The road back to the main city was silent, save for the steady clopping of hooves against the dirt path. Lay and the others from the Silver Lotus Sect moved with purpose, their thoughts already focused on survival. The winter was ing, ae everything that had happehe world did not wait fedy to settle before demanding its due.

  Meyu, however, li the gates, her gaze locked onto the distant form of Ats, now left behind in the care of Master Daokan. She had made her decision. As much as she wao stay, to be there when he woke, she knew what he would have chosen. Someone had to keep his business running, and that responsibility fell to her. It was not just out of obligation—it was out of respect.

  Yuxe Wuye stood beside her, her presence a steadying force. "You made the logical choice," she said, her tone as measured as ever. "Ats would have dohe same."

  Meyu exhaled slowly, nodding. "I know. But that doesn't mean it feels right."

  Yuxe gave her a knowing gnce. "Logic rarely does. But this is how you honor him—not by waiting at his bedside, but by ensuring he has something to wake up to."

  The two stood in quiet uanding before turning to follow the rest of the group into the distahe further they walked, the quieter the air became, until finally, they disappeared from sight.

  From the high walls of the sect, Master Daokan watched their departure, his expression unreadable. Beside him, Yan Shuren and Sheood in silence.

  "Our obligation now is clear," Master Daokan murmured.

  "Ats."

  Sheensed slightly, knowing what was ing. Master Daokan turned his gaze toward her, his voice firm. "You will receive punishmeing your strength. You are to train under my wattil you ensure such a disaster does not happen again. You lost trol of the match, and that is uable."

  Shen Xue bowed her head in aowledgment, but the weight of his words pressed against her pride. "Uood, father."

  Yan Shuren exhaled. "That teique he used… It should."

  Master Daokan's brow furrowed. "A does." He looked toward the unscious Ats, lying still in the sect's infirmary. "I am more ed than I have been in years."

  He turned back to them, his voice carrying a rare edge of uhat teique. Absorption of qi. It is nearly identical to the forbidden teiques of Mo g the Devourer."

  Shen Xue's expression darkened. "The man who stole rather than cultivated."

  Master Daokan nodded. "He did not cultivate Qi—he stole it. His teiques draihers, siphoning years of hard work in an instant. He fed upon the meridians of weaker cultivators, draining them to fuel his own power. He gue upon the martial world, and in the end, he was killed by my master. That teique should have died with him. A, here it is, maing in someone who has rained a day in his life."

  His fists ched. "How?"

  Yan Shuren, ever the rational one, offered a measured expnation. "There are only three ways such a teique could resurface. One—his bloodline carries remnants of it, iionally or not. Two—someone else, somewhere, has been practig it, and Ats is reag to aernal force. Three—this is not the same teique, but something even worse."

  Master Daokan's eyes darkened. "Worse?"

  Yaated before speaking. "You asked me to iigate Meilin's Qi rot. The information I uncovered was… disturbing. The nature of her affli aligns with a fotten path of cultivation. A teique that should have been wiped from history."

  Shen Xue frowned. "What teique?"

  Yan's voice was grim. "The Dao of Decay. The path followed by the Bck Sage, Xu Mo."

  A heavy silence fell over them. Master Daokan inhaled sharply. "Xu Mo… I should have remembered sooner."

  Yan tinued, "The Bck Sage did not fight wars—he simply touched cities, and they crumbled. He whispered words, aire bloodlines withered. Even now, the ruins of his passage are pces where no life dares to grow. The very cept of qi rot… it is his legacy."

  Master Daokan's jaw tightened. "If this is truly reted, then I have failed in my duty to remember history's lessons."

  His mind drifted back, decades into the past, to the battle that ended Xu Mn. The battlefield was ruihe air thick with death. He had barely been standing, his own bed by the withering touch of the Bck Sage's teiques. Before him, Xu Mo y in a broken heap, a gaping wound in his chest where Daokan's final strike had nded.

  The Bck Sage had smiled through bloodied teeth, his voice a whisper of malice. "You may have killed me, Daokan, but decay does not die. It lingers. It waits. And one day, it will return."

