Quiet Ascent (Part 2)

Abbot Mo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gestured for me to follow him.

We made our way to his private courtyard, back to the familiar table beneath the osmanthus tree. Once we were seated, he poured tea for us both, the gentle trickle of liquid breaking the silence before he finally spoke.

"Sect Leader Ruan has long served as the unseen protector of both Xianru and Wun," he began.

I frowned, wary of why he was suddenly bringing up Ruan Yanjun.

"His influence extends beyond his sect. His counsel to the emperors and the protection he provides have kept those empires stable and untouchable. But now… his life is in grave danger."

A sharp pang of discomfort settled in my chest. "Abbot Mo, with all due respect, I have no interest in anything concerning Sect Leader Ruan. Revisiting the past only brings bitterness."

Abbot Mo's gaze remained steady, but his tone took on a rare urgency. "This is bigger than your past with him. If he falls, the balance of power in the region will collapse. Without his presence, Xianru and Wun will become vulnerable. Kan and Xue, already allied, will seize the opportunity to strike. And when they do, war will consume the land—one that will claim countless innocent lives."

I drew a deep breath, my mind struggling to reconcile the man I knew with the role Abbot Mo claimed he played.

Ruan Yanjun, the linchpin of peace?

It was unsettling. I had always viewed him as a devil, and yet, even devils had their roles in maintaining balance.

"What does this have to do with you, Abbot Mo?" I asked warily.

"The Light Path Alliance has requested my aid in ensuring his survival," he said. "They want me to protect Sect Leader Ruan as he journeys through Silang Empire in search of a cure for his condition."

I frowned. "Why would they send a supposed level-four on such a perilous journey?"

Abbot Mo shook his head, his expression unreadable. "Han Xi… he knows my secret. And according to this letter, Sect Leader Ruan specifically requested for me."

My frown deepened, a whirl of confusion clouding my thoughts. Though I remained silent, he caught my reaction.

With a wry smile, he said, "It puzzles me too."

My thoughts raced, trying to make sense of it. "Silang Empire? I've heard rumors that Emperor Gao was behind an assassination attempt on Ruan Yanjun. Why would he risk stepping into the domain of a man who wants him dead?"

Abbot Mo nodded grimly. "It's more than a rumor. The animosity between Emperor Gao and Sect Leader Ruan is no secret. They once held a mutual respect, but that relationship has long since crumbled."

I leaned forward. "What caused the rift? I thought they had always been on good terms."

Abbot Mo exhaled, his voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of concern. "A great deal happened while you were gone. That was why I went to Storm Surge Temple to find you, but they told me you had vanished—disappeared without a trace."

I nodded, bracing myself for whatever truth he was about to unveil. "What happened?"

He set his teacup down, meeting my gaze intently. "First, when the Nightfall Sect lost all trace of you, some witnesses claimed to have seen someone matching your description boarding a boat to Xianru. Emperor Gao was convinced it was Sect Leader Ruan who had rescued you, taking you back to Xianru under his protection. He accused Sect Leader Ruan of deception, of breaking their agreement after taking what he wanted."

Something inside me twisted painfully. "What did Sect Leader Ruan ask for in exchange for me?" My voice was barely above a whisper. I wasn't sure why I wanted to know. Perhaps it was a masochistic need to understand the price of my existence. Or worse, to find out what he had deemed worth more.

Abbot Mo sighed. "Money, of course, wouldn't interest someone like Sect Leader Ruan," he said. "But the Bai family, Emperor Gao's lineage, is the keeper of ancient scrolls that every cultivator dreams of possessing. These scrolls contain techniques of unfathomable power, capable of elevating the wielder to unmatched strength. Even Sect Leader Ruan, with all his wealth and influence, could not buy one outright. Such scrolls are beyond gold's reach."

My fingers curled into fists beneath the table, nails biting into my palms. "And Emperor Gao agreed to give one of those scrolls in exchange for… me?" The words tasted bitter on my tongue, my stomach tightening at the thought. "Why? I'm not worth that much."

