As the food was set before them, each person took a moment to savour the sight and aroma. Layla idly tapped her fingers against the table, eyeing the roasted duck before finally relenting and serving herself a portion.
"At least the food is good" she admitted begrudgingly.
Meyu smirked. "Good? This is some of the finest cuisine I've seen in months."
She took a bite of the braised vegetables, humming in satisfaction.
"I'd almost forgive the fact that this meal comes with an unbearable amount of Atlas' whining."
Atlas, still dramatically slumped, peeked up from the table.
"And yet, here I sit, a man betrayed, my soul withering under the weight of my unjust servitude. Not even the finest roast can soothe my aching heart."
Yan Shuren, ever composed, inclined his head politely. "May I join you?"
Daokan gestured toward the open seats.
"Please, I told you many times you don't need to ask. You're practically like my son"
The daughter of Daokan, Shen Xue, had already begun to eat, carefully picking at her food with precise movements. She turned toward Yan Shuren with mild curiosity.
"You don't strike me as someone who indulges in large meals" she remarked.
Yan gave a small, knowing smile. "It is rare, but even I must eat. Besides, good company makes for better digestion."
Shen Xue nodded, acknowledging the remark as she took another bite. One of the attendants poured warm tea for the guests, the fragrant steam curling gently in the air.
Layla took a sip, sighing as the warmth spread through her. "Well, at least tea's good."
Bao, let out a satisfied groan. "This... this is heaven. I never want to leave."
Jiang, ever composed, took a measured bite of his meal and gave a slow nod.
"The balance of flavours is impeccable. Even the texture is perfectly crafted. I can see why this sect values its hospitality."
Bao waved a lazy hand. "You talk too much. Just eat and be happy."
He stuffed another piece of duck into his mouth, chewing with a look of pure euphoria.
Meilin's parents exchanged glances before her father let out a pleased hum.
"I must admit, the seasoning is perfect. Whoever prepared this understands balance well."
Her mother nodded, delicately picking at her food.
"It reminds me of my home cooking, yet more refined. A meal crafted with care."
Yan Shuren, hearing this, gave a respectful nod. "The sect prides itself on hospitality. It is good to know our efforts are appreciated."
Meilin's father chuckled. "Hospitality is one thing. This, however, is beyond that. This is excellence."
Meanwhile, in another chamber, a beautiful servant carefully adjusted the blanket over the child's frail form as the physician examined her once more. The girl stirred slightly but did not wake.
"She's still weak" the physician murmured, running a practiced hand over the child's bruised skin. "Whoever did this pushed her far beyond her limits."
The servant nodded, her gaze soft with sympathy. "Will she recover?"
The physician hesitated. "Physically, perhaps. But the trauma… that will take time."
He dipped a cloth into a bowl of herbal-infused water and gently dabbed at the child's wrist.
"She barely speaks, barely reacts. She flinches at the smallest touch."
The servant sighed, adjusting the girl's pillow with careful hands.
"She deserves kindness. I hope she finds it here."
The physician glanced toward the door, as if considering something. He exhaled through his nose, skepticism written all over his face.
"With that merchant taking her in... perhaps she will—though I do wonder if handing a traumatized child over to a snarky merchant with the face of a devil is truly the wisest course of action."
The servant stifled a laugh, but quickly composed herself.
"He does have a certain... flair for dramatics."
The physician nodded solemnly. "Indeed. I can already imagine him corrupting her with his theatrics and nonsense."
The servant tilted her head. "True, but... are we really going to let him raise a child? I mean, he's dramatic, snarky, and half the time I can't tell if he's a genius or an idiot."
The physician groaned, rubbing his temples. "Exactly. He looks like a villain in one of those old fables. What if she ends up just as dramatic? What if she starts throwing her arms in the air and making grand speeches about the tragedy of commerce?"
The servant stifled a laugh. "Honestly, I'd pay to see that."
The physician shook his head. "We should just take her in ourselves. At least then, she wouldn't be subjected to whatever Atlas-style parenting looks like."
The servant sighed, adjusting the girl's blanket. "Well, it's not up to us, is it? Though... if it all goes terribly wrong, we can always rescue her later."
The physician groaned, rubbing his temples. "Yes, yes, and the heavens help us all for it."
As if on cue, a group of maids entered the room carrying additional trays, their presence momentarily diverting the tension. They moved gracefully, bowing respectfully to the physician before setting down a fresh round of medicinal herbs and warm broth for the child.
One of the maids, bowed deeply before speaking. "Physician Ming, we have prepared everything as requested."