  Master Daokan ched his fists. He had ighose words for years, dismissing them as the final delusions of a dying man. But now, as he looked upon Ats's unscious form, he feared Xu Mo had spokeruth.

  Yan Shuren broke the silence first, his voice heavy with the weight of realization. "Two forbidden, fotten teiques—one in Ats and one in Meilin. And we are the ones who must guide them. How do we cultivate something that was never meant to be cultivated?"

  Master Daokan's expression remained impassive, but his mind turned sharply over the dilemma. "Meilin's Qi rot—I noticed it long before she ever arrived at the sect. I should have iigated further. Now, we fa unknown path."

  Shen Xue frowned. "You never spoke of it before. Why?"

  Master Daokan exhaled. "Because at the time, it was only a theory. Now, it is a reality. If Xu Mo's legacy lives withihehod to train her must be rewritteirely. The Dao of Decay was never meant for cultivation—it was a force of destru. If we do not find a way to stabilize it, it will e her just as surely as Ats's power will e him."

  Yan crossed his arms. "Then the answer is clear. We do not train them in the ways of traditional cultivatiorain them in how to survive their own power."

  Master Daokan took a slow breath, steadying himself. "Theart now. But this will not be a simple path. It is not just their survival we must sider, but the sequences of what they bee."

  Before anyone could respond, a small voiterrupted them.

  "What's wrong with him?"

  They turo see the child Ats had bought, now awake and standing beside Physi Ming. The girl's eyes, still heavy with sleep, were locked onto Ats's unscious form, her expression unreadable.

  "He looks… empty."

  Physi Ming pced a reassuring hand on the child's shoulder. "He ime to heal."

  The girl did not look away. "But will he wake up the same?"

  Yan Shure slightly, her a gentle smile. "He will be fine. You don't o worry."

  Master Daokan nodded, his voice calm but firm. "Ats is strong. He will wake up."

  The girl, with her empty eyes unwavering. "You're both lying."

  The air grew still.

  "People who get hurt like this… they don't wake up the same. If they wake up at all," she tinued, her voice quiet yet sharp, carrying the weight of a child who had seen too much.

  "Why do adults always say things like that?"

  Master Daokan stiffehe realization hit him harder than he expected. He had seen tless warriors break, seen men far strohan Ats and Meilin reduced to husks of themselves, but looking into the girl's empty eyes, he knew better than to lie again.

  Instead, he asked, "How did you wake up?"

  The girl tilted her head, an eerie calm settling over her face before she spoke.

  "I didn't. They woke me up." A ghost of something—too twisted to be called a smile—crossed her lips. "And I screamed until my voice gave out."

  A cold chill ran through the room. Shen Xue ched her fists. Yan Shuren swallowed, a rare unease flickering across his usually posed features.

  Master Daokan, however, remaieady. "You were experimented on. Forced to endure something you should never have gohrough. A, you are here. Why?"

  The girl blinked, and for a moment, the indifferen her gaze made everyone feel sick. "Because they wao see what would happen."

  Physi Ming visibly paled, a tremor running through his hands as he instinctively took a step back. Xiahe beautiful servant who had remained posed through many horrors, covered her mouth, turning away as though she might be sick. Even Shen Xue, hardened as she was, tightened her jaw, her usual sharp fidence wavering.

  Master Daokan, however, looked the most furious of all. His expression remaiill, but beh the surface, his Qi trembled—a rare sign of his barely tained rage. His fingers curled into a tight fist at his side, his breathing slow and trolled. "Who did this to you?"

  The girl hesitated for only a moment before speaking, her voice eerily detached. "My parents sold me. They called me useless. A burden. They fought over who would get the , and in the end, they sold me to a trader who didn't even t me as a person—just weight on his cart."

  She lifted her gaze, staring at nothing in particur. "They trained us to be obedient. If we weren't, we were punished. Some were broken fast, some held on longer. It didn't matter. Eventually, we all broke."

  A sudden gagging sound broke the heavy silence.

