Krikslklkkakm.
The sound of legs running helter-skelter echoed through the hall as servants scrambled toward Yue Ling's chamber.
She was screaming.
She had finally woken up after seven days—seven long days since the beating, since she was dragged back half-dead from Todou Village. The trauma shook her awake. The pain, the humiliation—it hadn't faded. It had just waited.
"Ling'er, Ling'er, calm down! I'm here."
It was Grandfather Yue's voice. Calm, steady—but behind it, fear.
She turned to him, her voice sharp like shattered jade.
"This... this is why I always begged you to let me learn to defend myself! If you had taught me... none of this would have happened!" Her chest rose and fell with each breath, rage battling despair in her eyes. "You locked me up in this beautiful place that looks like a cage—yes, a cage! You keep saying others envy me... but what use is a golden cage?!"
Tears welled in her eyes, and her voice cracked.
"I didn't even know my parents... You kept everything from me. You keep calling yourself my grandfather, but how do I even know that's true? Get out! Get out of my room! I don't want to see anyone!"
She turned away, fists clenched, sobs threatening to spill again.
Grandfather Yue stood frozen. The wound in his heart—deeper than any sword—opened once more.
Without another word, Yue Ling stormed out. Her feet took her where they always did after their fights—to the cliff.
The sky was clear, the wind soft, but her world was in chaos.
She sat down at the edge, her legs hanging in the air, and broke down completely. Her sobs echoed into the valley, her shoulders trembling, the memories of fists and jeers still fresh like reopened scars.
From afar, Grandfather Yue watched. Silent. Burdened.
Ye'er... your daughter... she's just like you. Sweet... and stubborn. Always doing what she believes is right.
His eyes were heavy with the weight of memories, of promises, of pain.
"Maybe... maybe it's time."
His voice was almost a whisper, carried away by the breeze.
"Maybe it's time to remove the restraint on her temple... so she can cultivate."
He turned away, gripping the sleeves of his robe tightly.
"I'm just afraid... afraid of history repeating itself."
A pause.
Then he called out, "Butler San. Butler San!"
The old servant appeared, bowing deeply.
"Go to the Xianxue Refining Room. Retrieve the materials I sent last year. Ling'er... she needs to be known by the world."
Butler San hesitated, eyes flickering with worry.
"What about Yue Yue's last wish?"
Grandfather Yue didn't answer.
His eyes never left the distant figure at the edge of the cliff, sobbing against the wind.