Chapter 33: The Former Mistress Makes Her Move
The early morning sun poured gently across the peaks of the Azure Moon Sect, bathing the mist-covered mountains in pale gold. Birds sang in the treetops and the disciples below bustled about in their routines — cleaning courtyards, running errands, meditating in formation.
But up above, higher than the noise, closer to the sky, a quieter tension stirred.
Lin Tian walked calmly along a winding stone path that led toward the outer elder halls — a region usually avoided by younger disciples. His hands were clasped behind his back, posture relaxed, gaze lifted toward the swaying trees above. He looked at peace.
But he wasn't.
His thoughts were as sharp as ever.
'Yue Qingyan cracked,' he thought, smirking to himself. 'And Su Meiyu… she's playing far more openly now. The two of them are circling me like hawks. The only question is... when does the third one strike?'
As if the heavens heard his musings, the breeze shifted.
A faint yet unmistakable spiritual pressure bloomed up ahead.
He stopped walking. His expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed slightly.
There, just ahead in the middle of the courtyard where the plum trees stood in eternal bloom, stood a woman in deep violet robes, her figure calm and imposing.
Her long black hair drifted gently in the wind, and her back was turned, yet he felt her eyes on him.
She didn't need to introduce herself.
He knew her already.
Jiang Yuyan.
The former Sect Mistress.
The Crimson Phoenix of Azure Moon.
"You're earlier than expected," Lin Tian called out.
Jiang Yuyan turned slowly, hands folded neatly at her waist. Her crimson eyes were cool, sharp, and unreadable. Her presence was quiet, yet not soft — like a blade sheathed in silk.
"You expected me?" she asked.
"I would've been more surprised if you didn't show up," Lin Tian replied. "After all, everyone else has."
Jiang Yuyan let out a quiet breath — not a laugh, but not far from one.
"Interesting. So you've been counting."
"I don't need to," he said, stepping forward. "They all make themselves known eventually."
She tilted her head. "And you? What do you make yourself?"
Lin Tian's smile returned. "Available. To those who know how to knock."
There was a pause — light, subtle tension. Not hostile. Not warm either. It was a space between two people who respected the game and knew neither was playing lightly.
"You've stirred quite the storm in the sect," Jiang Yuyan said, walking slowly along the edge of the courtyard, letting her fingers brush the branch of a blooming plum tree.
"And what's your role in that storm?" Lin Tian asked.
"I was watching it," she answered. "But now, I'm thinking of stepping back in."
He said nothing, waiting.
She stopped walking and turned to face him fully.
"Yue Qingyan is slipping," she said evenly. "Su Meiyu has become more reckless. You, disciple Lin Tian, have become... a variable none of us accounted for."
"Flattering," Lin Tian replied, folding his arms.
"It wasn't meant to be," Jiang Yuyan said. "It was meant to be a warning."
He raised an eyebrow. "From you?"
"From someone who's seen too many rise too quickly," she replied. "And watched all of them fall."
Lin Tian chuckled. "You think I'll fall?"
"I think you haven't been tested properly yet."
He stepped forward. "Then test me."
Her eyes sharpened. "Very well."
A sudden pulse of Qi flared out from her form — not an attack, but not gentle either. A pressure that forced the plum blossoms around them to shudder in their branches and the stone underfoot to crack faintly.
Lin Tian stood firm, letting the wave wash over him.
Then, calmly, he released a surge of his own spiritual energy. Not raw power — but refined, elegant, composed. His energy didn't crash against hers. It slipped through it, around it — shifting it, subduing it.
The air stilled.
Jiang Yuyan blinked once. Then smiled faintly.
"Very good," she said.
"So?" Lin Tian asked. "Do I pass your little evaluation?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she approached him, slow and graceful, until she stood just in front of him. She looked up at him, her expression unreadable.
"Why are you really here, Lin Tian?"
"To cultivate," he said. "To rise."
"And the women?" she asked. "Are they part of that?"
He smiled. "Only the strong ones."
Jiang Yuyan stared at him for a moment longer, then stepped aside.
"I will invite you to the Crimson Pavilion in two days," she said. "Accept, and we'll talk again."
"I look forward to it."
She turned her back to him, but her final words drifted over her shoulder.
"Don't disappoint me."
And with that, she vanished in a streak of violet light, leaving Lin Tian alone among the falling plum petals.
He closed his eyes briefly.
'All three pieces are moving. It's only a matter of time now.'
Later That Day – Sect Mistress Yue Qingyan's Quarters
Yue Qingyan sat silently, her cultivation robe laid aside, her long silver hair unbound. She sat in meditation position, attempting to circulate her Qi and calm her heart.
But it wasn't working.
Every time she reached a state of stillness, his face appeared.
His voice echoed.
His hand brushing against her cheek… his lips...
She opened her eyes abruptly. Her Qi trembled. She clenched her fists.
Why was he affecting her like this?
Why now?
She had resisted temptations her entire life. She had ascended higher and faster than any of her generation. She ruled over one of the most powerful sects in the northern heavens.
And yet…
Her body betrayed her.
Her thoughts refused to obey.
She stood up quickly and walked to the window, pushing the pane open to let the mountain breeze in. But the wind didn't clear her mind.
She closed her eyes and whispered to herself:
"I must end this."
But she didn't summon him.
Because a part of her feared what would happen if she did.
Meanwhile – Su Meiyu's Hidden Courtyard
The fox elder stood before her spirit spring, her tails curled behind her like a throne.
She was not meditating. She was calculating.
She had seen the storm gathering.
She knew Jiang Yuyan had stepped forward now.
She knew Yue Qingyan was on the edge.
She wasn't worried.
She was impatient.
"Stalling doesn't suit me," she murmured, pouring herself a cup of wine. "But if I wait too long, someone else might claim what I've marked."
She raised the cup, swirling it lightly before setting it down untouched.
"Time to escalate."
With a flick of her fingers, she activated a talisman. It glowed softly and vanished in a puff of golden smoke.
A summons. Personal. Private.
Lin Tian would come.
And this time, she wouldn't let him leave untouched.
Not emotionally.
Not spiritually.
It was time to prove to him — and to the others — that she was the one who would stand by his side when he reached the peak.
Not after he succeeded.
But during his rise.
That was the only way to ensure she wouldn't be left behind.
End of Chapter 33