Chapter 36 – Hidden Truth
The courtyard was silent. Even the soft murmur of wind seemed to have lost its courage to pass through the gates.
Ye Tianlan stood still, his expression unreadable behind the faint mask of calm he always wore. Across from him, the Elder of the Veiled Sect lowered his gaze, his wrinkled hands clasped tightly around the edge of his robe. The disciples stationed nearby waited, tense but obedient — no one dared to speak first.
"I'll ask again," Tianlan said quietly, his voice steady but cold, "what do you know about the Xu Clan's fall?"
The Elder exhaled slowly, his breath clouding faintly in the cool mountain air. "The Xu Clan… that name should have vanished from the world."
Mei shifted uncomfortably beside Tianlan, her tail flicking out briefly before disappearing again. "People don't vanish just because someone says so," she muttered, folding her arms.
The Elder's eyes snapped toward her for a moment — sharp, calculating — before returning to Tianlan. "Your companion speaks too freely."
"She's earned the right," Tianlan said, not breaking eye contact.
The Elder's gaze softened, though his tone remained guarded. "Tell me, traveler. What makes you seek their memory? That clan perished years ago — burned, buried, and erased."
Ye Tianlan's fingers tightened around his sleeve. "Because I was one of them."
The words fell like stones into a still pond. Ripples of spiritual energy spread through the courtyard; even the disciples flinched as if the air itself had grown heavier.
For the first time, the Elder's composed mask cracked. "Impossible," he murmured. "The Xu bloodline was extinguished. We witnessed it."
"Then you witnessed a lie," Tianlan replied calmly. His tone didn't rise, but his words carried a quiet, deadly certainty that silenced even the murmurs from the shadows. "One survived."
---
A long moment passed before the Elder finally spoke again. "If you are truly what you claim, then you stand in dangerous ground. Many powers still move to erase what remains of your name. You would do well to forget the past and live quietly."
"I tried that," Tianlan said, his gaze turning distant. "Quiet doesn't bring peace. It only hides the noise until it breaks through again."
The Elder regarded him carefully, the weight of years in his eyes. "You sound like a man who already knows the price of his path."
"I know," Tianlan said. "And I've already paid once. I can pay again if I must."
Silence returned, stretching long enough for the afternoon light to dim into a muted gold. Finally, the Elder waved his hand slightly, and the surrounding disciples withdrew, leaving only the three of them in the courtyard.
He motioned toward a small chamber beyond the stone steps. "Come. Some things are better spoken away from open ears."
---
The chamber was small, lined with shelves of scrolls and ink-stained talismans. A faint aroma of sandalwood lingered in the air. The Elder sat behind a narrow desk carved from dark wood, gesturing for Tianlan to sit opposite him. Mei hovered near the doorway, still alert but curious.
The Elder began slowly, "Before I speak further, you must understand — the Veiled Sect does not involve itself in the affairs of the Great Realms. Our survival depends on silence."
"I understand," Tianlan said.
"Good," the Elder replied. "Then you should know this much. The fall of the Xu Clan was not a simple war. It was an execution."
Tianlan's eyes narrowed. "Execution?"
"Yes," the Elder continued. "Ordered by a council of the Seven Realms' rulers. They claimed the Xu Clan had betrayed the balance — that they meddled with forbidden arts tied to fate and destiny itself. The Celestial Court sanctioned their eradication. Even the Azure Dragon Realm stood by and watched."
Mei frowned. "That's ridiculous. The Xu Clan were scholars and cultivators of balance. Why would they destroy them?"
The Elder looked at her. "Because men fear what they cannot control."
His words hung heavy, bitter and true.
Ye Tianlan's hands rested still on his knees, but the quiet pulse of energy around him betrayed the storm within. "So that's how it was," he said softly. "The Seven Realms joined hands to erase one family."
"There were whispers," the Elder said, his tone cautious now. "That one of the Xu Clan elders discovered something — a method to ascend beyond the control of the Heavens. If that was true, then the rulers could not allow it. Power over fate threatens every throne."
"Do you know what that method was?"
The Elder shook his head. "Only fragments remain. Some say it was hidden within the clan's sacred scripture — the Heavenly Dao Codex. Others claim it was never written down at all, but sealed within a living soul."
Tianlan's eyes lifted slightly. "A living soul…"
"Perhaps a descendant," the Elder continued, watching him carefully. "If even one survived, the truth may have survived as well. Which means—"
"They'll keep hunting," Tianlan finished. His voice was calm again, but the fire beneath it burned colder.
The Elder nodded slowly. "You understand now why I said this is dangerous ground. If word spreads that a Xu lives, the Celestial Guard will move. And when they do, no place under the heavens will be safe for you."
Ye Tianlan rose to his feet. "Then I'll make my own place."
The Elder did not stop him. Instead, he reached into his robe and pulled out a small jade slip, its surface etched with faint sigils. "Take this. It records the path of a man who once sought your clan. He came here twenty years ago, asking the same questions you just did. His name was Shen Wuhai."
"Who was he?" Tianlan asked.
"A wanderer. A man without allegiance — or so he claimed. But he spoke of the Xu Clan with a familiarity that made even our masters wary. Follow his trail, and you may find more than I can tell."
Ye Tianlan accepted the jade slip with a nod. "I owe you."
The Elder smiled faintly. "We all owe something to the truth, young man. Be sure it's worth what it costs."
---
When they left the chamber, the sky had already darkened. The lanterns of the Veiled Sect glowed faintly, their light rippling like reflections on water.
Mei walked beside him, unusually quiet until they reached the outer path. "So… they really tried to erase your whole family."
"They succeeded," Tianlan said. "Except for me."
She looked up at him. "Then we'll make them regret that."
For a moment, he glanced at her — the same mischievous, troublesome spirit beast who complained more than she fought — and yet, her eyes burned with real fire now.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," he said quietly. "This path isn't meant for pride or anger."
"Then what is it for?" she asked.
"For balance," he said. "And for truth."
They descended the mountain under a pale moon, the jade slip clutched in Tianlan's hand. The faint glow of the Veiled Sect faded behind them, swallowed by the mist.
Somewhere ahead, hidden within the endless lands of the Seven Realms, the next thread of his destiny waited — and with it, the chance to uncover what the world had buried.
Ye Tianlan didn't look back. The past had already burned once.
Now, he would light his own fire.