The silence between them lingered for a long moment.
Lin Yue stood in the open doorway, her hand still on the frame. The moonlight behind Joseph softened his features, but the weight in his eyes was unmistakable.
She didn't invite him in.
But she stepped aside.
Joseph bowed his head slightly and entered. He removed his shoes at the door, not because it was expected, but because it felt… right.
The room was simple. Sparse. Clean in the way that revealed discipline more than comfort. A single scroll hung above her bed—calligraphy in deep black ink: In Death, Truth.
Joseph didn't ask if it was hers.
He stood awkwardly in the center of the room while Lin Yue returned to her seat by the window, pulling her knees to her chest, robe loose and unbelted, her hair slightly undone from lying down.
She didn't look at him.
"I should have knocked earlier," he said quietly.
"You did," she replied. "Twice."
He half-smiled. "Right."
More silence.
Then Joseph sat down on the floor, cross-legged, hands on his knees. Not too close to her. Not too far either.
"I just wanted to say…" he started, then faltered. "I'm sorry."
Lin Yue didn't move.
"For the amulet. For the demons. For the trial," Joseph continued. "You didn't deserve to lose that chance. None of you did."
Still, no reply.
He exhaled. "You trained hard. I know that. I saw how you moved—every step was deliberate. You were ready. You were meant to pass."
"Clearly not," she said, voice barely audible.
Joseph looked at her.
"I failed it once already," she said. "But I thought this time—this time I'd move forward. This time, maybe I'd feel something other than… stagnation."
Joseph swallowed. "A whole year… that's how long you have to wait now?"
Lin Yue nodded slowly.
"I'm not from a clan," she said. "None of us are. We're not cultivating to bring honor to a name. We're all… leftovers. Ghosts in someone else's skin. The Sect of the Returning Soul doesn't exist for power. It exists to offer us a route, the true way to enlightenment. The way to redemption. A second Chance."
She turned her head slightly, her gaze meeting his for the first time.
"But what happens when you waste a second chance, Wei Shen? What does that make you?"
Joseph had no answer.
"I've been in Stage One for a year," she continued. "I've memorized every formation manual available to outer disciples. I've performed the Reflection Rite twelve times. I rebuilt my core breathing cycle three times. And I still couldn't break through."
Her voice cracked—barely—but he heard it.
"I don't even remember who I was before," she whispered. "My old life. My old body. Whatever sin brought me here. Maybe I don't want to. Maybe it doesn't matter. But I thought—if I worked hard enough, the heavens would see it. That someone would. I long for that grace."
She turned away again, hugging her knees tighter.
"And now it's another year. Another cycle. Another reminder that maybe I don't deserve to be anything more than what I am now."
Joseph felt like something was breaking open in his chest.
"I didn't know," he said softly.
"Why would you?" she replied. "You're a junior. You showed up and things got worse. You're.... ", She paused quickly, having second thoughts of what to say. "You talk different. You don't meditate the way we do. But somehow you survived the trial that broke others. Your can call yourself lucky"
She looked at him again—this time, not with anger, but pain.
"You changed something. Prevented my break through"
"I didn't mean to," he said.
"But you did."
They sat in silence again. Not because there was nothing left to say, but because there was too much, and not all of it had words yet.
Finally, Joseph leaned back slightly, arms resting on his knees.
"I don't remember my past life either," he admitted. "But I remember dying. And when I woke up in this body, I thought it was a gift. I thought… maybe I could fix something."
Lin Yue stared at him. "You remember dying?"
Joseph nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"You're not supposed to."
He smiled faintly. "I know."
She let that hang in the air.
Then: "Do you regret it? Waking up here?"
Joseph closed his eyes for a moment.
"No," he said. "Not yet."
A breeze passed through the open window, rustling the hanging scroll. Neither of them moved.
"I'm going to stay in Stage One for another year," she said quietly. "And you're going to move on ahead. That's what it feels like."
"Maybe," Joseph said. "But I don't want to step over anyone to do it."
"That's not how cultivation works," she said. "You either rise… or you get left behind."
"It may be for others" He said softly, his head held upright. " I don't tremble on others to get what I want, I work for it".
"Ling Yue — you're my senior in this sect, and it may not be my place to say this... but I swear on my dao, on the moonlight that lights this valley, on my path to redemption and on my second chance in life— I will grow stronger. I'll cultivate until I break through. Next year... we'll face the Mist Path together and It will be your last trial."
Joseph stood slowly. His knees ached from sitting, but he ignored it.
"I didn't come here to ask for forgiveness," he said. "But I still hope I earn it one day."
He moved to the door and slipped his shoes back on.
"Goodnight, Lin Yue."
He reached for the handle.
"Wait."
He turned.
She didn't look at him. But her voice was softer now. Smaller.
"You didn't waste your second chance," she said.
Joseph's breath caught in his chest.
She glanced over finally. "So don't waste anyone else's."
He nodded once, deeply.
And then he left, stepping into the cool night, the stars above clearer than they had been in days.