'He wants to exile himself?' Lin Quan thought. 'It... actually makes sense. His presence here causes tension. The Elders are always in a foul mood because of him. If he disappears to the lower domain, out of sight, out of mind...'
Lin Quan's gaze drifted to the white fox on Lin Kai's shoulder.
To his immense surprise, the small beast mimicked its master. Xiao Bai had lowered her head, her front paws crossed, bowing in a perfect imitation of a respectful plea.
'What a strange beast,' Lin Quan mused. 'Intelligence at such a low level? No matter.'
"You make a compelling argument, boy," Lin Quan said finally, his voice losing some of its edge. "You are right. Your presence here is... awkward. For everyone."
He stroked his goatee. "However, I cannot make this decision alone. Your uncle is none other than the Clan Leader. You are the fiancé of the Young Miss. Even if you are trash, your blood is noble."
"Please, Master Quan," Lin Kai pressed, sensing the opening. "My Uncle means Clan Leader... I think he would be relieved to see me gone."
Lin Quan let out a dark chuckle. "You might be right about that. Very well."
He flicked his sleeve.
"I will present your request. I cannot promise anything. But if he agrees that your absence is better than your presence... you will be on the ship next week."
"Thank you, Master Quan!" Lin Kai said, putting genuine gratitude into his voice.
"Do not thank me yet," Lin Quan said dismissively, turning to walk away. "And get out of my sight. You are blocking the road."
"Yes, Master!"
Lin Kai stood up, grabbed Xiao Bai, and backed away respectfully until the Deacon was out of earshot.
Then, he spun around.
A grin—wild and fierce—broke across his face.
"Did you hear that, Xiao Bai?" he whispered, clutching the fox. "He didn't say no! He's going to ask!"
Yip!
Xiao Bai barked happily, sensing the change in his mood.
Lin Kai felt lighter than he had in years. The heavy pressure of the Pocket Realm, the constant judgment, the suffocating golden clouds... he might finally escape it all.
He ran back to the bridge. His steps were light, his robes flapping like wings.
"Master Feng! Master Feng!"
He reached the archway, breathless. Feng Xiu was still there, leaning on his staff, gazing out at the horizon where the sun was dipping below the floating islands.
"I did it!" Lin Kai exclaimed, his eyes shining. "I spoke to the Deacon. I played the role of the humble exile. He said he would ask my uncle! I might be able to leave for Flame Cloud City next week!"
He expected the old man to smile. He expected a pat on the back.
But Feng Xiu didn't smile.
The old healer turned slowly. His face, usually filled with grandfatherly warmth, was now etched with a deep, profound sorrow. His eyes looked watery, and his grip on the staff was white-knuckled.
"Master Feng?" Lin Kai took a step closer, concerned. "What... what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Why are you sad?"
Feng Xiu's voice rasped, low and rough. "I am sad because I just watched the son of that persona kneel in the dust before a mere Deacon."
He slammed the butt of his staff against the marble. Clack!
"Why did you bow?" Feng Xiu demanded, his voice rising with uncharacteristic heat. "You have noble blood running through your veins! You are lineage of the clan's main branch. Shouldn't a young man have boiling blood? Shouldn't you have pride? Shouldn't u have thought a little before doing something like this?"
Lin Kai blinked, taken aback by the old healer's outburst. He had expected praise for his cunning, for his ability to manipulate the arrogant Deacon. Instead, he was being scolded for a lack of ego.
He looked at the old man, his expression calming into a mask of pragmatic maturity that seemed out of place on a fifteen-year-old's face.
"Pride?" Lin Kai repeated the word, testing its weight. "Master Feng, look at me."
He gestured to his worn robes, the calluses on his hands, and the scuffed sandals on his feet.