  Ren, who had been walking nearby and overheard everything, stumbled to the side and vomited, his body rejeg the sheer horror of what he had just heard. He braced himself against a pilr, his breath ragged, his heart torween disgust and overwhelming pity. His fists ched as he tried to steady himself, but the fury bubbling inside him made it impossible to stay still.

  He wiped his mouth, his voice shaking. "How… how could anyone do that to a child?"

  Her voice was hollow as she tinued. "There was a Qi master there. I never knew his name, but I remember his face. He was different from the svers—calm, collected. He didn't hit us or shout. He didn't o."

  Master Daokan's expression darkened. "Describe him."

  The girl's eyes flickered with something unreadable. "Tall. Silver hair, even though he wasn't old. His hands opped moving, like he was always testing something. He had a mark on his wrist—some kind of seal. He smiled whehers screamed."

  Yan Shuren inhaled sharply. "That sounds like a desdant of Wu Xun."

  Sheensed. "The Thousand Hands Executioner?"

  Master Daokan's fiightened. "Wu Xun was said to have mastered every form of hand-to-hand bat, his strikes so fast that he could tear through armor like paper. But instead of being a protector of the weak, he became a butcher. He sold his skills to the highest bidder, wiping out entire s in a single night."

  He exhaled sharply, his mind rag. "But Wu Xun has been dead for decades. If what you say is true, then this man must be his desdant. And if his bloodliill carries those teiques, then he is a threat that must be identified immediately."

  Without hesitation, Master Daokan turned on his heel, motioning to one of his hidden disciples lurking in the shadows. "Send word to my informants. I want everything on the remnants of Wu Xun's lineage. If there is ao his craft operating in the underworld, I want to know who they are, where they are, and what they are pnning."

  The disciple bowed and vahe air shifting slightly in his wake.

  Yan Shuren watched, arms crossed. "This is dangerous. If Wu Xun's teiques have truly survived, we may be dealing with something far worse than just a rogue assassin."

  The silehat followed was broken by the girl's voice, as if she were asking something as routine as the weather. "So, what will you do to me? Make me y down and do those things again?"

  The weight of her words struck like a hammer.

  Xiahe ever-poised servant, turned pale, her hands trembling as she clutched at her robes. Several of the female attendants had to look away, their stomachs ing at the realization of just how much horror this child had endured. Physi Ming visibly recoiled, looking as though he might be sick.

  Master Daokan's fury deepened, his qi pulsing with restrained rage. Shen Xue's fists ched so tightly her knuckles turned white. Even Yan Shuren, the ever-posed warrior had to take a slow breath to tain himself.

  But no one—no oated in their answer.

  "No," Master Daokan said, his voice carrying an unshakable finality. "You will never ehat again."

  Yan Shuren nodded. "From this moment forward, you are under our prote."

  Sheook a step forward, her gaze unwavering. "Whatever was doo you, it ends here."

  The room, once filled with calcution and tension, now held a singur resolution. They had e here for Ats. But now, they had two to protect.

  "Then I'll show her something else instead."

  Ren stood in the doorway, his expression a mixture of anger aermination. He had overheard everything, and though his heart ached with pity, he khere was something more important than just feeling sorry for her.

  "I'll show her fun things to do around here," he tinued, his voice filled with an unshaken resolve. "She doesn't o keep remembering all of that. She o know what it's like to just... be a kid."

  Master Daokan, a man who rarely tolerated interruptions, said nothing for a moment. Then, something in his expression softened.

  "Go ahead," he said. "Who wouldn't allow that?"

  The journey back to the main city was a silent one.

  Lay rode alongside the others, the distant echoes of battle still haunting the nd around them. The dirt road was uneven, marred with patches of dried blood from animals caught i and the occasional crater—a brutal reminder of Ats' fight. Despite the cold wind that swept through the pins, the very air still felt charged, as if the remnants of his absorbed Qi had yet to fully dissipate. The nd itself bore the scars of the explosion, where the ground had been scorched in some pces and cracked in others. Broken trees lihe path, some snapped ly in half, others twisted unnaturally, as though something had torn at them from within.

