Anyway, the night was crowded with incidents, yet dawn arrived unscathed, calm after rain.

Next morning, in Yugong Jingyue’s room, where paper screens held the pale light.

“Ghost—!!!”

Yugami Rexiao jolted upright the instant her eyes opened and screamed; her voice shook chairs and tables like a passing tremor.

Beside her, Yugong Jingyue and Yugami Rexi woke with a start, their dreams shattering like glass on stone.

“Lingxiao, seriously, what are you yelling at this early? My sweet dream got cut in half like a snapped thread.”

Yugong Jingyue rubbed sleepy eyes and shot Lingxiao a pout, cheeks puffed like mochi, dangerously cute, the kind you want to pinch.

“Yeah, ever heard of waking naturally, Lingxiao? Sleep should drift like a lazy river, not be yanked.”

“Uh…” Her voice wavered like a reed in wind.

Hearing their grumbling, Lingxiao froze like a deer in lantern light, then scanned the room. Not the Ghost Shrine’s front court, but Yugong Jingyue’s room; her pretty face flared red like a maple leaf. “S-s-s-sorry!!!”

The apology leapt out on reflex, and shame flooded in after, like tide chasing the moon.

“Lingxiao, I told you not to tough it out,” Yugami Rexi said, as if fanning back a storm with a palm.

Seeing Lingxiao’s face blazing, Yugami Rexi sighed and tapped her lightly on the forehead, like a monk’s bell.

“But you, Lingxiao—being scared of such a cute ghost? That’s a stretch, like fearing a kitten in moonlight.”

“What was scary about it?” Yugong Jingyue honestly didn’t get it, fingers combing her messy hair like smoothing silk.

“Even a cute ghost is scary… honestly, the fact they exist at all is scary enough,” Lingxiao argued, voice fluttering like a moth.

“Okay, I get just how spooked you are by ghosts,” Lingsaki breathed, words settling like ash.

She sighed, helpless as winter wind, then slipped off the bed to put on her shoes. Her eyes flicked to the wall clock, ticking like a cricket. “It’s seven a.m. Lingxiao, up and prep. Aren’t we going to find our Honored Brother?”

“Mm-hmm! I’ll get ready right now!” Her energy sprang back like a sparrow taking wing.

“Eat breakfast before you dash off,” Jingyue said with a wry smile, warm as tea steam.

“Got it~,” Lingxiao chirped, light as a bell string.

“Mm,” Lingsaki answered, steady as stone.

By the time the sisters finished getting ready and breakfast, the sun had climbed past nine, a lazy gold coin rolling across the sky.

Before they set out, they had one last exchange with Yugong Jingyue, words weaving like threads.

“Lingxiao, Lingsaki, did you greet Mom and Dad?” Her tone was gentle as falling petals.

“No problem, we told them before breakfast,” Lingxiao said, bright as morning bells.

“Oh? What about everyone else?” Jingyue asked, eyes curved like crescent moons.

“We told them too. Second Sis, look— they loaded us with snacks,” Lingxiao said, lifting bundles like harvest baskets.

“And your luggage? Anything you forgot?” Her voice tapped like rain on bamboo.

“All set! Even if we forget something, we’ll buy it on the way. We’ve got more money than we can spend,” Lingxiao bragged, swagger bright as sun.

“About money… does the Central Continent even use it? They hardly need it,” Jingyue mused, words drifting like mist.

“Uh, I checked some records about the outside a few days ago. Out there they use gold and silver coins, common as river pebbles. We don’t have those in the Central Continent, but Purplegold Coins we’ve got plenty! Any purplegold vein, dig and you get heaps like fallen leaves.”

“And I remember Purplegold Coins are top value out there,” Lingxiao added, pride glinting like a blade.

“Oh—so we’re basically rich,” Jingyue laughed, voice tinkling like chimes.

“Second Sis, what nonsense? The Mizumi Clan is obviously the richest under heaven,” Lingxiao said, chest lifted like a sail.

“The Central Continent’s resources are endless, like a sea without shore,” Lingsaki nodded.

“True enough~ then…” Jingyue’s words trailed like silk in wind.

“Second Sis, are you done yet? You’re so annoying,” Lingxiao snapped, temper flaring like sparks.

“You’ve been talking nonstop,” Lingsaki added, tone cool as river stone.

“Come on—so cold! Can’t you chat with your dear sister before you go?” Jingyue pouted, eyes shining like stars.

“You say that with a straight face?! Please, Second Sis, spare us,” Lingxiao pleaded, hands together like prayer.

“You must be thirsty after all that. How about we pour you some water?” Lingsaki offered, smile smooth as lacquer.

“Lingsaki, that trick won’t work on me~ You’d use the water run to slip away,” Jingyue laughed, sharp as a fox.

