Chapter 136 - 135
Stepping out into the corridors of the master pavilion, Lin Yuan felt the profound shift in how the physical world interacted with his existence. As he walked down the spiraling staircase, the dust motes dancing in the morning sunbeams instinctively repelled away from his physical form.
To the world, roughly thirty days had passed since the grand wedding and his entrance into secluded meditation.
But to Lin Yuan, he had lived an entire sixty-year mortal lifetime within the Seek the Dao with the Illusion of the Heart dream domain. He had aged, bled, raised a son, and died a peaceful death. Then, he had spent an additional seventy years within the temporal isolation of the River of Years Pagoda, waging a war against a tribulation born from his own obsession.
So to him, it had been one hundred and thirty years since he had last stood in this hall. One hundred and thirty years since he had seen the faces of his family.
Yet, as he breathed in the scent of the pine, the absolute, anchoring truth of his preserved Dao Heart kept him perfectly grounded in the present.
Before Lin Yuan could even reach the center of the main hall, the echoing sound of hurried footsteps approached from the eastern corridor.
It was Bai Chen. The young cultivator was dressed in crisp robes, his posture rigid and alert, clearly taking his duty as the estate’s temporary head with the utmost seriousness.
The moment Bai Chen’s eyes landed on the figure standing in the center of the hall, the young man froze completely in his tracks.
Even with Lin Yuan’s aura flawlessly and perfectly concealed, the sheer, intrinsic majesty of a Spirit Severing realm could not be entirely hidden from a cultivator instinct. Bai Chen felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to drop to his knees. The air around Lin Yuan seemed to shimmer with an unseen weight. The young man felt as though he were looking directly at a dormant sun—beautiful, serene, but harboring a destructive potential that defied all comprehension.
"Brother-in-law!" Bai Chen gasped. He then closed the distance and deeply did a respectful martial bow, "You have emerged! The Heavens bless your seclusion!"
"You look well," Lin Yuan noted, his gaze sweeping over the young man. He could see the subtle refinements in Bai Chen’s spiritual foundation. The boy had not been slacking during the past month; he had been cycling his Qi diligently while maintaining his duties.
"I have done my absolute best to uphold the duties you assigned me, Brother-in-law," Bai Chen reported, his voice filled with fierce, unyielding pride. "I am relieved to see you out of seclusion. I felt a massive fluctuation of spiritual Qi just a few moments ago... The entire valley seemed to hold its breath. I was about to activate the secondary defensive arrays, fearing an attack, but then the pressure simply vanished."
"There is no need for alarm. That was merely the final consolidation of my breakthrough," Lin Yuan explained smoothly, offering no further details on the nature of his ascension. "Tell me of the estate. Has the valley remained secure during my days of isolation?"
"Absolutely secure, Brother-in-law," Bai Chen nodded rapidly, his posture straightening as he delivered his report. "Everything has been completely alright since the one month you left. The spatial dome you erected over the valley has functioned flawlessly. We have had zero negative encounters."
Lin Yuan absorbed the information with an approving nod.
"And the inner estate?" Lin Yuan asked, his tone softening imperceptibly.
"The inner estate has been perfectly peaceful," Bai Chen smiled, his youthful face lighting up. "The guardian spirit-beasts have maintained the perimeter without incident. The mortal servants have kept the pavilions pristine. Honestly, Brother-in-law, I and cousin have been doing alright. It has been a quiet, restful month."
Bai Chen paused for a moment, his smile turning into an expression of deep, familial warmth. He knew exactly what—or rather, who—Lin Yuan truly wanted to hear about.
"My cousin has been resting exceptionally well," Bai Chen continued, offering the details without needing to be prompted. "She has been strictly following the dietary regimen you laid out before you entered seclusion. I made sure the kitchens prepared the spirit-nourishing meals exactly to your specifications. She spends her mornings reading in the pavilion, and in the afternoons, if the wind is not too harsh, we walk through the gardens by the koi pond."
Bai Chen looked down slightly, his voice dropping to a softer, more intimate volume. "She has been incredibly patient, Brother-in-law. She never once complained about the wait, and she strictly forbade anyone from even walking near the cultivation chamber so as not to disturb your focus. But... I know she has missed you deeply. Every evening, she looks up toward the highest floor of the pavilion before she retires to the bridal chamber."
Hearing this, a profound, sweeping warmth bloomed within the absolute center of Lin Yuan’s spiritual sea.
His sea of concussiness, having been violently purged of all its toxic obsession, fear, and desperate clinging during his struggle against the tribulation, now beat with a pure devotion. The love he held for Bai Qingyue was no longer a vulnerability that the Heavens could exploit; it was the foundation of his Dao. To know that she was safe, resting, and waiting for him was the ultimate reward for surviving the crucible of his ascension.
Lin Yuan nodded in complete understanding, a gentle, breathtakingly genuine smile breaking across his flawless face. It was a smile that carried the accumulated warmth of a hundred years of longing.
"You have done well, Chen’er. I am proud of you," Lin Yuan said, his praise causing Bai Chen’s chest to swell with absolute honor.
Lin Yuan turned his gaze away from the young lad, looking down the long corridor that led toward the residential wing of the master pavilion.
"I’m taking my leave now," Lin Yuan said, his robes rustling as he took a step toward the corridor. "I am going to go and meet Bai Qingyue."