(Extra) Greed and Delusion (4)

That year, the senior disciple arrived outside Wang Rong's secluded courtyard gate. He stopped, drew a deep breath, swept every trace of calculation and coldness from his face, and replaced them with an expression that blended concern and respect in just the right measure before bowing and stepping inside.

After seeing Wang Rong, he selectively reported Tan Yin's stubborn lingering outside the mountain gate for several days.

As he reported, his brow remained furrowed, his wording careful, his tone carrying just the right amount of concern and difficulty.

When his words fell, the air in the courtyard suddenly froze. The already detached air around Wang Rong instantly turned cold. He did not raise his eyes, merely grinding out three words between his teeth:

"Make him... get lost."

Those words of expulsion were delivered to Tan Yin outside the mountain gate without alteration.

Tan Yin only listened in silence, the fingers hanging at his side curling almost imperceptibly. After several days, this was the first time... he had truly received a response from Wang Rong himself.

Though it was a cold rejection, it still sent faint ripples across the still lake of his heart.

He stood quietly for a long while before finally turning around and inching down the mountain along the path he had taken.

The next day, when morning light returned, he appeared beyond that boundary again, right on time.

Spring faded into summer, and the mountain flowers withered and bloomed several times.

And so, day after day, beneath gazes of wariness, disgust, and curiosity, he stubbornly stood there until he became a sight—and a scar.

Until one morning three months later, when the dew had yet to dry and the grass blades still held light.

Wang Rong sat quietly by the window, listening to the faint birdsong in