Morning light filtered through the window lattice as she broke through the bottleneck, her cultivation reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining.
As the spiritual energy completed its final circulation through her meridians, the barrier between realms dissolved soundlessly, quieter than any breakthrough before.
Lin Zhixue opened her eyes, glanced down at the palms of her hands, then withdrew her cultivation and stood up, pushing open the bedroom door.
The morning light in the courtyard was just right. Crossing the corridor, she made her way toward the main hall.
Father Lin sat in the main hall sipping tea. Seeing her enter, he lifted his eyelids slightly.
His expression was placid as he gently set the teacup down on the table, raising his eyes to motion for her to take a seat.
Lin Zhixue did not sit. She stood quietly before him, back straight as a rod, hands folded in front of her. Her gaze was calm and open, no longer cast down at her toes.
“Father, I want to take part in the Yunxiao Sect's recruitment.”
Father Lin looked at her. Silence hung between them for several breaths.
There was no outburst of anger or reprimand as she had imagined. He merely picked up his teacup, took another sip, and spoke in an aloof tone that she couldn't quite place.
“What do you think you can gain by going to a sect?”
“I don't know.”
Lin Zhixue's voice was soft, yet held no hesitation.
“But I want to see.”
Father Lin set down his teacup and looked at her.
To see.
The word was so light—far too light for someone preparing to leave home and venture into a completely unknown realm. Yet that was the exact word she had chosen.
It wasn't “I want to make a name for myself” or “I want to bring glory to the clan”; she simply wanted to see.
To see what the outside world was like.
She wanted to see something greater than what she had seen in this city.
“Cultivation is arduous,” Father Lin said.
“I know.”
Lin Zhixue met his gaze. “But staying here isn't necessarily any easier than cultivating.”
Father Lin said nothing.
He naturally understood the meaning behind her words.
It wasn't as if he was unaware of Madam Zhou’s pettiness, nor was he blind to the clan's neglect toward this daughter.
He had simply never bothered to intervene.
It wasn't that he couldn't; he was simply too indifferent to care.
Now, Lin Zhixue stood before him, not crying or leveling accusations, but simply and calmly telling him.
Staying home was no easier than cultivating.
He noticed her cultivation level.
The seventh level of Qi Refining—he had no idea when she had broken through.
Not long ago, she had only been at the fourth level of Qi Refining, shrinking into corners with her head bowed, vulnerable to being stepped on by anyone.
Now she stood before him, meeting his eyes head-on without flinching, holding a jade slip he had never seen before in her hand.
He fell silent for a long time—so long that the steam from the teacup had completely dissipated. Then, he waved his hand, saying nothing more.
Lin Zhixue gave him a slight bow, turned, and walked out.
As she reached the doorway, out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a dark purple hem flitting away behind a pillar.
She continued on her way.
Hiding behind the pillar, Madam Zhou twisted her handkerchief tightly between her fingers.
She had overheard everything from start to finish.
If this girl really left, who would do her chores?
Who would run her errands?
And more importantly...
Who would secure that betrothal gift for her?
She couldn't let Lin Zhixue leave just like that. She stood in place, twisting her handkerchief for several breaths, before abruptly turning and hurrying out of the courtyard.
Her steps were hurried and urgent, not even pausing to brush off the dust where her skirt brushed against the threshold.
...
Lin Yuanfan was flipping through an old book in his study.
Madam Zhou recounted everything that had transpired in the main hall down to the finest detail, asking what they should do.
The hand he used to turn the page paused, and he slowly closed the book, setting it aside.
“Is that so,” he said.
Then he smiled, calm and composed.
It was as though he had heard of an insignificant matter he had anticipated all along.
Madam Zhou had expected him to be anxious; seeing him smile, she was momentarily stunned instead.
She pressed him on what to do about it, claiming she cared for her daughter and didn't want her to leave.
Lin Yuanfan picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone airy and indifferent.
“Since she wants to go, let her go.”
Madam Zhou's mouth hung open, at a loss for words for a moment.
Lin Yuanfan did not offer much explanation. He merely rose and walked over to the window, gazing out at the old locust tree in the courtyard. Its branches were jagged and uneven; one slanted outwards, blocked by the courtyard wall.
His voice remained measured.
“Yunxiao Sect's recruitment isn't something anyone can enter just because they want to.”
“When the day of the trial arrives, people will naturally be eliminated.”
Madam Zhou froze, not quite grasping his meaning.
Lin Yuanfan merely smiled, offering no further explanation.
If Lin Zhixue wanted to go to the Yunxiao Sect, then let her.
However, whether she could see it through to the end was another matter entirely.
...
The moment she stepped out of the main hall, Xiaoyu floated out from the jade pendant, excitedly spinning several circles in front of Lin Zhixue.
“Zhixue, you're amazing! You convinced your father in just a few sentences—I thought for sure a fight was going to break out!”
She hadn't expected it to go so smoothly either. In truth, she had never really understood her father.
Over the years, he had barely paid any attention to her, never speaking or asking after her, like a stranger living under the same roof.
She had thought bringing it up would be difficult, or at least entail a lengthy interrogation, but it had ended after just a brief exchange.
Just now, he hadn't opposed her or scolded her, nor had he told her to get lost.
For the first time, she felt that this was simply the kind of person he was.
Neither fondness nor hatred, only silence.
Perhaps he was just too indifferent to care, but when she spoke up, he hadn't stopped her either.
When she returned to her room, Xiaohe was folding clothes.
Catching sight of her walking in, Xiaohe stopped halfway through folding a garment and called out, “Miss.”
Lin Zhixue sat down across from her and looked into her eyes.
“I’m going to the Yunxiao Sect. I might be gone for a long time, and I'm not sure when I'll be back.”
“After I leave, you cannot remain in the Lin residence.”
She paused. “I want you to go to the Gu manor. Would you be willing?”
She spoke very slowly, as if weighing every single word on the tip of her tongue before releasing it.
She didn't know what Xiaohe would think. After all, that was someone else's household, and it meant she would have to stay alone in a completely unfamiliar environment without a single acquaintance.
Xiaohe blinked.
“Wherever Miss tells me to go, I'll go. I trust Miss's judgment.”
She then added, “If Miss thinks it's a good place, then it is.”
Xiaohe did not hesitate for even a single breath.
“I'll listen to Miss.”
Without the slightest hesitation, she grinned, two shallow dimples appearing on her round face, her eyes shining bright.
“I'll go wherever Miss tells me to go.”
“The Gu manor it is! If Miss thinks it's good, then it is.”
Lin Zhixue looked at her, smiling for quite a while before letting out a soft “Mm.”
With this settled, only one final matter remained.
To go find Gu Yanqing.
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