Later that night, Li Xue bid her goodbyes to Hua Rong and Chen Yi with a warm smile, though her mind was elsewhere. As soon as she entered her room, she carefully removed the jade pendant she'd been wearing all day. It had always been a soothing green, but now, as it lay in her palm, it shimmered in an ominous red hue.
"I must've not noticed the color before," she murmured to herself, her brow furrowed. She reached to set it down, but just as her fingers brushed against the string—
"WAIT!"
A voice thundered through the silence. Li Xue froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Her breath hitched as she slowly turned around. What greeted her made her blood run cold—a massive figure levitating mid-air, draped in robes that shimmered like the night sky.
Li Xue's first instinct was to scream, her mouth opening to let out a piercing cry, but before she could, the world around her spun. The last thing she saw before everything faded was the giant figure descending toward her.
When her vision cleared, she found herself standing in a vast, serene field. Lush, green grass stretched endlessly in every direction, and a gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of wildflowers. A sparkling lake glowed in the sunlight just ahead, its surface rippling like liquid silver. The trees surrounding her swayed gently, their emerald leaves shimmering in the golden light.
She blinked in disbelief. Instead of panicking over how she got there, her attention drifted to the sheer beauty of the place.
"Seriously?" she muttered. "I'm supposed to be worried about where I am, and here I am admiring the scenery."
"We meet again."
The voice sent a jolt through her spine. She spun around, her mouth calmly opening once more to scream—
"If you scream, I swear to the heavens, I'll rip your throat out. No joke."
Li Xue calmly snapped her mouth shut. The idea of being mute for eternity wasn't appealing. She decided, for once, to act sensible.
Satisfied with her compliance, the floating figure began to descend, transforming as it touched the ground. Legs replaced the ghostly lower half, and the figure took on a more human appearance. Straight, jet-black hair cascaded down its back, swaying in the breeze. A delicate fan covered most of its face, but the piercing gaze from almond-shaped eyes and long, fluttering lashes left Li Xue speechless.
"My name is Chen Yuxuan," the figure announced, its voice smooth and commanding. Without waiting for a response, the spirit snapped the fan shut and bowed elegantly. "I am the spirit of the jade you wear. For centuries, I have remained within it, waiting for the right owner. Now, the jade has chosen you."
Li Xue blinked in disbelief. "The jade… chose me?"
Chen Yuxuan nodded solemnly. "I, Chen Yuxuan, vow to serve you in this lifetime."
"Miss, there's no need to bow down…" Li Xue said awkwardly, trying to process what was happening.
Chen Yuxuan raised an eyebrow. "Miss?"
"Are you not?"
The spirit's fan snapped open with a dramatic flair. "DOES MY VOICE SOUND LIKE A GIRL TO YOU?!" he thundered, his tone filled with exasperation.
Li Xue took an instinctive step back, her eyes wide. "Oh… uh… sorry. You're just… really pretty," she stammered, trying to soften the situation.
Chen Yuxuan's eye twitched, his fan trembling in his grip. "Of all the owners I could have had, I get the dumbest one," he muttered under his breath.
Li Xue decided it was best not to respond to that. Instead, she glanced at the jade still hanging around her neck. "So… do I get any cool powers or something from this jade? Like… magic?"
Chen Yuxuan shot her a death glare. "You do. But you'll have to figure them out on your own. I'm not helping you."
Li Xue flinched, her enthusiasm deflating. "What's the point of having a spirit guide if you're not going to guide me?" she muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me?" Chen Yuxuan's voice was laced with warning.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" she squeaked, throwing up her hands in mock surrender.
Chen Yuxuan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just don't get yourself killed," he grumbled. "If you die, I'll be stuck waiting for another owner for who knows how long."
Li Xue's lips twitched upward into a faint smirk. For someone so lofty and intimidating, the spirit was surprisingly… human. And maybe, just maybe, she could figure out how to deal with him. After all, how hard could it be to master a magical jade and its temperamental guardian?
****
How hard could it be...Li Xue's mouth twitched as she thought of that sentence again. She watched as the annoying spirit rummaged through her clothes, muttering complaints under his breath.
"You don't have hanfu?" Chen Yuxuan muttered in disbelief, holding up a modern hoodie as though it were a rag.
"Gosh, your sense of fashion is abysmal."
Says the one who's wearing a fudging hanfu in modern times! Li Xue thought, but dared not let the words escape her lips. The last thing she wanted was to anger the spirit again.
Chen Yuxuan unceremoniously tossed her clothes back at her and strode to the other side of the room. Li Xue instinctively caught the garments and glared at his back. Damn spirit, she cursed silently.
As he wandered toward the bed, his gaze landed on her laptop, its screen dimly glowing. His eyes widened, curiosity lighting up his face. "What's this? A glowing box?" he asked, tilting his head like a puzzled cat.
Before Li Xue could answer, he reached out and pressed the keyboard. The screen lit up with a cheerful chime.
Click.
"You! How did it paint me so well?!" he exclaimed, staring at his reflection in the webcam preview. "I look… I look handsome!"
Li Xue rolled her eyes so hard she thought they might stay that way. "Handsome, my foot! That's not a painting, it's a webcam! It's like a… a magical mirror that… shows your face," she said, waving her hands vaguely.
Chen Yuxuan turned to her, his expression a mixture of confusion and intrigue. "A… magical mirror? Incredible! This modern world is not too bad after all," he said, leaning closer to examine the laptop as though it were a sacred artifact.
Li Xue sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay, look, no one can know about you. Got it?"
Chen Yuxuan frowned. "Why not?"
She crossed her arms. "Because you're a spirit. If people see you floating around, they'll think I've lost my mind or… or worse, they'll try to exorcise you!"
Chen Yuxuan scoffed. "Exorcise me? As if any mortal could even attempt such a thing. I'd incinerate them with a flick of my fan."
Li Xue shook her head vehemently. "Doesn't matter! No one can see you unless…" She hesitated, glancing at the jade around her neck. "Unless they're wearing this, right?"
Chen Yuxuan nodded. "Correct. Only those chosen by the jade can perceive me. And speaking of the jade, never remove it. Ever."
Li Xue blinked. "What? Why not?"
The spirit's expression darkened. "Because," he said sharply, "there will be consequences."
A chill ran down her spine at the ominous tone. "What kind of consequences?"
Chen Yuxuan smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Figure it out on your own. I'm not telling you."
Li Xue scowled. What a damn spirit! "Oh, come on! How bad could it be?"
The spirit raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to find out?"
She pursed her lips and muttered, "Fine. Noted. Jade stays on."
Satisfied, Chen Yuxuan turned his attention back to the laptop, clicking random keys and marveling at the results. "So this device… it connects to other glowing boxes? Can it summon spirits? What about showing the past?"
Li Xue plopped onto her bed with a groan. "It's called a laptop. And no, it doesn't summon spirits. It's for… work, entertainment, and… other stuff."
He narrowed his eyes at the screen, his curiosity unquenched. "What else does it do? Can it create illusions? Command armies? Communicate with other realms?"
Li Xue gave him a flat look. "It's a laptop, not a magic artifact. Stop pressing random buttons before you break it!"
Chen Yuxuan ignored her warning and clicked on a browser tab. As the internet sprang to life, his jaw dropped. "This… this is an entire library! Thousands of books in one glowing box! Incredible!"
Li Xue smirked. "Welcome to the modern world, Chen Yuxuan. It's going to be a long ride for you."
Chen Yuxuan, still enraptured by the wonders of technology, muttered under his breath, "A fascinating era indeed… but no match for the elegance of my time."