Chương 818: Chapter 817: Subtle Changes and Isolation

The weeks following the Pagoda of the Veiled Path settled into a quiet and predictable rhythm. Sora was eventually discharged from the Ward of Tranquility. The native healers determined her fractured meridians were stable enough for her to return to her private pavilion. She was still weak and required significant rest but the immediate danger had passed. Daiki took it upon himself to act as her personal guard and caretaker.

The demon practically lived at her pavilion, fetching her meals and ensuring she had everything she needed. One quiet afternoon, Li Yu decided to drop by Sora's pavilion unannounced. He had found a rare bundle of soothing spiritual tea leaves in the native markets and wanted to deliver them. He walked up the smooth stone steps and approached the sliding white doors. They were left slightly ajar to let in the cool breeze from the silver canals. Li Yu did not bother to flare his aura or announce his presence.

He simply stepped inside. He froze the moment his boots crossed the threshold. The pavilion was quiet. Sora was sitting on the edge of her low wooden bed. Daiki was sitting on the floor right beside her. The giant demon's clawed hands were gently holding both of Sora's pale hands. They were leaning close to one another, speaking in hushed and incredibly soft tones. The usual stoic, solitary coldness of the wolf woman was completely gone. She was looking at Daiki with an expression of unguarded warmth.

A floorboard creaked beneath Li Yu's boot. Daiki and Sora jumped apart as if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Daiki scrambled backward and nearly knocked over a small wooden table. His crimson skin flushed an even darker shade of red. Sora quickly pulled her hands into her lap and stared intently at the woven floor mats. A rare and highly visible blush spread across her pale cheeks. The silence in the room was deafening and incredibly awkward.

"I apologize," Li Yu said awkwardly. He kept his expression perfectly neutral despite the shock.

"I realized I forgot to buy the honey to go with these tea leaves. I will leave them by the door and return later." He gently placed the wrapped bundle of tea leaves on a small shelf near the entrance. He did not wait for either of them to respond. He turned around and quickly walked out of the pavilion. He slid the white doors firmly shut behind him to give them their privacy back. Li Yu walked away from the pavilion and headed back toward his own courtyard. He kept his pace steady but his mind was turbulent.

He was genuinely glad that his friends were finding comfort in one another amidst the brutal reality of the Trial Grounds. However, as he walked through the bustling streets of Kyokai City, a hollow and unfamiliar ache settled deep in his chest. It was jealousy. It was not a malicious or bitter jealousy. It was a quiet and sorrowful realization of his own isolation. He had been a solitary person for a very long time. He had walked the path of cultivation largely on his own.

That solitude had never truly bothered him before. He had always found peace in the quiet moments. But things were different now. Li Yu returned to his private courtyard and sat down by the edge of the koi pond. He watched the colorful fish swim through the clear water. He thought about the lifetimes he had lived while trapped inside the Temporal Dao Stone. Those memories were vague and faint. They felt like old dreams that slipped away the moment he woke up.

But the emotional residue of those lifetimes remained permanently etched into his Dao Heart. In every single one of those lives, he had been a loner for one reason or another. Sometimes circumstances forced him into isolation and sometimes his own choices drove people away. Sitting by the pond, Li Yu realized he was deeply tired of being alone. He craved a relationship. He wanted the quiet trust he had just witnessed between Daiki and Sora.

He wanted someone to hold his hands when the pressure became too heavy to bear. But who would he even pursue? The moment the thought crossed his mind, a singular image appeared with crystal clarity. He saw Lian. He remembered her face. He remembered her overwhelming presence. Her calm and analytical demeanor and the way the very laws of the world seemed to bow to her will. He remembered the brief conversations they had shared. Li Yu let out a slow breath.

He realized with certainty that he had developed a crush on her. It was a genuine affection that had been quietly resting in the back of his mind. Even he wasn't sure how deep it was or what he thought of her. However, his pragmatic nature quickly reasserted itself. He was quite special with five Nascent Souls but Lian was a being of supreme and incomprehensible power. She navigated what he thought was the highest echelons of the myriad realms.

She was dealing with cosmic threats and ancient empires while he was still fighting in a localized recruitment drive to stabilize a single broken world. They were in completely different worlds in the grand scale of things. A relationship with her was an impossible fantasy right now. He was a sturdy tree growing in the dirt and she was the sun shining in the distant sky. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Li Yu picked up a small pebble and tossed it into the koi pond. The ripples distorted the reflection of the artificial sky. He accepted the reality of the situation without too much bitterness. If he wanted to stand beside someone like Lian, he needed to grow significantly stronger. That was the first step and it was quite a simple one. Get stronger. He needed to reach a point where he was no longer just surviving in The Veil but actively commanding his own destiny.

Until then, his small crush would remain a quiet motivation rather than a realistic pursuit. A few more weeks passed in Kyokai City. The trials continued to escalate in difficulty and some candidates chose to cash out their rewards and leave the realm. Some others have decided to cash out but stay with the people here. Li Yu focused on his cultivation and steadily refined his chaotic domain. Sora's recovery progressed to the point where she was finally able to leave her pavilion and walk through the city streets.

