The Master's departure left a hollow silence behind. It wasn't a peaceful quiet, but one that gnawed at the nerves. None of them spoke until Yan Li finally snapped. She turned around abruptly, her eyes fixed on Wang Tao.
— Why did you ask that?
Wang Tao raised his gaze, looking genuinely surprised by her intensity.
— Ask what...?
— Don't pretend you don't know!
Her voice rose higher than she intended, echoing against the stone walls.
— "Is it possible to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator?" Since when is that a normal question for a disciple like us?!
Wei Lian hesitated, shifting his weight. He looked as though he wanted to intervene, but he kept his distance, watching them both. Wang Tao took a long moment before responding, his voice carefully neutral.
— I only wanted to know...
— Know what?!
Yan Li took a sharp step forward, closing the distance.
— How to kill someone stronger than you? Is that it?
The silence that followed was heavy. Wang Tao did not look away, but the lack of a denial spoke louder than any word. Yan Li's eyes began to burn with a mixture of anger and grief.
— You think this doesn't bother us? After everything we went through on the mountain... after you said we were siblings...
The word came out weaker than she wanted, cracking at the edges.
— Do you want to know what hurts the most? It's not knowing that you might have betrayed the Sect, or even us. What hurts the most...
Her eyes filled with tears that refused to fall.
— ...is that you don't trust us.
Wang Tao felt a sharp constriction in his chest. He clenched his fists so hard that his nails pierced his palms, drawing blood. He welcomed the physical sting—it was easier to handle than the weight of her words.
Despite the turmoil inside, his face remained a stoic mask.
— Yan Li, it isn't that simple.
— Then explain it!
She countered, her voice bordering on desperation.
— Because to me, it looks very simple. It looks like you're already preparing for a fight you shouldn't be in, and you're keeping us in the dark.
Wang Tao opened his mouth, then closed it again. He had a thousand lies ready, but looking at her, none would come out. Yan Li took his silence as the final confirmation she feared.
— Fine. Keep your secrets, then.
She took a step back, her expression hardening.
— If that's how you see the world—if we are just strangers to you—then I don't know if I want to be a part of this anymore.
She turned before her voice could break. She moved quickly, her footsteps retreating down the corridor until the sound vanished entirely.
---
Wei Lian remained, standing still like a statue. He looked at the ground, then finally at Wang Tao.
— You...
He began, but the word trailed off. Wang Tao stayed motionless, staring at the spot where Yan Li had stood.
— Have you done it before?
Wei Lian asked in a low, hollow voice. Wang Tao slowly raised his eyes to meet his.
— Done what?
Wei Lian swallowed hard, his throat dry.
— Killed.
The air in the plateau seemed to grow cold. Wang Tao did not answer immediately, letting the question hang between them like a blade.
— If I say yes... — Wang Tao finally whispered — ...will you leave too?
Wei Lian felt his breath hitch.
— I don't know. That's what scares me.
He took a deep breath, trying to regain his logical composure.
— But what scares me even more is how certain you seem of what you are willing to do next.
Wei Lian looked at his hands, his mind a chaotic mess of variables and morals.
Wang Tao fights for freedom, but he has already accepted the darkness within him. Isn't that just another way of being a slave to fate? — I have no idea what I would do in a situation like yours — Wei Lian murmured. — And it makes me feel lost.
— It isn't weakness not to know who you are.
Wang Tao's voice was barely a murmur, yet it carried the weight of experience.
— Weakness is pretending that you do.
Wei Lian let out a short, bitter laugh. He looked up, his eyes searching Wang Tao's.
— Funny, hearing you say that. At least you know who you are, Wang Tao. Even if I'm starting to hate what that means.
Wang Tao offered no defense.
— I need to think — Wei Lian said finally. — About all of this.
He took a few steps back, signaling his departure.
— But don't think I'm running away. I just need to understand what kind of "brother" I actually have.
---
Left alone, Wang Tao closed his eyes.
A bitter smile touched his lips as he thought of his own existence. A life bound by chains.
He breathed deeply, feeling the sting in his palms where his nails had cut deep. He was bound by ties—ties that were far too short, yet they burned in his chest more fiercely than the desire for life itself.
Funny. What motivates me now is both my greatest strength and my deepest weakness.
He walked away as well, the distant sounds of the sect feeling miles away. He leaned a hand against the cold stone wall, steadying himself.
Yan Li's accusations echoed in his mind, followed by Wei Lian's quiet fear. He opened his eyes, and his gaze was far too calm—a clarity born from having no other choice.
And that calm, more than anything else, was what truly bothered him.