Ming nodded, though his gaze flicked momentarily to her. "Thank you"
"Could you adjust her head, I wouldn't want her to choke"
The servant who was attending the child, Xian Yue turned to adjust the child's blanket once more, her movements precise and delicate. Yet, as she worked, the physician's mind wandered back to the absurdity of the situation.
"I still can't believe it," he muttered under his breath.
"That devil-faced merchant? Raising a child? I half expect her to start grinning like him within a week."
Xian Yue smirked. "That would be a sight. The poor girl, doomed to an eternity of exaggerated flair and dramatic sighs."
The physician sighed heavily. "We should just take her in. It's not too late, you know. We could make it look like an accident."
Xian Yue tapped her chin thoughtfully, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Perhaps... I should seduce Master Daokan and persuade him to let us take the child instead."
Physician Ming nearly choked on his own breath, coughing as he gave her a wide-eyed stare.
"Excuse me?"
She shrugged. "What? He respects me, doesn't he? Maybe a little charm, a few well-placed words, and he'll reconsider."
Physician Ming rubbed his forehead. "You want to seduce the most disciplined man in the sect just to stop him from raising this child?"
Xian Yue folded her arms. "Well, do you have a better idea? Because if we don't do something, that poor girl will be reciting soliloquies about merchant sorrows by the end of the month."
The physician sighed in exasperation. "Maybe we should just beg instead. A good, old-fashioned plea for mercy. Less risk, less embarrassment, and no potential sect scandal."
Xian Yue scoffed. "Where's the fun in that?"
Before the physician could respond, the doors to the chamber slid open, and a young disciple stepped inside with a composed demeanour, his movements measured and precise. Xian Yue immediately bowed in respect.
"Disciple Ren" she greeted, straightening before stepping aside to allow him the floor.
Ren returned the bow with a polite nod before turning his attention to the physician. His expression was calm, but there was a flicker of something unreadable behind his eyes. He took a slow breath, as if gathering his thoughts, before finally speaking.
"Physician Ming, I bring news from the grand hall."
The disciple said, clearing his throat
"I just came from the grand hall, where this Atlas is... well, being Atlas."
Xian Yue arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And what grand spectacle has he managed to pull off this time? The gate theatrics rumours was already outlandish enough"
Ren sighed.
"Aside from his usual excessive dramatics, let's see—he nearly knocked over an entire tray of tea trying to make a grand proclamation, attempted to toast himself with a goblet of water, and somehow convinced Bao to carry him around the hall on a chair like some kind of emperor."
Physician Ming pinched the bridge of his nose.
"And this is the man Master Daokan allows to behave this way?"
Ren opened his mouth, hesitated, then sighed.
"Master Daokan doesn't just allow it... he's laughing too."
Xian Yue blinked. "You mean to tell me that the man who holds the weight of the sect on his shoulders is just letting Atlas do all this?"
Ren sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Not just letting it happen—he's laughing to it and not only that but Lady Shen who had been quietly observing, looked utterly dumbfounded. Her father—Master Daokan, the man known for his stoicism and discipline—was laughing. It was a sight no one in the sect had ever witnessed, and she wasn't entirely sure she believed it herself all the while, Yan Shuren, seated beside Daokan, had his face turned slightly away, shoulders trembling as he barely held back his own laughter. His composed demeanour was cracking, betraying just how amusing he found the situation.''
Ren rubbed his temples.
"Not only that, but Silver Lotus Leader Lin Wuye and Lady Meilin are practically begging Master Daokan not to kill anyone over Atlas' antics. All the while Lady Meilin is running around like a frantic mother trying to catch Bao, who is currently parading Atlas around the hall on a chair like some kind of deranged emperor."
Xian Yue raised an eyebrow. "So, it's like watching a mother wrangle two overgrown children?"
Ren nodded solemnly.
"Exactly. One is Atlas, the other is his newly converted disciple, Bao, who has decided that listening to Atlas' nonsense is his new life purpose. Lady Meilin, poor soul, is stuck trying to keep them both in check. It's like a battle of wills, and she's losing."
Physician Ming groaned, rubbing his temples as he tried to process everything.
"That fool merchant is spreading his madness to the entire sect. How does someone like him, a mere merchant, manage to pull all of this off against a Qi Master?"
Xian Yue scoffed, though even she was struggling to keep a straight face.
"Of course, he lands on his feet. The real issue is that he takes everyone down with him while somehow staying upright. I swear, at this rate, he'll be running the sect before we even realize what happened."
The disciple shook his head, clearly exasperated.
"If that's the case, then the heavens truly have abandoned us."
