Cultivation starts with picking up attributes
Chapter 102: Ch-102: Let the drama unfold

Chapter 102: Ch-102: Let the drama unfold

The door to Elder Su’s chamber slid open with a quiet hum.

Inside, the room was a serene blend of simplicity and refined elegance—walls adorned with ancient calligraphy scrolls, shelves lined with polished jade talismans, and a low wooden table surrounded by plush cushions.

Elder Su motioned for Tian Shen and Feng Yin to sit, her sharp eyes gleaming with amused curiosity.

Little Mei, still in fox form, curled up lazily on a silk cushion nearby, her tail twitching with a mix of boredom and anticipation.

Drowsy clucked softly from a wooden perch beside the window, her feathers ruffling as the morning breeze drifted in.

Su poured tea with practiced grace, the fragrant steam weaving through the room.

"So, Newbie Core formation Cultivator," she said, leaning back with a playful smirk. "Tell me, did the mountain tremble again, or was it a polite ripple this time?"

Tian Shen exchanged a glance with Feng Yin, who raised an eyebrow.

"Mostly polite," Tian Shen answered, wincing slightly.

"Though I can’t promise there wasn’t some noise."

Feng Yin chuckled softly.

"And less shouting from me. Mostly."

Su gave a dramatic sigh.

"It’s improvement. Slow but steady. Though if you two spent half as much time practicing your Rom-com as you do your cultivation, you might run the sect one day."

Tian Shen groaned.

"I’m still lobbying for that."

Feng Yin smiled slyly.

"In your dreams, darling."

Their laughter filled the room, light and easy, but beneath it lay the unspoken weight of everything they had endured—and everything still to come.

After a moment, Feng Yin’s expression shifted. She set down her teacup, folding her hands in her lap.

"Elder Su," she began, voice steady yet carrying a note of gravity, "Tian Shen and I would like to request a temporary leave from the sect."

Elder Su raised a brow, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Without prior notice? That’s not usually how things work within the sect."

Feng Yin nodded.

"We understand. But there is something we must do—something that requires us to step beyond the sect’s borders for a while."

Elder Su folded her arms, her demeanor serious now.

"Can you elaborate?"

Tian Shen leaned forward, his tone equally solemn.

"Our origins are from the northern region, as you might know. We came here not just to grow stronger, but to escape the shadow of the Demon Sect."

Feng Yin continued.

"The Demon Sect remains a threat—not only to us, but to the entire northern region. We have unfinished business there. Matters that will define the path ahead."

Su’s eyes darkened briefly, but her voice softened.

"You both carry heavy burdens, I see."

Feng Yin took a breath, then met Su’s gaze.

"We wish to leave with the sect’s blessing, if only for a time. To complete what was left incomplete."

Elder Su was silent for a long moment, contemplating.

Then, unexpectedly, she smiled.

"Have you forgotten something?"

She asked, voice almost teasing.

Tian Shen blinked.

Feng Yin’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What do you mean?"

Elder Su rose gracefully, walking to a cabinet and retrieving a small box carved from dark wood.

She set it on the table and opened it, revealing a pair of jade pendants carved with intricate runes.

"These are tokens of passage—symbols of my trust and protection. If you go, you do so not as fugitives or lone wolves, but as representatives of Feilun Sect."

Tian Shen reached out hesitantly.

"Thanks. Y-you’re not coming with us, right? You don’t have to, you know."

Elder Su’s smile widened.

"I was going to say the same about Little Mei and Drowsy, but here they are."

The fox on the cushion stretched and yawned loudly.

Drowsy clucked once, as if in agreement.

She turned back to them, her tone firm but warm.

"I’m coming too."

Feng Yin and Tian Shen stared.

"I’ve been around long enough to know the dangers lurking just outside our walls. And frankly," she added with a sly glint, "I’m tired of missing out on some great drama."

Tian Shen exhaled, half-relieved, half-exasperated.

"Is this a warning or a promise?"

"A bit of both," She replied.

The room brightened as Little Mei jumped down and padded over to curl against Feng Yin’s feet, and Drowsy hopped to perch on Tian Shen’s shoulder.

Feng Yin glanced at Tian Shen, her mischievous smile returning.

"Well, Looks like you’re stuck with more than just me."

He just shrugged in response.

