The front courtyard of the Lin Clan had never been this quiet. Even the guards who usually joked during morning rotations stood stiff with their hands on their weapons, not because anyone expected danger but because Bai Xueya's presence demanded a different kind of attention. Her footsteps were light, steady, and confident as she crossed the stone path, and Lin Tian felt the weight of every movement as if the air around her pushed the world into a calmer shape.
Her white hair shifted gently when she walked. Her robes—a fitted white and blue combination with clean lines and a deep neckline—moved around her legs without restricting her steps. She didn't dress like someone trying to impress a clan. She dressed like someone who had no interest in traditions meant only to impress.
Lin Tian watched her approach and kept his face steady. Inside, something tightened in his chest. She looked composed in a way he couldn't even imitate.
'Someone like her shouldn't be tied to someone like me.'
But he kept those thoughts silent.
The Azure Snow Sword Sect envoy stepped forward and bowed just enough to be polite. "Lady Bai has arrived safely. We request entry to discuss the engagement agreement and to give our official statement."
Clan Leader Lin Zhaotian returned the bow. "The Lin Clan welcomes you. Please, come inside. We have arranged a hall suitable for formal discussion."
Bai Xueya's gaze passed briefly over the gathered elders before resting on Lin Tian. Her expression didn't change, but the look was acknowledgment, not dismissal. He nodded his head in reply.
No one said anything else. The escort followed the clan leader through the courtyard, and Lin Tian walked behind his uncle, his steps steady even though his stomach felt like it had closed in on itself.
The hall doors opened with a soft push. Elders took their seats, leaving the center seats for Bai Xueya, the envoy, and the Bai Clan representative. Lin Tian sat beside his uncle, keeping his hands folded on his lap.
The envoy didn't waste time.
"We thank the Lin Clan for the reception," he said, voice cool but polite. "The matter before us concerns the engagement between Lady Bai Xueya and Young Master Lin Tian. This agreement was arranged by both families in the past, but the circumstances of both clans have changed considerably."
Bai Clan's representative nodded. "Our clan wishes to handle this matter with respect. We believe that discussing a potential dissolution is in everyone's best interest."
Lin Tian kept his eyes on the table. He felt no anger, only a dull acceptance that settled between his ribs.
Elder Qin leaned toward Elder Shao, whispering under his breath, "Here it comes."
Lin Tian heard it, but he didn't react. He already knew this conversation would happen. He had been preparing for it for years.
The envoy continued, speaking with a careful, practiced tone. "Lady Bai has shown remarkable growth. She is now standing at True Spirit Peak with expectations that reach far into her future. The sect believes this engagement may limit her path. Therefore, we suggest finalizing a formal dissolution."
Elder Hua shifted uncomfortably. "The clans were bound by trust," he said softly, "but we understand her potential is extraordinary."
The Bai Clan representative added, "We don't wish to disrespect the Lin Clan. But forcing a connection that harms both sides isn't wise."
The envoy turned to Lin Tian. "Young Master Lin, your thoughts on this matter hold weight. We'd like to hear your stance first."
The elders fell silent. Bai Xueya's eyes shifted toward him, waiting with calm, steady, and unreadable eyes.
Lin Tian lifted his head slowly. His voice came out steady in a way that made the room go still.
"If Lady Bai wishes to leave this engagement behind, then she should be free to do so," he said. "I don't want her tied to someone who cannot match her pace, her path, or her world. She deserves someone who can stand beside her without forcing her to carry the weight of a promise she didn't choose."
The room absorbed his words.
A few elders exchanged surprised glances. They hadn't expected him to speak with such clarity.
Lin Tian continued, his voice low but firm. "I would rather she walk a life that allows her to grow without holding back. If freeing her from this promise does that, then I won't dare stand in her way."
His gaze lowered again, a small gesture that wasn't weakness but quiet acceptance.
Bai Xueya didn't move. She didn't blink. Her expression remained still, but her eyes stayed fixed on him longer than before.
The envoy nodded slightly, as if pleased. "Your understanding is admirable. Then we should proceed with—"
"I will not dissolve the engagement."
Bai Xueya's voice cut cleanly through the hall before the envoy could finish.
A clear, steady line that made the entire hall freeze.
The envoy's mouth remained open for a full breath before he remembered to close it. Elder Qin stiffened. Elder Shao blinked twice. Even Lin Zhaotian turned his head slightly, unable to hide his shock.
Lin Tian felt the air leave his lungs for a moment from disbelief. He looked at her slowly.
She held his gaze as she spoke.
"A promise between our parents deserves respect," she said. Her voice didn't waver. "My parents and his parents agreed to this bond. Their trust mattered. Their wishes mattered. I won't discard that just because others think it's inconvenient for cultivation or reputation."
The Bai Clan representative shifted uncomfortably. "Lady Bai… you must think about what this means. Your future—"
She cut him off with a calm tone. "I am thinking about it. And I'm thinking about the weight of breaking something neither of us has examined. I didn't come here to cancel anything without seeing the person connected to me."
The envoy cleared his throat sharply. "Lady Bai, your cultivation future will be impacted. This decision isn't small. You must consider—"
"I am considering all of it," she answered. "Including the consequences of choosing convenience over dignity."
The envoy's voice hardened. "You are too young to fully understand—"
"I understand enough to make my own decisions."
Her eyes narrowed just slightly, not in anger but in warning.
Silence spread again.
The Bai Clan representative didn't dare speak.
The Azure Snow elder pressed his lips together.
The Lin Clan elders watched, stunned.
And Lin Tian stared at her, unsure how to process the fact that she had chosen to defend a bond that everyone else wanted to erase.
He swallowed once, the only outward sign of how tangled his emotions felt.
"Lady Bai," he said quietly, voice controlled, "you don't owe me anything. You don't have to honor a promise if it hurts your future. I won't hold it against you. If you say you want freedom, then I will agree to the dissolution. I don't want to become a weight on your shoulders."
She turned fully toward him.
The room faded a little around them, enough for him to feel the difference when her attention fixed solely on him.
"I am not choosing this because of pity or guilt," she said. "I'm choosing this because I don't break something that isn't even cracked. I owe myself the truth of what this bond actually is. And I owe my parents the dignity of not walking away without understanding what they intended."
Lin Tian didn't know what to say.
His chest felt tight again, from confusion and something he didn't dare name.
He lowered his gaze slightly, unable to look at her for a moment.
The Azure Snow envoy exhaled sharply. "This is not the end of the discussion. The sect must reconsider this matter."
Bai Xueya didn't flinch. "You may reconsider whatever you wish. The decision is still mine to make."
Her calm tone made the envoy stiffen again.
Lin Clan elders tried to hide their relief.
Bai Clan representatives looked troubled.
Lin Tian sat quietly behind his uncle, heart unsteady in a way he hadn't felt in years.
'Why would someone like her protect a bond with someone like me?'
The question circled in his mind without finding an answer.
Outside, the light shifted as clouds passed overhead, but inside the hall, everything remained motionless except for the tension that still clung to every corner.
This wasn't the end.
This was the beginning.
End of Chapter 3