Su Wei frowned at her words. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp and thoughtful.
"Miss Yue, are you implying our path is unwise?"
"I am implying it is dangerous," she corrected, her voice calm.
"Your clan's actions are actively altering the fates of millions. Such widespread intervention is a gamble against Heaven itself. Your clan might have to face heavy repercussions for it."
"How can that be?" Su Jiao asked, his brows knitted in confusion. "We are helping people. How can doing good be wrong? I don't understand."
Yue Mei shook her head gently. "I do not know if it is wrong, but I have heard that meddling with fate has consequences."
She continued, "Whether those are good or bad, I cannot say. I only know that the powerful and wise avoid it."
She took a slow sip, her crimson eyes watching them. She set the cup down.
"Consider this," she began, her tone instructive. "A mortal's life is filled with many misfortunes. Sickness, hunger, natural catastrophes, wild beasts..."
She paused slightly. "...most live a hard life, their paths short and fraught with peril."
"Now, if the weight of their collective misfortune becomes tied to your clan's destiny, what do you think will happen to your family?"
Su Wei fell silent. His mind raced with terrifying implications. Her words made sense, but he wasn't sure how much faith to put in them.
It was Su Ting who spoke, his voice quiet but firm, his hands clenched into tight fists in his lap.
"Isn't cultivation itself an act of going against the will of Heaven? If saving people is also altering Heaven's design, then what difference does it make? Or is there something we are unaware of?"
Yue Mei met his deep gaze, a flicker of something unreadable moving in her eyes.
"Heaven allows a path to immortality," she said. "But how many can even glimpse its end?"
"The road of cultivation is relatively smooth until the Core Formation realm. After that, countless geniuses fail their heavenly tribulations. They end up stuck forever, their lifespans bleeding away into dust."
She paused, letting her words settle in the air.
"Look at the ratio of Core Formation experts to Nascent Soul cultivators. Heaven permits the path, but it does not guarantee anyone can walk it to the end."
Her meaning was clear. The path of cultivation was permitted by Heaven, but with its own trials.
If the Su Clan chose to walk this unique, compassionate road, they too would have to face their own unique tribulations.
A heavy, contemplative silence took place on the table. The distant sound of the waterfall seemed louder now, a constant rush against their newfound understanding.
Should I ask her about— no, this is good enough for the first meeting, Su Wei thought. She might not reveal anymore.
He cupped his fist, offering a respectful bow. "Miss Yue, thank you for providing such valuable information today. You have given us much to consider."
Yue Mei inclined her head graciously. "Your family has allowed me to stay here. Consider this information a small token of gratitude."
Su Wei nodded at her words. Su Jiao also nodded, a look of respect evident on his face.
"Yes, thank you, Miss Yue," he said. "I hope our sudden visit didn't displease you. We shall take our leave now."
"It was pleasant meeting," Yue Mei replied with a small, genuine smile.
Su Ting met Yue Mei's gaze and gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod—a silent promise of a future conversation.
She nodded back. This small gesture escaped the eyes of his cousins, who were still lost in their own thoughts.
Soon, the three cousins departed from the tranquil courtyard, leaving Yue Mei behind.
She watched their departing figures and sighed. "I hope this information will bring some change. I just hope my worries are for naught."
…
The three cousins walked down the familiar, pebbled paths of the Su Manor.
Their expressions were the complete opposite of when they had first arrived at Yue Mei's courtyard; their earlier curiosity and casual confidence had been replaced by a shared, somber gravity.
The setting sun cast long shadows, stretching them out like their tangled thoughts.
Su Jiao spoke, his voice low and uncertain. "Do you think her conclusion is right?"
Su Wei's gaze was distant, fixed on the path ahead. "Her logic appears sound," he admitted, his tone grim.
"The lack of history, the cultural divide, the resource disparity… it all fits. But we might be lacking information that the elders possess. It is better to verify this a little more before accepting it as truth."
"But her words about the clan…" Su Jiao pressed, his voice troubled. "About misfortune, and the danger of helping mortals. What should we do with that?"
"I don't know," Su Wei said honestly, a note of uncertainty in his voice. The scale of the philosophical problem was beyond him.
Su Ting finally spoke. "I will talk to my brother about it," he said firmly.
"He can talk to her in more detail if he thinks it's necessary. He will know what to do."
"Hmm, good." Su Wei nodded, a measure of relief entering his expression. The suggestion made sense. "It's better to leave this to more suitable people. We can't do much about it on our own."
They soon reached the main intersection of paths that led to the inner chambers of the manor.
"I will take my leave," Su Wei announced, his mind already turning to his next step. "I need to discuss some of this with Su Feng. Su Ting, you should inform Cousin Kang soon as well."
Su Ting nodded his agreement.
With a final, shared look of understanding, Su Wei and Su Jiao departed, heading towards their own courtyards and leaving Su Ting alone on the path.
Su Ting watched them go, his calm expression hardening slightly once he was alone.
I need to talk to her first, he thought, before I discuss any of this with my brother.
He needed to understand Yue Mei's full intentions and what else she might know. With his mind made up, he turned and headed back to his own residence.
…
Bai Yunxi sat cross-legged in her cultivation chamber. Spiritual arrays hummed faintly, filling the enclosed space with a dense, visible Qi.
Her forehead was beaded with sweat. Inside her Dantian, refined Qi surged through her meridians, gathering, compressing, and swirling into an ever-denser vortex.
The faint white mist of Qi had reached its limit, pressing against the unseen walls of her current stage.
A low hum vibrated from her core as the gaseous Qi compressed, shedding its impurities and growing brighter, purer.
With a final, silent push of her consciousness, the bottleneck shattered. A new wave of purer, stronger energy flooded her body.
She opened her emerald eyes, a satisfied smile gracing her lips as she felt the newfound strength flowing through her meridians. She had reached the eighth stage of the Qi Refining Realm.
She exited the chamber. "Xian'er, prepare my bath."
"As Young Miss wishes," Xian'er replied with a bow.
"Did he come to look for me today?" Bai Yunxi asked, her tone casual.
"Yes, Young Master was here this evening," Xian'er confirmed with a small sigh.
She had been witnessing this for a few days now. At first, she thought her master and madam had fought. Her advice had been ignored by Bai Yunxi, so in the end, she gave up.
"How long did he stay in the garden this time?" Bai Yunxi asked.
"He went back immediately after we told him you were in cultivation," Xian'er said.
Bai Yunxi nodded and went to the bathing chamber. She gracefully removed her robe and sank into the large, steaming hot spring pool.
Her muscles instantly began to relax as the spiritual herbs mixed into the water started to work their magic. She took out a jade scroll and used her spiritual sense to scan its contents.
After a moment, she let out a soft sigh. "Li Baozhai has taken some young people to Yunjin City. It seems he doesn't fully trust the Su family."
Li Baozhai was the Li family's one of the few remaining elder.
He was responsible for their finances and various business ventures, including those they had acquired after conquering several rival clans.
He was clearly afraid the Su Clan might try to absorb their businesses if they let their guard down.
Why doesn't he understand that it's all useless? she thought with a flicker of frustration. If the Su Clan really wanted to take over, he couldn't do a thing.
He is only putting younger members at risk by moving them like this. I need to ask husband to monitor their movements. I hope they aren't planning to go to another city after this.
She placed the jade slip aside, her gaze falling on the pool around her. She looked at her reflection in the steaming water.
"It seems a bit big now," she murmured to herself, a thoughtful, almost mischievous smile touching her lips.