Chapter 151: An empty bed

Shen Lieyin woke up with an abrupt awareness that came from instinct rather than rest, her hand shifting across the bed to search for something familiar.

She was met with an empty space, and it took only a second for her to realize something was wrong. Because Qingyue was always awake before her and already on the move.

Her hand went still.

The bedding beneath her palm was cold.

Not recently abandoned, not just vacated moments ago. It was cold in a way that meant a long time had already passed.

Lieyin pushed herself up immediately, her gaze snapping toward the other side of the room. She expected to see Qingyue seated at the small table by the window like she always did.

Usually, she’d be surrounded by scrolls and maps, her focus already locked onto whatever decision needed to be made next.

But that table was currently empty.

There were no scrolls, no maps. No quiet presence filling the room before the day had even begun.

A frown settled onto Lieyin’s face as she stood, the unease settling quickly. Though she tried to dismiss it just as fast.

Qingyue woke up early all the time. It wasn’t unusual. She could be down the stairs, or outside, or already trying to gather more information like she always did.

Still...something felt off.

The space where her belongings had been was too clean, too intentional. Lieyin’s expression tightened as the unease sharpened into something more defined, something she didn’t quite name yet.

"She just went out," Lieyin muttered under her breath, trying to reassure herself that she had nothing to worry about. "That’s all."

But Qingyue wasn’t the type to leave without saying anything. She usually informed Lieyin of her whereabouts if she ever had to go out alone.

Lieyin immediately stood up and moved to the door, sliding it open with more force than necessary. Her steps carried her straight to Yexue’s room.

She didn’t bother knocking properly, pushing the door open as she spoke. "Have you seen—"

Yexue was already awake. She was standing near the window, her expression unreadable as she immediately turned at the sound of Lieyin’s voice.

For a brief moment a charged energy passed between them.

"Have you seen Qingyue this morning?" Lieyin finished, her tone more controlled now after seeing Ru Yi still sleeping under the covers.

Yexue shook her head. "No."

Lieyin frowned, irritation flickering back as she crossed her arms. "She probably had to get another room because of you." She did not try to hide the bite back from her words. "Someone ungrateful made her really angry that she must’ve needed some space."

Yexue didn’t respond right away. Instead, her eyes lowered to the floor like she found it more interesting than the poor excuse of a conversation they were supposed to be having.

"Maybe," Yexue answered finally, though there was uncertainty laced in her voice. Lieyin didn’t like it one bit.

"Don’t even start this morning," Lieyin snapped, already turning back to the door. "I’m already angry and I’ve not even had the chance to have breakfast. Let’s go and ask the innkeeper to be sure."

Yexue followed without an argument.

The inn below was quieter than usual, the early hour leaving only a few scattered figures moving about.

The innkeeper stood behind the counter, already tending to the start of the day. Though he looked up as the two approached.

Lieyin didn’t waste any time.

"Have you seen our brother?" Lieyin asked, thankfully remembering to stick to their disguise. "Did he take another room this morning?"

The innkeeper shook his head. "No, he didn’t pay for another room. Maybe he left to attend to some personal business."

Lieyin’s demeanor slipped into the cold. "That’s not possible," she said, more to herself than the innkeeper. She turned sharply to Yexue, her composure cracking just enough for her to let her frustration through.

The moment they stepped away from the innkeeper, the tension that had been quietly building finally snapped.

"Say it," Yexue challenged in a low voice. "You’ve been thinking about it since you came into my room."

"She left because of you!"

Yexue didn’t immediately respond, but the look she gave Lieyin was enough. It wasn’t anger, not at first.

"She left because she wanted to. She’s a grown woman that can make decisions on her own."

"I wish I could say the same about you," Lieyin retorted.

Yexue fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I’m sure she’s somewhere around the inn and you’re just overreacting."

"Her things are missing from the room," Lieyin pressed on. "The map, the scrolls—there’s no way she needed all of that if she was just going for a walk to clear her head."

"Where else would she go without us? Stop jumping into conclusions like you always do."

"You’re the one who’s refusing to see what’s right in front of you," Lieyin shot back, the sharpness in her voice finally breaking through. "She’s gone, Yexue! She is gone!"

"That’s not possible," Yexue replied, even though she was starting to sound worried. "She wouldn’t just...leave. Where would she go?"

"Where she wouldn’t have to see your face," Lieyin shot back.

Yexue shook her head, the guilt finally beginning to eat her up. "It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had an argument."

"Sure...but it’s the first time you called her selfish to her face." Lieyin’s exterior hardened. "I wouldn’t want to be around you either."

"Lieyin..."

"This is all your fault! No...actually, I blame Ru Yi for this. If she hadn’t thrown herself at Qingyue and caused all this misunderstanding."

Yexue immediately became defensive. "Leave Ru Yi out of this."

"Why should I? We’ve never fought this hard until she came along." Lieyin set her hard gaze on Yexue. "If it wasn’t for that stupid ring, Qingyue wouldn’t even look at her."

"Stop twisting the story! And don’t act like we didn’t all see the way you held her tenderly that night after she was assaulted."

Lieyin scoffed. "Oh please, that was just me having basic human decency. There’s no way in this world or the next that I’ll ever fall in love with someone like her."