“Busted… Second Sis is tough,” Lingxiao muttered, shoulders sagging like wet cloth.

“Not tough—your lying skills just suck,” Lingsaki teased, words flicking like willow twigs.

“Seriously! What good are lying skills?” Lingxiao huffed, breath hot as tea.

“How not useful?! If you master lying, the things that would fool you stop fooling you,” Jingyue lectured, tone pattering like rain.

“Eh? That almost makes sense… no, it’s obviously an IQ thing,” Lingxiao shot back, chin up like a cat.

“If your IQ’s low, you can’t learn to lie well, Lingxiao☆,” Jingyue sang, sparkle playful as fireworks.

“You’re linking lying to IQ now?! Absurd,” Lingxiao groaned, eyes rolling like marbles.

“It’s not like I’m secretly calling you a dummy, Lingxiao,” Jingyue laughed, words sugar-coated like candy.

“Second Sis… what did you say!” Lingxiao snapped, anger crackling like dry brush.

“Oh my, did I let my inner voice slip? Truly sorry, Lingxiao,” Jingyue cooed, apology light as a feather.

“You looking for a fight, Second Sis?” Lingxiao asked, heat rising like steam.

“No no, why would I want a fight? I’m way too kind,” Jingyue said, halo bright as sunrise.

“You dare say that! Pranks all day, and you call it kind!” Lingxiao shot back, words snapping like twigs.

“They’re harmless pranks, just jokes,” Jingyue said with a laugh, tone bubbling like spring water.

“Harmless? Do you know how much trouble you gave us back then?” Lingxiao protested, memories clanking like chains.

“But you looked like you were having fun. If you didn’t like it, why play along?” Jingyue countered, eyebrows arched like bows.

“That… that was force majeure!” Lingxiao blurted, excuse flimsy as paper.

“Lingxiao, you dummy!” Lingsaki cut in, swift as a knife.

“Dummy?! Lingsaki, why’re you suddenly yelling at me?!” Lingxiao sputtered, eyes sparking like flint.

“You still haven’t noticed? You fell for Second Sis’s setup,” Lingsaki said, calm as moonlight.

“Huh? Setup? Where did I fall for it?!” Lingxiao blinked, confusion swirling like smoke.

“She dragged you into her topic and you danced to her rhythm,” Lingsaki explained, words steady as drums.

“What…?!” Lingxiao gasped, shock crackling like frost.

“I didn’t drag her in; Lingxiao jumped in herself~,” Jingyue chimed, smile sly as moonlight on water.

“Lingxiao really is a dummy,” Lingsaki declared, voice cool as steel.

“Aaah! Enough, enough!” Lingxiao cried, temper bursting like firecrackers.

“Flustered and furious now,” Jingyue murmured, tone sweet as honey.

“Yeah, flustered and furious,” Lingsaki agreed, nodding like a crane.

“Lingsaki, whose side are you on? And Second Sis, please, let us go…” Lingxiao begged, voice thin as thread.

“What to do? Lingxiao’s begging me now,” Jingyue mused, tapping her lip like a drumstick.

“Second Sis, you—!” Lingxiao hissed, frustration buzzing like cicadas.

“Easy, easy. Young folks are so quick to anger these days~,” Jingyue said, tone drifting like clouds.

In the end, after an hour gladly squandered, after teasing the sisters until they were exhausted, Yugong Jingyue finally ended the utterly pointless chat, satisfied like a cat after cream.

“You can go find little Sumeragi now—remember to send my regards~ hehe.”

With that, she turned back to her room, smile bright as lanterns.

“Sigh, forget it. Let’s begin, Lingsaki,” Lingxiao said, spirit settling like dust.

“Mm,” Lingsaki answered, gaze firm as granite.

They traded a weary sigh, then steadied themselves. Together they drew out the two tomes—the Book of Day and the Book of Night. They turned to the same page and closed their eyes, calm as still water.

“See the past, know the now, foretell the yet-to-come. Book of Day (Book of Night), page one hundred. Special-class magic—Prophecy-Seeking Art! Lock onto Yumigawa Sumeragi’s present space and time!”

Black-and-white light surged into countless arcane glyphs, floating around them like snow and soot.

After a few breaths, the glowing glyphs faded. The sisters opened their eyes slowly, disbelief written there like storm clouds.

“The Book of Day and the Book of Night can’t lock the exact position?! They can only confirm our dear Honored Brother is in the Extreme Cold Hell of the Northern Abyss Continent.”

“We don’t know what happened, but let’s go, Lingsaki,” Lingxiao said, urgency biting like frost.

“Mm!” Lingsaki replied, resolve sharp as ice.

As the words fell, a sudden gale rose, sweeping the room like a river. When the wind passed, no one remained.