Yunying Tales

Distant mountains cradle a world of lush blue and green. Yunhua's summer blooms after the rain, like emerald ink spreading across heaven and earth.

The annual Yunying Festival arrives. The city buzzes with preparations for the blessing ritual, drawing everyone into the lively streets.

As city lord, Xuanhe oversees every detail. Y LED deploys several times its usual force, led by Fengyang, while officials and citizens pack the altar grounds.

Loongjue has long escaped city affairs. She slips into the quiet outskirts on an excuse, finding the perfect place to practice martial arts.

Before long, hurried footsteps sound behind her. Expecting someone sent by Xuanhe, Loongjue turns around, only to find a strangely dressed girl.

The newcomer looks about fourteen or fifteen, with a sweet face and clothes of an unfamiliar cut. Even after roaming across Guangxia, Loongjue has never seen such a style.

The girl does not answer. She looks even more confused than Loongjue, muttering quietly to herself.

Training in martial arts since childhood makes Loongjue far more sensitive to malice than most.

She senses no deceit or hostility from the girl before her. The girl's gaze is clear, her eyes filled only with confusion.

Loongjue relaxes and prepares to speak, but a tiny rumble comes from the girl's stomach.

Her sheepish look makes Loongjue smile.

The girl hesitates for only a second. The moment she hears about food, she eagerly follows.

They chat as they enter the city. Just as Loongjue says, colorful ribbons line the streets while drums and music fill the festival air.

The moment they reach the main road, a surging crowd carries them toward the blessing ritual.

Luo Tianyi calls Loongjue several times, but the noise swallows her voice. Loongjue hastily wraps her in a Yunhua robe, grips her hand, and lets the crowd sweeo them toward the altar.

At noon sharp, the blessing ritual begins.

Fervent spectators surround the altar. Special paper lanterns ripple across its top, illuminating the lavishly robed priest and the delicate bronze box before him.

A peculiar mask rests neatly inside. The priest bows to it, then dances around the box as the ritual bell jingles in his hand.

The bell seems alive. The crowd cannot drown it out, and every clear chime rings as if beside each listener's ear.

Luo Tianyi finds her footing below. Her ears are far keener than most, allowing her to faintly hear the priest's prayer from afar.

As the prayer continues, she clearly senses the mask inside the bronze box trembling and releasing an almost inaudible hum.

She tries to listen more closely, but a scream rings out from far behind her.

Fire!

The cry hits the crowd like boiling water. Smoke billows around the altar as shoving crowds, shouting YLED enforcers, and spreading flames plunge everything into chaos.

Amid the panic, Loongjue grabs Luo Tianyi and leaps into the air. Several nimble bounds carry them behind the altar.

The altar blocks out the screams and footsteps. Few can enter its rear area, so Luo Tianyi paces anxiously until her foot bumps into something.

About one incense stick later, Loongjue enters through the curtain with a tall, stern man in official robes.

Seeing Luo Tianyi unharmed, Loongjue breathes a little easier.

Fengyang gives Luo Tianyi a brief salute, then continues.

Fengyang presents a smoke blackened letter. Luo Tianyi leans closer and reads the few lines scrawled across its tattered paper.

Luo Tianyi steps aside to reveal her discovery. Loongjue and Fengyang follow her gesture, then stare in shock.

Several identical priest robes lie scattered on the ground, along with matching bronze boxes and Nuo masks.

Fengyang crouches to inspect them and finds the Ghost Market's imitation mark tucked into the corners of the Nuo masks.

As she speaks, Luo Tianyi lifts the curtain and gestures for Loongjue and Fengyang to look outside.

Loongjue and Fengyang tense at once, their faces grimmer than ever.

Fengyang ponders her words, then looks toward the pile of fake Nuo masks.

Meanwhile, at the Ghost Market

Yan He hurries through the alley, doing her best to blend into this unfamiliar market.

A short while earlier, she turns a corner while taking a borrowed score back to Luo Tianyi. Her vision blurs, and she somehow steps into this alien world.

This place feels bizarre. Bright lamps hang outside every shop in broad daylight, yet all the shop doors remain firmly shut.

Most passersby hide behind masks or broad robes. Those who stop to speak whisper directly into each other's ears, terrified that anyone might catch a word.

Spotting two figures huddled deep in the alley, Yan He stops and slips into the shadows around the corner.

Her hearing far surpasses that of ordinary people. From across the street, she catches most of their whispered conversation while remaining unnoticed.

Their muffled exchange ends quickly. They pass something between them, then hurry in opposite directions.

Once they are gone, Yan He emerges. Finding no one nearby, she inspects the spot where they spoke and discovers a fragment on the ground.

She picks it up for a closer look. Dense yet orderly colors cover its unusual material. At first glance... it resembles the corner of a mask.

As she studies it, a teasing voice suddenly comes from overhead.

Startled, Yan He looks toward the voice.

A dark skinned young man with twin horns crouches on the roof, smiling as he studies her like a fascinating new toy.

Yan He considers this, visibly softening. Just as she prepares to answer, a clear male voice sounds beyond the wall.

Hearing Luo Tianyi's name, Yan He turns toward the voice. Guijinyang snorts overhead, his smile untouched despite the irritation in his words.

He leaps from the roof and finds Fengyang standing in the courtyard beside an unfamiliar girl in blue.

Startled by Guijinyang's sudden arrival, the girl quickly brightens and waves at Yan He as she enters behind him.