Tesha rolled her eyes. “Exorcists. They sure love saving people.”
“Can you find a way around it?” Teshin asked.
“Normally, I’d say no,” she said. “But there’s something about you, Yiran, the way your spiritual energyspraysout like, I don’t know, a fountain, for lack of a better description, that makes me think maybe there’s a chance. I think we need to approach this from a different angle.”
Tesha played with her lip ring as she gazed into the fire. Yiran could almost see the gears in her head moving, clicking into place as she hummed softly to herself.
“I’ve an idea that might work, but it’s going to take some time for me to get it right,” she concluded, her eyes sparkling.
“Told you she was a genius,” Teshin said proudly.
“Don’t brag about me until I deliver the goods.”
Yiran didn’t know why the twins were so set on helping him, or why they were doing so without asking for something in return. He wondered if they would do the same if they knew how and where he’d gotten his magic from.
“What kind of weapon are you thinking of?” he asked.
“Not a weapon,” Tesha replied, “but something that can bypass the normal methods of channeling. I can’t guarantee it’ll work though.”
Yiran nodded. “Anything’s worth a try.”
She took his hands in her callused ones again. “In that case, I hope you’re good at keeping still—we’re going to make a mold.”
22
Rui
Based on the information Ten had given her, Rui concluded there were three groups to focus her search efforts on: Xingshan cadets and professors, Exorcists, and the underground magic community.
She started with the most accessible group, interacting with cadets she’d never spoken to previously, trying to sense if there was anything odd about any of them. The cohorts were small, and she went through the rosters quickly, but her masquerade as an extrovert didn’t go unnoticed by her classmates.
“You didn’t tell me you were interviewing potential dates to the Winter Ball,” Ada said one day as they were eating lunch at the cafeteria.
Rui’s spoon splashed into her soup. “Potential dates? What are you talking about?”
To her surprise, Ada clapped her hands gleefully. “Yes! Mai owes me five bucks.” When Rui continued to stare incredulously at her, Ada explained, “You were suddenly so friendly to everyone, Mai thought you were looking for a date for the Ball, so she started a bet for fun. Of course, I knew you weren’t. Anyway, I only brought it up today because I wanted to cash out.” Ada hesitated, looking sheepish. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“I’m not, but I can’t decide if I should be insulted you only bet five bucks on me,” Rui replied, feeling both amused and dismayed.
It wasn’t long before Rui ran out of cadets to talk to. She moved on to the professors and started playing teacher’s pet, booking consultations with them on the pretext of improving her studies—andshe hinted to Mai it was all an effort to get a leg up for her Guild applications. The new rumor spread quickly and bought Rui cover as she went about her investigation.
But despite Rui’s efforts, no one at the Academy stood out. She didn’t sense anything, and she didn’t feel a connection with anyone, only a lotof awkwardness and anxiety on her end. The only person shedidfeel something with...
With all that spiritual energy, Mochi’s spirit core should’ve burned out, but it didn’t. Look at him, he’s perfectly fine.
What if Zizi had a point? Was there something more to Song Yiran she didn’t know about? Still, he had been born with a weak and ordinary spirit core. That was a fact. The only reason she felt anything near him was because he had stolen her magic. She relegated him back to the bottom of her list.
Deciding to try her luck in a different direction, Rui waited until the weekend, when she could leave campus, and went to the Night Market.
She stood outside it now, a bundle of nerves, gathering the courage to enter. She’d walked by the area sometimes, but the last time she was actually inside the Market was that night four years ago.
With a deep breath, she stepped forward.
The place looked the same. Rui didn’t know why she expected it to be different. Her eyes still watered from the thick incense, her stomach still growled from the fragrant scent of roasted meats, and her ears picked up the familiar tune of haggling between customer and merchant.
Colorful lights hung from the stalls, giving the place a festive feel, their patterns reflecting in the wet puddles on the ground from an earlier rain shower. It seemed like everyone was out in the streets tonight. Rui weaved her way through the crowd, keeping an eye out for anything or anyone who might seem unusual.
A rhythmic sound of metal hitting metal struck her ears, and she stopped abruptly in the middle of the path.
