The next evening, Li Wei found himself standing at the edge of a narrow alley, a place where the lanterns of the festival didn't reach, and the atmosphere was far quieter. The night felt oppressive, like something was waiting to happen, and Li Wei had no idea what to expect when he stepped into the small fortune-telling
shop that Feng Rui had insisted on visiting
"Are you sure about this?" Li Wei asked, his voice tinged with hesitation. His eyes flicked nervously between the darkened doorway and Feng Rui's unshakable confidence.
Feng Rui flashed him a smile, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, trust me. The answers are closer than you think. The stars don't lie. You just have to know how to read them." Li Wei felt a pang of discomfort. There was something about Feng Rui's ease with the world that made Li Wei feel like a stranger to it. While he was careful, always thinking things through, Feng Rui seemed to act first and figure things out later—always with a smile and a joke, even when things got dangerous.
The door to the shop creaked open, revealing the fortune teller inside. Her eyes were dark and mysterious, as though she had seen a thousand futures.
"Ah, you've come," she said cryptically, her voice rasping. "I've seen you both in the stars. The path you walk is one of danger, but also... great discovery."
Li Wei felt a chill run down his spine.
The woman's gaze shifted to Feng Rui, and she smiled knowingly. "Ah, the playful one. I can sense the fire in you. It's burning bright, but be careful—it might consume everything around you."
Feng Rui chuckled lightly. "I don't mind a little
fire, as long as it doesn't burn too much."
She then turned to Li Wei, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny. "You, though—you're a different story. You carry a weight, a burden. A past that you can't forget. But it's that past that will lead you to the truth."
Li Wei shifted uncomfortably. "What truth?"
The woman leaned forward, her voice barely a whisper. "The truth of the Phoenix King. The one who fell, and whose shadow still haunts the throne."
Li Wei's heart raced as the woman's words echoed in his mind. The note from the book, the cryptic message—it was all connected, and yet he had no idea where to begin.
"Beware, young man," she added softly. "The truth is never kind to those who seek it. And those who find it... may not survive it."
Feng Rui chuckled at her ominous tone. "Survival is overrated."
Li Wei shot him a quick glance, but Feng Rui simply smiled, as if the world was something he could easily control, while Li Wei felt like he was on the edge of something far too dangerous to handle.