it's okay

Tian Jing raised an eyebrow at her offer. The female Sect Master had been drawn to him. His strength, confidence, and commanding presence, combined with his sharp features and aura of authority, made him irresistibly attractive. She was confident he would accept; after all, even though she was not as beautiful as Qing Lian, she was a peerless beauty, the Sect Master of a dual cultivation sect. But his response shattered her expectations. "I don't dual cultivate with those who are unworthy" he said dismissively, turning to leave the hall. His words left her frozen in place, stunned by the rejection.

Qing Lian, observing this, felt a surge of emotions. 'Master rejected this beauty...' she thought, a mix of amazement and satisfaction swelling in her chest.

The silence was broken by an unleashed aura and Tian Jing's commanding voice. "I don't have much time. Lead the way," he ordered. The Sect Master snapped out of her daze, apologizing profusely as she started to lead them.

They walked through the sect grounds, the atmosphere heavy with tension. The Sect Master guided them to the middle-aged man's pavilion, her steps hesitant, her mind racing. 

"W-We are here" the female Sect Master stuttered as she stopped. They stood before a grand pavilion, its exterior adorned with intricate carvings and surrounded by lush gardens. The building exuded an air of ancient elegance, with lanterns casting a warm, inviting glow.

"You can leave" Tian Jing said to the Sect Master, his voice firm. He then made his way inside, followed closely by Qing Lian. Without hesitation, Tian Jing headed directly to a room, his steps purposeful and determined.

Qing Lian's mind was a swirl of emotions. 'Are we...?' she wondered. 'But...' 'It's not that I don't want to...' 'Will I be okay?' Her thoughts were cut short when Tian Jing turned to her just before entering the room.

"You will wait here. It shouldn't be more than two hours. Don't disturb me" he instructed, closing the door without waiting for her response.

Tian Jing immediately opened one of the storage rings and began cultivating. He sat cross-legged on the floor, focusing his mind and channeling the Yin Qi into his body

While he was cultivating, Qing Lian, who was standing in front of the door, blinked her eyes in disbelief. "I thought..." she whispered softly and weakly. 'Why... Why did I fall in love with him in the first place?' she wondered. 'Was it because he was handsome...? Was it because he was kind to me...? Or... was it because he took me out of that darkness, giving me a second chance... a second life...? '...Maybe it was all of those things...'

Her mind began to replay memories, one after another. 'I don't dual cultivate with those who are unworthy' he had said. 'I thought I was worthy as he was kind to me, different to me...' ' 'I won't let it slide when you insult something that belongs to me.' he said something... not someone... also, he never glanced at my body...' She pondered.

'That's normal, after all, I am just his servant... a tool... ' 

'That's okay, this life was given by him... I will always serve him' she thought, trying to rationalize her feelings. 'It's okay if he doesn't see me as a woman but as a tool...'

'it's okay... it's okay...' 

'but.. '

'why... am I crying...'

Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over despite her attempts to hold them back. Each tear that fell seemed to carry a piece of her broken heart. The realization was painful, and the tears kept coming, blurring her vision.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Tian Jing was unaware of Qing Lian's emotional turmoil. He focused intensely on his cultivation, the energy within him swirling and merging into a powerful breakthrough. "8th level of the Grandmaster Realm" he muttered to himself as he felt the surge of power within.

He finished his cultivation with a breakthrough. "Haaa... This feeling... is really nice" he murmured to himself. Despite his outward composure, he had been suffering greatly, his entire body in turmoil. Now, with his injuries starting to heal thanks to his demon physique's self-regeneration, he felt relief.

'I only consumed one-twentieth of the Yin Qi, but...' he thought, checking his body. Then, He used his spiritual sense to glance over at Qing Lian. 'She cried, huh' Then his eyes took in every detail of her. 'She is really beautiful... Just as I expected.'

He reflected on his condition. 'Even though my body was unstable, that was because I had no Yin Qi, not because I had tons of Yang Qi. ' 

His cultivation base is low, and he hasn't cultivated ever since he started to produce Yang Qi. 'But even with this amount of Yang Qi, when I looked at that Lord's daughter and wife, I almost felt lust. That's why I never glanced at Qing Lian, didn't want to lose control'

He sighed deeply, pondering the challenges ahead. "Haa... what will happen when I start cultivating and reaching higher realms?" he wondered aloud. He glanced again at Qing Lian, his thoughts swirling. 'I was really lucky to find her. But will I be lucky again when my blood essence fully recovers and try to find another?" he didn't even think he could find the right candidate when he went to the slave market.

As he stepped out of the room, he saw Qing Lian with red eyes, clearly from crying. She lifted her face to look at Tian Jing. "Master." she greeted, her voice was emotionless.

"Why did you cry?" he asked, though he already had an idea.

"Sorry for this unsightly display, Master. I just missed my mother" she replied, lying with a straight face.

He nodded at her, then moved towards the exit. "I will come back in a few minutes. Just wait here" he ordered. As the door was closing behind him, he turned back and said simply "You are not a tool." He didn't want to continue the conversation further, as he was like that; he was similar to his father, prideful and maybe a little harsh, and found it difficult to express deeper emotions, which he didn't really have that much for her yet.

Tian Jing spread his spiritual sense, searching for the Sect Master. 

Meanwhile, Qing Lian started crying again, but this time not out of sadness. 'I am not a tool... ' 

'Master, you didn't admit I am worthy to be your woman. After all, I haven't done anything for you yet, but that's okay. I will... I will become worthy.'

--------------------------------------------

"I don't know... but we can't do anything against him right now," the female sect master said, her voice weary and defeated.

'Sis... Where did I go wrong?' She wondered, sighing deeply; it had been a terrible day for the sect. Their male sect master was now crippled, their entire Yin Qi storage was gone, and a powerful, uncontrollable force now resided within their sect. They felt helpless.

"Maybe we should ask for help fro—" one of the elders was suggesting, but his words were cut off as they felt a familiar, oppressive aura. They froze as Tian Jing stepped into the hall where they were discussing.

This time, he did not wear his usual indifferent expression. "Give me ten blank scrolls" he spoke, his tone softer than usual, a change brought on by the stabilization of his cultivation and the absence of his previous internal turmoil.

Seeing him in a better mood confused them, but they did not question it. The female sect master moved forward and handed him what he wanted. "Here, Esteemed One" she said respectfully.

Tian Jing took the scrolls and gave a slight nod. Then he began inscribing them with intricate patterns and symbols, his movements precise and controlled. The sect members watched in stunned silence.

"Is he doing...?" one of them whispered.

"Shut up!" the Sect Master strictly warned, she didn't want anyone to anger him.

They continued watching as Tian Jing worked. When he finished, he handed the scrolls back to the Sect Master. "I will continue to stay here for a while. Do not disturb me unless it is absolutely necessary" he said nonchalantly before turning to leave.

The elders and Sect Master didn't make any expression as they stood frozen in place, overwhelmed by the contents of the scrolls.

"T-THIS..."