single, steady spirit-lamp. His long hair, the colour of freshly fallen snow, spilled over his shoulders and onto the dark wood floor like a frozen waterfall. His face, though bearing the timeless agelessness of profound cultivation, held a stillness that spoke of deep focus, perhaps weariness. The quiet was a balm....

...Then, it shattered....

...SPLASHHH!...

...The sound was jarringly loud in the pristine silence, echoing up from the usually placid Jade Reflection Pool nestled directly below the pavilion. Not the delicate plop of a koi, nor the rhythmic dip of a waterfowl's beak. This was a heavy, clumsy, full-bodied displacement of water. An intrusion....

...Li Chen's pale silver eyes, sharp as honed glacier ice, flickered open. No ripple of annoyance crossed his serene features, only a swift, analytical alertness. He hadn't sensed any approach, no surge of Qi, no ward triggered. That in itself was... irregular. Setting down the delicate brush he hadn't realized he'd been holding, he rose in one fluid, silent motion. His pristine white and silver robes, embroidered with subtle, shifting patterns of frost, whispered against the floor....

...He stepped onto the pavilion's open balcony, the cool evening air brushing against his skin. Below, the surface of the Jade Reflection Pool churned violently. Moonlight, just beginning to silver the water, caught on frantic movement. Something - someone - was flailing near the rocky edge....

...Before Li Chen could fully process the anomaly, a head broke the surface with a desperate, ragged gasp. A girl. She clawed at the slick rocks, coughing violently, expelling gouts of water. Her movements were graceless, panicked, utterly foreign to the controlled energy cultivated within Ling Jian's walls. Her clothing was bizarre - tight, dark blue leggings, a strangely short, sodden tunic in a faded colour he couldn't name, clinging to her slight frame. Her long dark hair plastered itself to her face and neck like wet seaweed....

..."Ugh! Cough! Blegh! Stupid... cough... friggin'... lake!" she gasped between retches, her voice raw and loud, shattering the tranquil twilight. She hauled herself halfway onto a flat rock, collapsing onto her stomach, shivering violently, utterly oblivious to the imposing figure watching from above. ...

...Li Chen observed, the girl dressed like no citizen of the Celestial Empire he knew. She appeared without trace or warning in the academy's most sacred reflecting pool....

...His left hand moved, a flicker of motion almost too fast to see. No grand gesture, just the slightest extension of his index finger, a silent command whispered to the air itself....

...From its stand inside the pavilion, a sword hummed. Not the deep resonance of a heavy blade, but the keen, high-pitched shiver of something lethally sharp and impossibly light. The blade was slender like captured moonlight on ice and the hilt wrapped in silver wire. It shot from its scabbard with the speed of a striking viper, a streak of cold silver light slicing through the open doorway past Li Chen, and down towards the shivering figure on the rock....

...It wasn't aimed to kill. Not yet, but it is a warning shot. To gauge reaction, intent and capability....

...Lu Hua saw the glint. Not consciously, not with her waterlogged brain still screaming about hypothermia and lost smartphones. It was pure, animal instinct, honed by a lifetime of dodging scooters in crowded streets, catching falling objects, the split-second reactions of modern chaos....

...The air screamed where the sword tip would have pierced her shoulder. Instead, she was no longer there. In a desperate, scrambling lurch fueled by adrenaline and terror, she threw herself sideways, tumbling off the flat rock and back into the shallow, icy water at its edge with a graceless splash. The sword struck the empty stone where her shoulder had been a heartbeat before, embedding itself with a sharp chink, vibrating with a surprised, dissonant hum....

...Silence crashed back, heavier than before. The only sounds were Lu Hua's frantic splashing as she scrambled back from the sword, her breath coming in terrified hitches, and the low, fading thrum of the embedded blade....

...High above on the balcony, Master Li Chen remained perfectly still. But the glacial calm in his silver eyes had fractured, replaced by a profound unprecedented shock. His brows, usually smooth as snow-laden branches, drew together infinitesimally....

...She hadn't felt the sword coming. He was certain. He'd sensed no surge of defensive Qi, no precognitive awareness. He'd felt only raw, untamed panic radiating from her moments before. Yet... she'd moved. Not with cultivated grace, but with a desperate, instinctive speed that had somehow anticipated the trajectory of Jade Cicada - his spirit-bonded blade, faster than thought....

...Impossible. Utterly impossible for an "untrained", waterlogged girl who cursed like a dockworker....

...Lu Hua stared up, water streaming from her hair, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She finally saw him. The man on the balcony. Tall, imposing, radiating an aura of terrifying stillness. Hair like moonlight. Eyes like frozen mercury. And a sword... he'd just thrown a sword at her!...

..."Hey! What the hell, dude?" she yelled, her voice shaky but laced with indignant fury, the absurdity momentarily overriding the terror. "I almost drowned! What kind of psycho throws swords at drowning people?"...

...Master Li Chen tilted his head, the shock in his eyes receded, replaced by intense, analytical scrutiny. The impossible dodge echoed in the silence between them, louder than her shouted accusation. Who was this strange, water-sprite of a girl who appeared from the depths and defied the laws of cultivation with mere instinct? ...

...He didn't speak. He simply watched....

...Lu Hua's indignant fury warred with bone-deep cold and burgeoning confusion. She pushed sodden hair out of her eyes, blinking water droplets away, and finally looked past the terrifyingly handsome, sword-throwing lunatic on the balcony....

...Her breath hitched again, but this time for a different reason....

