Buling

On Jinzhou City's Main Street, a stall owner was still scrolling through forums when a girl with fiery red hair stopped at her stand. She glanced up over her slipping glasses and smiled.

"Hey there, boss. Want to try something? Exorcisms, talisman readings, fortune-telling… You name it, I 'bling'—wait, you're a Patroller?"

"That's right! Chixia, Jinzhou Patroller!" Chixia straightened with pride at being recognized, then quickly regained her serious tone. "I've had reports about you setting up a stall without permission, offering readings to anyone who walks by. It's almost like—"

"A scam?" Buling's grin didn't waver.

"…I wouldn't go that far. But I'd appreciate it if you came by the Patrol Station to give a statement about your… business."

"Aiya, Boss, it's all honest work, building good bonds lah. Take that young fellow from Huaxu Academy who came yesterday morning. He asked me to divine his research project. By now, I'd wager he's on his way here to thank me."

"Seriously?" Chixia began to question, but before she could finish, a young man in a lab coat came hurrying up the street and stopped at the stall.

"Thank you, Master! My experiment finally succeeded—the data fit perfectly! I can finally publish a paper!"

"No need to thank me," Buling said, waving him off. "That was all your hard work and persistence paying off."

Under Chixia's astonished gaze, the researcher bowed his thanks several more times before hurrying away.

"He just needed a little more confidence in his research, that's all," Buling said, nudging her round glasses back into place.

All afternoon, Chixia tailed this suspicious stall owner as she guided a Lollo Logistics courier anxious about the career, sold a prosperity talisman to a travelling merchant, and read a local's palm for signs of love. Each request was different, Buling's answers just as varied, yet every customer left looking satisfied.

By sunset, Buling began packing up her stall. She glanced toward the shade of a nearby tree and called out, "Relax. I've earned enough for now, so no more stalls for a while. And I'm starving. How about dinner at your auntie's place? My treat. But just so you know that I'm not ordering anything spicy."

"Wait—how do you even know Mrs. Panhua is my… Did you divine that too?" Chixia stepped out of the shadows.

"Oh, that?" Buling grinned. "She told me herself. Over lunch."

Not long after, Mengzhou's wandering Taoist Buling and Jinzhou's famed Speedster Chixia would team up to tackle a so-called haunting event on Main Street. But that, of course, is another story.

Thick clouds smothered the moonlight that night, plunging the world into darkness.

"It's right there, Master!"

At his young disciple's cry, the aged Taoist shaped a quick mudra with one hand and leveled his peachwood sword with the other. Golden light leapt from the blade, streaking toward the corner of a wall. It struck something unseen, flared outward, and flooded the alley with daylight-bright radiance—revealing a Whisperin Tacet Discord crouched in the shadows.

His eyes flicked to his disciple. She had already drawn a talisman and begun her chant:

"Body and seal align, thunder at command… All evils, repelled!"

The words had barely left her lips when a bolt of lightning split the sky, crashing down upon the Tacet Discord. Wrapped in thunderlight, the creature began to fade. Though her talisman was already spent, the girl stayed on guard, fishing a copper coin from her pocket as she stepped closer.

"…Finally… home…"

The broken whisper froze her in place.

"Pull yourself together, Buling," came her master's deep, steady voice. "A Tacet Discord is nothing but a monster. It's no ghost, and certainly nothing human."

She nodded, flicked the coin into the air, and another flash of lightning cleaved the darkness. The Tacet Discord vanished completely. The old Taoist's furrowed brow eased as he turned toward the house, whose gates were tightly shut.

Three measured knocks. The door creaked open, and a silver-haired elder stepped out.

"Master, was it really… my son who returned?"

It was Buling's first time following her master down the mountain to "exorcise a ghost." On their way back to the sect, she couldn't help but ask,

"Master, you always say there are no such things as ghosts. So why tell that lady her son's spirit came home to see her? And even pass along a message for her to live well?"

"…That's called the Way of Flexibility. Someday, you'll understand."

"Mm… Seems the world beyond the mountain really does hold a lot to see."

"Heh… when you're strong enough to stand on your own and want to travel alone, then go," he said, grinning up at the endless stars. "Cultivation isn't confined to our temple's four walls. Your world should be far wider than this."

At that, Buling's clear eyes filled with the same bright starlight.

"…But if you ever stir up trouble out there," Master Jiufeng added quickly, "don't speak of my name."

That year's Martial Arts Championship took place on a lone peak straddling the border of Mengzhou and Jinzhou. The nearest edge of the Land of Xuanfang was still a hundred miles away or so, yet martial art sects from across the world flocked to the mountain. Rumor had it that even a reclusive master from Xuanfang might descend to watch.

"Hehe, my disciple's a straightforward child, only knows how to throw punches. So please, tell yours to go easy on her," Master Shiling stroked his long beard and smiled.

"Ah, I heard that the Fengyiquan Sect is full of talent, and Jianxin is undoubtedly unmatched. My own disciple just toys with coins and talismans, hardly worth anyone's attention," Master Jiufeng wasn't about to be outdone.

On the ring, Buling and Jianxin faced each other.

"Did you hear that, Jianxin? They're basically dueling through us," Buling whispered. "Maybe we should just qui—"

"Understood," Jianxin was already in Fengyiquan's Calming Air stance. "Let's face this match with the respect it deserves. After you."

