Chapter 10: The Sorrowful Tang Ya
Like a gust of wind, Lin Qinghan traveled swiftly. With his current speed, he reached near Tian Dou City in just half a day, only stopping twice to rest.
From a distance, Lin Qinghan detected a group of spirit masters wearing the military uniforms of the Tianhun Empire through his spiritual field—clearly patrols.
He suddenly remembered that this wasn't Lin Family territory, so flying was prohibited. He quickly activated his spiritual projection to conceal himself.
With Lin Qinghan's current intangible spiritual power, even a Titled Douluo wouldn't be able to detect him. Even a Titled Douluo specializing in spiritual power would struggle to find him in a short time, so he easily avoided the patrolling soldiers.
He entered Tian Dou City openly, then maximized his spiritual detection, heading straight for Tang Sect.
"Hopefully, nothing's happened yet." For some reason, the closer he got to Tang Sect, the more uneasy he felt.
But once Tang Sect entered his detection range and he saw that the entrance plaque was still intact, he let out a sigh of relief.
The exterior was largely unchanged since his last visit, suggesting nothing major had occurred yet.
While he was deep in thought, Lin Qinghan arrived at Tang Sect. Without Tang Ya leading him this time, he approached from the main entrance.
Previously, he had only focused on his detection range and hadn't noticed that the front gate now appeared even more desolate. There weren't even the few normal guards that had been there before.
He knocked, but strangely, no one answered. No one came to open the door, so he simply pushed it open and entered.
Before him was an empty courtyard. Only a statue of Tang San stood there, surrounded by withered flowers and plants.
All the surrounding buildings were clearly uninhabited. If the structures weren't still intact, Lin Qinghan would've thought it was a ruin.
He retracted his spiritual field and focused it on scanning all of Tang Sect. Soon, he detected Tang Ya's presence in the rear courtyard and breathed a sigh of relief. He deactivated the spiritual field and headed there.
Lin Qinghan moved from the front courtyard to the back and finally arrived at a secluded courtyard. As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Tang Ya.
At the well, Tang Ya was drawing water. For a soul master, the bucket shouldn't have been heavy, yet she struggled, her delicate face filled with exhaustion—clearly, life had been hard for her.
"Stop! Who are you?"
Seeing Lin Qinghan enter, Tang Ya didn't recognize him—his height and appearance had changed drastically. She summoned her Blue Silver Grass martial spirit and a yellow spirit ring appeared. She also held a dark purple thin blade.
"Xiao Ya-jie, don't be scared. It's me, Lin Qinghan." Seeing her react so intensely, Lin Qinghan felt a pang of sorrow. Given everything he'd seen, something serious must've happened to Tang Sect.
"You're… Lin Qinghan?" Tang Ya remembered him well. Even though his body had matured quickly from his soul level and the absorption of a 10,000-year spirit ring, she recognized him after the hint.
"You came to see me." She withdrew her martial spirit and hidden weapon, forcing a small smile.
"What happened to Tang Sect?" Lin Qinghan stepped forward and took her hand. A surge of green lightning from his Lifeforce Thunder flowed through his hand to hers, soothing her fatigue.
Tang Ya felt a tingling sensation, then warmth spread throughout her body. She didn't let go of his hand.
When Lin Qinghan asked, Tang Ya's pale face turned red-eyed. "Not long ago, a sect called Ironblood Sect came to challenge us. My father didn't want to accept, but they said weak sects like Tang Sect didn't deserve such a prime location."
"My father was forced to fight in the Soul Arena. I didn't go with him, but when he came back, he collapsed and has been bedridden since. Once everyone saw my father was unwell, they all left." Her voice cracked into sobs near the end.
Lin Qinghan regretted it. It was indeed the Ironblood Sect. He should've asked Uncle Chen to eliminate them two years ago, then none of this would've happened.
"Don't be so sad. Take me to your father. Maybe I can help," Lin Qinghan comforted her.
"Really? Hurry!"
Hope returned to Tang Ya's eyes. She dropped the bucket and quickly led Lin Qinghan inside.
Entering the room, they saw her father lying in bed directly across from the door. His chest was still faintly rising and falling.
Next to the desk was an incense burner with still-burning herbs. A cauldron beside it was boiling medicine—Tang Ya had clearly tried her best.
Lin Qinghan approached and closed his eyes. His spiritual field enveloped the sect master, and his bio-electric martial spirit spread across the man's body.
"Blood flow normal. Breathing normal. Heartbeat normal. All organs functioning normally." After the scan, Lin Qinghan found his life signs were just like a normal person's.
"Spiritual waves… normal? No, wait." Lin Qinghan's eyes flew open.
"As a Soul Emperor, how can his spiritual wave be the same as an ordinary person?" He realized the problem, but seeing Tang Ya's hopeful eyes, he hesitated.
After thinking for a while, he steeled himself.
"Your father's condition is very unusual. You need to prepare yourself mentally."
Hearing this, Tang Ya's hopeful gaze dimmed into lifelessness. "Okay. I'm ready. Tell me."
"Your father's body is alive, but his brain is dead. Do you understand what that means?" Lin Qinghan couldn't meet her gaze.
"Then… is my father… dead?" Her eyes pleaded with him for a different answer.
Lin Qinghan didn't speak—he just nodded. Brain death, even with his Lifeforce Thunder capable of regenerating limbs, was beyond saving.
He hugged Tang Ya, trying to comfort her.
"Waaaahhh… Qinghan, I have no home left!!"
Tang Ya buried her face in his chest and cried uncontrollably, soaking his clothes.
Lin Qinghan stroked her hair, trying to comfort her, but it was futile. Tang Ya cried for a full thirty minutes before falling into a deep sleep.
"Sigh, at least she fell asleep." Lin Qinghan didn't let go, holding her in that position until dusk, when she finally woke.
"Do you have any plans?" Lin Qinghan asked as her eyes welled up again.
"I don't know. I don't have any family left." Tang Ya's face was visibly sad and lost.
(End of Chapter)
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