  Lay exhaled, watg as her breath curled into the cold air. Winter was arriving fast. The once-fertile earth was hardening, and the trees had long since begun shedding their leaves. Even the wind carried an icy bite, seeping through her robes. She didn't react to it at first—cold was something she had endured many times before—but Bao, alerceptive, noticed the slight tremor in her shoulders.

  Without a word, he reached into his pad pulled out a thick woolen shawl. With a siion, he draped it over her shoulders.

  "You're shivering," he said simply.

  Lay blinked, gng at him from the er of her eye. "I ha."

  Bao snorted. "I know you . But why should you?"

  She opened her mouth to retort but found nument. Instead, she pulled the shawl closer, letting its warmth settle over her. Bao said nothing more, returning his focus to the road ahead. Lay simply sighed, choosing not to fight the simple kindness.

  By the time they reached the city, it was clear that Master Daokan had kept his word.

  Uheir st visit, where suspi and disdain had followed them like a shadow, the city guards barely hesitated before letting them pass. The market streets, usually filled with prying eyes and whispered judgments, instead met them with respectful nods. It was subtle but unmistakable—an unspoken aowledgment of the Shrouded Peaks Sect's endorsement. Master Daokan's influence had paved their way, and it showed in the way merts and officials treated them.

  Meyu took the lead, her mind already w through what o be done. She had taken responsibility for Ats' business, which meant she carried his pouch as well. The weight of it was a stant reminder of just how absurdly well-off he was, a fact that, much to Lay's frustration, Lay couldn't deny.

  "Alright," Meyu said, stopping in the middle of the bustling market. "We have supplies to get before heading back. Listen up, because I'm only expining this once."

  She gestured toward the numerous stalls lining the streets. "The city's ey runs on a three-tiered currency system. Copper s for daily purchases, silver for bulk goods her-end items, and gold… well, gold is what nobles and the wealthy use. One gold is roughly a year's wage for a normal worker. Farmers, borers, small-time merts—all of them rarely see more than a few gold s in their lifetime. For most, silver is king. Oh, and there's also the barter system. If you have no money, you trade something of equal reater value. Unless you're Ats. Then you just talk until they give up."

  Lay snorted but didn't ent.

  Lin Wuye, standing quietly nearby, slowly reached into his poud ope. A single silver and three copper s sat inside.

  Silence.

  Lin Wuye blinked.

  Lay stared. "That's… all of it?"

  Lin Wuye coughed. "It would appear so."

  Bao leaned over. "Wait, isn't that the sect's fioo?"

  Lin Wuye's expression didn't ge. "...Yes."

  Lay massaged her temples. "Great. Fantastic."

  Meyu, however, simply rolled her shoulders. "Don't worry. This is already covered uhe tract."

  Lay shot her a look. "Seriously?"

  Meyu pulled out the ly folded dot and began reading dramatically, mimig Ats' fir: "As per the legally binding agreemeween Ats and Master Daokan, all business dealings, expenses, and financial obligatioaining to the acquisition of goods, resources, and trade tracts of the Silver Lotus Sect shall heh be managed by Ryl Trading, in accordah the mutually beneficial terms outlined herein.'"

  Jiang raised an eyebrow. "So, in simple terms?"

  Meyu said. "Ats made sure to handle everything but since he's in a a.." Meyu had a visible sad face but masked it over a cheery one, "Ah but don't worry, the terms are actually equal and beneficial to the sect. Mostly because he didn't iate thanks to Master Daokan. You check the terms back when we reach the sect if you wish."

  Lay sighed. "That expins a lot and yes I will be cheg it ter with father."

  Bao crossed his arms. "Are you sure you ha?"

  Meyu's grin widened, and for a moment, her entire presence shifted. The air around her seemed to carry the faint aura of Ats Rynd's ridiculous fidence, as if she had absorbed too much of Ats' antics over the years.

