The garden fell quiet.
Even the breeze seemed to still.
Yu Meilin's voice, though gentle, had iron beneath it.
Yu Ming clenched her fists, defiance rising like a tide. "I'm not a child anymore! You raised me to be strong, to walk my own path. Why won't you let me?"
Yu Meilin's eyes did not waver. "Strength means nothing if it leads you into ruin. Even the most talented cultivators can fall prey to forces they do not understand."
"I do understand!" Yu Ming snapped, her voice trembling. "I've trained harder than anyone. I've hidden my progress, followed your orders, and stayed quiet while they planned to sell me off like a political pawn! And now, when I finally ask for something for myself, you still say no?"
Silence fell like a weight.
The matriarch didn't respond immediately. Her lips pressed into a thin line, her expression a mask of solemnity and restraint. But she did not budge.
Yu Ming's resolve cracked, and her gaze slowly drifted sideways—toward Noah.
