Chapter 144: Magic Rites

Ru Yi stood unmoving for a moment, her eyes fixed on the narrow gap where the old woman’s stall had been.

Her mind retraced every detail with unsettling clarity. The way the jewelries had been arranged outside, the faint scent of herbs that had lingered in the air. Even her voice was low and knowing.

"She was here." Ru Yi’s voice got tinier, but nothing changed. The space in front of her remained empty.

Lieyin turned to her sharply, her patience already worn thin. Her eyes cut through the crowd before settling back on Ru Yi with a sharpness that left no room for comfort.

"You’re trying to tell us, that the woman you bought the ring from just up and disappeared overnight?"

Ru Yi’s composure slipped in a way the others had rarely seen...it was panic, quiet at first but rising quickly beneath the surface.

She stepped forward, as if proximity might reveal what had been erased. She scanned the family buildings that stood on either side, anything to anchor her memory to something real.

"She was right here..." Ru Yi insisted.

Yexue’s face softened with concern, even though there was unease growing there too.

"Ru Yi," she started gently, moving closer.

Her words faltered when Ru Yi suddenly grabbed her own hand, fingers closing tightly around the ring she wore. As if struck by a thought too late.

Ru Yi’s breath hitched when she twisted the ring—

It did not move, not even slightly. Like it had fused with her skin the moment she put it on.

"No," she said under breath. She tried again, harder this time, her grip tightening until her knuckles turned white. But it remained exactly where it was.

"Stop." Yexue reached for her instinctively. "You’re hurting yourself."

"It won’t come off." Ru Yi could feel the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. She stared at the ring like it betrayed her. "It’s stuck too. It won’t come off."

The fragile thread of reassurance had snapped completely.

Lieyin’s expression darkened as she looked at the two rings. "This doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me."

Qingyue said nothing, but her silence was no longer calm—it was focused, deliberate, her thoughts moving rapidly as she assessed what little they knew. And more importantly, what they didn’t.

"We need answers," Yexue said quietly, rubbing Ru Yi’s bruised knuckle in slow circles. "There are charm sellers here. If anyone has an answer, it would be them. After all, Emberfall is known for its endless magic."

There was no argument.

They left the market quickly, the noise fading behind them as they moved into a quieter street lined with older shops.

Their wooden fronts were worn but well-kept, each one carrying the faint lingering scent of incense and dried herbs.

Yexue slowed in front of a narrow doorway marked by faded talismans hanging from its frame. "This one should do."

Inside, the shop was dim but not unwelcoming. It was lit by a soft lantern light that cast long shadows across shelves lined with small objects.

There were charms, carved stones, thread-bound tokens, each one carefully placed.

The woman behind the counter looked up as they entered, younger than expected. Her expression was calm and observant. "Are you looking for protection? Anything in particular?"

Qingyue stepped forward, her movements measured. "We need information."

The woman nodded. "About?"

Instead of answering, Qingyue lifted her hand. The ring caught the dim light.

For the first time since they entered, the woman’s expression changed. But not dramatically. She stepped around the counter slowly, her attention fixated on the ring.

"Where did you get that?" she asked in an eerily quiet voice.

"That’s what we’re trying to find out," Lieyin replied flatly.

The woman stopped a short distance from them, her eyes moving from Qingyue’s hand to Ru Yi’s. She noted the matching piece, and something like understanding settled over her features. Though it did not bring comfort.

"I see," she said softly.

Yexue’s chest tightened. "Do you know what it is? The ring won’t come off."

The woman hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "It’s not a common charm," she said, "and it’s not something that’s meant to be sold openly."

A pause—

"Those rings are made to bind whoever wears them together."

The word fell heavy.

"Bind?" Yexue echoed.

She nodded. "Not physically. Spiritually." She sighed softly. "They’re crafted using a form of old magic. One that ties two individuals together at the level of their spiritual energy, their essence and their awareness. Once the bond is formed, it creates a constant connection between them."

Ru Yi felt faint.

"That is why..." the woman added, glancing between them, "you can’t remove them. The ring isn’t just sitting on your hand, it’s anchored to the bond itself."

Qingyue’s gaze darkened as blood rushed to her head, her mind already connecting the implications before they were spoken out loud."

"What is the purpose of the bond?" she asked.

The woman met her eyes, unflinching. "To draw two people together. Most people use it to make sure their partner does not go astray. It has its other uses that are peculiar to the wearers."

Ru Yi’s gaze shifted to Qingyue without meaning to. And for that brief moment their eyes met, everything that had gone unspoken between them suddenly made sense.

The pull...the intensity of the skin against each other, and the way restraint had slipped so easily into something else.

It hadn’t been a coincidence.

It hadn’t been a choice.

"Can it be undone?" Lieyin asked, though something in her tone already suggested the answer.

The woman did not soften her words. "No. Not once it has taken hold."

Yexue went very still.

The words seemed to echo, repeating in the space between thought and understanding. Slowly...her gaze shifted, first to Qingyue and then to Ru Yi.

Suddenly, everything looked different, and the quiet certainly she had held onto until now cracked under the weight of it.

Ru Yi—

Bound—

Not just to her. But to Lieyin, and now...Qingyue.

Something tight and painful twisted in her chest. "So, that’s it. You’re just bound together now?" The space between the four of them felt unbearable, and a thought surfaced before she could stop it.

Why couldn’t she be a little selfish? Why couldn’t she have someone that was hers alone? Even if it was just this once...