The ground and first floors of the Tower were accessible to the Council of Elders and the latter also served as a forum for hosting important dignitaries from both domestic and foriegn sects, clans, mercantile organizations, among other institutions. However, the second floor and above was off limits to everyone except those authorized by Yao Shen, or the other two Master Control Token holders who could bypass the restrictions.

Yao Shen was about to leave for the second floor, having concluded the Council meeting with satisfactory results, when a familiar voice called out his name, giving him pause.

“Yao Shen,” Zhou Hui walked towards Yao Shen, and even without relying upon his human sight he could tell the difference— the Hui Family Patriarch walked with a spring in his step, chest slightly puffed out and back held straight, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Perhaps even Zhou Hui didn’t realize how living under Yao Shen’s shadow had affected him, making his personality more reserved and reclusive over the years— devoting himself entirely to the pursuit of Dao and his duties as the Enforcement Hall Elder.

“What is it, Brother Hui?” Yao Shen amiably asked with a light smile on his face, clearly in a good mood.

“I wish to debate upon the Sky Division’s future direction, and desire to understand the vision you hold for the Modern Sect in greater detail, if this is an appropriate time,” Zhou Hui did not care to modulate the exhilaration leaking into his voice, even if such an overt display of emotion was a little unbecoming for one of his stature.

“Of course, Brother Hui. Come to think of it, it has been a while since you have met the trio. Are you willing to accompany me upstairs?”

“Naturally, Brother Yao. It is a pity I don’t have time to prepare gifts for them,” Zhou Hui apologetically replied, but Yao Shen just lightly waved his hand.

“No matter, no matter. Come, let us proceed.”

A few hours earlier….

Yanyue wore a dazed expression on her face as Shadow tugged at her wrist, leading her to the stairwell at one end of the Council Hall. ‘Warmth’ was an emotion that Yanyue felt with the very core of her being, as ‘uncertainty’, ‘confusion’ and ‘shock’ lurked in the background— the deluge of strong emotions almost threatening to overwhelm her. There was a saying in the mortal village she hailed from that cautioned one against giving a parched man too much water in one go, and she very much resonated with that maxim in that moment.

She had heard stories about Patriarch Yao Shen’s past, a young Qi formation cultivator with mortal roots lacking in both talent and background— all but destined for obscurity in the mighty Heavenly Sky Sect, where one’s fate was left upon the judgment of the heavens. However his iron will and immutable determination had not gone unnoticed— finally chosen by an Elder, after eighteen long years of cultivation, as a true disciple. From there on, Patriarch Yao Shen’s meteoric rise was unforgettable. Yanyue had never expected the same fortune to fall upon her lap, especially after she let her will crumble when faced with loss— she was not qualified, her accomplishments not even amounting to a tenth of Yao Shen’s at the same age.

Did she really deserve such kindness? Was such warmth owed to someone who hid away from the world instead of confronting the darkness? She was just a coward, was she not? Why was she being shown kindness when others far more deserving still continued to suffer? Especially those like Yao Shen.

“You are crying,” Shadow’s emotionless voice roused Yanyue from the vicious cycle of self doubt and depreciation she found herself trapped within.

Yanyue realized that she had been following Shadow blindly, having no real recollection of traversing past the halfway mark of the long flight of steps that she found herself standing upon. She turned her head to meet her new senior sister’s gaze, her mesmerizing violet eyes devoid of any emotion— be it kindness or disgust, sympathy or apathy, love or hatred, there was… simply nothing to be found within.

“Why are you crying?” Shadow asked her, but there was no judgment to be found within her question— her tone remaining as monotone as ever.

“Um, Senior disciple, I-er, I mean I—,” Yanyue fumbled and flubbed over her words as she struggled to find the words to explain herself without tarnishing her reputation. A soft hand landed upon her shoulder, radiating a muted burst of cold that was harmless to a cultivator of her level, but still enough to jolt her out of the overwhelmed state she was trapped in.

“Senior Sister. I am your Senior Sister, Yanyue,” Shadow’s voice finally exhibited a trickle of emotion as she lectured Yanyue, patting her on the shoulder once. To Yanyue she sounded almost disappointed, but she didn’t trust her own judgment right now.

“Okay,” Yanyue gave her an eager nod, relieved that she had been extricated from the mortifying situation she had trapped herself within.

“No,” Shadow shook her head, and she definitely sounded disappointed this time. “Say it,” she all but commanded.

“Senior Sister….?” Yanyue’s confusedly uttered, wondering if Shadow wanted to emphasize her seniority and position in the sect.

Shadow gazed at Yanyue and then blinked twice before a heavy blush colored her cheeks, causing her to hurriedly avert her gaze.

On the other hand, Yanyue looked equally flummoxed by her senior sister’s odd reactions. Was she such an embarrassment that her senior sister had to avert her gaze when she called upon her? But from her expression… that did not seem to be the case. Instead, it almost felt as if she were… blushing?

