The Earth Sect had become strangely quiet.
Not the peaceful quiet of cultivation.
Not the tranquil silence of mountains.
But the silence of people avoiding something they did not wish to face.
The formation surrounding the inner courtyard continued to operate day and night.
Golden-brown pillars of earth energy rose invisibly beneath the ground, creating an enormous cage around the area where Xiao Tu lived.
No chains bound his wrists.
No guards followed him.
No elder openly accused him.
Yet everyone understood.
He was no longer free.
The sect called it protection.
The disciples called it precaution.
The elders called it necessity.
But Xiao Tu knew its true name.
Imprisonment.
And still...
he never complained.
Every morning he watered the flowers he had planted.
Every afternoon he repaired broken stones and cracked pathways.
Every evening he sat beneath the old tree and watched the sunset paint the mountains gold.
As though nothing had changed.
As though his heart remained untouched.
Far beneath the Earth Sect...
thousands of feet underground...
an old man slowly opened his eyes.
Darkness surrounded him.
Ancient earth essence flowed around him like rivers.
His breathing alone caused the underground caverns to tremble.
This was the Earth Sect's oldest ancestor.
The father of the current Sect Leader.
A Heaven Enlightenment cultivator.
For decades he had remained in seclusion.
For decades he had not concerned himself with sect affairs.
Yet today...
his eyes opened.
Because he felt something impossible.
The Earth Vein was grieving.
His brows furrowed.
"Impossible..."
The old ancestor placed a hand against the stone floor.
The sorrow flowing through the earth reached his senses immediately.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Painful.
Like a parent mourning a dying child.
His expression changed.
"The Earth Vein..."
"...is crying."
Without hesitation, he rose.
The underground chamber shook violently.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The old ancestor stepped forward.
For the first time in many years...
he began walking toward the surface.
Meanwhile...
the Earth Sect itself continued changing.
Spirit herbs bloomed during the night only to wither by sunrise.
Earth-attributed disciples reported strange emotions while cultivating.
Some felt sadness.
Others felt loneliness.
Others woke from dreams with tears on their faces without understanding why.
Even the mountains themselves seemed different.
The wind carried a strange heaviness.
The rivers flowed more slowly.
The soil no longer felt alive.
As though the entire land was preparing for a funeral.
Fear quietly spread among the elders.
Yet no one understood the reason.
That night...
Lan Yue stood outside Xiao Tu's courtyard.
Moonlight covered the stone pathway.
Her hands trembled.
Her breathing shook.
For several moments she simply stood there.
Unable to move.
Unable to leave.
Finally...
she stepped forward.
Xiao Tu was sitting beneath the old tree.
A teapot rested beside him.
The flowers he planted swayed softly in the wind.
When he saw her...
he smiled.
The same smile.
The same gentle smile that had never changed.
"Lan Yue."
His voice remained warm.
"Come sit."
She sat across from him.
Neither spoke.
The silence lasted a long time.
Then suddenly—
Tears appeared in her eyes.
Xiao Tu watched quietly.
As though he already knew why she came.
"I..."
Her voice trembled.
"I..."
But the words would not come.
Because if she spoke...
everything would break.
Xiao Tu lowered his gaze toward the teacup in his hands.
Then he spoke softly.
"You don't need to say it."
Lan Yue froze.
His smile was calm.
Peaceful.
Almost unbearably gentle.
"I already know."
The world seemed to stop.
Lan Yue stared at him.
Her eyes widened.
Her breathing stopped.
"...know what?"
Xiao Tu looked toward the distant mountains.
"The elders."
"The Vice Sect Leader."
"The suspicions."
"The plans."
His voice remained quiet.
"I discovered them a long time ago."
Lan Yue felt her heart shatter.
"You..."
"You knew?"
Xiao Tu nodded.
"I knew."
"Then why?"
The tears finally escaped.
"Why didn't you leave!?"
"Why didn't you run!?"
"Why are you still here!?"
The pain she had buried for so long exploded from her chest.
Xiao Tu remained silent for a moment.
Then he smiled.
A lonely smile.
"If trust disappears the moment fear appears..."
"...was it ever trust?"
Lan Yue lowered her head.
Her body trembled.
