Chapter 29 - Intense Confrontation

The sun dipped lower, staining the sky in hues of crimson and violet as silence reigned inside Lao Xie's hut. Incense smoke curled lazily in the air, and the world outside seemed far away.

Until-

Ding!

A sharp chime echoed in his mind.

A crimson panel flashed before him.

[System Alert – Task Risk Detected]

Potential Threat to Main Task - Ling Ruxin

Identified Risk: Hai Mu

New Sub-Task Generated – Immediate Intervention Required

Objective: Remove the threat to Ling Ruxin before harm occurs.

Reward: +10% Main Task Progress

Failure Penalty: Main Task Failure

Lao Xie's eyes opened slowly, glowing faintly beneath his lashes.

"…So early?" he murmured. "The little toad actually dares to bite?"

He rose in one fluid motion, smoothing his sleeve.

"Looks like I'll have to pull a weed before it poisons the garden."

Without another word, he vanished into the falling dusk.

.....

Azure Sky Waterfall Garden.

Ling Ruxin had returned to stillness, seated beneath the willow once more. Her fingers brushed gently over her guqin, but she played no song.

She had thought he was gone.

But Hai Mu was not far.

The shadows shifted. From behind a cluster of trees, Hai Mu crept forward once again, his breath shallow, his eyes dark.

"She just doesn't understand yet… she's confused. If I just explain—if I just make her listen…"

Ling Ruxin noticed him at once, and her fingers froze above the strings.

Her voice was quiet, cool.

"You're still here."

"I never got to say everything," Hai Mu said, trying to keep his tone steady. "You… you weren't thinking clearly earlier."

She stood slowly, eyes calm, "You've overstepped, Hai Mu."

"I-no. I've always been sincere," he said, moving closer, his smile now more strained than soft. "You're just… too proud to see who truly cares."

"Stop." She raised a hand. Her voice didn't tremble. "I don't want to hear any more." she added.

But he did not stop.

Hai Mu took another step, hand outstretched as if to reach for her sleeve.

"You need someone to break that wall you keep hiding behind. I can-"

"Don't touch me."

Her words were like ice.

He faltered… but didn't back away.

Then-

A voice cut clean through the air. Quiet, but razor sharp.

"Didn't she say not to touch?"

Hai Mu froze.

From the shadowed edge of the garden path, a figure stepped forward. Moonlight caught the edges of his white robes and gave them a ghostly shimmer. His eyes were like still water, too calm.

Lao Xie.

He walked slowly, not rushed, hands behind his back.

"Hai Mu," he said smoothly, "Aren't you being too reckless?"

"Y-you... Who are you?" Hai Mu's voice choked in his throat.

Lao Xie tilted his head slightly. "Hmm… I wonder. But you really don't recognize me?"

Hai Mu's brow furrowed. "Wait… white robes, long hair, golden eyes..."

Realization flickered across his face.

Then he burst into mocking laughter.

"Puhaha! And here I thought you might be some hidden master. Turns out it's just the so-called 'little mortal.'"

Lao Xie didn't respond, nor did he look offended.

He simply smiled.

Hai Mu narrowed his eyes. "What now? Are you here to play the hero? Mr. Little Mortal?"

His voice dripped with disdain. He stepped forward again, his tone biting.

"You think standing there with pretty words makes you someone? You're just a useless disciple who can't even cultivate. You're even lower than me."

But the moment those words left his mouth, something shifted.

The air thickened.

Like standing before a beast pretending to be asleep, Lao Xie's voice came soft, almost lazy.

"Can't even cultivate?"

He stepped forward once slow, unhurried and let his energy pulse outward. A surge of Qi filled the garden, silent but undeniable. Smooth, heavy, refined.

The atmosphere snapped tight. The very air seemed to press inward.

Hai Mu's pupils dilated. "W-What…?"

"This aura," he muttered. "This can't be..."

Lao Xie tilted his head ever so slightly. "So… what do you think now?"

"You-- this kind of Qi-- you're not supposed to--" Hai Mu stumbled over his words. "You're supposed to be a mortal! The one who couldn't even sense Qi! That's what everyone said!"

On the side, Ling Ruxin's eyes widened faintly beneath her veil.

"Can't cultivate?"

"Little Mortal?"

"He really is from the outer court?"

One by one, questions flooded her mind like waves crashing against still water.

