Chapter 108: Tea Party II
Mu Qinxue’s fingers traced the rim of her cup, her voice gentler now. "You carry it well. Too well, perhaps. Most would use such a burden to excuse themselves from others. You... allow it, yet keep it at arm’s length."
She leaned forward, the faintest smile still in place. "Tell me, Tian Lei—when you stand in the Mist Azure’s light, when every eye seeks to measure you—will you guard yourself the same way? Or will you let them see what lies beneath that stillness?"
The question hung heavy, like a blade unsheathed but not yet swung.
Tian Lei’s gaze lowered to the steaming tea, then rose again, calm and unflinching. "That depends," he said evenly. "On whether the truth serves the sect... or betrays it."
For the first time, Mu Qinxue’s smile faltered, replaced by something harder to read—respect, perhaps, or quiet unease.
The lanterns swayed in the garden breeze, scattering reflections across the pond. Between them, the tea remained untouched, cooling slowly, as if time itself were testing how long the silence could endure.
At last, Mu Qinxue spoke again, her tone returning to its teasing veil. "Very well. Then show them only what you must. But remember, Tian Lei—" her gaze sharpened, steel beneath silk, "—a blade too long kept in its sheath forgets the weight of blood."
Tian Lei inclined his head slightly, his voice calm but edged with iron. "If what lies beneath my stillness does nothing but harm this sect, then what purpose would it serve to bare it? You know as well as I do, Master—many of the so-called heirs who stepped into the Mist Azure never returned to their own halls."
His eyes narrowed, gaze steady on hers. "Tell me, how many heirs have been claimed by the Divine Land itself? Lured by promises, drawn by glory, only to bend knee and abandon the sects that raised them. How many banners weakened, how many lineages dimmed, because their brightest stars crossed that threshold and did not look back?"
Mu Qinxue’s smile had faded entirely now. Her fingers stilled against the porcelain cup.
Tian Lei’s words pressed on, low but unrelenting. "They say to enter the Mist Azure is to be measured by more than strength—that if you prove yourself worthy, the Divine Land itself extends its hand. An offer no mortal sect can match. And if one accepts, they are lost forever. But if they refuse..." His eyes sharpened, like a blade unsheathed at last. "They invite envy, pressure, and blades from every direction until their sect drowns in blood."
The night breeze stirred between them, carrying the faint scent of lotus from the pond.
Mu Qinxue lowered her gaze at last, the silk of her expression thinning to something more solemn. "You speak as though you’ve counted the graves yourself."
Tian Lei did not flinch. "I have not counted them. But It is easy to understand why people in power remain in power."
Mu Qinxue’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Power keeps itself alive. That’s true. But you sound like you think it’s a curse, not an honor."
Tian Lei’s voice stayed calm. "A crown only feels heavy if you think it’s meant to shine. The ones who hold it the longest know it’s meant to cut."
She paused, her calm expression breaking for just a moment. Then a soft laugh slipped out. "You sound like someone who already wears one."
"I don’t," he said plainly. "But I see the hands that put it on... and the hands trying to take it away. The survivors aren’t always the brightest—they’re the ones who know when to dim their own light."
Mu Qinxue watched him for a while, her presence pressing down like a quiet weight. At last, she leaned back and touched her cup again. "Good. Then remember this, Tian Lei: when the Divine Land notices you, they won’t test your brilliance. They’ll test how long you can endure."
Tian Lei rose to his feet, bowing slightly. She gave a small nod in return, her eyes following him as he left the garden.
By the time he returned to his own room carved into the sect’s stone halls, the night was deep and still. He lowered himself onto the bed, staring at the dark ceiling above.
A quiet breath slipped past his lips.
"I guess... let’s see what the Mist Azure is really hiding."
A few days passed in quiet preparation. The sect’s courtyards whispered with rumor, but Tian Lei paid them no mind. When the appointed dawn arrived, he stood at the mountain steps, robes neat, his expression unreadable.
