Inside the room, the air was thick with silence as Li Xue, Chen Yi, and Hua Rong sat across from Chen Yuxuan, who wore a nervous smile.
Li Xue finally stood up, pacing back and forth before breaking the tension. "Sect Leader?" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Shall I serve you some water?" The sharpness in her words cut through the stillness, and Chen Yuxuan couldn't ignore it.
Chen Yi rose as well, crossing his arms. "So Minister Wei's sons can't get in, but we can? Doesn't that seem... unfair?" His words carried the same biting edge, causing Chen Yuxuan to shrink back slightly.
Chen Yuxuan glanced at Hua Rong, silently pleading, If you've got something to say, say it. But Hua Rong remained quiet, her expression unreadable.
With a heavy sigh, Chen Yuxuan finally spoke. "As you've probably realized... we're in the past."
"No shit sherlock." Hua Rong snorted.
Li Xue's eyes widened as she leaned forward. "And? What are we supposed to do now? My parents must be worried sick!"
Chen Yi nodded in agreement. "Same here."
Chen Yuxuan attempted a defense. "Well, Hua Rong seems fine! Look at her!"
Hua Rong's eyes flickered to Chen Yuxuan, but before she could respond, Li Xue cut in bluntly, "That's because she doesn't have parents to worry about her."
Hua Rong's face fell, and she quickly looked away. Realizing her mistake, Li Xue sighed. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that."
"It's fine," Hua Rong replied quietly, though her voice betrayed a trace of hurt.
Chen Yi's patience snapped. His voice rose, trembling with frustration. "Chen Yuxuan, you better start explaining. Now."
"Why are you all ganging up on me?" Chen Yuxuan yelped, his voice rising defensively. "You were the ones who wanted to fight the demon, weren't you?"
"You should have warned us!" Li Xue shot back, her voice breaking into a scream.
Chen Yi, unable to hold back his anger, shouted, "Just explain everything already, damn it!"
Hua Rong, who had been silent until now, finally raised her voice, attempting to diffuse the chaos. "Why are we all yelling?"
"...."
The room fell silent once again. Chen Yuxuan sighed softly, breaking the stillness. "Alright, let me explain," he said, his voice tinged with resignation.
Chen Yi and Li Xue stood before him, arms crossed, waiting expectantly. Chen Yuxuan cleared his throat. "Once upon a time—"
"Pah!" Li Xue cut him off, her frustration boiling over. "You think this is a joke? Explain properly, not like you're telling us some bedtime story!" She threw her hands up. "I miss my phone, for crying out loud!"
Chen Yuxuan flinched but quickly spoke, his words tumbling out in a rush. "Fine! I once trapped the Demon King by sacrificing myself. We were both sealed in the jade for millions of years, and now you've broken the jade. The Demon King might be after us, even though he said he won't!"
His explanation left them in stunned silence, but he wasn't done. Coughing lightly, he added, almost sheepishly, "And, um... I may have lost all my martial arts. And we're in my past, technically."
"....."
The room plunged into silence again.
"I mean, you losing your martial arts has nothing to do with us," Li Xue said bluntly, her face stern.
Chen Yuxuan's jaw dropped, disbelief written all over his face. "What did you just say?"
"She's not wrong," Chen Yi chimed in, crossing his arms.
Chen Yuxuan looked between them, his frustration building. "Oh, come on!" he snapped. "You were the ones who wanted to fight the demon, right?"
"That was Chen Yi's decision, not mine!" Hua Rong finally spoke up, her voice sharper than usual.
Chen Yuxuan turned on her, snorting. "Whatever! You were still the main reason the jade broke!"
"Chen Yuxuan! Get to the point!" Li Xue shouted, cutting him off. Her voice rose above the chaos, silencing the argument. "You want us to face the demon? Fine, we'll do it. But at least tell us what we're supposed to do!"
Her words hung in the air, the tension crackling between them like a live wire.
The room remained tense, the silence broken only by the occasional shifting of feet. Chen Yuxuan took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly weighing his next words carefully.
"You know what? Forget explaining," Chen Yuxuan said, his voice suddenly decisive. "It's better if I show you."
"Show us?" Li Xue raised an eyebrow, her tone skeptical.
"Yes, show you," Chen Yuxuan replied, standing up abruptly and gesturing toward the door. "You three should join my sect. Since I'm the sect leader, it won't be a problem getting you in."
Chen Yi blinked in disbelief. "Wait. You're telling us to join your sect? Like, just like that?"
"Yes. Like, just like that," Chen Yuxuan shot back impatiently. "You're not exactly in a position to argue here."
"You dragged us into this mess, and now you want us to play sect disciples?" Li Xue's voice rose again. "You better not expect us to call you 'Sect Leader' or bow down to you!"
