Tin Lei and Tin Wing thought it would be an ordinary grocery run.
They parked, walked into Aldi, and began filling their cart. The store looked normal—bright lights, stocked shelves, quiet movement between aisles.
Yet halfway through, something shifted.
Tin Lei slowed his steps. His chest tightened. Irritation surfaced without warning. His tone sharpened. Small inconveniences suddenly felt heavier than they should have. He could not explain it—only feel that something was wrong.
Tin Wing noticed immediately. This was not how Tin Lei usually was.
They finished shopping and left, but the unease followed them home.
When the Tension Followed Them Inside
At home, the feeling did not fade.
A simple conversation turned tense. Words landed wrong. Silence felt heavy. Tin Lei felt restless and on edge. Tin Wing felt confused and hurt. What should have been an ordinary evening became an argument—one that felt far larger than its cause.
Neither of them could clearly explain why they were upset.
It did not feel like the argument belonged to them.
Calling for Clarity
Concerned, Tin Wing reached out to Jee Sifu and explained everything—from the sudden change at Aldi to the argument that followed at home.
Jee Sifu listened quietly.
Before offering any explanation, he chose to check for himself. Through soul travel, he traced the source of the disharmony and confirmed that it did not originate from Tin Lei or Tin Wing.
Afterward, he guided them to slow everything down.
Tin Lei and Tin Wing sat together with a simple object between them. Whoever held it spoke, while the other listened. Then the object was passed, and the roles reversed.
As the object moved between them, the argument unraveled. Tin Lei spoke of the agitation that began in the store. Tin Wing described the heaviness she felt in the space itself. With each turn, the picture sharpened.
The conflict between them was real—but it was not the source.
The disharmony had followed them home.
Seeing the Black Fog
Jee Sifu then guided Tin Lei to look deeper.
Tin Lei entered soul travel and followed the sensation inward.
In his inner sight, the groceries they had brought home were no longer ordinary. A black fog clung to them—thin, restless, and heavy. When his awareness followed the fog back, it led unmistakably to the Aldi they had visited.
The store shifted in his vision.
Darkness pooled between aisles. Heavy chi pressed through the space. Ghosts gathered in clusters, drawn by stress, noise, and constant motion.
Then his awareness lifted higher.
The Chee Above the Roof
On the roof of the store sat a Chee.
It resembled a small western dragon—compact, alert, and watchful. Its scaled body bore strange suction-like markings, like the imprint of octopus tentacles.
The Chee spat spiritual fire downward.
Where the fire touched, tempers flared. Couples argued. Small annoyances ignited. In the chaos, ghosts gathered.
And the Chee fed on them.
When the Fog Was Taken
Later, as residue lingered in the home, Tin Lei used his ghost-capture gourd to draw in the black fog clinging to the groceries—the Chee’s gathered loot.
The smoke twisted and vanished into the gourd.
That was when the Chee noticed.
Angered by the loss of what it had collected, it followed the trail back toward Tin Lei and Tin Wing’s home.
The pressure returned, stronger than before.
The Swords That Held the Line
Jee Sifu guided Tin Lei carefully.
A broadsword glowing with cyan light was placed beneath the Landlord altar, where the ghost-capture gourd rested. The sword stood guard, stabilizing and protecting what had been drawn in.
At the front door, a second blade was set—a white, icy sword, cold and still. It stood as a silent guardian, preventing the Chee from crossing the threshold.
With the swords in place, the pressure broke.
Making Peace
The next day, Jee Sifu offered calm guidance.
“Do not fight it,” he said.
“Make peace.”
Tin Lei connected with the Chee once more. Using the Moon Cup, communication was established and intention was exchanged.
An agreement was formed.
The Chee agreed to stop stirring disharmony and to leave the store behind. In return, it would enter order rather than wander through chaos.
Through proper rite, the Chee was ordained.
The Court accepted it.
A new name was given:
Tin Yeem — 天焰
In Saam Law Taoism, Yeem means flame.
Tin Yeem became a guardian under Tin Lei and Tin Wing’s flag, a disciple within the lineage, with Chee Yiu Sin Si as the representative of its upper authority. The Court took him in to learn, to work, and to transform.
After the Fog Lifted
The argument faded. The heaviness dissolved. Laughter returned.
The memory of Aldi no longer carried weight.
Disharmony can appear in the most ordinary places—between grocery aisles, inside daily routines, within moments that seem small. When it does, awareness brings clarity, and order follows understanding.
Tin Yeem found its place, and the path continued.