...Emerald Mist Lake was gone. The familiar weeping willows, the wooden pier, the distant city skyline - vanished. Instead, she was sprawled on slick, dark rocks bordering a pool that seemed carved from obsidian, reflecting the bruised purple and deepening indigo of a twilight sky she didn't recognize. Towering structures of dark, aged wood and pale stone rose around her in impossible, elegant sweeps - tiered pagodas with swooping roofs adorned with mythical beasts, arched bridges spanning misty chasms, pathways winding through meticulously sculpted gardens glowing with unfamiliar, softly luminous plants. The air hummed with a profound silence, broken only by the distant chime of a deep bell and the rustle of... giant bamboo? Lanterns, not electric but flickering with actual flames, cast long, dancing shadows. The architecture screamed ancient China, but not the kind you visited on a tour. ...

..."Where... where is this?" she whispered, the fight momentarily draining out of her, replaced by a dizzying wave of disorientation. "Is this... some kind of theme park? Afterlife?" She shivered violently, her wet clothes like icy shackles....

...A soft whisper of silk against stone. Lu Hua's head snapped back up. The white-haired man was no longer on the balcony. He stood on the rocks a few paces away, having descended with a silence and grace that defied physics. He hadn't jumped; he seemed to have simply materialized. He observed her, his silver eyes scanning her face, her strange attire, her shivering form with detached intensity. The initial shock she'd glimpsed was gone, replaced by an unnerving calm. He didn't radiate immediate menace anymore, just... profound, unreadable scrutiny. He sensed no Qi, no hidden power radiating from her, only raw confusion and cold....

...He took a single, deliberate step closer. "Who are you?" His voice was low, resonant, like deep water flowing over smooth stones. It held no anger, only pure, commanding inquiry....

..."Lu Hua," she stammered automatically, still trying to process her surroundings. "My name is Lu Hua." Her teeth chattered. "Look, mister, I don't know what's going on. I was just taking a selfie by Emerald Mist Lake, I fell in, and then..." She gestured helplessly at the impossible vista around her. "This. I don't remember any place like this near the lake. Seriously, where did they build this? It looks crazy expensive." Her modern slang sounded jarringly out of place amidst the ancient grandeur....

...As she spoke, her gaze, drawn inevitably back to him, lingered on his face. The moonlight caught the sharp lines of his jaw, the elegant sweep of his snow-white eyebrows, the unnerving clarity of those silver eyes. Despite the terror and confusion, a completely inappropriate, half-hysterical thought bubbled up. "Wow," she breathed, the word escaping before she could stop it. A giggle, tinged with nerves and disbelief, followed. "Seriously, dude? You look like you walked straight out of a... a historical drama. Or a really intense cosplay event. That hair... that face..." She trailed off, shaking her head as if trying to clear waterlogged nonsense. "Unreal."...

...Master Li Chen remained impassive, though a flicker of incomprehension passed through his eyes at the words "selfie," "cosplay," and "dude." Her reaction was as bizarre as her appearance. Fear, yes, but also this... irreverence? This bizarre commentary on his appearance? He had been called many things - Master, Honored One, - but "dude" and "handsome" in such a flippant tone were unprecedented....

...Lu Hua suddenly straightened, a new wave of violent shivering wracking her frame. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, her wet tunic offering no warmth. The absurdity of complimenting her attempted murderer warred with the immediate, desperate need to not freeze to death. Her eyes, wide and still slightly dazed, locked onto his with startling directness....

..."Aren't you gonna, like, do something?" she demanded, her voice rising with a mixture of accusation and sheer, cold-induced misery. She gestured at her dripping form. "You throw swords, you stand around looking like an ice sculpture... but are you just gonna let me freeze into a Lu-Hua-sicle right here? After you dragged me out of your fancy koi pond?" The logic was flawed, but the urgency was real. Her lips were starting to turn blue....

...Master Li Chen stared at her. The calm analytical detachment seemed to waver for a fraction of a second, confronted by the sheer, illogical, shivering audacity of this dripping girl who appeared from nowhere, dodged Jade Cicada, insulted his sacred pool, called him handsome, and now demanded he alleviate her discomfort. ...

...Without a word, his hand moved again. Not towards a weapon this time. With a fluid motion, he unfastened the outermost layer of his robes - a long, heavy garment of pristine, silver-threaded white silk. He held it out towards her, the fine fabric shimmering faintly even in the dim light....

...Lu Hua stared at the offered robe, then back at his impassive face. Hesitation warred with desperation. It looked warm. So warm. With a choked sound that was half sob, half whimper, she scrambled forward on her knees, her water-numbed fingers fumbling as she snatched the robe from his hand, almost yanking it....

...She didn't say thank you. She just huddled into the impossibly soft, blessedly dry silk, pulling it tightly around her shaking shoulders. The residual warmth from his body seeped into her, a stark, almost shocking contrast to the lake's chill. It smelled faintly of frost and something else... clean, sharp, like ozone after lightning. She buried her nose in the fabric, trembling violently, the enormity of her situation crashing over her again, momentarily held at bay by the simple, vital comfort of warmth....

...★...

...Lu Hua huddled deeper into the impossibly soft folds of Master Li Chen's robe, the residual warmth from his body a stark, vital contrast to the deep chill still seeping from her own bones. The immediate terror had subsided, replaced by a profound, shivering bewilderment. She was sitting on the cold, damp rock beside the obsidian-like pool, the unnatural beauty of the academy grounds surrounding her like a dreamscape she couldn't wake from....

...Her fingers, still stiff and cold, fumbled in the pocket of her sodden leggings. The phone. With a surge of desperate hope, she pulled out the garish pink otter case. Maybe... just maybe... waterproofing had worked a miracle. Maybe she could call someone. Anyone. Explain this insane theme park mix-up....

