Chapter 108 - 107: My dream is to-

Chapter 108: Chapter 107: My dream is to-

Lin Qingyue immediately wondered whether she had overstepped her bounds.

A cultivator of Chen Yuan’s standing might have ambitions she could never comprehend, and asking such a personal question might not have been appropriate.

"Y-You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to."

Chen Yuan did not respond immediately, his gaze briefly graced in her direction.

And slowly, he smiled with a gentle look, as he raised his hand and extended his fingers toward the night sky.

A faint golden glow appeared at his fingertips.

Lin Qingyue watched as tiny sparks of light emerged one after another, each resembling a miniature golden flame, or to be more exact, golden butterflies.

They floated around his hand before drifting toward her, illuminating her face with their gentle radiance under the cold air of the night.

One brushed against her cheek, warm and delicate, before rising into the air.

More followed.

The golden lights spread across the cliffside, passing through the snow-laden branches and ascending into the darkness.

Soon, dozens of them were floating above the mountain, their reflections shimmering across the snow as they drifted toward the distant sky.

Lin Qingyue stared in wonder, her mouth agape.

The little golden flames simply moved through the night, bringing warmth to this place.

Chen Yuan watched them rise.

"My dream..."

He spoke slowly, as pictures of himself in his past life and also in this life began to emerge from the depth of his mind.

"I want to see how far a person can go when they refuse to accept that their limits have already been decided for them."

Lin Qingyue turned toward him, listening carefully.

"People are born into different circumstances. Some have powerful families to support them, while others struggle for every opportunity."

"Some possess extraordinary talent, while others are dismissed before they’ve even had the chance to prove themselves."

His gaze followed the golden lights into the distance.

"Yet people are often told that this is simply how the world works."

"That some are destined to stand above others, while everyone else must accept their place."

"After hearing it often enough, even those who might have gone further eventually stop asking whether there’s another possibility."

He lowered his hand slightly, allowing another cluster of golden flames to drift into the sky from the tip of his fingers.

"I want to find that possibility."

Lin Qingyue tilted her head.

"Another possibility?"

"Yes... a way forward that doesn’t require everyone to follow the same footsteps, and a future where those who come after us aren’t forced to inherit every limitation of those who came before them."

He paused, watching the golden lights spread farther across the sky.

"I don’t intend to replace one set of rules with another, nor do I want everyone to walk the path I choose."

"I simply want to discover what lies beyond what we already know, and leave something behind that allows others to go further than I ever could."

"Perhaps I’ll fail. Perhaps the answer I seek doesn’t exist, or perhaps finding it will cost me more than I expect.But if I never try, then I’ll never know."

Chen Yuan finally turned toward her.

"That is my dream. To explore what others have yet to discover, and to make sure that the road ahead doesn’t end with us."

The golden flames continued rising, spreading farther until they resembled a small river of stars flowing above the snowy mountain.

Lin Qingyue stood motionless.

She had heard rumours about Chen Yuan before, the Zhao Family had made sure to spread the news far and wide about him.

Well, more specifically, the news about what Chen Yuan wanted it to be.

’They called them the Children Who Had Strayed from the Light.’

The Zhao Imperial Family had described them as dangerous cultivators who had abandoned the orthodox path.

But why?

What could possibly drive someone to turn away from the cultivation methods everyone else followed?

And what were they were pursuing?

Now, standing beside Chen Yuan...

Everything felt wrong. As if those claims made by the royal family somehow contradicted what she was seeing currently.

’How can such a dream be considered astray?’

Lin Qingyue looked up at the golden lights still drifting above the mountain.

"Senior..." she murmured. "Is that why the Zhao Imperial Family calls you a group of dangerous cultivators?"

"But... I don’t understand how can such a dream to be considered... wrong?"

Chen Yuan gave a quiet laugh.

"People tend to fear what they don’t understand. After all, I did attempted to kidnap the second princess, you know."

Lin Qingyue hesitated, "But you didn’t harm her... "

Chen Yuan smiled, "I have no reason to harm her... I simply need her to be present at a certain place... to unlock something that I wanted since she carries a special blood."

"Then why didn’t you explain your reasons?"

"That I want to use her, not harming her, and taking her away politely under their nose?"

