Liam, sensing her tension, insisted on taking her out to a classical music concert. "Even the sharpest blade needs a sheath," he argued. "You can't hunt shadows 24 hours a day."
Reluctantly, Ye Xia agreed. The concert hall was a world away from her life of cultivation and intrigue. As the orchestra swelled, she allowed herself to be swept away by the music. For a few precious hours, the weight lifted.
During the intermission, as they sipped champagne, Liam looked at her, his expression soft. "You seem lighter tonight."
"The music helps," she admitted.
"It's more than that," he said. "You've broken through, haven't you? To Qi Condensation. Your energy… it's calmer, but deeper. Like a still ocean."
His perception was astonishing. "Yes," she confirmed.
"I'm happy for you," he said, and he genuinely seemed to be. "It's a remarkable achievement." He hesitated. "Ye Xia, I know your life is complicated. I know there are… others. But what I feel when I'm with you… it's real. I'm not offering an alliance. I'm offering myself."
It was a direct, heartfelt confession. In the glow of the concert hall, with his warm, honest energy surrounding her, it was incredibly tempting.
But as they walked back to their seats, her newly enhanced [Qi Perception] flared. A familiar, cold, and complex energy signature was present in the hall. Mo.
She spotted him in a private box across the theater. He wasn't alone. Evangeline was with him, but he wasn't looking at her. His gaze was fixed on Ye Xia and Liam, his expression unreadable but his energy field swirling with a dark, turbulent intensity she had never felt from him before. It was something raw. Something like jealousy.
The moment was shattered. Liam's offer now felt like a choice she was being forced to make under a spotlight. The music that had been a refuge now felt like a soundtrack to a deeply personal conflict.