Beside him stood Haiyun of Grand Void Peak. His hair was streaked with grey, the lines of age just beginning to etch themselves at the corners of his eyes, but his frame was still steady, his presence calm and unwavering.
Some in the sect called him past his prime, a man whose peak years had long since slipped behind him. But Tian Lei knew better. Beneath the weathered exterior was a cultivator who had weathered tempests few could endure, and a will sharpened by the years rather than dulled.
"You are finally here lets go" he said turning and walking as Tian lei nodding followed after him.
As they walked, Haiyun’s voice slipped out, low but edged with weariness.
"Tell me, Tian Lei... be honest. Did you ask for me specifically?"
Tian Lei shook his head once, calm as ever.
Haiyun let out a long sigh, dragging his staff against the stone steps. "I thought so. Hah... sometimes it’s bad, being the second-strongest in the sect. You end up carrying work no one else wants." His mouth twisted in a rueful smile. "Instead of chasing my own path, I’m here babysitting you."
Tian Lei glanced at him, but said nothing.
Haiyun chuckled to himself, though the sound carried a note of lament. "I wanted to master the other branches of the Grand Void Art—the ones I never touched in my youth. In those days, I only had half of it. Broken, incomplete. I wandered for decades searching for the rest." His eyes softened briefly. "And then you appeared—with the full version. What I chased half a lifetime, you carried as though it had always been yours."
His grip on the staff tightened, his tone steady now. "That day, I vowed. Until you surpass me, Tian Lei, I’ll guard your path. Not because the Sect Master told me to, but because you returned what I thought I’d lost forever."
The mountain mist curled thick around them, pale as drifting banners.
Tian Lei only shook his head faintly, the corner of his mouth hinting at a smile. "Then don’t call it babysitting, Elder. Call it repayment."
Haiyun barked a laugh, half amusement, half resignation. "Repayment, is it? Hah. Then you’d best hurry and surpass me, boy—before I grow too old to enjoy the freedom."
Together, they stepped into the mist, their shadows stretching long against the dawn.
Haiyun paused at the edge of the cliff, lifting a hand toward the swirling mists below. From behind him, a massive, sleek creature emerged—its wings folding with fluid grace, scales glinting faintly in the pale light. A flying beast, trained and obedient, lowered its head as Haiyun whispered a few words of command.
"Mount, now," he said.
Tian Lei stepped forward, calm and precise, climbing onto the creature’s broad back. Haiyun followed after, steady as always. The beast flexed its wings, testing the air with a low, resonant hum, then leapt into the mists without hesitation.
As the wind tore past them, Tian Lei tightened his grip, eyes scanning the swirling veil of clouds below. Haiyun’s voice cut through the rush of air.
"You can expect ten days to reach Mist Azure Reed City," he said simply. "Assuming the winds remain favorable, and no other... distractions intervene."
Tian Lei inclined his head slightly. "I will cultivate in the meantime."
Haiyun gave a faint nod. "Very well. I will keep watch."
The beast surged forward, wings cutting through the mist. Below, the mountains vanished into clouds, the path behind them swallowed by white. Ahead stretched the vast, unknown expanse of the Mist Azure Divine Land—a realm of veiled danger and untested challenge.
Tian Lei exhaled softly, letting the wind brush past him. Haiyun remained silent at his side, a steady presence, ensuring that even in the uncertain skies ahead, he was not entirely alone.
The wind carried them higher, colder, thinner, yet Tian Lei felt no rush to speak. Days passed in measured silence, the beast gliding over valleys that seemed to stretch endlessly, clouds forming walls around them. The world below became a pale wash of green and stone, and the distant horizon shimmered like water over glass.
At times, Haiyun would glance at him, eyes sharp, but without question or interruption. Tian Lei cultivated quietly, hands moving through the air in practiced gestures, threads of qi weaving into subtle patterns, refining the fragments of Grand Void Art he had long studied. The path ahead demanded nothing less than patience, endurance, and focus—lessons he welcomed in silence.