The walk back to Lin Tian's courtyard felt longer than the one to the gate. People stood along the stone paths as he and his grandfather passed, bowing respectfully. Some smiled, some stared with disbelief, and others looked away too quickly, unsure how to behave around someone they had spent years treating as harmless background.
'So this is what it means to stop being a cripple in their eyes…'
He kept his expression calm. His grandfather's hand rested lightly on his back—steady, warm, grounding.
As they approached his courtyard, a familiar figure waited.
Bai Xueya.
Her posture was straight, hands folded neatly, but her eyes softened the moment she saw him. She bowed to Lin Haoyang with composed grace.
"Old Master."
Haoyang nodded, his tone more warm than formal. "Xueya, thank you for keeping the engagement with Tian'er instead of following your clan or sect wishes."
Bai Xueya shook her head. "It was the promise between our parents… and something I chose as well."
The faint tremor under her voice wasn't weakness—it was sincerity.
Lin Haoyang smiled, then stepped aside. "Go talk. I'll speak with the clan leader."
He left without waiting.
Lin Tian exhaled, then turned to her. "Xueya…"
She stepped closer, studying him with quiet intensity. "Does your body feel stable? You didn't force your qi, did you?"
Her tone was soft, concerned, not scolding.
"I'm fine," he said. "Better than fine."
She let out a breath, barely audible. "I worried you'd push yourself because of the engagement… or because of me."
He sat at the table near the courtyard door. She followed, placing tea in front of him before sitting across from him. Her fingers tapped once against the porcelain.
"Everything is changing around you," she said. "Everyone is looking at you differently."
"Yeah," Lin Tian murmured. "I noticed."
"Doesn't it feel… heavy?"
"A little," he admitted. "But I've lived most of my life without being seen at all."
Her expression softened. "You were seen. Just… not the way you deserved."
He froze.
Bai looked away, steam touching her cheek.
After a quiet moment, she added softly, "I'm glad you can cultivate now. Truly. But… now that you've awakened, I'm scared."
"Scared?" Lin Tian asked. "Of what?"
She held her cup tighter. "That I'll become the one who slows you down. That I'll ruin your chance to rise."
"You won't," he said immediately.
"You don't know that," she whispered. "You're stepping into a world that expects strength. I don't want to become your burden."
"You won't," he repeated. "If anything, you've been the reason I kept going."
Her breath caught. Her shoulders eased just a little.
For the first time in years, Lin Tian felt not alone.
Inside the main hall, elders debated quietly.
"This is good for the direct lineage," one murmured.
"A stabilized bloodline strengthens the clan."
"If Tian continues like this, our clan may regain influence."
Zhaotian raised a hand. "No interference. No forced tests. No expectations. Let him grow. We won't repeat the mistakes that harmed our lineage."
The elders bowed.
Outside, Lin Haoyang listened, arms folded, smiling quietly. His younger brother's son was no longer being overlooked—and that meant everything to him.
Later that afternoon, the courtyard was quieter. Xueya stood.
"I should report to Elder Mei," she said. "She'll want to know your grandfather arrived."
"I'll walk you."
They walked the stone path together.
Xueya tucked a strand of hair behind her ear—a gesture she always made when nervous. Lin Tian noticed something else: her fingers trembled, not from nerves, but strain.
"Xueya?" he asked softly. "Are you alright?"
She hesitated, then placed a hand on her temple. "It's nothing. Just tired."
But the tremor in her hand contradicted her.
"If something feels wrong—"
"I'll rest," she said quickly. "Don't worry too much."
She smiled, but the smile cracked slightly before she turned away.
Lin Tian watched closely as she walked ahead. Her steps were steady… until she thought he couldn't see. Her hand gripped the railing. Her breath hitched. Her shoulders stiffened for a heartbeat.
His chest tightened.
'She's hiding something…'
Night fell quietly.
Lin Tian sat cross-legged in his room, cultivation moving smoothly. His meridians flowed with ease—for the first time in his life. He should've felt excited. But his thoughts kept circling Xueya.
Her trembling fingers.
Her moment of dizziness.
The way she hid her struggle.
'She's strong… but she shouldn't have to fight alone.'
He drew a deeper breath.
Then the System flickered.
[ Partner's Yin qi fluctuation detected ]
[ Condition: Mild instability ]
His eyes snapped open.
The lantern blurred as his pulse quickened.
The message faded, but fear stayed.
Lin Tian pressed a hand to his chest.
"…Xueya," he whispered.
He stared at the door.
Something is wrong with your body.
End of Chapter 11