Chapter 426: Extra 21.

"It also released a cloud of sleeping powder."

"Which did not affect me."

"Because I pulled you out of the room before it could."

Yan Cijin gave her a narrow look. "Are you going to bring that up for the rest of our marriage?"

"Probably."

"Then I will bring up the time you challenged an old master to a match because he insulted my sword technique."

Bai Li blinked. "He did insult your sword technique."

"And you were supposed to ignore him."

"I did ignore him. I merely defeated him after he insisted."

Yan Cijin stared at her, then began to laugh. Bai Li’s smile softened at the sound. The strange pulse beneath the mountain remained, but it no longer filled the room with uncertainty. Their lives had always contained mysteries and responsibilities. Some were solved through patience, others through effort, and a few required them to admit that they did not yet know enough. None of that changed the fact that they would meet the next day together.

Yan Cijin drew the quilt around her shoulders and leaned against Bai Li’s side. "I suppose we should sleep a little longer."

"You said we should go now."

"I asked whether we should. You said we should prepare. It seems that preparing can include resting before we begin."

Bai Li looked at her wife with deep appreciation. "Your reasoning is flawless."

"I thought so."

Yan Cijin settled back against the pillows, bringing Bai Li down with her. Bai Li brushed the hair away from her face and kissed her forehead once more. The distant glow beneath the mountain faded until it was visible only to spiritual perception. The bell’s inscriptions remained lit for a little longer, then dimmed as if the ancient mechanism had completed its first movement and was waiting for the next condition to be met.

For another short while, the two Matriarchs rested together in the quiet room. They did not fall fully asleep, but neither rushed to get up. Bai Li kept one arm around Yan Cijin’s waist. Yan Cijin’s fingers traced slow, absent patterns on the front of Bai Li’s robe. They spoke softly about what to bring on the journey. A warm cloak for each of them. Tea. Something sweet. A small medicine pouch. A lantern, even though they could both see in near darkness with their cultivation. A length of rope in case the passage contained narrow stairs. Bai Li made a list. Yan Cijin added two more items, then tried to add a pillow until Bai Li told her that she was not carrying a pillow into an ancient chamber. ⅇℯ𝚕.

"You do not know what the chamber will be like," Yan Cijin argued.

"I know that a pillow is not essential to an investigation."

"You are assuming that the ancient patriarchs valued efficiency over comfort."

"I expect they valued not tripping over their own supplies."

"A pillow would not cause that."

"You could use it to block the passage."

Yan Cijin turned her face into Bai Li’s shoulder and laughed until she had to wipe the corner of one eye. Bai Li held her close, smiling against her hair. It would have been easy to treat the discovery beneath the mountain as a serious matter that required every moment of their attention. It might indeed become serious. But there was no reason to abandon the life they had built simply because something extraordinary had appeared at its edge.

When the first faint light touched the windows, the birds finally began calling outside. The room turned from deep blue to gray, then slowly warmed as the sun approached the horizon. Bai Li rose first and helped Yan Cijin out of bed. They dressed in travelling clothes rather than their formal robes. Bai Li chose dark fabric that allowed her to move easily, checked the sheath of her sword, and tied her long hair high. Yan Cijin chose a light outer robe with a warm lining, secured her hair with a ribbon, and tucked a small medicine pouch into the inner pocket. Bai Li added the tea and sweets to their travel bag. Yan Cijin pretended not to notice that she had packed both without being asked.

They paused in front of the mirror while Yan Cijin adjusted the fastening at Bai Li’s collar. Bai Li smoothed the sleeve at Yan Cijin’s wrist, then lifted her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. Yan Cijin looked at her for a moment, her expression softening into something too warm to be called teasing.

"We will be careful," Bai Li said.

"Of course."

"We will not touch anything until we understand what it does."

Yan Cijin lifted an eyebrow. "I know how to behave."

"I am reminding myself as much as you."

Yan Cijin laughed and stepped into Bai Li’s arms. They held each other for a moment, forehead to forehead, their familiar warmth wrapping around the uncertainty of the day ahead. They had no way of knowing what waited beneath the restricted summit. The old records might lead them to an abandoned room, a failed formation, or a clue that would change their understanding of cultivation. They might find nothing at all. But the journey would not alter the part of their lives that mattered most.

Bai Li would look after Yan Cijin. Yan Cijin would look after Bai Li. Neither would mistake concern for weakness or affection for a distraction from their own abilities. They would ask questions, test what they found, and make their choices with clear minds. If the mountain held a mystery, they would investigate it. If the heavens truly had a road beyond the mortal world, they would decide for themselves whether to follow it.

Yan Cijin kissed Bai Li once, lingering just long enough to make Bai Li smile when they drew apart.

"Come on," Yan Cijin said. "If we leave now, we can return before lunch."

Bai Li glanced toward the window, where the eastern sky had brightened from gray to pale gold. "You are already planning lunch?"

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TO BE CONTINUED.