The Artisan

When Luo Yang opened his eyes, the light in the bedroom was already very bright.

The curtains weren't drawn tight, and a sliver of blinding sunlight pierced through the gap, landing right beside his pillow and warming the fabric. He rolled over, his back pressing against the cool sheets, and let out a comfortable sigh.

The events of last night were like a roll of water-damaged film, slowly developing and coming into focus from the haze.

The Eerie Immortal, the North Suburbs wasteland, Zhang Xian and Li Jinqi, and Qiu Shubai's shattered Bloodfall.

Further back was the cold white light of the operating room, that golden tree in his Sea of Consciousness, the nine Orphaned Remaining Leaves, and—

That conversation in the hallway.

He buried his face in the pillow for a couple of seconds before rolling back onto his back.

Last night, seeing that he was fine, Zhang Xian had handled his discharge papers directly and then kicked him out. The old man's exact words were, "Hurry up and get the hell home to sleep. Stop being an eyesore here."

Qiu Shubai had left with him. The two of them hadn't said much on the way from the hospital to the neighborhood entrance, but they didn't part ways until they reached his front door.

"Go back and rest," she had said.

"Yeah."

She had turned and walked toward her own building.

When Luo Yang pushed open his door, the television in the living room was still on, the volume turned very low. Yan Zhi was curled up in the corner of the sofa, hugging a throw pillow she had squeezed out of shape, her head tilted against the armrest, fast asleep.

Luo Yang stood in the entryway and watched her for a few seconds.

This girl.

He had left this time without even having a chance to say goodbye. It was a miracle she could stay put, huddling at home alone for so long.

He stepped lightly around the coffee table, fished the remote out from the sofa cushions, and clicked off the TV. The moment the screen went black, the only sound left in the living room was the faint hum of the air conditioner.

He found a clean towel in the bathroom to wipe his face, then peeled off the tattered shirt that could no longer be called clothing and tossed it into the trash. After a quick shower, he collapsed onto the bed without even pulling up the covers and lost consciousness within three seconds.

He slept incredibly deeply.

Luo Yang fumbled for his phone on the nightstand, squinting as the light from the screen stung his eyes.

12:07.

It was noon.

He swiped past the lock screen to find a long string of KK message notifications, all from Yu Mingyang.

"Luo, are you there?"

"Luo, are you okay?"

"Holy crap, why aren't you replying?"

"Luo Yang!"

"If you're still alive, give me a shout!"

"I'm seriously going to call the police!"

The last one was sent after four in the morning. There were none after that. The kid probably couldn't stay up any longer and fell asleep himself.

Luo Yang held the phone to his ear and called Yu Mingyang.

"Luo!!!"

Yu Mingyang's shout nearly pierced his eardrum, and he quickly pulled the phone away.

"Thank god you called me back! Otherwise, I really would've thought you were gone!"

Luo Yang blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know?" Yu Mingyang's voice carried the relief of someone who had survived a disaster. "The whole city was under alarm yesterday! The academy notified us to be ready to evacuate at any time. I tried to contact you but couldn't get through! You didn't show up even after the alarm was lifted. I really thought something happened to you!"

Only then did Luo Yang realize.

When the Eerie Immortal appeared in the North Suburbs, the Ability Bureau must have immediately issued a high-level warning to the entire city. Upon receiving the news, the academy naturally organized the students to prepare for the worst. Meanwhile, he had probably already begun rushing to the front lines, leaving him in a state of total radio silence.

"I'm fine, I'm okay." He switched the phone to his other ear. "I was indeed a bit busy last night."

As he spoke, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

The Ability Bureau's report back then said the Eerie Immortal's energy reaction was at least at the level of a Level 7 mutant beast. But when he actually faced it, aside from that bizarre, skin-crawling illusion ability, its physical attack power and defense didn't seem to reach the intensity a Level 7 should have.

