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The arena was slowly emptying as the sun fully set.
Sam and his family stayed at their table to finish their tea.
Yufeng sat right beside Jean, looking completely at peace.
Heavy footsteps approached them.
Ling Tianni stopped a few feet away.
He looked exhausted and desperate.
"Yufeng,"
Ling Tianni pleaded, his voice cracking.
"Please. Come with me. Let us talk in private. Do not throw our whole life away like this."
Yufeng did not even turn her head. She looked at Jean.
"I do not wish to speak to him,"
Yufeng said quietly.
"You can stay with me tonight,"
Jean answered, placing a comforting hand on her arm. Jean then looked up at Ling Tianni.
"You heard her. She has nothing left to say to you. Go away."
Ling Tianni opened his mouth to argue, but the words died in his throat.
He looked at his wife's back.
He knew he had truly lost her.
But old habits are incredibly hard to break.
In his moment of absolute defeat, Ling Tianni's eyes slowly drifted across the table.
Once again, he stared directly at Chu Yuechan.
He looked at her like a drowning man looking for a rescue boat.
Sam placed his teacup down. The sound was quiet, but it felt very heavy.
Sam stood up from his chair.
He walked around the table and stopped right in front of the Villa Master, completely blocking his view of Chu Yuechan.
"You really are a fool,"
Sam said. His voice was no longer polite. It was cold and sharp.
"You just lost your wife. You lost your sect's future. And yet, you are still staring at a woman who does not care if you live or die. Have you no shame?"
Ling Tianni stepped back, his face turning red with anger and embarrassment.
Before he could answer, another voice called out.
"You speak too boldly, outsider."
Ling Kun walked out from the shadows.
The elder of the Sun Moon Divine Hall had returned.
He saw an opportunity to gain Ling Tianni's favor and perhaps get revenge for his earlier humiliation.
"This man is the master of the Heavenly Sword Villa,"
Ling Kun said, standing next to Ling Tianni.
"You are a guest. You will show him the proper respect, or I will enforce the rules of the Sacred Grounds myself."
Sam looked at Ling Kun.
He did not look angry. He just looked bored.
"You picked a very bad time to come back,"
Sam told him.
Suddenly, the air in the arena changed.
A gentle breeze blew across the stone stage.
Pink and white flower petals began to fall from the sky.
They floated down softly, completely surrounding Sam.
It looked beautiful.
But Ling Kun stopped breathing. His eyes widened in absolute terror.
He was a sword master.
He knew exactly what those petals were.
*The Sword Spirit.*
Those were not real flowers.
They were made of pure, condensed sword intent.
Every single petal carried enough power to cut a mountain in half.
The invisible pressure coming from Sam's body was so heavy that the stone floor beneath Ling Kun's feet began to crack and shatter.
Ling Kun's knees shook.
He felt like an ant standing in front of an angry god.
"Your... your sword spirit,"
Ling Kun stuttered, completely losing his balance.
He stared at the floating petals. He realized the terrifying truth.
This man was not just a trickster.
The sword intent floating casually around Sam was perfectly pure.
*This strength...*
Ling Kun thought, panic gripping his heart.
*It is equal to my Sect Master. No... it is even stronger.*
Sam took one single step forward.
The flower petals spun faster.
"I am talking to him right now,"
Sam said to Ling Kun, pointing a finger at Ling Tianni.
"If you interrupt me again, I will let these flowers bloom inside your throat. Understand?"
Ling Kun did not hesitate.
He swallowed his pride, nodded his head rapidly, and backed away until he was completely out of sight.
He did not care about gaining favor anymore.
He just wanted to survive.
Sam turned his eyes back to the trembling Villa Master.
"She is leaving tomorrow,"
Sam told Ling Tianni, his tone final.
"Do not bother her again. And if I ever catch you staring at anyone in my family again, I will tear this mountain down."
Ling Tianni slowly backed away.
His face was completely pale.
He turned around and walked into the dark shadows, looking like a broken shell of a man.
A few moments later, two young men walked up to the table.
It was Ling Yun and his younger brother, Ling Jie.
Yufeng stood up. She looked at her sons nervously.
"Are you here to speak for your father?"
Yufeng asked.
"Are you going to tell me to stay?"
Ling Yun shook his head. He looked at his mother with soft, understanding eyes.
"No, Mother,"
Ling Yun answered.
"We are not here to convince you. We saw everything. Father treated you poorly for years. He was wrong."
Ling Jie stepped forward and took her hand.
"You raised us,"
Ling Jie said firmly.
"If you leave, we leave. We are going back to your family with you."
Yufeng covered her mouth.
She pulled both of her sons into a tight hug.
She cried again, but this time, they were tears of pure relief.
She had lost a bad husband, but she had kept her true family.
Sam smiled as he watched them.
Just then, Princess Cang Yue walked over to their table.
She looked around to make sure no one was listening.
"Is everyone alright?"
Cang Yue asked.
"Yes,"
Jean replied.
"We are just finishing our tea. What is on your mind, Cang Yue?"
Cang Yue turned to look at Sam.
She lowered her voice to a whisper.
"While I was resting, my guards overheard something,"
Cang Yue told him.
"They said they would still perform a ritual to seal a devil. Do you want to see it?"
Sam stopped smiling.
He looked down at his empty cup.
The word 'devil' sparked a very specific memory in his mind.
He knew exactly who was trapped under the mountain.
It was not a monster.
It was Xiao Che's biological grandfather.
Yun Che did not exist in this world anymore.
Sam had changed the timeline and taken over his karma.
But that did not mean Xiao Che's family was gone.
*I share karma with him,*
Sam thought to himself.
Sam stood up from his chair.
"He is not a devil,"
Sam told Cang Yue.
"???"
Cang Yue was confused.
Sam answered.
"He is just a loyal man who was betrayed and locked in the dark. Show me where the guards are, Cang Yue. It is time to let him out."