Abbot Mo hesitated, choosing his next words carefully. "Perhaps the emperor saw value in you beyond what you see in yourself. Or perhaps Sect Leader Ruan spun his own tale, making you seem indispensable to his plans. But… knowing Sect Leader Ruan, it's likely he desired the scroll to further his own power."

And there it was, laid bare—the cruel truth I had always feared but never fully confronted.

My chest tightened, as if the very air around me had grown suffocating. Ruan Yanjun had traded me. Like a pawn in his endless game. For a scroll. For power. For something he deemed far more valuable than my life, my dignity, or the trust I had once—so foolishly—placed in him.

"He always claimed I was his most valuable asset," I murmured, the bitterness in my voice cutting like a blade. "But in the end, I was nothing more than a bargaining chip to him."

Abbot Mo's face softened, his silence speaking louder than words.

I lowered my gaze to my hands, trembling despite my best efforts to keep them still. That devil, Ruan Yanjun, was a master of deceit. He could sacrifice trust, friendship—anything and anyone—for his own selfish gain. Why had I ever believed I might be an exception?

The betrayal cut deeper than I wanted to admit, a relentless ache I carried even now. It wasn't just that he had traded me. It was the audacity of it—the way he had taken my vulnerability, my desperation, and twisted them into something useful for himself. How foolish I had been to think, even for a fleeting moment, that I had mattered to him.

"I should have known better," I muttered, a dry, bitter laugh escaping my lips. "I should have known there's no limit to his selfishness."

Abbot Mo reached across the table, his hand resting lightly on mine. "Luo Fan," he said gently, "sometimes the betrayals we endure lead us to the path we were always meant to walk. Perhaps this is one of those times."

"Perhaps," I replied, though the word felt hollow. I didn't believe it. Not yet. Not when the wounds were still fresh, still raw.

A thought surfaced in my mind, one that had been nagging at me since my travels. "Abbot Mo," I said, forcing my voice to remain even, "I heard a rumor… someone mentioned that Sect Leader Ruan's illness might be the result of a tribulation, a test he must pass to reach the final level of cultivation. Could that be true?"

Abbot Mo squinted, considering my words, then shook his head. "Only light-core bearers above level seven face tribulations before ascending to the next level. Dark-core bearers do not."

I stiffened. My lips parted, but no words came.

So it was true.

Ruan Yanjun was ill.

But what could possibly afflict an immortal like him? One who should have been invulnerable to all illness?

Then I remembered those final days with Ruan Yanjun, the fleeting moments when his invincible facade began to crack. After every battle, he moved a fraction slower, his steps just a little heavier, as if carrying an unbearable weight—not just of the world, but of his own demonic core. Whenever I asked, he brushed it off with cold indifference or sharp humor, deflecting my concern as if it were an inconvenience.

But now, with what Abbot Mo had revealed, I couldn't help but wonder—had his body already been deteriorating even then?

"Abbot Mo," I said, my voice measured but firm. "Could his condition have started earlier? I remember seeing him grow weaker after battles. He never admitted it, but it was there."

Abbot Mo arched a thoughtful brow, stroking his chin. "It's possible. Bearers of demonic cores are not immune to the cost of their cultivation, especially if they rely too heavily on its power. Over time, the core can become unstable. If not managed properly, it can begin consuming its host." He paused, then asked, "Tell me, did he seem… different in those moments? More withdrawn or agitated?"

I nodded, the memories falling into place like pieces of a puzzle. "He did. Sometimes he'd snap at me over the smallest things. Other times, he would retreat into himself, as if something was gnawing at him from the inside. But he always recovered—at least, that's what he wanted me to believe."

Abbot Mo let out a heavy breath and leaned back in his chair. "Without more information, it's difficult to say exactly what's afflicting him. But if even someone like Sect Leader Ruan is struggling to suppress it, then it must be severe."

A silence settled between us, thick with unspoken thoughts.

For all his faults, Ruan Yanjun was the most formidable cultivator I had ever known. He had always seemed untouchable, an existence beyond mortal limitations. And yet, it appeared that no one, not even him, was immune to the price of power.

A new realization dawned on me then, unsettling and unexpected.

Perhaps this was why he had traded me for that scroll.

Not out of greed. Not out of malice.

But out of desperation.