34: The Fox's Gamble, the Mistress's Walls, and a Crimson Invitation
The Azure Moon Sect thrived under the bright noonday sun, its grand spires gleaming like polished jade among the clouds. Disciples trained in open courtyards, spiritual beasts were tended to, and formations hummed softly with controlled energy across the mountaintops. But none of that registered with Lin Tian.
He stood alone outside a courtyard whose gates were decorated with intricate fox motifs—flowing, curling tails carved into rich red wood. The breeze smelled faintly of jasmine and something more primal, something faintly intoxicating.
It was the private residence of Elder Su Meiyu.
He had received her talisman just moments ago. There had been no words, no message—just her Qi signature imprinted on golden silk paper that vanished the moment he touched it.
A direct summons.
Personal.
And bold.
Lin Tian smiled slightly as he reached forward and pushed the gates open.
Inside, he found her courtyard as lavish as ever. Twin peach blossom trees arched over the stone path. Lanterns floated gently in the air, unlit but elegant, shaped like paper foxes with runes inscribed on their sides. A gentle stream passed beneath a small curved bridge, its water so clear it reflected the sky like a mirror.
And in the center of the courtyard sat Su Meiyu.
She reclined on a cushioned bench under a circular pavilion of white wood and red beams, a bottle of spiritual wine set beside her, untouched. She wore a sleeveless robe today, one with a high slit that revealed her legs crossed gracefully beneath her. Her fox tails fanned out behind her like a royal mantle.
Her eyes were closed as he approached, but the moment his foot stepped on the bridge, she spoke.
"You came faster than I expected," she said, not moving.
"I'm always punctual when beauty calls," Lin Tian replied smoothly.
Her eyes opened, and golden irises met violet.
"Careful," she said with a half-smile. "You might make me believe you're sincere."
Lin Tian walked up to the pavilion and took the seat beside her without waiting for permission. "Who said I'm not?"
Su Meiyu chuckled, low and soft. "You're charming when you want to be. Dangerous when you need to be. But right now, you're something else."
She turned to face him fully.
"You're in demand."
Lin Tian tilted his head slightly. "And you don't like sharing."
"Correct." Her tone wasn't playful this time.
A breeze rustled her long red hair as she spoke again.
"Yue Qingyan is cracking. You broke her more easily than even I expected. And now…" She narrowed her eyes. "Jiang Yuyan is stepping off the mountain."
"Should I be flattered?"
"You should be careful." Her voice softened. "She's not like us. She's more dangerous than you realize."
Lin Tian leaned back, arms behind his head. "Is that why you called me here? To warn me about another woman?"
"No." Su Meiyu poured herself a glass of wine and offered it to him.
He accepted it but waited.
She poured one for herself and held it up.
"I called you because I've made my decision."
She sipped, then placed the glass aside.
"I've played with you long enough. You've proven you're not just some arrogant disciple trying to charm his way into my robes." She looked directly into his eyes. "You've changed the power balance in this sect, and you did it without fear."
She leaned forward slightly.
"So I won't hide behind flirting anymore."
Lin Tian waited. He could feel the shift in her Qi—not seductive, not playful. This was serious.
"I will stand by you," she said simply.
He raised an eyebrow.
"I believe you will reach heights this world hasn't seen in centuries. And I intend to be there when you do. Not as an ornament or a prize, but as someone who understands how dangerous the path truly is."
Her gaze sharpened. "But I also want to be the first. Before the Ice Queen melts, before the Phoenix descends from her throne. I want to be the one who walks beside you when you ascend."
Lin Tian let the silence stretch for a moment before speaking. "So this is you choosing me?"
"No," she corrected, her eyes gleaming. "This is me claiming you."
He grinned. "Now that sounds like the Su Meiyu I know."
She smirked again and raised her glass. "Then we have an agreement."
They clinked glasses and drank.
But Lin Tian could tell: this wasn't just a romantic gesture. This was a power play. Su Meiyu wasn't giving in—she was making a statement.
She didn't plan on being one of many.
She planned on being first.
And that made her dangerous in her own way.
Later That Evening – Sect Mistress Yue Qingyan's Chambers
Yue Qingyan sat cross-legged on a pristine cushion, her fingers slowly rotating a spirit crystal. Her breath was steady. Her Qi, less so.
She had been attempting meditation for hours now, and still, Lin Tian's voice lingered.
"You push me away… but you keep coming back."
Every word had struck her harder than she liked to admit.
And Jiang Yuyan's reappearance didn't help.
She had heard whispers that the former Sect Mistress had been seen near the elder quarters again. That meant she had already approached Lin Tian.
Her thoughts twisted.
Su Meiyu, seductive and shameless, was already deep in the game.
Jiang Yuyan, wise and calculated, had started moving her pieces.
And Yue Qingyan, for all her power and prestige, had frozen in place.
She stood up suddenly and walked to her private balcony. The stars above the mountain shone with unnatural clarity, and the moon cast a silver glow over the entire sect.
She hated this.
Not just the feeling of uncertainty, but the feeling of being behind.
For her entire life, she had been ahead—always one step quicker, always more composed.
Until now.
She looked down toward the direction of Su Meiyu's quarters. She didn't need to sense their presence. She knew he had gone to her.
And that knowledge settled like frost in her veins.
Yet it was not anger she felt.
It was something worse.
Hesitation.
'He has already touched my thoughts,' she realized bitterly. 'He is walking free in a place I swore never to open again.'
She turned, fists clenched.
If she waited too long, she would lose more than her pride.
She would lose him.
Elsewhere – Crimson Pavilion
Jiang Yuyan stood in the upper level of the Crimson Pavilion, her private sanctuary nestled high among the sect's peaks.
She stared down at the main grounds through a long, narrow window carved into a dragon's head. In her hand was a folded slip of golden silk paper.
It bore no inscription—yet it radiated her Qi, unmistakable and potent.
A personal invitation.
She had crafted it with her own spiritual will, something she hadn't done in decades.
Tomorrow morning, it would reach Lin Tian.
She had tested him once, and he passed. Now, it was time for the next move.
The game had shifted. Su Meiyu had grown bold. Yue Qingyan was unraveling. And Lin Tian?
Lin Tian had become something she had not expected—worth the risk.
"I wonder," she murmured to herself, "just how far you're willing to go."
She rolled the slip once and whispered a binding seal.
The invitation vanished.
Night – Lin Tian's Residence
Lin Tian returned to his quarters well past dusk, Su Meiyu's scent still lingering faintly on his robe. He stood on the balcony, watching the stars in silence.
His body was relaxed, but his mind was burning.
Su Meiyu had made her claim. Not a confession—no fluttering heartbeat or romantic plea. She had made a declaration of war. A partnership built on mutual ambition and raw desire.
It thrilled him.
And tomorrow, he knew, something else would arrive.
Jiang Yuyan would not stay passive now. She'd felt the shift in balance. And she would either make her play or step aside.
As for Yue Qingyan…
Lin Tian looked to the north, toward her quarters. Her emotions were fragile now—her walls cracking.
One more nudge.
That's all it would take.
And then the untouchable Sect Mistress would fall.
Not because she was weak.
But because she had tried too long to suppress the one thing even the strongest cultivators feared.
Desire.
End of Chapter 34