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Chapter 6 - chapter 5: Return

The sunlight bathed the valley in a warm golden hue. The sky above was a vast, cloudless canvas, painted in the soft blush of dawn. Birds circled high overhead, their cries distant, faint. It was peaceful — after the eerie silence of the forest.

They stood there, side by side,

For a long moment, the girl said nothing. Her gaze was fixed on the sky, arms loose at her side, hair drifting in the breeze. The wind played softly with the bloodstained edges of her robes — no longer soaked, but still marked.

Finally, she turned to him.

"My name is Bai Xue," she said. "Inner disciple of the White Phoenix Sect."

Lin Ye didn't respond.

Her voice was light, but steady. "You saved my life. And you brought me this far. I never got to thank you properly."

"I didn't do it for thanks," Lin Ye replied flatly, his eyes on the horizon.

A pause.

"…Still," she said. "I owe you."

He finally looked at her — just for a moment. His gaze wasn't cold or cruel. Just… distant. Uninterested.

"no need ."

She tilted her head slightly, studying him with curious eyes. "Then at least tell me your name."

"…Lin Ye."

Just that. Nothing more.

Bai Zue smiled faintly, as if she expected that. "You don't speak much, do you?"

"No ."

That made her laugh — soft and short. "You're strange."

Lin Ye didn't respond to that either. His gaze returned to the mountains beyond the valley.

A long silence followed.

The wind changed, blowing gently through the trees behind them. The lingering presence of the forest was still heavy, still watching — but it no longer pressed against their backs. It no longer needed to.

She took a step forward, then another.

"Where will you go now?" she asked.

"Forward."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I have."

She looked at him one last time — this quiet boy with a voice like calm thunder and eyes that seemed to see through everything. There was something strange buried inside him.

Something she couldn't understand

"…You're different," she said softly. "Even the beasts know it."

Lin Ye turned to walk.

She didn't stop him.

"Lin Ye," she called after him, voice clear.

He paused.

"If we meet again… I hope it's not as strangers."

He didn't turn around.

But after a moment—

"…If we meet again," he said, "you'd best be stronger than you are now."

And with that, he stepped away, vanishing into the golden mist rising from the valley floor.

Bai Xue stood there for a while, wind tugging at her robes.

Then quietly, she turned and began her own journey.

____

Two men stood still, hands cupped respectfully in front of their chests. They didn't dare lift their heads. Their backs were soaked with cold sweat.

Before them was a shadow. Not a person… just a presence. Something that made the temperature drop with every second.

A voice came from the darkness.

Low. Calm. But it made their legs feel numb.

"Where is it…?"

Neither man spoke. One of them stepped forward slowly and held out a box — long and wooden, carved with ancient dragon symbols that twisted unnaturally under the dim light. It looked Too old.

The pressure coming off it was faint but dangerous, like a beast still sleeping… but dreaming of blood.

The figure in the dark didn't say anything else. Just stretched out a pale, withered hand.

As the hand hovered over the box—

Everything shifted.

---

The silence was replaced by a peaceful morning breeze.

a massive hall stood bathed in light. It was grand. Polished marble floors. Phoenix feathers carved into pillars. The scent of incense hung lightly in the air.

But something felt... heavy.

At the far end, on a wide throne, a man sat alone.

His name was Bai Jian, Sect Leader of the White Phoenix Sect — known across the land as a wise and powerful cultivator.

But now, he didn't look powerful at all.

He looked… tired.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring blankly ahead. His face was calm, but his clenched fist and furrowed brow said otherwise.

"Where are you… Xue'er…"

His voice was low, almost like a whisper.

The large doors opened with a soft groan.

Several guards entered, bowing deeply.

"Greetings, Sect Leader," they said together.

He looked up slowly.

"speak "

The air grew tense.

One guard hesitated before answering, "We still haven't found her, sir."

Bai Jian's expression didn't change — but something in his eyes dimmed.

"She was last seen near the borders of the Sacred Forest," another guard added.

That made him sit upright.

"The Sacred Forest?" he asked, frowning.

"Yes," the guard continued. "We also found signs of her carriage. Some fragments… blood. We think there may have been an ambush."

Bai Jian stood up without a word. His robes swept across the floor as he walked to the window. The warm sunlight couldn't reach the coldness in his heart.

"I should've never sent her alone…"

The guards didn't dare say anything.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them.

Once the doors closed, the hall fell into silence again.

He stood there, staring at nothing. The proud sect leader who had fought in countless wars now looked like any other father — lost in worry, regret weighing heavy on his shoulders.

A long moment passed.

Then—

A sudden knock.

A guard rushed in.

"Sect Leader!" he said, breathless.

Bai Jian turned sharply.

"What is it?"

The guard smiled, his expression bright.

"Young miss… she's returned."

Bai Jian's eyes widened.

"…She's alive?"

"Yes, sir! She's at the main gates, asking to meet you."

He didn't even wait for the man to finish.

"Bring her in. Now."

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

The guard sprinted off.

Bai Jian stood in place, staring at the door — his hands slightly shaking. Not from fear… but from relief.

The silence that followed didn't feel empty anymore.

It felt like breathing after nearly drowning

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