...She wiped the screen frantically on the dry silk robe. Pressed the power button. Nothing. Held it down longer. Still nothing. She shook it gently, tapped it against her knee, whispered frantic pleas. The black rectangle remained stubbornly, accusingly inert....

..."Ugh! No! Come on!" she whined, her voice thick with frustration and encroaching tears of helplessness. She held the dead phone out in front of her, shaking it slightly. "Don't do this to me now! I just paid it off! Stupid lake! Stupid selfie! Stupid... everything!" She let her head drop forward, hiding her face in the robe's collar, and let out a theatrical, utterly fake sob. "My life is over!!!"...

...The faint scent of frost and ozone preceded him. Lu Hua peeked up through damp strands of hair. Master Li Chen stood a few respectful paces away, having approached with that unnerving silence. He held a simple, dark wooden tray bearing a single, steaming celadon cup. The fragrant aroma of warm tea - something floral and earthy - drifted towards her, instantly making her aware of her parched throat....

...He didn't comment on her display. His silver eyes, however, were fixed not on her face, but on the object clutched in her hand - the bright pink rectangle she'd been lamenting....

...He stepped forward, offering the tray. Lu Hua sniffled dramatically, wiped a non-existent tear, and reached out, her fingers curling gratefully around the warm cup. "Thanks," she mumbled, the word thick. The heat seeped into her palms, another small comfort in this bewildering nightmare. She took a cautious sip. The tea was perfect - hot but not scalding, subtly sweet and calming. She sighed, the genuine tension in her shoulders easing slightly....

...Master Li Chen remained standing, his gaze still locked on the phone. "What," he asked, his voice low and measured, "is that object you hold?"...

...Lu Hua blinked, looking down at her phone as if seeing it for the first time. "This? It's my phone," she said, holding it up. She tapped the black screen again, fruitlessly. "Well, was my phone. Now it's a very expensive brick."...

...He tilted his head, a minute gesture of profound incomprehension. The word meant nothing. "Fone?" he repeated, the unfamiliar syllable sounding strange in his resonant voice. "What is its function?"...

...Lu Hua stared at him, the warmth of the tea momentarily forgotten. He wasn't joking. The utter lack of recognition in those pale eyes was absolute. "Function? It... does everything?" she said, bewildered. "Calls, texts, internet, games, music, maps... selfies! You seriously don't know what a phone is?" The concept seemed as alien to him as his sword-throwing was to her....

..."No," he stated simply, without a trace of embarrassment. "I do not."...

...Lu Hua scratched her head, damp hair tangling around her fingers. Maybe he's just some super remote rural guy? Living way off the grid? That would explain the robes, the sword, the lack of basic tech knowledge... and maybe even the weirdly perfect architecture? A very dedicated historical reenactor community? The theory felt flimsy, absurd even, but it was the only anchor she had in the sea of her confusion. "Right... okay," she mumbled, taking another long sip of tea, letting the warmth ground her....

...A slightly less awkward silence fell. "So," she ventured, setting the cup down carefully on the rock beside her. "Thanks again. For the tea. And... not letting me freeze. I guess." She paused. "I told you my name. Lu Hua. What's yours?"...

...He regarded her for a moment, those silver eyes assessing. "Li Chen," he stated. No titles. Just the name. ...

..."Li Chen," Lu Hua repeated, testing the syllables. She nodded....

..."Alright, Li Chen." Trying to inject some normalcy, some semblance of polite interaction, Lu Hua pushed herself up slightly. She extended her right hand towards him, palm open, in a gesture as natural to her as breathing. "Nice to meet you. Properly, this time. Without the, you know... impalement attempt."...

...Li Chen didn't move. His gaze dropped to her outstretched hand. He stared at it as if it were a venomous serpent coiled to strike. His expression didn't change - no frown, no scowl - but his absolute stillness radiated profound confusion and wariness. What was this gesture? An attack? A bizarre ritual? An offering? He remained rooted, his hands clasped loosely behind his back, his posture radiating an unbreachable distance....

...Lu Hua held her hand out for a few heartbeats, the silence stretching. She felt a flush creep up her neck. Right. Maybe handshakes weren't a thing here. Or maybe touching the scary sword master was forbidden. "Oookay then," she muttered, her voice tight with embarrassment. She quickly retracted her hand, letting it fall back into her lap, fiddling with the edge of the oversized robe. "Guess not."...

...༺☯༻...

...t w o...

...☽✧☾...

...Lu Hua finished the last sip of tea, the warmth a temporary comfort against the deep-seated chill and the gnawing unease. She pushed herself up, the borrowed robe feeling suddenly heavy. "Right," she announced, trying to sound brisk, in control. "Thanks for the tea, Li Chen."  She began shrugging out of the robe, the damp chill of her own clothes instantly biting through the thin fabric. "I should really get going. If I miss the last bus, I am so screwed. Plus," she added, a note of genuine panic creeping in as she remembered her real world, "I have finals in like, three days! Professor Cheng will skin me alive if I flunk again."...

...She held out the robe towards him. Before he could even form a word - his silver eyes narrowing slightly at the incomprehensible torrent of "bus," "finals," and "Professor Cheng" - Lu Hua executed a quick, shallow bow, a gesture she vaguely remembered from historical dramas. "Thanks again! Bye!"...

...Then she turned and marched purposefully away from the obsidian pool to find the exit, away from the unnerving white-haired swordsman, clutching her dead phone like a talisman....

...Easy it was not. The whole place were a sprawling, bewildering maze of winding pathways, serene gardens filled with luminous, unfamiliar flora, arched bridges spanning misty ravines, and towering structures of dark wood and pale stone. Every corner looked similar yet subtly different.  "Where is the exit?!" she hissed under her breath, near tears of frustration. She raked her fingers through her still-damp hair, almost pulling it....

