The m, the first rays of sunlight crept through the wooden ss of the Silver Lotus Sect, casting soft golden hues over the sleeping quarters. Jiang and Bao stood at the entraheir usual eiter muted by the sight before them.

  Lay and Meyu y curled up on the sleeping mat, ed in a shared bheir faces rexed in deep slumber. For ohere was no tension in Lay's features, no signs of the torment she usually carried. Her breathing was steady, her expression peaceful in a way that her of them had ever seen before.

  Meyu, despite her usual sharpness, had an arm draped protectively over Lay, her face turned slightly toward her as if keeping watch even in sleep. There was something strangely soft about it—like a boher of them had inteo form, but had settled into naturally.

  Jiang raised an eyebrow, nudging Bao lightly. "They look... fortable."

  Bao crossed his arms, staring at them with a mix of amusement and curiosity. "More like exhausted. Guess they talked all night."

  Jiang smirked. "Yeah, but look at them. If we wake them up now, I feel like we're going to ruin something."

  Bao sighed. "True. But we also kind of hem awake. We could wake them gently, though."

  Jiang gave him a ft look. "Do you even know how to wake someoly?"

  Bao paused, then grinned sheepishly. "Not really."

  The two boys stood there for a moment longer, her willing to disturb the rare tranquility before them. Lay and Meyu, despite everything they had endured, had found so each other.

  Jiang finally huffed. "Fine. Five more mihen we wake them."

  Bao smirked. "Agreed."

  Just as they were about to turn away, soft footsteps echoed behind them. Zhu Fen and Zhao Lihua approached, their eyes nding on the sleeping pair with mild curiosity.

  "Wow" Zhu Fen murmured, crossing his arms.

  Zhao Lihua ug a strand of hair behind her ear. "Meyu is always so sharp, so on edge. But right now... she almost looks normal."

  A worker from Ryl Trading, who had tagged along out of curiosity, let out a surprised chuckle. "That's rare. The only time she ever looks that rexed is when she's with Master Ats."

  Jiang and Bao exged gnces. Ats. It made sense—he was the one who had given her a new life, after all. But seeing her like this, ed up with Lay, was something else entirely.

  Bao scratched the back of his head. "Guess that means Meilin is special to her, too."

  Zhao Lihua smiled faintly. "Looks like it."

  The group stood there for a few moments, simply watg the quiet se before them. For all the chaos, for all the battles and burdens these two carried, right now, they were just two people finding fort in each other.

  Jiang sighed. "Alright, seven mihen we wake them."

  Bao ughed. "We just keep adding time, don't we?"

  Before they could act, a loud csh echoed from the training grounds, followed by a sharp gust of wind. The familiar, rhythmic sound of g wood and grunts filled the m air.

  Jiang g Bao. "Sounds like Master Lin is already up.

  Bao grinned. "And it sounds like he's already beating someone up."

  Sure enough, as the two turheir attention toward the training grounds, they spotted Lin Wuye engaged in a fierce spar with both of them—Jiang and Bao, or rather, their future selves in aable m session. The older man moved with the precision of a seasoned warrior, easily parrying their strikes while tering with smooth, effortless movements.

  Baside, the distant sounds of battle stirred Lay from sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim m light. The warmth against her side made her pause—Meyu was still there, curled up beside her, breathing evenly.

  For a brief moment, Lay hesitated. She hadn't woken up like this with someone in a long time.

  It felt... safe.

  Then, another loud thud from the training grounds snapped her fully awake. With a small groan, she rubbed her eyes, stretg as she listeo the ongoing fight just outside.

  "M already?" she mumbled.

  Meyu stirred slightly but didn't wake, her hand instinctively gripping the fabric of Lay's sleeve as if holding onto something in a dream. Lay stared at the hand for a moment before shaking her head with a small smirk.

  "Looks like Jiang and Baetting their asses kicked early today" she murmured to herself before sitting up, stretg her arms.

  After the m training, the doors to the training hall slid open with a loud cck.

  Meyu stood at the entrance, arms crossed, a smirk pying on her lips. "Alright, everyone up. Time for a very important business discussion."

  Jiang, now sp a fresh bruise from his spar with Lin Wuye, groaned. "'t this wait? Some of us just got our asses hao us."

  "Nope." Meyu's smirk widened.

  "Because today, we're talking about money."

  That got everyone's attention.

  A short while ter, the group gathered in the hall. Meyu stood at the front, holding a wooden board where she had scribbled down some rather questionable prig.

  She cpped her hands together. "Ladies alemen, wele to the grand moization of Silver Lotus Martial Arts!"

  Everyoared.

  Lin Wuye raised an eyebrow. "You sound way too much like Ats right now."

  Meyu ignored him and poi the prig breakdown.

  She tapped the bain. "We'll offer three tiers. The Copper Tier is for standard csses—group lessons, basis, and ditioning. Affordable, accessible, keeps the masses ing in. But Silver? That's where things get iing. Tailored training, ih instru, access to specialized teiques. That's where the real profit starts."

  Zhao Lihua narrowed her eyes. "And Gold?"

  Meyu smirked. "Gold is exclusive. Private mentorship, advanced martial teiques passed down only to the most dedicated. Limited slots, high prestige, and most importantly—eous prices."