  She straightened her back, adjusted her sleeves, and smirked. "Oh, please. I've spent years watg Ats work. I handle a few merts and you're with Ryl Trading, which means we don't o make deals. We are the deal. And going to what the tract state, we will provide food supplies in bulk—grains, dried vegetables, jujubes, apricots, wheat, a. We will provide bulk cloth for the winter, and spices as well."

  She cracked her knuckles. "Now, let's get ourselves a deal so good they'll cry about it ter."

  Lay crossed her arms. "And if they don't want to iate?"

  Meyu's smirk widened. "Then I'll just do what Ats does."

  Bao muttered, "Sweet talk them?"

  "No. Worse."

  What followed could only be described as a spectacle of absurd proportions.

  The First Deal – Bulk Grains

  Meyu approached the grain mert with measured steps, her posture rexed yet deliberate, her silk robe draping effortlessly over her figure. Her eyes, warm and inviting, locked onto the mert's, and she gave him a smile that was both pyful and knowing.

  "Ah, Miss Meyu! A pleasure as always! What brings Rynd Trading to my humble stall?" the mert greeted, already eager.

  Meyu tilted her head slightly, her fingers lightly brushing the wooden ter, just enough to and his full attention. "Oh, just a little business, my dear friend. You see, I need a bulk order of grains, and I'm willing to pay… let's say, one gold for the whole lot."

  The mert's expression tensed. "One gold? Miss Meyu, I respect you, but that's—"

  Meyu leaned forward, resting her on her delicate fingers, her voice dipping into something honeyed yet firm. "Hmm? You wouldn't be suggesting that you'd rather have yrains sit here, untouched, while my lovely, wealthy, powerful trade empire takes its business elsewhere, would you?"

  The mert swallowed, suddenly aware of how close she was. "I—Well, no, but—"

  Meyu gave a small sigh, tug a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her tone shifting into a pyful chide. "You're such a smart businessman! I knew you'd see reason! One gold, and I promise that season, I'll sider buying from you first before cheg your petitors."

  The mert opened his mouth, then closed it. His resolve crumbled instantly. "I… I suppose that's fair…"

  Jiang (whispering): "That was terrifying."

  Bao (stunned): "Did she just... seduce the price down?"

  The Sed Deal – Winter Cloth

  The fabric mert's eyes widened slightly as Meyu approached, her lips curling into a subtle smile.

  "Miss Meyu, fine fabrics such as these don't e cheap. Two gold at least."

  Meyu sighed theatrically, pg a delicate hand on her hip, shifting slightly so that the movement drew attention to the perfectly fitted silk of her attire. "Oh, you're right! But… that's assuming other buyers will e in this season, yes? With the winter closing in?"

  The mert hesitated. "Of course, people always—"

  Meyu took a siep closer, her voice dropping to a spiratorial whisper. "Buyers who aren't already tracted? Buyers who haven't already spent their gold on food and survival? Buyers who aren't my friends?"

  A bead of sweat rolled down the mert's forehead. "..."

  Meyu gave him a knowing wink. "How about half a gold and a little favour? I'll make sure your name is whispered in the right pces."

  Mert: sweating "...Fine."

  Lin Wuye (rubbing his temples): "I don't know whether to be relieved or terrified."

  Lay (muttering): "She's Ats in disguise."

  The Third Deal – Spices

  The spice vendor tried to steel himself, but as soon as Meyu tilted her head, her fingers grazing the spice jars, his defenses were already crag.

  "These spices are rare imports, Miss Meyu. I 't just—"

  Meyu gently tapped a jar, letting her clothe just enough to reveal her cleavage, her voice lilting with mock curiosity. "Oh, of course. Rare. Exotic. Highly sought after. And pletely overpriced when you realize I buy them cheaper at the docks."

  The vendor's fidence faltered. "You wouldn't—"

  Meyu sighed, feigning disappoi, her gaze log onto his with a slow, deliberate blink. "But I won't. Because I like you. And because you're about to give me an offer so good that I'll have no choice but to praise you to everyone I meet. Aren't you?"

  The mert let out a shaky breath, utterly defeated. "I… I…"

  Meyu: "Say it with me. 'Yes, Miss Meyu. Half a gold for everything.'"

