Ren Feng's mind flashed back to that fateful day, years ago, when the elders of the Azure Wind Pavilion had forced him to watch as they crippled his younger brother's cultivation, all because the boy had accidentally discovered evidence of their misdeeds. The memory still burned, a constant fuel for his drive to grow stronger.
"But," Ren Feng continued, his voice taking on a harder edge, "revenge cannot be our only goal. We must surpass them not just in power, but in wisdom and virtue. Only then can we truly change the Azure Wind Pavilion, to restore it to what it once was."
Liu Mei's expression softened slightly at his words. She knew the pain he carried, just as he knew hers.
"You're right, of course," she admitted. "But sometimes, the thought of wiping those smug smiles off their faces is what gets me through the day, you know?"
The air between them seemed to crackle with renewed energy, their shared desires for growth and retribution creating a palpable tension.