"I am a Grade Zero cripple. I have a Mortal Body. I live in a hut that leaks when it rains. In this clan, I am lower than the servants," Lin Kai said softly, his voice devoid of bitterness, stating only cold, hard facts. "If I had walked up to Deacon Lin Quan with 'boiling blood' and demanded to leave, he would have laughed in my face. He might have even crippled me just to teach me a lesson."
Lin Kai stepped closer, looking the old man in the eye.
"I bowed because it was necessary. I begged because it was the key to the lock. My only goal is to survive, Master Feng. To survive, I will bow to a Deacon. I will bow to a beggar. I will bow to a dog if it lets me live long enough to become strong enough so that I never have to bow again."
Feng Xiu stared at the boy. He saw the fire in Lin Kai's eyes—not the roaring, reckless fire of a youth seeking glory, but the cold, enduring flame of a survivor.
It was the same look she had.
The image of Yu Yue flashed in Feng Xiu's mind. The Crimson Fairy. The woman who walked into the Clan with a smile that hid a thousand daggers. She, too, had endured the suspicion of the Clan Leader. She, too, had played the game.
'He is so like her,' Feng Xiu thought, his heart aching. 'And yet, seeing him kneel... it breaks my heart. Madam, if you were here... if you saw your little dragon pressing his forehead to the dirt for the sake of a ticket out... would you burn this clan to the ground?'
Feng Xiu let out a long, trembling sigh, his shoulders slumping. The anger drained out of him, leaving only the exhaustion of an old man who had seen too much.
"Would this kind of thing happen if she was here?" Feng Xiu muttered to himself, his voice barely a whisper carried by the wind. "I have failed. Seven years... and I couldn't protect her legacy. Where did she go? Why has the universe been so cruel to this bloodline?"
Lin Kai caught the mutterings. His ears perked up.
"She?" Lin Kai asked sharply. "Master Feng, who are you talking about? My mother? Do you know where she went?"
Feng Xiu shook his head slowly from side to side, a gesture of finality.
"No, Kai. It is just the ramblings of a senile old man. It is irrelevant to you."
He gently place his one hand to Lin Kai's shoulder as to assure.
"Just wait for the Clan Leader's order. If you get on that ship... do not look back. The Lin Clan is a golden cage, but outside... outside is a jungle. Be a wolf, Kai. Not a dog."
With that, Feng Xiu turned and walked away, his hunched figure retreating back toward the center of the pocket realm.
Lin Kai watched him go, confusion warring with gratitude in his chest.
Yip.
Xiao Bai nuzzled his neck, sensing his turmoil.
Lin Kai let out a breath, forcing his muscles to relax. "You're right, girl. Getting sad or angry won't fill our stomachs. And it won't help us cultivate."
He turned and began the long trek back to the Southern Quadrant.
As he walked through the darkening forest, the adrenaline of the day began to fade, replaced by a gnawing hunger. The grand speeches and emotional confrontations were over; now, the reality of his existence returned.
"What do we have left?" Lin Kai mused aloud, counting on his fingers as he walked. "Half a bag of Spirit Rice. Some dried venison. And... maybe a few wild radishes if the frost didn't kill them."
He looked up at the artificial stars flickering to life in the sky of the pocket realm.
"If I get to leave... I'm going to eat a whole roasted boar," he promised Xiao Bai. "With spices. Real spices. Not just salt."
He reached his dilapidated hut. It looked even smaller and sadder after seeing the grandeur of the Hall of Potential. But as he pushed the creaky door open and lit a small oil lamp, a spark of determination ignited in his gut.
He wasn't the Genius Grade 9. He wasn't the Clan Leader's favorite. He was a beggar with a secret affinity for Darkness.
"Let's eat," Lin Kai said, tossing some wood into the stove. "And then... we try the breathing technique Master Feng gave me. If the Light won't have me, let's see what the Darkness has to say."
As the fire crackled to life, casting long, dancing shadows against the walls, Lin Kai sat down, his eyes reflecting the flames. But deep within his pupils, a darker, crimson swirl began to stir, waiting for the moment to be unleashed. Zee