  She tapped the board and listed the breakdown:

  Copper Tier (5 copper per session): Basic group lessons, ditioning, and fual forms. Accessible to oners ary-level students.

  Silver Tier (10 silver per month): Personalized training, specialized teiques, one-on-one feedback. Designed for serious practitioners who want real progress.

  Gold Tier (1 gold per month): Private mentorship with masters, access to hidden teiques, and a prestigious ranking within the sect. Only for the wealthiest and most dedicated.

  A long silence followed.

  "What the hell are these prices?!" Bao nearly choked.

  "Who's going to pay gold pieces for a lesson?!"

  Elder Jian Bo and Zhao Lihua, the most numbers-savvy among them, stared at the prig board like it was some kind of dark sorcery.

  "This is daylight robbery." Elder Jian Bo muttered.

  Lay, arms crossed, smirked. "A, someone will pay."

  Yuxe Wuye shook her head, looking almost impressed. "This really is something Ats would e up with."

  Meyu grinned, her expression full of mischief.

  "Oh, it'll work. Trust me. Nobles will beg to throw mo us just to feel superior."

  Elder Jian Bo crossed his arms. "So the rich get better training while the poor scrape by?"

  Meyu rolled her eyes. "No, old man, the rich get vihey're getting somethier. The real talent? That still es from the ones who dedicate themselves to the craft. But if nobles and high-status merts want told at us for lessons they won't even master, why should we stop them?"

  Lin Wuye exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. "I 't believe I'm saying this, but this pn… it actually makes sense."

  Lay, arms crossed, smirked. "Someone will alay. They have a problem and we sell the solution."

  Jiang, still staring at the price breakdown, shook his head. "This is insane."

  Meyu grinned wider. "No, this is business."

  Elder Jian Bo stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Then tell me, Meyu, how exactly do you pn to market this to the general public? Martial arts sects have existed feions, a very few have ever if ever, successfully moized their teags beyond taking in disciples."

  Meyu smirked, pleased that he was catg on. "Simple, Elder. We create demand where nos. Right now, only warriors, nobles, and meraries actively seek martial training. But what if we made it desirable for everyone?" She gestured to the board.

  "The Copper Tier ensures accessibility. Farmers, merts, even low-ranked soldiers—they afford five copper per session. The key is to make them believe that even basic training gives them an edge which will sinyone who has at least martial arts will do better than someone who does not. That alone will draw in crowds."

  Jian Bo nodded slowly. "And the Silver Tier?"

  "That's where we trap the ambitious ones," Meyu said smoothly.

  "Oneoarts at Copper, they'll want to improve. So we introduce selective admissions for Silver—make it seem elite enough that they feel pelled to climb higher. Restrig access while making it just affordable enough keeps them chasing."

  Zhao Lihua hummed in uanding. "And Gold?"

  Meyu's smirk widened. "Gold is the illusion of power. Nobles will throw gold at us just to say they are trained by the Silver Lotus Sect, even if half of them 't nd a proper punch. Most of them only want the bragging rights. Prestige sells itself."

  By the time the discussion ended, a strange energy filled the hall. For the first time, the entire sect wasn't just thinking like warriors—they were thinking like businesspeople. They had spent months learning math, sce, and erder Meyu's teags, but now they were applying it.

  Meyu stood tall, hands on her hips.

  "Starting tomorrow, we begin spreading the word. We'll send envoys to major towns, set up exclusive training halls just for outsiders, and have our name reach even the ears of royalty. This isn't just about mohis is about making the Silver Lotus Setouchable."

  Lin Wuye exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "It's bold. I'll give you that. But let's see if this actually works."

  That night, long after most of the sect had goo sleep, a private meeting was held in the great hall. Only the top-ranking members were present—Lay, Lin Wuye, Yuxe Wuye, Jiang, Bao, and Zhao Lihua.

  Elder Jian Bo, arms crossed. "Let's assume Meyu's pn works, aually get outsiders willing to pay these insane fees. Who's going to train them?"

  Lin Wuye leaned forward, fiapping against the wooden table. "Most of our skilled fighters are already itted to training our own disciples. If we assign too many to outsiders, our sect might weaken."

  Bao frowned. "Do we even know if anyone will actually e? It's a great pn, but let's be real—who's going to pay gold for training when most sects offer lessons for free to their disciples?"

  Zhao Lihua sighed. "People will pay for status, not just skill. Meyu is right about that. But I admit, I'm skeptical."

  Lay, who had been quiet, finally spoke. "They will e."

  Everyouro her.

  She met their gazes evenly. "The world is ging. People don't just want strength; they want security. The war, the shifting power in the regime—people are afraid. And fear makes people desperate. If we position ourselves as the solution, they will e. As you said Bao, most sects trains their disciples, keyword ''their'' while we train anyone who coughs up money and in exge they learn how to protect themselves while we keep our teiques."

  Lin Wuye studied her for a long moment, then exhaled. "Then we prepare. If this truly works, we will need a pn."

  Elder Jian Bo nodded. "We will. But first, let's see how many show up. If this succeeds the Silver Lotus Sect may just be able tain its lost status."