She closed her mouth and Chen Yuan continued, "Everyone has their own selfishness. If I were to tell the truth, they would definitely used that child for their own use instead."

"But... "

"Little girl... "

Chen Yuan turned to look at her, and gestured with his hand, "Do not underistimate the greed of cultivators... "

"Blood may bind people together, but it is profit that reveals how strong that bond truly is. When the stakes are low, everyone speaks of family. When enough is placed on the scales, even a lifetime of affection can be outweighed by a single promise of gain."

He offered no further explanation, and Lin Qingyue did not press him. She had already realised that the rumours she had heard were not enough to clarify the true situation.

The two stood quietly beneath the moonlight, the last few golden butterflies drifting into the distance as thin clouds passed over the moon.

Chen Yuan suddenly turned his gaze to the side, his hands resting behind his back.

"Since you’re already here, why don’t you come out?"

Lin Qingyue turned in surprise, only to feel a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy behind them.

A woman emerged from the darkness, descending lightly onto the snow-covered ground. The moment she saw Chen Yuan, a bright smile appeared on her face.

"Father, you finally remembered to call for me."

Lin Qingyue froze.

Chen Yuan noticed her reaction and waved his hand.

"Don’t worry. She’s an acquaintance of mine."

"An acquaintance?" The woman raised an eyebrow before turning toward Lin Qingyue with a mischievous smile. "That’s a rather cold way to introduce your own daughter, Father."

"D-Daughter?!"

Lin Qingyue stared at her in disbelief.

She looked at the woman, then back at Chen Yuan, struggling to reconcile the revelation with their youthful appearances.

Although she knew powerful cultivators could preserve their appearances for centuries, she had never imagined that the man before her already had a daughter!

Chen Yueran seemed delighted by her reaction.

"What’s wrong? Is it really that surprising?"

"I-I just..." Lin Qingyue struggled to find the right words. "Senior looks so young, and you do too..."

"People say that all the time," Chen Yueran replied cheerfully. "You’ll get used to it."

Chen Yuan sighed at her antics before turning toward Lin Qingyue.

"She’s family. You don’t need to be so wary of her."

Lin Qingyue nodded slowly. Chen Yueran then gave Lin Qingyue a curious look, studying the woman from head to toe before turning toward Chen Yuan.

"Father, who is she?"

Chen Yuan glanced at her with an amused expression.

"Why bother asking when you’ve been lurking around here for several days already? Surely you’ve had enough time to figure that out yourself."

Chen Yueran’s smile widened.

"Well, I did enjoy my time here."

She folded her arms behind her back, rocking lightly on her heels as she recalled the past few days. Slowly, her body hovered around Qin Lingyue in a circling manner.

"I never thought I’d get to see your fragile side in my entire life. Honestly, if I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I might have suspected someone had impersonated you."

Chen Yuan gave a faint shrug.

"I suppose so."

His casual response seemed to disappoint her a little. She had clearly hoped to provoke a more interesting reaction, but Chen Yuan merely looked toward the distant mountains, apparently unwilling to indulge her further.

Lin Qingyue, meanwhile, had been listening to their exchange in silence. She hesitated before looking toward Chen Yuan, her hands clasped together in front of her chest.

"T-Then... Senior, are you leaving?"

The question came out more awkwardly than she intended. She lowered her eyes almost immediately, as though she had only just realised how her words might sound.

Chen Yueran turned toward her. For a moment, she said nothing. Then, as she noticed Lin Qingyue’s expression, a strange smile gradually appeared on her face.

"Now, now..." she drawled, leaning slightly toward the woman. "What’s this? A little bird perched on a branch, gazing longingly at the mountain beyond?"

Lin Qingyue froze.

"W-What?"

Chen Yueran covered her mouth, though the amusement in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just making an observation."

"You’re misunderstanding!"

Lin Qingyue’s cheeks flushed as she hurriedly tried to explain herself, but the more flustered she became, the more suspicious her reaction seemed.

Chen Yuan glanced at Chen Yueran.

"Stop teasing her."

"Fine, fine."

Chen Yueran raised both hands in surrender, although her smile suggested she had no intention of letting the matter go so easily.

Lin Qingyue could only lower her head, wishing the snow beneath her feet would open up and swallow her whole.