...Finally, after what felt like an eternity of wrong turns and dead ends, she spotted it: a massive, imposing gate set into a high wall of weathered stone. Ornately carved with swirling cloud motifs and fierce guardian beasts, it stood open, offering a glimpse of the world beyond. Relief washed over Lu Hua like a warm wave....

..."Finally!" she gasped, a grin splitting her face. She broke into a run, her wet sneakers slapping against the polished stone path. She burst through the gate, skidding to a halt just outside....

...The grin froze, then shattered....

...She wasn't standing on the familiar, tree-lined path leading back to Emerald Mist Lake and the city. She was standing on a wide, flagstone viewing platform jutting out from the side of a mountain....

...Her breath caught in her throat. Below, nestled in a breathtaking valley shrouded in ethereal morning mist, lay the sprawling complex of a buildin - tiered pagodas, curved roofs, training grounds - looking impossibly grand and ancient. But it was the surroundings that stole her sanity....

...Towering, jagged peaks, wreathed in clouds, pierced the impossibly blue sky in every direction. The air was crisp, thin, and carried the scent of pine and something else......

...And then she saw them....

...Figures. Silhouetted against the vast sky. Not on birds, not in planes. They stood, balanced impossibly on the narrow blades of gleaming swords, robes streaming behind them as they cut through the air with impossible grace and speed. One executed a lazy loop-de-loop before streaking towards a distant peak. Another zipped past far below, heading towards the valley floor....

...Lu Hua's jaw dropped. Her mind stuttered, trying to process the physics-defying sight. "Flying... people? On... swords?" she whispered, the words barely audible over the roaring disbelief in her head. "That's... that's not possible."...

...Just as her brain threatened to short-circuit completely, a flicker of movement caught her eye right in front of her face. She flinched....

...Hovering at eye-level, wings a blur of iridescent blue and green, was a creature the size of a large housecat. It had sleek, silvery fur, enormous, intelligent golden eyes, and delicate, pointed ears twitching with curiosity. It tilted its head, regarding her with an unnerving focus, a soft, melodic chirrup escaping its tiny mouth. It looked like a cross between a miniature snow leopard and a dragonfly....

...A freaking flying cat....

...Lu Hua's frayed nerves snapped. A blood-curdling scream tore from her throat, primal and raw. Instinctively, she stumbled backwards, away from the creature....

...Her heel caught on the uneven flagstone at the very edge of the platform. Her arms pinwheeled wildly. The world tilted sickeningly. The breathtaking vista of mountains and flying swords became a terrifying blur as she realized there was nothing but thin air and a sheer drop behind her....

..."Ohgodohgodohgod!" The scream cut off as gravity claimed her. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the crushing impact against the rocks far, far below....

...It never came....

...Instead, a strong arm wrapped securely around her waist, halting her fall with impossible gentleness. She felt suspended, weightless. The terrifying rush of wind ceased. A faint scent of clean linen filled her senses....

...Cautiously, Lu Hua cracked open one eye....

...She was floating. Several feet off the edge of the viewing platform, suspended over the dizzying drop. Holding her effortlessly, his expression as inscrutable as ever, was Master Li Chen. His white hair streamed slightly in the mountain breeze, his silver eyes gazing down at her with that unnerving calm. He hadn't jumped after her; he was simply there, defying gravity as casually as the figures on the swords....

...The sheer, overwhelming weight of the impossible crashed down on Lu Hua's already overloaded mind. Her eyes rolled back in her head. With a soft, utterly defeated sigh, consciousness fled. She went utterly limp in Li Chen's arms, the dead phone forgotten somewhere on the rocks above, the bus, the finals, Professor Cheng, and Emerald Mist Lake vanishing into the void....

...★...

...The world swam back into focus slowly. Lu Hua blinked, her eyelids heavy as lead. Instead of cold stone and the scent of ozone, she was enveloped in softness and warmth. Thick, unfamiliar blankets cocooned her, scratchy yet comforting. She was dry....

...Confusion warred with the lingering haze of unconsciousness. Where...? Memory slammed back like a physical blow: the impossible mountain vista, the flying swords, the terrifying drop, the impossible rescue... Li Chen....

...She bolted upright, the blankets pooling around her waist. Her eyes darted around frantically. She was in a small, austere room. Smooth, pale stone walls. A single, high window letting in soft daylight. A low table. A glowing brazier emitting gentle warmth. And there, sitting neatly against the wall near the simple bed - her bright blue backpack!...

...A choked sound of relief escaped her. She scrambled, nearly tangling herself in the blankets, lunging for the bag. Fumbling with the zipper, she yanked it open. Wallet, crumpled lecture notes, lip balm, a half-eaten energy bar... all her mundane world, miraculously here. She clutched the worn fabric to her chest, breathing heavily....

..."You are awake."...

...The voice, low and resonant, cut through the silence like a blade. Lu Hua flinched so violently she almost fell off the bed. A scream ripped from her throat, raw and terrified, echoing off the stone walls....

...Master Li Chen sat on a low cushion several paces away, near the sliding door leading to what looked like a balcony. He didn't moved. He didn't even covered his ears. A scroll lay loosely in his lap, his pale silver eyes fixed on her with unnerving calm. He looked utterly unperturbed by the sonic assault....

...The scream died abruptly, replaced by hyperventilating gasps. Lu Hua stared at him, her heart hammering against her ribs like a frantic drum. The dam of her confusion and terror burst....