"What can I even say? Bring it on then."

Elder Su poured another round of tea, the warmth spreading through the room.

"Then it’s settled. We leave at first light tomorrow."

The weight of the journey ahead settled over them all, but with it came a new sense of unity.

Together—husband and wife, fox and chicken, elder and disciple—they would face whatever storms the world dared to unleash.

Preparations began almost immediately. Elder Su gave no room for delay.

Tian Shen found himself saddled with logistics, hauling supplies into a travel bag larger than it had any right to be.

"Why do we need this many beans?"

He muttered.

Little Mei, perched lazily on the stack of crates, sniffed a bean.

"For me."

"You don’t even eat beans."

"I might. What if we pass a stew vendor?"

He looked at her, then the stack.

"You don’t even carry anything."

"I carry emotional support."

From somewhere above, Drowsy clucked once in solemn agreement.

Meanwhile, Feng Yin had taken charge of route planning. With a massive scroll unrolled across the garden table, she traced their potential path with precise fingers.

"We’ll avoid the Eastern Region for now," she said. "let’s go to the Northern Region first. The journey will be longer, but... We don’t want any... premature encounters."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Wouldn’t be the first time something premature happened between us."

Little Mei fell off the crate laughing.

Feng Yin didn’t even blink.

"Don’t tempt me to embarrass you in front of our teacher."

"Please do."

Elder Su called from the doorway.

"I enjoy drama, especially with my tea."

By evening, the group sat gathered for one final meal in the courtyard.

The table was filled with simple but hearty dishes: grilled root vegetables, steamed rice, and sweet lotus buns.

Drowsy, regal as ever, sat on her silk mat, pecking at a spirit fruit slice with the delicacy of an empress.

Little Mei alternated between stuffing her cheeks and trying to steal Tian Shen’s skewer.

"No," he said firmly.

"But I’m small and cute."

"You’ve had four."

"I’m emotionally unstable."

Feng Yin took a bite of her bun, completely unmoved.

"Then meditate."

Even Elder Su seemed more relaxed, sipping a plum wine blend and watching them all with a faint smile.

"You’re an oddly harmonious group," she said.

"And you’re volunteering to join," Tian Shen said dryly.

She raised her cup.

"Not join, Guide."

That night, Tian Shen stood at the pond, gazing at the moonlight reflecting off the surface.

Feng Yin stepped beside him, slipping her hand into his.

"You’re nervous," he murmured.

She nodded.

"A bit. Going back to where our journey, our purpose started... It feels like walking into a story we left unfinished."

Her fingers tightened.

"We’re not the same old us of the Northern Region."

He looked at her.

"We’re stronger. Together."

Feng Yin leaned her head against his shoulder, the soft brush of her hair sending a ripple through the still night.

"Yes," she whispered. "Together."

A breeze drifted across the pond, stirring the lotus leaves. Somewhere in the rafters, Little Mei snored softly, mumbling something about dumplings in her sleep.

Drowsy fluttered down silently beside them, folding her wings with regal calm, like a guardian watching over the night.

Tian Shen exhaled slowly, his gaze on the stars above.

"Do you think they’ll recognize us?"

He asked.

"Our old sect. Your father."

Feng Yin was quiet for a long moment. Then, calmly—

"You haven’t gone bald, so most probably they will."

"Hey, that’s mean."

He grumbled.

She turned to him fully, her expression now steady and fierce.

"No more running, Tian Shen. This time, we walk in on our own terms."

He nodded. Not the boy who’d fled with nothing but a dull blade and a fox spirit at his heels—but the man who returned with power, family, and purpose.

Behind them, Elder Su stood at the veranda’s edge, watching them quietly, arms folded within her sleeves.

There was pride in her eyes—but also something deeper. A knowing. A weight of years and battles past.

With it accompanied the soft flap of wings signaled Drowsy returning to her roost.

And a very sleepy Little Mei curled up near the edge of the veranda, tail swaying like a fuzzy metronome.

Tomorrow, the journey would begin.

The past would be faced.

The horizon hinted at dawn, a pale gold brushing the sky’s edge.

Feng Yin squeezed Tian Shen’s hand once more.

"Let’s write the next Chapter of our lives ourselves."

He smiled, eyes steady.

Behind them, Elder Su sipped her tea.

"let the drama unfold."