So to him, no matter how grim his fate seed, as long as he was alive, there was always a chance things might one day turn in his favor.
With a small asure of newfound calm, the cultivator tentatively asked, "What is it you want to know?"
Sensing the shift in him, Yang Qing replied, "First, what’s your na?"
"My na is Xie Han," the man answered.
"You didn’t lie," Yang Qing said noncommittally, his gaze drifting to the clover seal.
"I know you’re not from the Wan family, so... who are you with?" he asked.
Xie Han paused briefly before finally replying, "I’m a guest elder of the Huang family."
"Another true statent," Yang Qing noted, with a faint trace of praise in his tone. Then his gaze grew more curious.
"A guest elder from the Huang family, yet you’re sneaking around this close to Wan family territory," Yang Qing said in a slow, conspiratorial tone.
"If they caught you, the repercussions wouldn’t just fall on you—they’d extend to the Huang family as well. With stakes that high, there’s no way they’d send you here. So more than likely... You ca here of your own volition, right?"
"I did," Xie Han admitted.
This ti, Yang Qing didn’t bother continuing the ruse of verifying the truth. Xie Han’s confession had already damned him. He was far less likely to lie now.
"So, back to my earlier question: What are you doing here?" asked Yang Qing, with his gaze gleaming with a sharp edge.
Xie Han swallowed nervously. "I was near the gorge when I sensed a subtle shift in the yin flow, so I rushed in, thinking either a yin-related treasure had been born or..." He paused slightly, his expression turning stiff and uncomfortable.
"Or?" Yang Qing pressed softly.
"Or a certain senior I t by chance had co by," Xie Han finally said.
"This senior," Yang Qing began, "he’s skilled with yin energies?"
Xie Han nodded.
"How do you know him?" Yang Qing followed up.
"About a year and a half ago, he whispered to while I was training a few kiloters from this gorge. He said he could help reach the Palace Realm," Xie Han said with a wry smile.
"I didn’t believe him at first, since I couldn’t even see him. I suspected maybe..." Xie Han paused again.
"Maybe what?" Yang Qing asked gently, noticing the bitter smile forming on Xie Han’s face.
"I thought maybe it was soone from the Huang clan playing tricks on ," he admitted, a self-deprecating smile coloring his expression.
"You don’t have a good relationship with them?"
"Not all," Xie Han said with a sigh. "So, yes. But most? Not really," he added, still wearing that sa tired smile.
"Most look at with scorn because of my history. And even now, even though I’m in the Palace Realm, that sa look—as if I’m no better than dung—hasn’t changed. They just conceal it better now," Xie Han said with a light scoff.
"It’s why I cultivate so close to the border. At least out here, those gazes and hushed murmurings won’t reach ," he added. "I can cultivate in peace."
Yang Qing was tempted to ask more about his background, but ultimately decided against it. From the looks of it, it wasn’t a topic Xie Han wanted to revisit. And besides, judging by the nature of his qi, Yang Qing already had a few guesses about the kind of past he carried.
"So after he made the offer, what then?" Yang Qing asked, steering the story forward.
"Well, I was skeptical at first. But a month later, whatever reservations I held slowly waned after he effortlessly pointed out several flaws in my technique while opening my eyes to things I hadn’t even considered. With the results I gave in to the temptation and decided to risk it and trust him. Not long after, he made good on his promise and helped break through to the Palace Realm," Xie Han said with a sigh.
"There’s no free lunch in this world," Yang Qing said calmly. "So what did he ask for in return?"
Xie Han smiled wryly as he said, "I had assud if he wanted anything from it would have sothing to do with the Huang family, but it wasn’t. All he wanted was for to inform him the mont I saw a ferry passing through the gorge."
He paused there, casting a furtive glance at Yang Qing.
"I’m not from the Wan family," Yang Qing said, easily seeing through his thoughts.
"So how did you two communicate?" he continued.
"He gave an incantation and an incense stick to use," Xie Han replied, then quickly followed up, "But I forgot the incantation the instant the incense stick was used up."
"I promise I’m not lying!" he added hurriedly, his worried gaze shifting to the clover on his chest. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that all four leaves were still intact.
"You forgot?" Yang Qing asked, activating his Grand Lunar Gaze and extending his spiritual sense to check for any irregularities in Xie Han’s soul, like those he’d seen with the cicada. He didn’t find anything amiss.
"Yes," Xie Han admitted. "I don’t know how he did it, but he gave an incense stick and an incantation. I used both, but I have no mory of what I said. I rember lighting it three weeks ago when I saw that ship, but I don’t even know what happened in that mont," he said, his frown deepening.
"Three weeks, huh..." Yang Qing muttered before reining in his thoughts and refocusing on Xie Han.
"What happened after that?"
"Nothing," said Xie Han. "I never heard from him again," he added, as his heart began to race. The mont of truth was close. What fate awaited him at the end of this?
"I take it you’ve never seen him either, right?" Yang Qing asked.
"No, I haven’t," Xie Han replied, shaking his head.
"I suspected as much," Yang Qing murmured.
"For soone who gave you such a life-changing opportunity, you sure betrayed him rather easily," Yang Qing suddenly said.
Xie Han smiled wryly at the remark. "It couldn’t be helped," he admitted, his smile tinged with bitterness.
"Yes, I am indeed hugely indebted to him for helping reach the Palace Realm, but as much as it pains to say it, my life ranks higher," he said. "I told him as much when he made the request. I said that if a day ever ca where it was between my life or keeping his secret, I’d reveal everything without hesitation."
"So whatever plans he had in mind, he had to take that into account... and he agreed," he added.
"It’s not an excuse, but I only have just one life, and I’ll do all that I can to preserve it," Xie Han admitted as a pitiful smile colored his face. "Even betraying soone who gave a new lease on life," he weakly added.
"I understand that," Yang Qing said with a sigh. He waved his hand, and the clover seal vanished, along with its lingering effects.
"Xie Han," Yang Qing said softly, "thank you for indulging . You’re free to leave," he added, offering a small smile of gratitude.
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