..."Where am I?!" she shrieked, her voice cracking. "Who are you?! How did you float?! That's impossible! Gravity! Physics! And this place! It's on top of a freaking mountain! I saw people flying! On swords! And that... that thing! The flying cat-monkey! What was that?! Am I dead?! Is this hell?! Or some weird, elaborate prank?! Did I hit my head?!" The questions tumbled out in a frantic, incoherent torrent, punctuated by sharp breaths. "Emerald Mist Lake is flat! There are no mountains! No flying people! No floating swords!"...

...She sucked in a huge, shuddering breath, her eyes wild. The sheer, overwhelming impossibility of everything - the location, the sights, him- crashed over her anew. It wasn't denial anymore; it was the terrifying, inescapable reality. She opened her mouth again, and this time, it wasn't words that came out. It was pure, primal, sustained terror. A long, high-pitched scream that scraped her throat raw, echoing in the small room. She screamed at the absurdity, the fear, the loss of her world, the man sitting there watching her unravel....

...She screamed until her lungs burned and her voice gave out, collapsing back against the pillows in a heap of trembling limbs and tangled blankets, gasping for air, tears of sheer panic and frustration finally spilling over. Her chest heaved, the only sound now her ragged, hiccuping breaths and the soft crackle from the brazier....

...Li Chen watched the entire performance. He hadn't moved a muscle. His expression remained that same mask of detached observation. Only the faintest tightening around his eyes might have indicated something. Impatience? Curiosity? Profound bewilderment at the sheer volume and duration of the outburst? He waited until the final, shuddering gasp faded into exhausted silence....

...Then, slowly, deliberately, he closed the scroll he had been reading and set it aside on the low table. His pale eyes met hers across the space....

..."You are in my property," he stated, his voice calm, cutting through her residual panic like cold water. "I am Li Chen." He paused, as if considering how to address the rest of her frantic litany. "The creature was a Cloud Lynx. A spirit beast." Another pause. The questions about floating, mountains, and the fundamental laws of her reality seemed momentarily beyond concise explanation. "You," he said, his gaze sharpening with undeniable intensity, "appeared in the Jade Reflection Pool. From nowhere."...

...His words hung in the air, heavy and undeniable. The screaming had stopped, replaced by a hollow, trembling silence....

...★...

...The silence after her screaming fit felt thick and heavy, broken only by Lu Hua's ragged breaths and the soft crackle of the brazier....

...Slowly, the frantic hammering of her heart began to ease. Exhaustion seeped into her bones, deeper than the cold from the lake had ever been. She lay there, cocooned in the scratchy blankets, staring at the smooth stone ceiling....

...She appeared from nowhere. Without trace, Li Chen said....

...'I'm not in my world anymore.'...

...The realization was vast and quiet, washing over her like a wave of icy water. It wasn't accompanied by another scream, just a profound, shuddering sigh that seemed to come from the very core of her being. Emerald Mist Lake, the city, her cramped apartment, the crowded buses, Professor Cheng's droning lectures... all gone....

...Her gaze drifted to the window, where daylight streamed in. Mountains. Always mountains....

..."Rest," Li Chen's voice cut through her spiraling thoughts. It wasn't gentle, but it wasn't a command either. It was a simple, stark statement of necessity. "You require it."...

...He rose from the cushion with that unnerving silence and grace. As he moved towards the sliding door, he paused, not looking directly at her, but gesturing towards a low wooden chest near the foot of the bed. "Your garments were... unsuitable. Revealing." He said the word with the same detached curiosity he'd used for 'phone'. "These are prepared. Simple, but adequate."...

...Then, without another word, he slid the door open and stepped out onto the balcony, closing it softly behind him. Lu Hua was alone....

...Alone with the enormity of her situation....

...She lay still for a long moment, absorbing the silence. Then, slowly, she pushed herself up again. Her eyes went first to her bright blue backpack, still clutched protectively against her chest. Setting the blankets aside, she unzipped it properly this time, her fingers trembling only slightly....

...Wallet. Notes. Lip balm. Keys to an apartment that might as well be on another planet. And... there. Crinkly wrappers. She pulled out a slightly squashed granola bar and a small bag of sour gummy worms. Her emergency snacks. A hysterical little laugh bubbled up, escaping as a choked sob. She clutched the familiar junk food like lifelines....

..."Okay," she whispered to the empty room, her voice hoarse from screaming. She tore open the granola bar and took a huge, ungraceful bite, chewing mechanically....

...She looked towards the wooden chest Li Chen had indicated. Revealing. The word echoed in her head, and a flicker of her old indignation sparked. "Revealing? They're just jeans and a t-shirt! What does he wear under those robes, a full suit of armor?" But the spark fizzled quickly, replaced by a weary acceptance. Different world, different rules....

...She finished the granola bar and eyed the gummy worms. Comfort food. Essential for dimensional displacement, probably....

...As the sugar hit her system, a new thought surfaced, cutting through the fear and confusion with startling clarity. She paused, a sour worm halfway to her mouth....

..."No more exams."...

...The thought landed with the weight of a revelation. No Professor Cheng. No cramming until dawn. No terrifying final papers on obscure economic theories she barely understood. No pressure to find a "respectable" job after graduation. The relentless grind of her old life... gone....

...A slow, incredulous smile spread across her face, tentative at first, then widening into something almost genuine. "No. More. Exams," she breathed, the words tasting sweet. "Ever."...

...She popped the gummy worm into her mouth, savoring the artificial tang. Okay, so the world was terrifyingly strange, populated by people who defied physics. But... freedom? Actual freedom from the soul-crushing academic treadmill? That was... kind of amazing?...

...Then, reality crashed back in, a different flavor of horror. Her smile vanished. Her eyes widened in dawning realization. She slowly lowered the bag of gummy worms....

