Chapter 8: Neighbors, Naps, and Unwelcome Guests

  The outer disciple quarters of Cloudpetal Sect were simple wood cottages lined along a scenic cliff path.

  Lin Xian was assigned a house near the edge — quiet, peaceful, nap-friendly.

  Naturally, Bai Xueqing got the house next door.

  “It’s fate!” she decred, unpacking three fming fans and an altar of spicy snacks.

  Lin Xian was already setting up a hammock for post-breakfast naps.

  “You’re very loud for someone pnning a ‘rivalry,’” he noted.

  She scoffed. “You just wait. I shall one day defeat you and—”

  Snore.

  Lin Xian had fallen asleep mid-sentence.

  Bai Xueqing clenched her fist. “He’s too powerful…”

  That Night: The Jealous Ones Arrive

  Later, under moonlight, Lin Xian was feeding Xiao Hei a steamed bun when loud footsteps echoed outside.

  A group of outer sect disciples blocked his courtyard.

  Their leader, a tall boy with a sharp nose and narrow eyes, stepped forward with smugness leaking from every pore.

  “You! Hand over your beast and your food technique secrets!” he snapped.

  Lin Xian blinked. “My… food technique?”

  The boy scoffed. “Don’t py dumb! You passed the Mirror of Heart with cuisine-based mental fortitude! That’s a secret art, isn’t it?!”

  Lin Xian looked at Xiao Hei.

  “…Did we invent a new Dao just by eating?”

  Before the gang could move, Xiao Hei leapt forward with a furious mewl.

  BAM!

  The leader’s face met the ground.

  His underlings scattered like chickens.

  Bai Xueqing, who had been watching from her rooftop, burst into ughter so loud it scared a passing crane.

  That Night: A Flicker of the Past

  As Lin Xian y in bed, a soft whisper drifted through his dreams.

  A battlefield…

  Blood. Smoke. A silver-haired figure walking away.

  A voice: “You were always meant to rise — just… don’t forget to enjoy the journey.”

  Lin Xian stirred, eyes fluttering.

  He mumbled, “…Who was that?”

  But Xiao Hei’s warm fur curled against his side, and sleep pulled him down again.