But that was impossible, laughable even. Patriarch Yao Shen had three disciples, and of them Shadow’s reputation far encompassed the other two by such a margin that they were almost incomparable. Shadow, Bane of Demons, was responsible for the deaths of dozens of demonic path cultivators that had tried to conduct blood sacrifice rituals within the territory of the Heavenly Sky Sect over the past two decades. Such a person was many things, but could hardly be described as emotional or frivolous.

Shadow took a few more seconds to recompose herself, all traces of emotion wiped off from her face as her gaze once again landed upon Yanyue.

“Who made you cry?” Shadow asked, and there was a certain intensity to her voice that made Yanyue feel stifled, even suppressed, the longer she stared at her elder sister.

Yanyue felt pressured as her senior sister demanded an answer, unsure of how to respond. Her senior sister’s actions were a bit eccentric, but oddly enough Yanyue felt her presence to be comforting. After half a minute of deliberation, she decided to answer truthfully— after all, it was not like her senior sister would do anything when she realized it was an Elder that was responsible.

“D-Dongmei Xue, Matriarch of the Xue Family,” Yanyue tried not to stutter as she replied, the name a trigger for painful and stressful memories.

“I see. Wait here,” Her senior sister replied, as all the shadows within the stairwell, including her own, coalesced around her to form a writhing cloak that sent shivers down Yanyue’s spine. Her violet eyes were like two orbs of light that glowed within the shadows, radiating with such intensity that Yanyue feared her Senior Sister was about to do something radical.

She unsheathed her dagger, which served as the final alarm bell in Yanyue’s mind.

“Senior Sister, um, what are you doing?” she hurriedly asked, her voice coming out shriller than she had intended as a thousand thoughts swirled in her mind, all reaching one conclusion—she had to stop Shadow, unless this was some sort of hazing ritual for new disciples.

“I will punish Dongmei Xue,” Shadow replied without emotion, as if fighting a renowned Nascent Soul Cultivator as a mere Core Formation junior was a normal occurrence.

“Senior Sister, she is a Nascent Soul expert!” Yanyue exclaimed, her expression wide with disbelief as she stared at Shadow. There was no subterfuge or trickery in her words, and no experienced cultivator would utter such words frivolously. How could someone possibly be this unreasonable?

“That is not your concern,” Shadow replied coolly, thoroughly unintimidated by the prospects of fighting a stage above her. Besides, it was not like she would kill Dongmei Xue, she only intended to make her kneel before her Junior Sister and apologize.

“You!” Yanyue let out a frustrated shout, catching Shadow’s attention. “You just…. You haven’t even known me for a day! Why would you dare anger a Nascent Soul expert for a…. nobody like me?” Yanyue vented her emotions, forgetting in that moment just who she was addressing— her own self worth issues conflicting with the immeasurable amount of kindness she was showered with on this day, after years of grieving in silence.

Shadow tilted her head, looking down at Yanyue with a perplexed expression on her face. “You said it yourself, did you not?”

“Said what?”

“I am your senior sister, yes?” She asked again, her emotionless voice devoid of the strong emotions Yanyue felt.

“Yes,” Yanyue nodded, and she truly meant it. On any other occasion she would feel blessed, but she could not let Shadow barge upon the Council of Elders and try to attack Dongmei Xue— the consequences would be disastrous for her, especially when it came out that she was the reason behind her actions.

“It is the senior sister’s duty to protect the junior sister. You need not worry,” Shadow stated simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Yanyue felt something in her heart melt completely, as all strength in her legs threatened to leave her.

“Senior Sister, if you go fight Dongmei Xue, Master will be angry,” Yanyue gave it a final attempt, but in reality she did not care anymore. If punishment for Shadow’s actions would fall upon her head as honorary disciple, that was fine. If the Patriarch cast her out as a result of manipulating Shadow, even when she didn’t have any intention or reason to, that too, was fine.

To know that someone as pure as her existed— even if it was for a short while, she was glad, no, honored to call her senior sister.

“Oh,” Shadow replied, her mouth agape as the shadows around her receded like a tide. She sheathed her blade the next instant and started walking forward, as if the past minute’s events had not occurred in reality.

Yanyue gasped in palpable relief as the strength in her legs left her, the events of the past few hours having crossed her emotional threshold to bear shock. As a cultivator the fall would not even leave a scratch upon her body, she just wanted to rest for a few minutes.

But she never managed to make contact with the staircase, only feeling a burst of muted cold enveloping her before she found herself staring up at two violet pupils, which reflected a slight, but noticeable glimmer of concern within them.

Shadow delicately carried Yanyue in her arms, as if she was concerned her excessive strength might harm her body.

“I am unsure why, but you display symptoms of Qi Exhaustion even when your reserves are full. I shall take you to rest,” Shadow explained, gently walking step by step at the speed of a mortal to ensure that she was not disturbed any further.

Yanyue felt as if she had returned to the arms of her mortal father, feeling a sense of safety and security that she would not trade for the world. Not again.

Before she realized it, Yanyue had fallen asleep.