..."No exams..." she whispered. Then, louder, her voice cracking: "But... but also... NO INTERNET!"...

...The sheer, devastating magnitude of the loss hit her. No social media. No streaming. No memes. No endless scroll. No cat videos....

...She dropped the gummy worms onto the blanket and buried her face in her hands. A low, theatrical moan escaped her. "Nooooo..." she wailed, her voice muffled. "My precious data! My memes! My doomscrolling!" She rocked back and forth slightly. "How will I know what's happening? How will I waste hours of my life? HOW WILL I POST ABOUT THIS?!"...

...She peeked through her fingers, looking utterly bereft. It was pure melodrama, a shield against the deeper terror, a way to process the absurdity. Fake tears welled up for effect. "Gone! All gone! The greatest tragedy! Woe is me! Stranded in a world of magic and mystery!" She let out another exaggerated sob, shoulders shaking with mock despair, even as a tiny, hysterical part of her found the whole situation darkly hilarious....

...★...

...The scratchy, unfamiliar feel of the linen undergarments and the soft, dove-gray outer robe felt alien against Lu Hua's skin. The garment was simple, tied with a sash, falling to her ankles with long, wide sleeves that felt cumbersome....

...Taking a deep breath, she clutched her backpack like a security blanket, she slid open the door to the main living area of Li Chen's residence. It was as austerely elegant as the bedroom - pale stone walls, polished dark wood floors, minimal furnishings. Sliding doors opened onto a breathtaking balcony view of the mist-wreathed mountains and the sprawling academy complex far below....

...Li Chen sat on a low cushion near a window, bathed in the soft morning light. Another scroll was unfurled before him on a low table, his long white hair spilling over his shoulder like snow. He didn't look up as she entered, his focus seemingly absolute....

...Lu Hua hovered awkwardly for a moment, then decided on directness. She shuffled forward, the unfamiliar robes whispering against the floor, and plopped herself down on another cushion directly opposite him, crossing her legs beneath the fabric. The movement felt clumsy compared to his effortless stillness....

...He finally lifted his gaze, those pale silver eyes settling on her with unnerving calm. He said nothing, waiting....

..."So," Lu Hua began, clearing her throat, trying to sound casual and failing. "Big place. Do you, like, live here all alone?" She gestured vaguely around the spacious, silent room....

...Li Chen inclined his head slightly. "This residence is allocated to the Masters of Ling Jian Academy. There are four peaks, four masters. Each resides separately."...

...Lu Hua blinked. "Four masters? For that whole..." she pointed towards the balcony, towards the impressive collection of buildings nestled in the valley. "That huge place down there? What is it, anyway? Looks like a fancy palace complex."...

..."It is the academy," he replied, his tone matter-of-fact. "Ling Jian. Where disciples cultivate the martial and mystical arts."...

...Cultivate? Martial and mystical arts? The terms confirmed her wildest suspicions but sounded ridiculously formal. "Right. School for... magic sword flying people. Got it." She looked around the spacious room again, taking in the high ceilings, the minimalist beauty. "And this house? Pretty swanky for a teacher's pad. Even the headmaster back home didn't have a mountain-top villa." She paused. "So, what exactly does a 'Master' do? Besides throwing swords at unexpected swimmers and floating around catching clumsy girls?"...

...Li Chen's expression remained impassive, though Lu Hua thought she saw the faintest tightening at the corner of his eye at the mention of sword-throwing. "We protect the academy," he stated, his voice low and resonant. "We safeguard its knowledge. We guide the disciples. We maintain the wards. We uphold the balance."...

...Lu Hua nodded slowly, processing. "Protect, guide, maintain, uphold... sounds like a glorified babysitter with extra steps and a better view." The irreverent comment slipped out before she could stop it....

...This time, the flicker in his eyes was unmistakable - a spark of something that might have been annoyance, or perhaps just profound confusion at her terminology. He didn't dignify it with a response, simply returning his gaze to the scroll, though Lu Hua suspected he wasn't actually reading it....

...A slightly awkward silence descended. Lu Hua fidgeted with the wide sleeve of her robe. Her stomach gave a small rumble, reminding her of the granola bar and the emotional rollercoaster. An idea sparked - a gesture, maybe? She unzipped her backpack, the sound loud in the quiet room....

...Li Chen's eyes flicked back to her, watchful....

...She rummaged inside and pulled out the slightly crumpled bag of sour gummy worms. The bright, artificial colors looked garishly out of place in the serene, ancient setting. Without preamble, she leaned forward and thrust the open bag towards him across the low table....

..."Here," she said, her voice still a little rough but earnest. "Sour gummy worms. My emergency stash. Consider it an apology for screaming your ears off earlier."...

...Li Chen stared at the bag. His gaze moved from the unnatural colors to the strange, worm-like shapes, then back to Lu Hua's expectant face. His expression was utterly unreadable, a mask of profound perplexity. He didn't recoil, but he made no move to take it either. He simply stared, as if confronted by an artifact from a bizarre, alien civilization....

...༺☯༻...

...t h r e e ...

...☽✧☾...

...Lu Hua kept the bag held out. The silence stretched. Outside, the distant chime of an academy bell echoed through the mountain air. Inside, the Master of the Frost Peak and the girl from another world sat facing each other, separated by a low table and an open bag of vividly colored, gelatinous candy. The absurdity hung thick in the air, a tangible counterpoint to the majestic view beyond the balcony. Lu Hua’s offering, a tiny piece of her lost world, lay suspended between them, waiting to be accepted or rejected in the quiet....

