Chapter 143: Into the air

The question lingered in the air longer than it should have, stretching thin with the weight of attention as all eyes turned.

They didn’t look at the ring alone, but to Qingyue herself.

For the briefest moment, something unguarded flickered across her expression before it was gone, smoothed over with the same quiet composure she had worn all morning.

Ru Yi reacted first, though not in the way she might have intended. Because the slight hitch in her breath and the way her posture shifted did not go unnoticed.

And when she spoke, her voice lacked its usual steadiness, betraying her before the words even left her lips.

"I—" She stopped.

And in that pause, it was as though the room leaned in.

Qingyue moved then, stepping forward to intercept whatever explanation might have followed. Her tone was even, almost casual, as though there were nothing unusual about the situation.

"I saw her looking at it outside the inn," Qingyue said, her gaze flicking briefly toward Ru Yi. It was a brief warning. "And thought to try it on."

The lie settled cleanly, like it had been prepared in advance. And Ru Yi, catching on a moment too late, nodded quickly, the motion just slightly rushed.

"Yes," she added, her words following closely behind Qingyue’s. "I wanted to know if it would fit Yexue."

Her hand lifted unconsciously, brushing against the edge of her robe as if grounding herself, but the faint tension in her shoulders remained. Her expression attempted ease, but it did not reach her eyes.

Yexue’s gaze shifted between them, uncertainty deepening rather than easing. Because while the explanation was simple, the way it was given was anything but...

"Just take it off," Yexue said, her tone soft but expectant, as though the solution were obvious. Her eyes were stuck on how perfectly it looked on Qingyue’s slender finger. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Qingyue did not respond immediately.

Instead, she looked down at her hand, at the ring that sat unmoving against her skin. Its presence was suddenly far more noticeable under the weight of their attention.

For a fleeting moment, something unreadable passed through her gaze before she reached for it.

Her fingers closed around the band, cool against her touch, and she pulled. It did not move.

The first attempt was subtle, almost dismissible. She had not truly expected resistance. When she tried again, with slightly more force, the result remained the same. The faintest crease formed between her brows.

Yexue stepped closer. "Is it tight?"

"It shouldn’t be," Qingyue replied quietly. Her voice was controlled, though there was a shift in it now, something beneath the surface beginning to stir.

She adjusted her grip, twisting slightly this time, applying more pressure. But the ring remained where it was, unmoved, unyielding, like it had settled into place with an intent of its own.

A silence fell, heavier than before.

"Let me try," Yexue said, already reaching for her hand before Qingyue could refuse.

Her fingers were gentle but insistent as she took hold of the ring and attempted to slide it free, her movements careful at first, then more deliberate when it did not budge.

"It’s stuck," she murmured, her earlier calm beginning to fracture. She tried again, this time with both hands, but the result did not change.

Lieyin stepped forward next, her expression tightening, her patience thinning as she took Qingyue’s hand without asking. Her grip was firmer, less cautious, and she pulled with a sharp, decisive motion that should have dislodged any ordinary piece of jewelry.

Yet, it did not move.

Not even slightly.

A quiet, unsettling realization began to take shape in the room.

"That’s not normal," Yexue said, her voice smaller now.

Her concern was no longer hidden beneath gentle curiosity. She looked up at Qingyue, searching for reassurance that did not come.

Qingyue’s gaze remained fixed on the ring, her thoughts sharpening rapidly, tracing possibilities she did not voice, because none of them led anywhere reassuring.

Lieyin released her hand slowly, her eyes narrowing as they lifted. Not to Qingyue this time, but to Ru Yi.

"Where did you get it?" she asked, her tone no longer subtle, the earlier restraint gone entirely.

The question struck harder now, heavier with implication, and Ru Yi felt it. The weight of their attention shifting fully onto her, pressing in from all sides.

She hesitated, just for a second too long.

"It was a stall," she said finally, her voice wavering, "an old woman was selling trinkets, nothing unusual." She made no mention of the fortune telling.

Lieyin did not look convinced. "In the market?" she pressed.

Ru Yi nodded. "Yes."

"Then take us there," Lieyin said immediately.

There was no room for argument in her tone.

And though Ru Yi understood in that moment, that whatever she had intended to keep contained was already slipping beyond her control.

She did not refuse, because refusing would only make things worse, and so she inclined her head slightly.

"I remember the place," she said.

The walk to the market was quicker than it should have been, their pace unspoken but urgent. Tension carried them forward as the streets began to fill with the noise and movement of the day, merchants calling out, people passing by in steady streams, the ordinary rhythm of life continuing as though nothing had shifted at all.

But for them, everything had.

Ru Yi led the way without hesitation, weaving through the familiar paths until they reached the section of the market she remembered.

Her steps slowed down as her gaze moved across the stalls, searching, retracing, expecting to find the small setup she had stood before not long ago.

Except—

It wasn’t there.

She stopped.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The space where the stall should have been was occupied by nothing more than a narrow gap between two larger vendors, as though it had never existed at all.

Ru Yi’s gaze lingered there, confusion flickering across her features as she stepped closer. Her eyes scanned the area again, more carefully this time.

"This is where it was," she said, quieter now, less certain, her brows drawing together.

Yexue looked around, her unease growing. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Ru Yi replied, though the conviction in her voice wavered, because the details were clear in her mind. The arrangement of the items, the old woman’s presence, the way she had spoken—

Lieyin stepped into the empty space, her gaze sweeping over it with careful precision. As though expecting to find some trace left behind, but there was nothing...not a single indication that a stall had ever stood there.