Buling sighed and formed her hand mudras. Against Jianxin's flawless technique, she would only get one shot. Her Casket of Fate burst open—talismans whirled like a storm, lightning split the sky, and the Five Thunders Spell Array snapped shut around Jianxin. A breath later, Jianxin surged forward. Wind and cloud followed her fists. In the next instant, talismans shattered and the array crumbled. By the third breath, her fist hovered at Buling's side.

"Well fought, Buling. Another round?" Jianxin said, bowing as she stepped back.

"No need. I quit." Buling raised her hand in surrender.

Later, Buling found a good spot in the stands, munching on New Federation popcorn as she watched the young martial artists clash. Jianxin tore through her opponents like a gale, already closing in on the reigning champion.

"Why did you hold back?"

The voice was cool and clear. Buling jumped, as she hadn't even heard anyone approach. A white-robed woman sat nearby, a guqin in her arms, her expression serene and detached, nothing like an ordinary martial artist.

"If you triggered the talismans behind her, the match might have gone differently."

"I wasn't thinking that far ahead at the time… Master," Buling answered with an awkward laugh.

The woman simply nodded. She said nothing more, only stayed beside Buling and watched the rest of the matches in silence.

Buling made friends with Encore on an unexpected occasion.

Back then, she had just passed Camellya's test and arrived at the Black Shores archipelago for the first time as a Consultant. The Gardener who welcomed her mentioned a bit of gossip: people in the Haven of Sprouts had been whispering about faint, sorrowful female cries haunting the dorm at midnight.

It wasn't serious enough to count as an emergency that required proper investigation, probably just a stray Reverberation rambling around. Still, on an island carved from a massive Tacetite, even a random Reverberation could twist into a dangerous Tacet Discord. Someone had to check it out. Buling, known for her sharp ear for these things, volunteered.

That night, she waited in the dorm corridor, scrolling forums to pass the time as she heard soft footsteps. When she looked up, she nearly dropped her device: two "Wooly Ghost Guards" of black and white stood before her with ferocious looks.

"Hooray! The brave Wooly Warriors have found a new team member," a cheerful voice said. Encore poked her head out from behind the plush toys, grinning.

The truth turned out to be simple: a Tethys Terminal in the Haven had picked up an old cassette of ghost stories. A faulty signal module accidentally broadcast it over the dorm speakers, and thus the "haunting" event.

By morning, a post went viral on the Black Shores' internal forum with its eye-catching title:

"Turns out, the creepy midnight cries coming from the Haven of Sprouts are actually..."

The poster ID was "Earthly Immortal," and the first enthusiastic reply came from "Heavenly Sheep."

That was the day the now-famous mystery-busting duo was born. From the Black Shores to Huanglong and Rinascita, "Earthly Immortal" and "Heavenly Sheep" became legends by exposing hoaxes, chasing rumors, and unraveling every supposed haunting that crossed their path.

Whenever people ask Buling why she chose to join the Black Shores, she just laughs it off. Her bestie Encore, however, always gives the same teasing answer:

"She thinks if the Black Shores can clear all the 'ghosts' in the world, then she'll finally be free to roam wherever she wants!"

Compared to the quiet temple on the mountain, the world beyond felt vast and unruly, alive with a thousand voices. Without her master's sheltering, Buling's first days away from home were uneasy and frustrating. Had she not rescued that Huaxu Academy researcher from Mengzhou, who repaid her with a prototype headset that muffled intrusive sensations, she might have suffered from those ceaseless whispers far longer.

She drifted through crowded streets, learning the rhythms of modern city life step by step. Her master's words on flexibility became her compass: times change, and so must the sect. Talismans and tools should evolve with the world. Every so often, she sent her master some exorcist gadgets she bought or improved upon: a microwave alchemy furnace, an exorcism bell with a built-in alarm clock, or a fly-whisk that glowed neon at night. Her proudest creation was a voice-controlled peachwood sword, able to swerve midair at a single command, far more convenient than the old sword-riding techniques.

Her master's patience eventually wore thin. One day, a letter arrived with just two bold words written in clean calligraphy: "UTTER NONSENSE." But when Buling finally returned to the temple, she found him waiting there—wearing that very sword on his back.

Her journey stretched on, a winding road of self-cultivation. She crossed most of Huanglong, stood on the Black Shores, and ventured into the New Federation. She marveled at Mengzhou's endless waters, braved Chongzhou's jagged peaks, walked through rule-based nations, and wandered lawless lands where only the strong survived.

Much later, in Rinascita, she received an assignment through the Tethys system: assist a Bloom Bearer from the Black Shores who, like her, had traveled far. From the start, she sensed {Male=his;Female=her} identity was more complicated than the records suggested, as {Male=his;Female=her} fate lines were tangled beyond divination. Their paths crossed again and again: in Septimont City with both bright and dark sides, in hunting grounds haunted by the Dark Tide, and in the ruins of destroyed Honami City. None of those places could be called peaceful.

Buling thought of herself as a free spirit, roaming wherever whim led her. That Rover was different—no carefree traveler, but someone forever running from one storm to the next. And still, for reasons she could not name, she wanted to see that person smile, as if {Male=he;Female=she}, too, could take a moment to enjoy the journey. The quiet gathering at Shashou Cafe was one of those rare, unburdened moments.

Where would their journeys converge next? Buling's hand hovered over her divination set, then she let it fall. When the time is right, their fates will meet again. And when they do, she will be there to offer {Male=him;Female=her} a steady hand, just as she always has.