She looked at Lao Xie again, this time with a gaze that carried a strange intensity. Something inside her stirred, something she couldn't quite name.

Lao Xie's voice dipped lower, colder. "You're just an outer disciple clinging to your father's name. You think being Elder Mu's son makes you untouchable?"

He took another step.

"Last time it was Young Master Li who tried something stupid," he added casually. "Now it's you."

Hai Mu flinched at the name.

"Even Senior Brother Li is interested in her?" he thought, his mind racing.

Hai Mu's fists trembled. "You-"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Lao Xie was already moving.

He closed the distance between them with ease. Shoulder to shoulder now, facing opposite directions.

Lao Xie's voice came like a whisper beside his ear.

"Try it."

Pressure exploded outward.

The garden seemed to shudder.

To a mere Bone Tempering Realm disciple, Lao Xie's Qi was like a mountain. It pressed down with an invisible weight that made Hai Mu's knees shake. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he struggled to breathe.

This wasn't just any ordinary level of Qi control.

It was extraordinary.

More suffocating than anything Ling Ruxin had felt from others at the same stage.

She looked on in silence, heart pounding faintly beneath her calm exterior.

"That kind of Qi control.... He make it looks easy to manipulate and control the Qi."

Hai Mu's thoughts scrambled.

"How is this possible…? He was supposed to be just a mortal."

"But now… now-" His legs buckled.

Lao Xie's voice was a whisper, barely a breath.

But to Hai Mu, it sounded like thunder.

"A toad trying to eat the swan," he murmured, almost amused.

Hai Mu froze. A cold shiver traced his spine.

Lao Xie's golden eyes glinted faintly beneath his lashes as he continued in a low, almost affectionate tone.

"Tell me, Hai Mu… when you reach for something that was never meant for you, what do you think happens?"

He leaned closer, just enough for his voice to brush like frost against Hai Mu's ear.

"She's far too beautiful and powerful for someone like you. But don't worry…"

A pause.

"I'll take care of her."

Hai Mu's breath hitched. For the first time, he saw it.

He truly saw it.

Not just the words, but the weight behind them.

"This guy... He's been eyeing on Sister Ruxin as well..."

Hai Mu's mind raced.

"This man… he's dangerous."

"This pressure… it's outrageous. For someone like him to still be an outer disciple?"

He stared in disbelief.

"This is Qi Refinement Realm… but then-"

"Don't tell me… he planned all of this?"

The pieces fell together too quickly. Too smoothly.

"Those mocking titles… the rumors about being unable to cultivate… they were part of it?"

"He's been pretending to be harmless. A sheep."

"But this man… he's a wolf."

A chill crawled down Hai Mu's spine.

The oppressive Qi faded just enough for him to stagger back, eyes wide with a dawning realization.

"No… this isn't just about me."

His gaze drifted past Lao Xie…

Towards Ling Ruxin.

"This man… he's wicked."

Lao Xie remained still, his gaze calm yet unreadable. The oppressive weight of his Qi had begun to loosen, but not entirely. Just enough for Hai Mu to breathe, barely.

Across from him, Hai Mu staggered back half a step, face pale beneath the strain, his thoughts reeling. He dared not meet Lao Xie's eyes again, not after what he just felt. what he just realized.

But Lao Xie stepped closer, unhurried, as though he had all the time in the world.

Their shoulders nearly brushed as he passed by, and in that quiet, suffocating moment, Lao Xie leaned in just enough for his breath to ghost past Hai Mu's ear.

"If you're still feeling bold…" he murmured, voice low and cold, "you can always challenge me in the upcoming tournament."

"That is… if you can reach the top ten."

Hai Mu's eyes widened, but he said nothing. His lips parted slightly, yet no sound came. The tension in his limbs faltered, his pride and courage retreating somewhere too deep to grasp.

Then, without another glance, Lao Xie stepped past him entirely.

Hai Mu stood frozen for a breath longer then turned and walked away.

No threats. No parting insults.

Just silence.

The kind of silence that followed a near-death realization, the kind that clung even as footsteps faded behind him.

Now, only Lao Xie and Ling Ruxin remained.

The garden returned to stillness. The willow leaves stirred faintly in the breeze once more. And under the waning light of dusk, Lao Xie's white robes shimmered faintly, like mist touched by moonlight.

He didn't speak yet.

But the distance between them was closing and the air between them carried the weight of what had just passed.