By the time the cheers had faded behind him, Lao Xie had already far from the Martial Hall.
His steps were unhurried, hands tucked behind his back, a faint smudge of dust still clinging to the hem of his sleeve. The match had ended, and so had the noise.
Feng Zhan had lasted longer than he expected.
For a boy at the seventh stage of Body Tempering, there was something commendable in how he endured. Not in technique, of course—Lao Xie had seen through his every move before the first exchange even began—but in that stubborn pride. The way he forced himself to keep standing. To not fall without resistance, It was foolish.
But not entirely useless.
"A little promising," Lao Xie murmured to himself, rounding the bend as the path turned toward his hut.
Feng Zhan might even gain something if he faced a true ninth-stage opponent in the future. A real trial might shape him sharper. Well, if he survived.
Not that Lao Xie cared, he had already defeated him and so his interest had moved on.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere, toward the faint image of a girl seated beside the elder.
Ling Ruxin had come. Just as he had expected, she had taken the bait. Her curiosity had drawn her in, even if she didn't realize it yet.
But for Elder Yao… she's a variable, he hadn't expected her presence. He didn't recall about saying anything regarding the match and yet still, she came.
Lao Xie's expression shifted slightly, as if amused by something. Maybe that was a good thing. She might prove useful again later. If she was watching him now, it meant she hadn't written him off yet.
And that made the game more interesting.
As the roof of his hut came into view through the trees, Lao Xie slowed his steps.
On the other side, the Martial Hall. The crowd had started to shift its focus to the next round, but not everyone remained seated. Away from the noise, two figures exited through the side archway — one in a flowing purple robe, the other in pristine white with a veil that swayed with every step.
Ling Ruxin and Elder Yao walked side by side, their steps slow and unhurried as they followed a narrow trail that curved toward the edge of the sect.
"Still thinking about the match?" Elder Yao asked lightly, glancing sideways.
Ling Ruxin nodded. "Sort of," she said. "He played him like a kid."
Her voice was quiet, but not uncertain.
"The way he moved… every attack just slipped past him like it truly meant nothing. His footwork was too calm and too precise. Not once did I feel any ripple of qi from him at all."
Elder Yao gave a soft hum in response. "Mhmm, that's not too surprising."
Ling Ruxin tilted her head slightly. "Not surprising?"
"In the past," Elder Yao said, "he couldn't cultivate at all."
The words made Ling Ruxin stop for a step, her veil swaying as she turned to Elder Yao.
"…Wait. What?"
Elder Yao kept walking, her tone unbothered. "It's true. Back then, his meridians were couldn't accept qi — couldn't absorb even a trace of qi. The elders had already given up on him and thus left him to rot in the sect."
"But that's—" Ling Ruxin's voice caught in her throat. "That's impossible. What I saw today… that kind of control and speed…"
"Like I said," Elder Yao cut in gently, "that was the past. I don't know about now. I've been out of the loop lately. I've only recently discovered about his situation recently."
Ling Ruxin opened her mouth to speak again, but Elder Yao raised a hand to stop her.
"We're here."
They stepped past the final bend in the path, and the scenery opened before them.
A quiet, walled garden sat tucked between the edges of two sloping ridges. Flowers in full bloom lined the perimeter, their colors muted under the afternoon sun. At the center, beneath the wide, ancient tree, stood a round stone table and stools to match — the same place where Elder Yao had once shared tea with Lao Xie not long ago.
She led Ling Ruxin inside without another word.
The Martial Hall was already behind them now — the noise of the crowd, the clang of weapons, the flurry of footsteps fading with distance.
"It's been quite a long time since I've been here," Ling Ruxin said, her voice carrying a hint of nostalgia.
"Well, it's been years since we last sat together under this tree. Make yourself at home. I'll go brew some tea," Elder Yao said as she slowly walked toward a nearby hut not far from the tree. One could already see the hut just by sitting at the round table beneath the branches.
A few minutes passed before Elder Yao returned, carrying a pot of tea and two teacups. She poured the tea and set one in front of Ruxin.
"Have a drink."
Ling Ruxin hesitated at first. It felt as if she were troubling Elder Yao, making her go out of her way to serve tea… but she couldn't bring herself to refuse either.
She picked up the cup and took a few sips. "It's good. Still tastes the same," she said softly.
Elder Yao stared at her for a few moments as she drank.
"Mhm… As expected. Not just anyone can identify the ingredients. If Ruxin couldn't… then how did that kid do it last time?" she thought to herself.
"I know, right? I still don't understand how that kid could say such bad things about this tea… Hmph," Elder Yao muttered, pouting a little.
"Pfft~ Ahaha…" A small laugh escaped Ling Ruxin without meaning to.
"Ahh, sorry. I was just reminded of some old memories. You're still exactly like the one I remember," she added with a smile.
"Hmph. Of course I am," Elder Yao replied proudly.
"Anyway, you seem to have a lot on your mind. Is Lao Xie bothering you? You even went out of your way to watch his match."
"Well, that's not it, Elder Yao…" Ling Ruxin said, her tone slightly hesitant.
"You said that kid earlier… Do you mean Lao Xie?"
"It was indeed Lao Xie," Elder Yao confirmed.
"Mhm. You're that close with him? Could you tell me more about him?" Ling Ruxin asked again.
Pondering for a few seconds, Elder Yao finally said, "It's an old story. Even before I took you in as my disciple — well, former disciple now… ahaha…" she added with an awkward laugh.
"Mhm. You could say I used to take care of him in the past," she continued.
"Take care of him?" Ling Ruxin asked. That was an answer she hadn't expected. Elder Yao was known to only take in female disciples under her guidance.
"Yes. Back then, when all the other elders dismissed him, I was the only one who took him in," Elder Yao replied.
"I watched him grow up for a few years, before I rose to a higher position and didn't have as much free time to look after him anymore," she added.
Ling Ruxin listened patiently. "I heard you ascended to elder status in your twenties, becoming the youngest elder ever recorded in the sect's history… is that true?"
"Mhm, yes. I did become an elder in my twenties. A few years after that, I rose up again to become one of the key elders in the sect," Elder Yao answered calmly.