Part Two
Lian found him near the eastern wall, overlooking the lower valley.
"They've assigned two inner disciples to observe you full-time."
"I noticed."
"You're not angry?"
"No."
That answer unsettled her.
"They don't trust what happened."
"They shouldn't."
She frowned.
"You're defending them?"
"I would do the same."
The wind carried distant sounds of training bells.
For a moment, everything seemed ordinary again.
But she studied him closely.
"You've changed."
"I answered a question."
"That's not what I mean."
She hesitated.
"You're… quieter."
He thought about it.
Before, he had stood because no one else would.
Now—
He stood knowing something vast had listened.
That altered posture.
Not externally.
Internally.
"It is heavier," he admitted.
"What is?"
"Being heard."
She did not know how to respond to that.
Because most cultivators sought to be noticed by Heaven.
None considered the cost once noticed.