One evening, the trio gathered at their favorite open-air restaurant by the silver canal. The air was warm and the scent of roasted meat and spiritual wine filled the bustling establishment. Li Yu sat across from Daiki and Sora. He noticed an immediate difference in their dynamic. They were no longer sitting at a polite distance. They sat close together on the wooden bench with their shoulders brushing casually. Daiki looked uncharacteristically nervous. He kept clearing his throat and shifting his massive weight.

Sora looked perfectly calm but her silver eyes held a soft and radiant light. Daiki finally put down his cup of spicy wine. He took a deep breath and looked at Li Yu.

"We have some news," Daiki announced. His deep voice rumbled over the ambient noise of the restaurant. He reached over and openly took Sora's hand. He did not flinch or pull away this time.

"Sora and I have made a decision. We are officially Dao Companions." Li Yu felt a genuine smile break across his face. The lingering jealousy he had felt weeks ago was entirely overshadowed by his happiness for his friends. Becoming Dao Companions was a firm commitment in the cultivation world. It was a bond of shared fate, shared resources and absolute trust. Most importantly of all, theirs was a decision they made on their own.

While they could change their minds and separate later on, it was a critical step forward for the two.

"Congratulations," Li Yu said warmly. He raised his teacup in a toast.

"I am incredibly happy for both of you. You make a good team." Sora offered a small and graceful nod of thanks.

"We realized that facing the cosmos is much easier when you have others to rely on." Li Yu took a sip of his tea and set the cup down. He looked at the giant crimson demon and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

"You know, Daiki," Li Yu began smoothly. He leaned forward and rested his arms on the wooden table.

"I am starting to realize something about your grand escape from the Blood Iron Clan. It looks like you weren't actually running away from a relationship after all. You were just looking for the right one." Daiki froze. His golden eyes widened and his crimson skin instantly flushed a dark and embarrassed purple. He sputtered for a moment while trying to find the right words to defend his honor.

"That is entirely different!" Daiki protested loudly. He waved his free hand in the air.

"The hydra was a political nightmare! She had six heads and melted mountains! Sora is... Sora is reasonable. She does not melt things when she is angry."

"I use a sword," Sora corrected him flatly.

"It is much more precise." Li Yu laughed out loud. It was a wonderful and lighthearted moment. The banter flowed easily between them for the rest of the meal. They discussed the minor trials and the shifting politics of the remaining factions. However, as the evening wore on and the conversation flowed, Li Yu's sharp intuition began to pick up on subtle inconsistencies. He watched Sora quietly sip her water. She seemed happy but it was a subdued and resigned kind of happiness.

It was a bit strange that she had so readily agreed to a permanent bond. When Li Yu first met the wolf woman, she was fiercely independent. She was a solitary wanderer whose entire existence revolved around pushing her martial limits. Now, she was different. It was quite subtle but things were different. Li Yu realized that he had not seen Sora carry her wooden sword in weeks. She was not practicing her forms in the public squares.

She was not discussing the flow of sword intent or analyzing the martial flaws of the other candidates. She had almost completely stopped training. Elder Vaelin had declared her stable but stable did not mean fully healed. Li Yu looked at the way Sora favored her right side and the careful and measured way she breathed. A sudden and dark realization settled in his mind. Sora was hiding something from them. Her internal injuries from the Pagoda of the Chanting Blade were likely much worse than anyone realized.

The forced integration of volatile soul arts had likely caused permanent damage to her foundation. She was not practicing because she couldn't anymore.

'Or am I seeing something that isn't actually there?' Li Yu hoped to himself. If her core was compromised, her path to the apex of cultivation was effectively severed. For a woman who had dedicated her entire long life to the sword, that realization must have been utterly devastating. It explained why she had suddenly stopped running and embraced a relationship with Daiki. She was adapting to a new and limited reality.

She was trying to find meaning and comfort in a life where she could no longer push her martial limits. Li Yu kept his expression neutral. He did not probe or ask intrusive questions. He understood the heavy burden of pride. Sora was an incredibly proud warrior and she would not want pity. If she was hiding the true extent of her injuries, she was doing it to protect Daiki's happiness and her own dignity. He took another sip of his tea and looked at his two friends.

Daiki was telling another exaggerated story and Sora was listening with a fond smile. They looked genuinely peaceful. Li Yu hoped that his intuition was wrong. He hoped that Sora was simply taking a long and well deserved rest before returning to her training. But as the artificial suns dimmed and the evening came to a close, the worry lingered in his chest. Old habits were incredibly hard to break. If Sora truly believed her path was severed, she might eventually do something desperate to fix it.

For now, Li Yu remained silent. He paid for their meal and walked with them back to the residential district. He would keep a close eye on her. He had already decided in the Pagoda of the Veiled Path that he would bleed for the people he cared about.