"Actually, bowing is optional," Chen Yuxuan quipped with a nervous grin. "But you have to call me Sect leader."
Hua Rong frowned. "But… what does joining the sect have to do with facing the Demon King?"
"Oh, plenty!" Chen Yuxuan exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "You'll need training, resources, and allies if you're going to survive. The sect provides all of that!"
"And how exactly is this sect going to help us? You just admitted you lost all your martial arts," Chen Yi snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Should we start a 'Save the Sect Leader' charity?"
Chen Yuxuan glared at him. "Hey! I'm still the leader, martial arts or not! And I clearly possess knowledge for guidance!"
"Barely," Li Xue muttered under her breath.
"Look, are you in or not?" Chen Yuxuan said, exasperated. "We don't have time to argue. The Demon King could pop up any minute!"
Li Xue crossed her arms but sighed. "Fine. If it means not dying, I'll join."
Hua Rong nodded hesitantly. "If this will help us... I'm in too."
Chen Yi rolled his eyes but finally relented. "Guess I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Great!" Chen Yuxuan clapped his hands together. "Now let's get moving! There's a lot to do, and you three are going to need a crash course in martial arts."
Chen Yuxuan stepped out of the room, fanning himself gently, trying to cool his rising temper. Just as he turned a corner, a young woman bumped into him.
"Miss, are you alright?" he asked, his tone unexpectedly soft as he steadied her.
The girl didn't respond immediately. Instead, she stared at him with wide peach-blossom eyes, her gaze fixed and unyielding. After a moment, she finally spoke, her voice clear and calm. "Sir, I was sent by Minister Wei to accompany Miss Li, Miss Hua, and Sir Chen."
Chen Yuxuan tilted his head, suspicion flickering in his eyes. Before he could say anything, the door behind him opened, and Li Xue stepped out. Her eyes widened in recognition.
"You!" Li Xue exclaimed, pointing at the girl. "I know you! You're the maid who helped me get into the hall when I first arrived here, Jinora right!."
The girl nodded, her expression as composed as ever.
"She was a little rude, though," Li Xue added, narrowing her eyes. "Kept pulling my hair while brushing it, and her face didn't move an inch. I thought she was mad at me the whole time."
Jinora offered a small bow, her voice calm and measured. "It is my duty to serve. My apologies if I caused any discomfort."
Chen Yuxuan scoffed, snapping his fan shut. "Sorry, we can't allow that."
Jinora's sharp gaze turned toward him. "And why not?"
"You'd be a nuisance," Chen Yuxuan said flatly, brushing past her as if dismissing the matter entirely.
Jinora's lips twitched. For a moment, she seemed to hold back. Then, suddenly, her composure snapped like a taut string. "A nuisance? You dare call me a nuisance? If I wanted to, I could mop the floor with you using one hand tied behind my back!"
"I like her," Chen Yi said quietly, his face as expressionless as ever.
Chen Yuxuan spun around, feeling the heat rise to his face. "You! Do you even know who I am!?"
Jinora didn't bother answering him. Instead, she turned her attention to Li Xue, her expression softening slightly. "I will ensure my duties are fulfilled."
Li Xue smirked, folding her arms. "I'm taking you with me, no matter what this 'sect leader' says."
Chen Yuxuan huffed, feeling his authority slipping further. "Enough! Let's go. Elder Xu must be waiting for us."
"Xu? As in 'promise'?" Chen Yi muttered under his breath, but no one paid him any attention.
Li Xue tilted her head, her brow furrowed. "Elder Xu? You mean that old man with the long white beard?"
"Who're you calling old!?" a crinkled voice snapped from behind her.
Startled, Li Xue whirled around, only to find a man with a long white beard glaring up at her. "I'm fifty-seven, young lady!" Elder Xu barked, slamming his cane on the ground for emphasis.
Li Xue blinked, momentarily stunned. "Uh… fifty-seven? Really?"
"Really!" Elder Xu growled. "You ought to learn some respect before those sharp words of yours get you into trouble!"
Jinora smothered a laugh with her sleeve, while Chen Yi leaned in to Li Xue. "You should probably apologize before he turns that cane on you," he murmured.
"I heard that! And for your information I don't use a cane!"
Li Xue crossed her arms but sighed. "Fine, my bad. You don't look a day over… forty-five."
Elder Xu's glare deepened, but Chen Yuxuan quickly waved his fan, stepping between them. "Alright, enough! We have more important things to do. Let's go!"
As the group moved forward, the tension was broken by Jinora's quiet chuckle. Li Xue glanced at her, smirking. "You really can mop the floor with him, can't you?"
"With ease," Jinora replied, her peach blossom eyes gleaming mischievously.
Chen Yuxuan grumbled under his breath, fanning himself furiously as the group made their way outside the manor.