“That’s not who I meant.”
Poppy met his eyes. Warmth pooled somewhere beneath her ribs, steady and reassuring.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, voice low.
She felt the words settle into the space behind her heart without pain. “I’m glad I am too,” she whispered.
Mingxi offered his arm. “Come. The elders are waiting.”
She slid her hand into the crook of his elbow—a small touch, a simple gesture. But the moment it happened, Mingxi went utterly still.
Not startled.
Not flustered.
Just… aware of her.
Poppy realized, with a tiny bloom of quiet joy, that she wasn’t the only one smiling.
Chapter 35
The cave corridors felt older than anything Poppy had ever stepped through, smooth stone worn by generations, foxfire lanterns floating ahead like captured stars. The air was cool and faintly sweet, tinged with incense and something ancient beneath it.
Mingxi walked at her side, lengthening his stride by half an inch whenever she slowed. Not touching, never presuming, but present enough that she felt him the way one felt gravity. Minghua trotted beside Poppy, practically vibrating with barely contained energy.
“Okay, okay, okay,” she whispered, “you’ve never been in a Clan Council meeting before, right?”
“No,” Poppy murmured.
“Right. So don’t panic.”
“Minghua,” Mingxi said, his voice a warning in itself.
“What? It’s good advice!”
Minghua leaned closer to Poppy. “The elders are very old, very serious, and very dramatic. They sit in a circle and stare at you like you’re an unsolved riddle. But they’re not mean. Just… intense,” Minghua whispered behind her hand.
Mingjun followed a few steps behind them, hands tucked into his sleeves.
“Except Elder Shenwu,” he said casually. “He’ll glare at you until you question your own existence. That’s just his general disposition.”
Minghua nodded vigorously. “Oldest fox in the mountain and the grumpiest. Ignore him.”
“Minghua,” Mingxi repeated.
“What? It’s true!”
Poppy let out a shaky laugh she hadn’t expected to make. The sound startled her as much as anyone. Mingxi glanced at her, subtle and soft, and she caught the flicker of relief in his eyes.
They turned into a sloping passage etched with swirling fox sigils. Silver light pulsed along the walls in steady rhythms.
“What’s that?” Poppy asked.
“The leyline strain monitor,” Mingxi said. “It reacts to fluctuations in magic.”
“It’ll glow brighter when you enter,” Minghua added cheerfully. “You awakened recently, so… don’t freak out.”
“Please stop telling her not to freak out,” Mingxi muttered.
