CHAPTER 197: 197-

After a few minutes had passed, the two rose from the low bench, setting their cups aside. Fang Yuan inclined his head in farewell while Fang Lian bowed deeply.

"Take care of yourself, Doctor Mu," Fang Yuan said simply.

"Hmph. Just don’t ruin my apprentice, Fang boy," the old man replied with a crooked grin, waving them off.

The hut door creaked shut behind them, and the air met their faces, cool, carrying the faint scent of pine.

They walked in silence for a time, the only sounds their footsteps on the narrow path.

At last, Fang Lian glanced up, worry soft in her eyes.

"Master... Doctor Mu doesn’t look well. Is it really for the best that we leave him alone?"

Fang Yuan’s gaze stayed forward, unreadable.

"...It isn’t. But I don’t know why—he’s drunk."

"Drunk?" Lian tilted her head, puzzled. "Then...?"

He exhaled slowly, as though bracing himself.

"I have news for you."

Her brows knit, sensing the weight in his tone. "News?"

Fang Yuan stopped walking. For a moment, the wind rustled the trees, filling the silence he left.

His lips parted, then pressed shut again. At last, he drew a deep breath, his eyes dark.

"...Your father."

The words caught in his throat. He couldn’t finish.

Fang Lian’s steps faltered.

She looked at him, her voice trembling though she tried to keep it steady.

"My father? What... what happened to him?"

Fang Yuan’s lips pressed into a thin line.

He stood there for a long while, the silence stretching taut between them. Finally, he spoke:

"Your father is dead."

The words dropped like a hammer, heavy and final.

Fang Lian did not cry at once. She simply stood still, her eyes wide, unblinking.

Then, in a voice so calm it startled even herself, she murmured,

"Ah... I see."

Her lips quivered faintly. She forced them into a curve that resembled a smile, but it trembled, brittle as glass.

"He... he had it coming, right, Master? Please... please tell me he did something wrong."

Her voice cracked as tears welled and spilled, sliding down her cheeks unchecked. "Tell me he was wicked, tell me he was a criminal—anything. So I can hate him instead of... instead of..."

The words dissolved into sobs.

Before she could collapse under the weight of her grief, Fang Yuan’s hand moved. He grasped her head firmly, pulling her against his chest.

His arms, so often crossed in command or clasped behind his back in detachment, now wrapped around her with quiet finality.

"Master..." she stammered, her body trembling as though the question itself were tearing her apart.

"Please... please tell me he was a criminal. Please."

Her tears soaked into his robes, her small hands clutching the fabric as if her grip alone could anchor her against the storm.

Fang Yuan’s gaze lifted to the horizon, unreadable, his hand tightening on her shoulder.

Fang Yuan’s voice was low, steady, almost too steady.

"Your father... was not a bad man. But he stood against me. He and several elders formed a faction, trying to strip me of authority, even seeking to impeach me. When I defeated them, I did not take their lives. I allowed them to walk free, under one condition—that they leave the Fang Clan and never return."

His eyes darkened as he continued.

"Later, I learned they chose to work under the Crown Prince. But understand this—betrayal is not always born of malice. Sometimes it is fear, or pride, or simply a different vision for the clan’s future."

Fang Lian trembled, her lips parting. "But, Master... what you’ve said—it sounds like treason. Doesn’t that... warrant death?"

Fang Yuan placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression heavy but calm.

"Perhaps. But remember this, disciple: judgment is not so simple. A man can stand against me without being a criminal. A father can make mistakes without being a monster. Do not let your grief twist into hatred—it will poison you faster than any enemy."

Fang Yuan’s voice softened, carrying none of the weight of politics, only that of a master speaking to his disciple.

"Your father was not wicked, child. He stood against me, yes—he sought to challenge my rule, perhaps out of pride, perhaps because he thought he was right."

His gaze lingered on her tear-streaked face, and his hand rose, resting gently atop her head.

"I will not lie to you and call him a hero. But neither will I stain his memory with false crimes to make things easier.

He was simply... a man who made choices. And now, he is gone."

Fang Lian’s shoulders quivered, her breath hitching. "So... I can’t hate him?"

"You don’t need to," Fang Yuan murmured. His thumb brushed away a tear at the corner of her eye. "Hate is heavy, and it binds tighter than chains. Mourn him if you must. Miss him if your heart calls for it. But do not let sorrow fester into poison."

Slowly, her trembling eased. The tears did not stop, but her breathing steadied. She leaned into his palm, her voice faint but steady.

"...Yes, Master."

For a moment, the world was quiet, only the sound of their footsteps on the dirt road, master and disciple walking forward together, carrying both grief and hope in equal measure.

Fang Yuan’s hand lingered as he brushed away the last of her tears. His voice gentled, steady as stone.

"Lian’er... listen well. I have already recalled the bodies of our fallen elders who were banished. Their remains rest once more beneath Fang soil. And those families who left with them... I am calling them back, too."

Fang Lian blinked at him, her eyes still red but sharp with surprise. "...You’re bringing them back? After everything?"

He nodded, expression unreadable. "The Fang Clan has lost too many pillars to keep bleeding itself with old grudges. The dead deserve rest, and the living deserve a home. If we keep pushing them away, we will have no family left to protect when true enemies come."

Her lips parted, conflicted. "But Master... will they not resent you? Will they not bring the same betrayal again?"

Fang Yuan’s gaze turned distant, the weight of centuries flickering in his eyes.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps grief has tempered their pride. Either way, hatred will only rot us from within. I would rather risk their resentment than let our clan be divided forever."

He looked down at her, his voice low but certain.

"This is not about kindness. It is about survival and unity. The Fang Clan must rise as one, or it will fall as many."