Chapter 136: Deal Completed
Just as Lin Xiao Tian quietly sat there beneath the cold evening sky, Han Leu suddenly appeared outside the courtyard once again.
"Sect Master," he said respectfully. "Zhang Qingyue and Fairy Chu have arrived."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao Tian slowly stood up once more.
Although he had recovered slightly during the past few days, the exhaustion lingering across his face still remained impossible to fully hide.
The calmness within his eyes had also become much heavier than before. He quietly looked toward Han Leu afterward. "Invite them in."
As he spoke, the stone table within the pavilion quietly rearranged itself once again. Four jade cups slowly appeared while fresh spiritual tea began boiling softly nearby.
Not long afterward, Chu Yue and Zhang Qingyue slowly entered the courtyard.
The moment Lin Xiao Tian saw Zhang Qingyue’s expression, he immediately understood how restless she had been these past days expectation and paranoia filled her face.
Meanwhile, Chu Yue’s gaze immediately landed on Lin Xiao Tian’s pale complexion afterward while worry quietly surfaced within her expression.
Seeing them arrive, Lin Xiao Tian calmly gestured toward the seats nearby. "Please sit."
Both women quietly followed afterward before taking their seats across from him.
Yet before the atmosphere could settle properly, Zhang Qingyue suddenly leaned forward anxiously. "Sect Master... did you obtain the lotus?"
Her voice carried visible tension while even her breathing slightly quickened afterward.
Hearing this, Lin Xiao Tian calmly poured tea into the jade cups while faint steam slowly rose between them.
Then finally a faint smile appeared across his face. "Fortunately," he said quietly, "I was able to fulfill my promise."
The moment those words fell, Zhang Qingyue’s eyes instantly trembled.
Then Lin Xiao Tian slowly raised one hand and in the next instant, a beautiful dark lotus quietly appeared above his palm.
The flower possessed deep black petals layered one after another like fragments of endless void itself.
Strange silver cracks continuously flickered across the petals while faint spatial distortions slowly spread throughout the surrounding air.
At the center of the lotus rested a dim purple glow resembling a tiny collapsing star.
The moment it appeared, even the surrounding spiritual energy became unstable while faint ripples spread quietly across space itself. The entire pavilion instantly fell silent seeing such a treasure appear.
The moment they saw the lotus, Zhang Qingyue’s breathing immediately became unstable.
She slowly reached forward with trembling hands before carefully taking the Void Bane Lotus from above Lin Xiao Tian’s palm as though afraid damaging it accidentally.
The instant her fingers touched the flower, the contract marks upon both their hands quietly faded away into countless particles of light.
The agreement had finally been fulfilled. Zhang Qingyue silently stared toward the lotus for several moments before carefully storing it inside her storage ring.
Only afterward did she finally look toward Lin Xiao Tian again but compared to earlier, the restraint and caution within her expression had become far greater now.
"I am truly grateful for your help, Sect Master," she said quietly. Then her voice lowered slightly afterward. "And... I am also truly sorry for the loss your sect has suffered."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao Tian merely gave a faint smile while calmly lifting his cup of tea. "Do not worry, Lady Qingyue," he answered softly. "It was ultimately my own mistake."
His gaze quietly drifted toward the rising steam above the tea afterward. "And the consequences are naturally mine to bear."
The atmosphere within the pavilion gradually quieted afterward. But then suddenly Chu Yue’s eyes instantly reddened before tears unexpectedly began falling down her face.
"I am sorry, Sect Master..." Her voice trembled heavily afterward. "I am really sorry..."
The usually calm and elegant woman now cried like a child who had committed some unforgivable mistake.
Seeing her sudden breakdown, even Lin Xiao Tian became completely stunned. "Fairy Chu..."
He hurriedly tried calming her down afterward while awkwardly reaching toward her slightly. "Why are you crying? This matter has nothing to do with you."
But the moment those words fell, Chu Yue immediately looked toward him with guilt-filled eyes.
"The mistake is mine," she said while tears continuously fell down her face. "If that day I had not told you about the secret realm..."
Her voice gradually broke apart afterward. "And if I had not brought you toward the pavilion..."
Her fists unconsciously tightened. "Then your sect would never have suffered such a loss."
The moment those words fell, she completely broke down crying and the entire pavilion gradually descended into silence.
Even Zhang Qingyue quietly lowered her eyes while sighing softly.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao Tian stood there awkwardly for several moments because he genuinely did not know how to comfort someone crying like this.
Eventually, he slowly placed one hand upon Chu Yue’s shoulder before speaking firmly. "It is not your fault."
His voice gradually became colder and steadier afterward. "This matter only proves one thing."
The evening wind quietly drifted through the pavilion while his exhausted eyes slowly darkened again. "We were weak."
The atmosphere instantly became heavier afterward.
Lin Xiao Tian slowly lowered his gaze toward the tea table quietly. "And this world..." he continued calmly, "has never cared about the weak."
His voice carried no anger but only exhaustion and understanding. "It simply taught us once again that only the strong truly possess the right to survive within this cruel world."
Hearing those harsh words, Chu Yue slowly fell silent. Yet despite how cruel the sentence sounded everyone present understood clearly that Lin Xiao Tian was not wrong.
Because within the cultivation world Weakness itself was the original sin.
After the atmosphere gradually settled down again, Lin Xiao Tian slowly placed the teacup back onto the table before standing up quietly.
The evening wind continued drifting through the pavilion while the faint scent of spiritual tea still lingered in the air. "Lady Chu," he finally said calmly, "you are still a guest elder of this sect."
Chu Yue slowly raised her head afterward while traces of tears still remained within her eyes.
"That is precisely why I am warning you beforehand."
Lin Xiao Tian’s gaze quietly drifted toward the distant mountains beyond the courtyard while his expression gradually became heavier once again. "Very soon..."
"The entire dynasty and this surrounding region will fall into turmoil."
The moment those words entered their ears, both Chu Yue and Zhang Qingyue’s expressions instantly changed slightly.
Yet before either of them could ask further questions, Lin Xiao Tian calmly continued speaking. "You should prepare yourself carefully."
His voice remained steady and indifferent, yet for some reason, the warning carried an invisible pressure much heavier than ordinary words.
Then without waiting for their response, Lin Xiao Tian simply turned around and slowly walked away from the pavilion.
The next instant, his figure directly disappeared into the cold evening mist and only Chu Yue and Zhang Qingyue remained seated there afterward.
Neither of them spoke for a very long time.
The meaning behind Lin Xiao Tian’s words and the changes within his recent actions continuously echoed throughout their minds while the atmosphere around the pavilion gradually became quieter and colder beneath the fading sunset.