Meanwhile, back in the grand hall, chaos had fully erupted. Servants scurried about in sheer panic, desperately trying to salvage what little order remained. One unfortunate attendant yelped as Atlas, still being paraded around by Bao, nearly kicked over a meticulously arranged centerpiece of delicate porcelain cups.
A couple of servants and disciples were now frantically chasing after Bao and Atlas, their eyes wide with sheer panic as they desperately tried to keep anything in their path from being shattered. One servant yelped, diving just in time to save a priceless vase from toppling over, while another flailed hopelessly in an attempt to block Bao from knocking into a fragile tea set.
"Stop! STOP! Don't let him touch anything!" one of the disciples shrieked, nearly tripping over his own feet as he tried to intercept the chaotic duo.
Bao, grinning ear to ear, effortlessly dodged the scrambling figures.
"Fear not! Our great merchant-king shall be carried with honor!"
Atlas, perched regally on his chair-throne, waved dramatically to the imaginary crowd.
"Yes, yes, let the people witness my ascent! A leader must be seen, after all!"
Bao, carrying Atlas like he's some king
"I am merely helping our great merchant-king bask in his glory!" he declared, adjusting his grip on the chair as Atlas struck a noble pose.
"Meilin, please! Let me have this!" Atlas called out dramatically, raising his arms as if addressing a grand audience.
"The people need a leader! And if I must bear this burden, so be it!"
"You're a merchant, not a monarch!" Layla snapped, dodging a wayward plate flung in the commotion. She turned sharply toward Jiang, who was quietly observing the madness while methodically enjoying his food.
"Are you just going to sit there and eat while this happens?"
Jiang took another bite and nodded. "Yes."
Jiang then rubbed his forehead, muttering, "I have seen warzones with less destruction."
Daokan, still seated at the head of the table, threw his head back and laughed heartily, a rare and almost unsettling sound that echoed through the hall.
"Now this is entertainment!" he declared, clearly enjoying the spectacle far more than he should.
"Atlas, you truly know how to liven up a gathering! Keep going, let's see where this madness leads!"
Beside him, Yan Shuren had turned away, shoulders shaking as he struggled to maintain his usual air of composure.
Shen Xue, staring at her father, was visibly shaken.
"He's laughing" she muttered to herself, eyes wide.
"Father doesn't laugh. Father doesn't smirk."
Lin Wuye, meanwhile, was caught between trying to appeal to Daokan's sense of reason and maintaining what dignity is left.
"Master Daokan, I implore you, please stop this before it becomes even more embarrassing."
Daokan waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh, let them have their fun. It's been a while since the sect had such... vibrant energy."
Lin Wuye groaned. "This isn't vibrant energy, this is a disaster!"
"Tomato, tomahto" Atlas quipped from atop his impromptu throne.
"BAO, DROP HIM!" Layla shouted.
Meyu burst into laughter, her usually composed demeanour breaking entirely as she clutched her stomach.
"I... I can't! This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!"
Yuxe Wuye, usually a pillar of grace, wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, her shoulders trembling as she tried and failed to suppress her laughter.
"You know, I always thought the sect would meet its downfall in a great battle. Turns out, it might just be Atlas and his chaos instead."
Meyu leaned in conspiratorially.
"Do you think Meilin even has a plan, or is she just running on pure desperation at this point?"
Yuxe Wuye smirked. "Desperation. Absolute, motherly desperation. It's like watching someone try to herd two overgrown toddlers with too much energy."
Layla, overhearing them, whirled around with wide, furious eyes.
"IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HELP, STOP COMMENTATING!"
Meyu waved a dismissive hand.
"Oh, come on, you've got this! We believe in you!" she called, doing absolutely nothing to assist.
Yuxe Wuye nodded sagely. "Yes, think of this as training for when you have actual children. Consider it an invaluable life lesson."
Layla let out an exasperated scream. "I AM GOING TO LOSE MY MIND!"
Meanwhile, Jiang, ever composed, took another bite of his food, savouring the rich flavors and drinking the warmth of the tea as he stretched his legs against the heated floors. The contrast between his serene enjoyment and the absolute chaos around him was almost poetic.
Just as he lifted his cup for another sip, Bao—with Atlas still perched upon his impromptu throne—leapt over a row of cushions in a dramatic flourish. Layla lunged in pursuit, arms outstretched in a desperate attempt to catch them. Without so much as a glance, Jiang leaned slightly to the left, effortlessly dodging the airborne trio as they crashed past him.
He took another sip of tea, exhaled slowly, and muttered, "This is nice''