Supreme Master: Cultivation Starts After Recruiting SSS-Grade Talent-Chapter 46 - Su Roulan

Deep within the Red Lotus Sect’s inner courtyard, far from the clashing swords and roars of sparring disciples, lay a secluded residence built in the middle of a tranquil garden.

The air was still and sweet with the scent of lotus blossoms. A clear pond sat at the garden’s center, ringed by smooth stones and shaded by old willows.

Crimson lotuses bloomed atop the pond’s surface, petals opened wide to the morning sun.

Their reflections shimmered in the rippling water, scattered by the gentle wind and the occasional leap of a fish breaking the surface.

Beside the pond sat a young girl in a pale blue robe, her form slender and still. The fabric of her sleeves pooled around her folded knees.

Her golden hair was tied up into two neat buns, like a child untouched by the turmoil of the world.

But her eyes told another story.

They were lowered, distant, fixed on the water where she dropped small pellets from a silk pouch in her hands.

With each toss, the pond stirred. Dozens of spirit fish, scales shimmering in hues of gold, jade, and red, swarmed eagerly to the surface, their mouths opening and closing as they competed for her offering.

Still, the girl didn’t smile.

Her gaze remained vacant. Her reflection rippled beside the darting fish and blooming lotuses, fragile and blurred.

Suddenly, tiny droplets struck the water’s surface. One. Two. Three.

It was her tears.

"Father... Mother..." her voice cracked, barely louder than the wind rustling the willow leaves. "I’m sorry... I really am..."

She hunched over, shoulders trembling.

"I wasn’t strong enough... I couldn’t live up to what you wanted from me..."

Her tears continued, falling one by one, each creating gentle rings in the water.

Just then, behind her, soft footsteps approached.

"Little Roulan, there you are," came a warm voice.

She stiffened. Her sleeve shot up, hastily wiping away her tears. Her back straightened. She turned quickly, trying to keep her face blank.

A man stood not far behind her. He wore a dark crimson robe with gold-threaded embroidery tracing along the hems in the pattern of flames and lotus petals.

Though middle-aged, his bearing was proud and composed, like a man used to command. Yet when he looked at the girl, his eyes softened.

"Were you looking for me, Father?" Roulan asked, her voice hoarse and fragile.

"I was," he said with a quiet nod, stepping closer. "You missed your breakfast. And your medicine."

"I was going to take it after feeding them." She nodded toward the fish, who still circled the pond.

"You could have asked one of the maids to do it," he said gently, placing a steady hand on her shoulder.

"I wanted to do it myself."

He exhaled slowly. "Come now. The carriage is ready."

Her eyes dimmed, lashes trembling. "Am I... really going?"

"Yes," he replied, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "You’re going to meet a sage. A great one. I’ve heard from a reliable friend, he might be able to mend your meridians."

Roulan looked up at her father. That sorrow in her gaze was not the kind born from childish complaints, it was the quiet, heavy sadness of someone who understood more than she should at her age.

He had spoken with such warmth, such certainty, like he truly believed in the path ahead. But she wasn’t a naive little girl anymore.

She had spent countless hours reading dusty scrolls and ancient records in the sect library. She had seen the diagrams, studied the cultivation manuals, and read the case histories of long-dead cultivators.

A shattered meridian was like a cracked foundation on a mountain peak. No pill could mend it. No technique could realign it. No healer could reverse the damage.

At best, she would live. At worst, she would break apart slowly every time she tried to draw in spiritual energy.

He was sending her away, not to heal, but to hide. To keep her safe.

Far from the political tension stirring inside the Red Lotus Sect. And far from the conflicts brewing beneath the surface of their city.

"I’ll go prepare," she said quietly.

But just as she took a step, her calm broke like fragile glass.

She spun around and threw herself into his arms.

"Father..." she sobbed, her voice muffled against his chest, "Roulan couldn’t make you proud..."

Her shoulders shook, small and fragile in his embrace. For a moment, he stood frozen, stunned by the sudden outburst.

Then his arms wrapped around her firmly, pulling her close, as if he could shield her from every sorrow with sheer will alone.

"What nonsense is that?" he whispered. "Just having you as my daughter is enough. I’ve never needed anything more to be proud of."

His fists, clenched at her back, trembled slightly.

My daughter... only twelve... and already burdened with pain that would crush an adult.

He closed his eyes.

He still remembered the day she was born, how her spiritual roots flared to life mere days after opening her eyes.

Even the elders had been stunned. By age six, she could sense the flow of qi in the earth. By eight, she had mastered a basic sword technique that took others years to learn.

Word of her gifts spread fast, and the Azure Cloud Sect of Ironheart Skyhold Domain sent an invitation. It was a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons walked the halls.

He had been hesitant. But it was an opportunity, one no lowland sect could refuse. And Roulan had wanted to go. She had dreamed of flying higher, reaching the heavens.

For a time, she had.

Even among monsters, Roulan shone like a jewel.

And then, one day, she was sent back.

He would never forget how pale she looked when she stepped down from that carriage. Her breathing was shallow. Her aura was fractured. He placed his hand on her wrist, and everything inside him went still.

Her meridians were broken.

He had asked, begged her, again and again, "Who did this to you?"

But Roulan only lowered her head and kept her silence. Like a prisoner protecting a secret.

He had his suspicions. Faces. Names. But they were all far above his reach. To accuse them without evidence was suicide.

Even if he knew the truth, what could he do? He hated it.

I couldn’t stop those people from taking her mother... and now, I can’t even protect her. What kind of father does that make me? What kind of man have I become?

The thoughts tore through his mind like blades. Behind the hard glint in his eyes, tears welled, held back only by years of discipline and pride too stubborn to let them fall.

On the outside, he was Sect Master Su Jie of the Red Lotus Sect. A name that echoed across Evergreen City. When he walked through the streets, people bowed low. When he spoke, even nobles listened.

But within, he was just a father and a broken one at that.

He had already lost the woman he loved most, Roulan’s mother. And now, every day he lived with the fear of losing their daughter too, the only piece of her mother he had left in this world.

Sometimes, late at night when the sect halls were silent and the candles burned low, he wondered if he would’ve given up everything if Roulan hadn’t been there. His title. His cultivation. Even his life.

What use was power when he couldn’t protect the ones who mattered?

Just then, a light knock on the wooden frame stirred him from his thoughts.

"Lord," came a respectful voice. "There is someone here to see you."

"Have others deal with it. I’ve no interest in visitors today."

"But, Lord..." the elder said, "They... specifically requested to speak with you. And... they’ve asked to meet the young miss as well."

That made Su Jie turn.

"...They asked for Roulan?"

"She’s not well," he said at once. "She needs rest."

Before the elder could reply, Roulan spoke. "It’s alright, Father."

"I’ll go," she said. "It might be important."