...Li Chen stared at the bag of unnaturally bright, worm-shaped objects. After a long moment of profound silence, his pale fingers moved with deliberate slowness. He plucked a single, vibrant red gummy worm from the bag Lu Hua held out. He held it up, examining it under the morning light as if it were a rare insect specimen. His expression remained utterly unreadable....

...Lu Hua, satisfied he hadn't rejected it outright, pulled the bag back and popped a green one into her own mouth. "It's good," she mumbled around the chewy candy, the sour tang sharp on her tongue....

...Her eyes drifted to the scrolls scattered on the low table. Curiosity overcoming caution, she reached out and carefully unrolled one near her. The characters were elegant but completely alien. She squinted. "What's this? Poetry? Instructions on floaty-sword maintenance?" She traced a finger over a stylized drawing that looked vaguely like a deer with glowing antlers. "Ooh, pretty deer."...

...Li Chen watched her, not commenting on her handling of the scroll. His gaze lingered not on the scroll, but on the state of her hair. It was mostly dry now, but a tangled, damp mess, falling haphazardly over her shoulders and into her face as she leaned over the scroll, completely absorbed in deciphering the picture of the deer....

...Without preamble, his quiet voice cut through her focus. "Your hair."...

...Lu Hua jumped slightly, looking up. "Huh?"...

..."It is... disordered," he stated, with typical bluntness. A pause. "I can brush it. If you permit."...

...Lu Hua blinked, surprised. She touched her messy hair self-consciously. "Oh. Uh, yeah. Sure. Go for it." She shrugged, turning slightly on the cushion to give him better access, though she kept her eyes on the scroll, trying to figure out what the symbols next to the glowing deer might mean. "Thanks."...

...Li Chen shifted position smoothly, kneeling behind her. His movements were efficient, not gentle, but not rough either. His cool fingers carefully gathered her thick, dark hair, separating the strands that had dried tangled. He worked in silence, his focus absolute. Lu Hua felt the occasional tug, but mostly just the cool, precise touch of his hands as he methodically smoothed and gathered the mass of hair....

...She kept her attention mostly on the scroll, pointing at another illustration – a bird wreathed in flames. "Whoa. Fire chicken? That's metal." She flipped the scroll slightly. "And this one? Big lizardy thing. Looks grumpy." She was completely oblivious to the intense concentration of the powerful cultivator meticulously braiding her hair high on the back of her head....

...Li Chen didn't respond to her commentary on the spirit beasts. He worked steadily, his expression focused but calm. After a few minutes, he reached towards his own hair. With a deft movement, he pulled free a simple, elegant hairpin made of polished, pale wood – maybe jade or bone – shaped like a single, unfurling leaf. He slid it smoothly into the base of the braid he'd created, securing it firmly....

..."Done," he announced, his hands withdrawing....

...Lu Hua reached back, her fingers encountering the neat, secure braid and the cool smoothness of the pin. She gave her head an experimental shake. It stayed perfectly in place. "Oh! Nice!" she grinned, genuinely pleased. "Feels way better. Thanks, Li Chen."...

...Li Chen simply gave a small, almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgement. He rose fluidly to his feet, looking down at her. "The hour grows late," he stated. His gaze flickered to the window, where the light was indeed softening towards late afternoon. "We should take evening meal now."...

...He gestured towards the sliding door that presumably led deeper into the residence. It was a simple, practical statement – dinner time. No fanfare, no elaborate pronouncements. Just the next necessary step in the strange new reality of Ling Jian Academy....

...Lu Hua scrambled up, the unfamiliar robes swirling around her ankles. The braid felt secure, the pin a small, solid reminder of this bizarre act of normalcy in an impossible situation. "Okay," she said, a little breathless. "Food sounds good." She offered him a tentative, slightly lopsided smile....

...★...

...The next morning, Lu Hua paced the serene stone paths of Li Chen's mountain-top garden. Sunlight warmed the air, birdsong echoed from the surrounding peaks, and the view was breathtaking. But Lu Hua only had eyes for the lifeless rectangle in her hand – her phone....

..."Come on, you stupid brick!" she muttered, jabbing the power button with desperate intensity. "Just a little spark! A flicker! Anything!" She shook it, held it up to the sun like an offering, then sighed dramatically, shoulders slumping. "Useless. Absolutely useless. What am I supposed to do now? Stare at rocks?" She kicked a small pebble, watching it skitter across the path....

...Suddenly, a familiar blur of iridescent blue and green zoomed past her ear. A melodic chirrup sounded right beside her head....

...Lu Hua shrieked. Not a little gasp. A full-throated, ear-splitting, horror-movie scream ripped from her lungs. She jumped a foot in the air, fumbling the phone....

...Inside the quiet study, Li Chen, calmly reviewing a disciple's progress report, didn't flinch. He simply vanished. One moment seated, the next moment standing directly beside Lu Hua on the garden path, materializing without a sound....

...Lu Hua didn't hesitate. The second she saw white robes, she lunged. Both hands clamped onto his arm like a vise, fingers digging into the fabric. She yanked herself behind him, using him as a human shield, peering fearfully over his shoulder....

..."It's back! The flying fire-cat-monkey-thing!" she yelled, pointing a trembling finger at the creature, which now hovered a few feet away, tilting its head curiously at the commotion....

...Li Chen didn't try to pull away. He stood perfectly still, a pillar of calm amidst her storm. "Be still," he said, his voice low and steady. "It is a Cloud Lynx. It means no harm. It is merely... curious." He paused, then added with a hint of dryness, "And you are crushing my arm."...

...Lu Hua loosened her grip slightly but didn't let go. She peered more closely at the creature hovering in the air. Now that she wasn't screaming or falling off a mountain, she could see it better. It did have wings, shimmering like dragonfly wings but larger. Its body was covered in soft, plush fur patterned in stripes of orange and black, like a tiny, fluffy tiger. Its large, golden eyes watched her with open interest. A tiny puff of harmless-looking, pale blue smoke drifted from its nostrils....

