Seer barely suppressed a laugh, raising both hands in playful surrender.
“Why don’t you ask it something, friend?”
Jin Yu turned to the tall, uncanny flower-creature, its blossom tilted slightly as if waiting. His gaze softened for a moment.
Rainbow.
He remembered his adopted Daughter. Was this... the same species? A distant cousin? An evolution?
The Plant Demon tilted its head at him, petals twitching faintly as if sensing his thoughts. Then, slowly, it spoke in that dreamy, echoing tone:
“Re-mi-nis-cent. Dote. Care. Looove.”
“Shut up!” Jin Yu snapped at it, eyes narrowing in annoyance. “Did I ask you?”
The plant hushed instantly, though its soft head remained turned toward him, its leafy posture unreadable.
Seer opened his mouth to say something, but one sharp glare from Jin Yu shut him up instantly.
He looked away with a theatrical pout, acting as though he couldn’t care less.
Jin Yu’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, something calculating flickering beneath his calm face. Then a slow smirk crept onto his lips.
He turned back to the plant and jabbed a finger at Seer.
“Tell me. Why does he always wear a mask?”
Seer flinched, barely, but Jin Yu caught it.
The plant swayed, turning its petal-face toward Seer. Its inner light pulsed faintly as it read him, silence growing thick between the three of them.
Seer met Jin Yu’s stare, his eyes flat, unreadable. Then he lowered them.
Jin Yu sneered. “What? Can’t look it in the eye? Got something to hide?”
Seer slowly raised his head, locking eyes with the plant. “Why wouldn’t I?”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The plant’s glow deepened. Then, in a low, slow voice, it murmured:
“Hate. Anger. Fear. Saaad-ness.”
Seer went still.
Then, quietly, he exhaled. “Shut up, you overgrown weed. What do you know? Just a rootless thing wagging its petals.”
But his voice had lost some of its edge.
Jin Yu’s smile faded as he stared at him, frowning. “…Hate? Fear?”
Seer turned his gaze to Jin Yu, it was blank. “Don’t tell me you believe that broken toy. I thought you had trust issues.”
Jin Yu didn’t answer. He looked away quietly.
But in his mind, a thread pulled taut.
Rainbow could read emotions too.
And that plant... Probably wasn't lying.
He watched Seer for a heartbeat longer, then asked quietly, “Still want to keep playing?”
Seer’s voice came low and flat. “Let’s rest. We have things to do tonight.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away, shoulders a little tenser than before, pace just a touch faster.
He didn’t look back.
-------
Jin Yu dismounted without a word, following Seer as they entered the inn ahead.
“One room.” Seer said flatly at the counter.
Jin Yu raised a brow, stepping up beside him.
“I thought you were angry.”
Seer rolled his eyes. “Which of your eyes saw anger on this face?”
“That’s true,” Jin Yu murmured with a faint smirk. “I forgot, it’s always hidden.”
Seer gave him a sharp glare, then turned back to the female attendant who had been watching them a bit too curiously. His voice dropped, cold as winter.
“Look again, and I’ll take the light from those eyes.”
The attendant flinched and quickly looked down, hands trembling slightly as she reached beneath the counter. She retrieved a leaf etched with softly glowing sigils and whispered,
“Two gold coins…”
A quiet clink answered her as two gold coins appeared on the counter. Neither man lingered.
They headed up the stairs, silent.
The room was modest, cool, and neat, its simplicity a contrast to the City’s chaos.
As soon as they entered, the coin-shaped disc appeared in Seer’s hand. Without a word, he walked to the bed and sat cross-legged atop it. The disc hovered in front of him, rotating gently as his eyes slipped shut.
Jin Yu glanced at him once before pulling out a chair and settling into it with his back to Seer.
He sat there quietly for a moment, eyes fixed on nothing.
Then, with a subtle motion, a silver mist spread from his fingers, concealing him in a private veil that blocked all probing eyes or senses.
In his palm, a small, translucent orb emerged, softly pulsing and faintly glowing.
The miniature floating mansion within slowly rotated, perfectly preserved.
It’s been a while.
He stared at it, the light reflected in his eyes, unreadable.
Hope they’re okay…
He closed his eyes and sent a sliver of his will drifting inside.
What... is this?!
Jin Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief as the familiar landscape unfolded before him.
How...?
“What’s going on here?” he muttered, voice distant, as he scanned the surroundings.
“Master!” Haozi and Min Lii burst out of the mansion, worry etched across their faces.
Jin Yu didn’t look at them right away. His gaze was fixed on the compound.
Once vibrant and full of life, the mansion grounds had withered. The rainbow-hued flowers that used to sway in the breeze now drooped, dull and lifeless.
The grass, once lush and vivid, had turned brittle yellow. Even the garden behind the mansion, once humming with quiet spirit, now looked hollow, drained. The flowers are struggling to heal with the Qi essence in the air, but they just couldn't keep up with the rate of the drainage.
It was as if something had sucked all the vitality out of the land.
And Jin Yu could see what it was.
Rainbow!.
Rooted near the pool in the front yard, right where she used to play with the children, she stood tall in her original form: a striking, vibrant purple bloom. Beautiful still… but wrong.
Haozi stepped forward cautiously, frowning.
“Master, Rainbow suddenly got hungry… she started devouring everything near her.”
He cast a wary glance at her before continuing.
“The kids told us, but by the time we came, she was already like this.”
Jin Yu’s eyes lingered on the flower. She hadn’t moved, but beneath the soil, he could feel currents of spiritual energy twisting toward her, drawn in with unnatural thirst.
It wasn’t just hunger. It was something deeper.
He stared at her, conflicted.
I thought you were just a normal flower… but what is this?