Zhang Xian and Li Jinqi combined were able to trade blows with it, even if it was a difficult fight. One had to realize that a true Level 7 mutant beast was an existence that even Star Initiation rank experts had to approach with caution.

The discrepancy was too large.

What kind of existence was it exactly? Why was the energy reaction so high, but the actual combat power didn't match up?

"Luo? Hello? Are you still listening?"

Yu Mingyang's voice pulled him back from his wandering thoughts.

"I'm here." Luo Yang rubbed his temples. "Go on."

"Since everything's fine, we have to grab a meal! To celebrate us surviving such a high-level alarm!"

Luo Yang let out a snort of laughter. "What kind of terrible excuse is that? You probably have something you need your brother Luo's help with again. Just say it. Would I ever not give you face?"

The other end of the line went quiet for a split second before Yu Mingyang gave a sheepish chuckle.

"Truly, nothing gets past you."

"Actually, a top-tier Artisan from the capital is coming today; he'll arrive in Yuanxing City this afternoon. He's also from our city, so this is a bit of a homecoming for him. As it happens, my dad has some history with him, so I want to find an opportunity to ask this Artisan to forge a weapon for me. Opportunities like this don't come easily!"

Luo Yang was a bit confused.

"Then what do you need me for?"

"Hehe." Yu Mingyang laughed again, even more sycophantically this time. "You're the great genius of our Yuanxing City! I heard a long time ago that you could wipe the floor with our academy's entire league team by yourself. I figured if I was accompanied by a true young talent like you, I'd have a bit more courage. Otherwise, even if my old man has history with him, I feel like I'd get stage fright."

"If you're a wimp, you're a wimp. Why explain so much?" Luo Yang chuckled. "It's a simple matter. Just let me know, and I'll go with you this afternoon."

"You're the best! Two in the afternoon, Lingyun Residence in the central district. I'll send you the address!"

"Sure."

Hanging up, Luo Yang tossed his phone back onto the nightstand and strolled leisurely into the living room.

Yan Zhi had long since crawled out of bed. She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the sofa, clutching a freshly opened can of cola. A tablet was propped up on the coffee table in front of her, playing an anime.

Luo Yang glanced at the screen.

It wasn't the kind of action-packed show she usually watched; the art style was more slice-of-life, and the colors were much softer. On the screen, a boy and two girls stood under a cherry blossom tree, each of their expressions more conflicted than the last.

"...What's this?" He walked around the coffee table and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

Yan Zhi didn't even look up as she took a sip of cola, her voice muffled. "A domestic Shenzhou anime released in January. It focuses on the romantic tension between a male lead and two female leads. Apparently, it's being hailed online as the new king of angst-filled anime. It just finished airing recently."

Luo Yang's hand stopped as he was unscrewing the cap.

He turned to look at Yan Zhi. The girl was staring intently at the screen, the cola still in her mouth, her cheek bulging slightly.

"...Since when did you start watching this kind of stuff?"

"Three days ago." Yan Zhi finally swallowed the cola. "I got bored of all the fighting and killing from before, so I decided to try a different genre."

Luo Yang stood by the fridge, the water bottle held to his lips but not yet tilted.

This girl's range of interests was no longer limited to simple, hot-blooded shonen anime. From action to romance, from fighting to angst, her evolution speed was comparable to that afternoon she first learned how to turn on the TV.

He was trying to recall how many anime he had seen that could be called "stomach-aching" melodramas when—

Knock, knock, knock.

Three knocks on the door, neither too light nor too heavy, in a very disciplined rhythm.

Luo Yang frowned slightly and set the water bottle down on the counter.

"Everything I think about today gets interrupted," he grumbled, dragging his slippers toward the entryway.

Yan Zhi looked up from the tablet, her clear black-and-white eyes glancing toward the door before she looked back down to continue her anime.

Luo Yang reached the door and peered through the peephole.

Standing outside was a familiar young woman.