..."Huh," Lu Hua breathed, the panic slowly ebbing. "It kinda... looks like Mr. Snuggles." Mr. Snuggles had been her best friend's incredibly lazy, incredibly fat orange tabby. The resemblance, especially around the eyes and the slightly smug expression, was uncanny, wings and tiger stripes aside....

...Tentatively, still half-hiding behind Li Chen's arm, Lu Hua slowly reached a hand out towards the hovering lynx. "Hey there... Floof?" she cooed softly. "You're not so scary, are you?"...

...The Cloud Lynx blinked. Then, it drifted closer, ignoring Li Chen completely. It nudged its furry, striped head against Lu Hua's outstretched fingers....

...A soft, rumbling purr vibrated through the air. It sounded like a contented motorboat mixed with tiny chimes....

...Lu Hua's eyes widened in delight. "Oh! You purr!" She gently scratched behind its ears, just like she would with Mr. Snuggles. The purring intensified. The lynx closed its eyes, leaning into her touch, a small, happy puff of blue smoke escaping its nose....

...A huge, relieved grin spread across Lu Hua's face. She forgot about the dead phone, forgot her fear, and focused entirely on the magical flying cat currently melting under her scritches. "Who's a good little fire-breathing floof? You are! Yes, you are!" she cooed....

...Li Chen watched silently, his arm still partially captive, a faint, almost imperceptible sigh escaping him. The girl was now befriending the spirit beasts. He carefully, but firmly, extracted his arm from her grip. "Try not to encourage it to breathe fire indoors," he stated flatly, then turned and walked calmly back towards his study, leaving Lu Hua giggling and petting the purring Cloud Lynx under the morning sun....

...A few hours later, Lu Hua was sprawled dramatically across the pile of cushions and blankets Li Chen had eventually assembled in a corner of his study. It was a clear attempt to stop her from just flopping onto the floor like a disgruntled starfish whenever boredom struck....

...Li Chen sat at his low table, a scroll held with his usual calm focus. Lu Hua crunched loudly on the last few crumbs of her sour gummy worms, the empty bag discarded beside her....

..."Uuuugh," she groaned, stretching like a cat and knocking a cushion askew. "This is so boring. No TV. No music. No games. Not even a stupid lightbulb. It's like camping, but forever. And worse." She flopped onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "I miss fried chicken. Crispy, greasy, delicious fried chicken." Her stomach growled loudly, underlining the point. "Li Chennnn," she whined, turning her head towards him. "I'm staaarving."...

...Li Chen didn't look up from his scroll. He simply set it down with a quiet sigh. "Very well," he stated. He rose smoothly and walked towards the doorway that led to the kitchen area of his residence....

...Lu Hua perked up slightly, a grin forming. "Ooh, Master Chef time?" But she didn't follow him. She just snuggled deeper into her cushion nest, watching dust motes dance in the shaft of sunlight coming through the window. "Hope it's better than that weird grain porridge breakfast..."...

...Meanwhile, in the simple kitchen, Li Chen was efficiently gathering ingredients – fresh vegetables from a small garden plot outside, rice, some dried herbs. He selected a sharp, well-balanced knife. He was about to begin preparing the vegetables when a polite cough sounded from the entrance to his residence's main receiving area....

...A young male disciple, dressed in the academy's standard blue-grey robes, stood nervously just inside the open doorway. His eyes widened slightly as he took in the scene: the revered Master of Frost Peak, sleeves neatly rolled back, standing at a kitchen counter holding a knife....

..."Master Li Chen!" the disciple stammered, bowing deeply. "I-I apologize for the intrusion!"...

...Li Chen turned, his expression as impassive as ever. "Speak."...

...The disciple straightened, holding out a beautifully lacquered, multi-tiered food box. "Disciple Bai Yuling sent this, master. Freshly prepared delicacies from the kitchens below. She… she wished to ensure you were well-nourished." The disciple couldn't quite meet Li Chen's silver eyes, his cheeks slightly pink. Everyone knew Bai Yuling, a nobleman's daughter from a prominent family, held a significant, if utterly hopeless, torch for the aloof Master....

...Li Chen knew it too. Bai Yuling was talented, certainly, but her persistent gifts and lingering glances were… irrelevant. He was a Master; she was a disciple. His path was cultivation, not romance. Besides, he felt nothing beyond detached acknowledgement of her skill....

...He looked from the elaborate box to the simple vegetables on his counter. Then his gaze flickered towards the study door, behind which Lu Hua was probably complaining about the lack of salt or something equally baffling. Preparing a meal would take time he could spend on other matters....

...Without a word, Li Chen walked over, took the lacquered box from the surprised disciple, and set it on a nearby surface. "My thanks to Disciple Bai," he said, his tone flat, offering no further explanation or encouragement....

...The disciple blinked, clearly expecting a refusal or at least a dismissal of the gesture. "O-of course, Master! Shall I convey any message?"...

..."No," Li Chen replied simply. He turned back towards the kitchen counter, effectively dismissing the young man....

...The disciple bowed again, deeply confused but relieved he hadn't been scolded, and hurriedly retreated....

...Li Chen looked at the fancy food box, then at the vegetables. He picked up his knife again. He would prepare the simple meal as planned. The noble girl's offering could wait. Or perhaps the perpetually hungry anomaly in his study would appreciate it more. He began slicing a root vegetable with precise, efficient strokes, the rhythmic *thock-thock-thock* the only sound in the quiet kitchen....