"If love only exists when everything is safe..."
"...was it ever love?"
The words struck her heart harder than any blade.
Xiao Tu looked toward the stars.
"I stayed because I chose to."
"No one forced me."
"No one trapped me."
"It was my choice."
Lan Yue cried silently.
Because she understood.
He had never been blind.
He had simply chosen to believe.
Later that night...
Xiao Tu entered meditation.
His consciousness slowly descended.
Deeper.
Deeper.
Beyond flesh.
Beyond spirit.
Beyond thought.
Until he arrived once more inside the endless world of golden earth.
The Nature Vein Spirit awaited him.
Standing quietly amidst the boundless soil.
The spirit looked at him for a long time.
Neither spoke.
Finally...
the spirit asked softly,
"Why are you still here?"
Xiao Tu smiled.
"You already know."
"I want to hear it."
The spirit's voice carried unusual emotion.
So Xiao Tu sat upon the earth.
And began speaking.
He spoke about his childhood.
His brothers.
Little Water.
Little Death.
The paths they had walked together.
The people they had met.
The warmth he had experienced.
The happiness he had found.
The pain he had endured.
Hours seemed to pass.
Yet the spirit listened silently.
When Xiao Tu finished...
the endless earth became quiet.
The spirit finally spoke.
"Leave."
Xiao Tu blinked.
The spirit repeated itself.
"Leave the Earth Sect."
Its voice carried unusual urgency.
"Your fate here is death."
The words echoed across the endless world.
"I have seen it."
"I have felt it."
"I have watched it approach."
The spirit stepped closer.
"If you leave now..."
"I will protect you."
"I will hide your presence."
"I will guide your path."
"You can live."
The earth trembled.
Waiting for his answer.
Xiao Tu lowered his eyes.
For a long time he said nothing.
Then...
he smiled.
A gentle smile.
A peaceful smile.
The same smile he always wore.
"I know."
The spirit froze.
"You know?"
Xiao Tu nodded.
"I know."
"And yet..."
He looked toward the distant horizon.
"I choose to stay."
The spirit stared at him.
Unable to understand.
"Why?"
Xiao Tu's answer came softly.
"Because I trust them."
"Even if they betray me."
The spirit fell silent.
"Because I love them."
"Even if they hurt me."
The endless world became quiet.
For the first time...
the Nature Vein Spirit felt something unfamiliar.
Pity.
Profound pity.
Not because Xiao Tu was weak.
Not because he was foolish.
But because he was too pure.
Too gentle.
Too willing to carry pain alone.
The spirit slowly closed its eyes.
"I cannot save you."
Xiao Tu smiled.
"I know."
The spirit looked toward him.
Then made a decision.
A decision it had never considered before.
"If you die..."
its voice trembled,
"...I will not remain here."
Xiao Tu looked surprised.
The spirit continued.
"I will pass everything to you."
"My history."
"My memories."
"My inheritance."
"My existence."
A faint sorrow appeared in its eyes.
"And if you die..."
"...I shall accompany you."
The endless earth shook.
Like a vow made before heaven itself.
Xiao Tu remained silent.
Then he bowed deeply.
Not as a cultivator.
Not as a chosen successor.
But as a friend.
The spirit watched him quietly.
Then slowly vanished.
The golden world dissolved.
Xiao Tu returned to reality.
Opening his eyes beneath the old tree.
The night sky stretched above him.
Peaceful.
Silent.
Then—
The entire Earth Sect trembled.
BOOOOM.
The mountains shook violently.
Cracks spread through stone pathways.
Buildings rattled.
Countless disciples stumbled in shock.
Another tremor followed.
Then another.
Then another.
The Earth Vein was mourning.
Openly.
Fearlessly.
Without restraint.
Deep underground...
the old ancestor finally emerged from seclusion.
Far away...
Little Water suddenly froze.
The bloodline connection pulsed violently.
A suffocating feeling spread through his chest.
His eyes widened.
For the first time...
he did not sense danger.
He sensed something worse.
Approaching death.
And somewhere beneath the trembling sky...
Xiao Tu sat quietly beneath the old tree.
Watching the stars.
Waiting.
As fate slowly approached.
---Waiting---