  Mert: "Yes, Miss Meyu. Half a gold for everything…"

  Bao: "No. NO. That should NOT have worked."

  Jiang: "Oh gods, she's literally Ats but hot."

  Lay stood beside Yuxe Wuye and Lin Wuye, watg as Meyu worked through the market with frightening efficy. What started as mild amusement quickly turned into something else entirely.

  "This is scary," Lay whispered, turning to Yuxe Wuye. "I think she's ied."

  Yuxe raised an eyebrow. "Ied?"

  Lay oward Meyu, who was currently smiling sweetly at a mert while pletely dismantling his will to resist. "With the Ats disease. She's iating like him. Moving like him. That face—that's the devil's face. I swear it's the exact same as Ats when he pulls his stunts."

  Lin Wuye, standing nearby, let out a long sigh.

  "If this tinues, I fear for the ey of Jin."

  "Fet the ey. I fear for humanity." Lay watched in disbelief as another mert literally thanked Meyu for taking his goods for half the price. "Are we sure no one else is ied? Should we be ed? Should we check Bao? Jiang? Gods, is it tagious?"

  Bao, overhearing this, looked at her incredulously. "What? No! Don't lump me in with… that!"

  Lay arched an eyebrow at Bao, unimpressed. "Oh really? Because I distinctly remember you carrying Ats on a chair, parading him around like a king in Master Daokan's own grand hall—and dropping a lifetime's worth of wealth just because he vinced you it was a worthy iment.

  Bao uo fight back, just sighed i.

  But the truth was undeniable. Meyu was, in fact, Ats—but hot.

  Meyu walked through the streets humming cheerfully, swinging the ridiculously loud pouch at her side as if she hadn't just itted daylight robbery with a smile. She bought a year's worth of grains, spices and cloth for only 3 gold and 20 silvers.

  The rest of the group? Dumbfounded.

  Jiang finally spoke up, "Meyu… do you even realize what you just did?"

  Meyu with an oblivious smile, "Yes, I did what Ats would do."

  A long silence followed.

  Lin Wuye exhaled. "I ot tell if this is a good thing… or terrifying."

  Lay groaned, rubbing her forehead. "I think it's both. It's definitely both."

  With their iations plete, they made their way toward Ryl Trading's main shop. Upon arrival, Meyu didn't eveate. She cpped her hands twice, and within moments, a handful of Ats' workers rushed forward.

  "Alright, I need winter ies. Bring out the wood, ora food, and all essential supplies for Silver Lotus Sect. Get it all packed and ready for transport."

  One of the workers hesitated. "Miss Meyu, that's a rge order. The cost—"

  Lin Wuye immediately stepped forward. "Yes! The cost! We 't pay for this right now."

  Meyu casually pulled out the trad held it up. "Oh, no worries! That's already been handled. As per the agreemeween Ats and Master Daokan, Silver Lotus doesn't have to pay a single until winter is over. It was one of the terms Master Daokan himself set."

  Lay froze. "Wait. Ats didn't iate this?"

  Meyu shrugged. "Nope. He just accepted the terms ht."

  Lin Wuye frowned. "That… doesn't sound like Ats."

  Lay crossed her arms. "He would never just accepts deals knowing what kind of a man he is. He is probably the type to deal that squeezes the life out of them. Why didn't he iate?"

  Meyu tilted her head, thinking. "Well, there could be a few reasons…"

  She held up three fingers.

  "One, he was secretly pnning something even bigger and just went along with it to avoid suspi."

  Lay and Lin Wuye hat made sense.

  She put a sed finger down. "Two, he was testing Master Daokan to see how far he could push the sect before they realized they were being exploited."

  Bao muttered, "That sounds like him."

  Finally, she lowered the st finger, "Or three… he was just really, really zy that day and didn't feel like arguing."

  Silence.

  Jiang squinted. "That...is the most unlikely."

  Lay groaned. "Why is that somehow even worse?"

  Meyu just ughed, g her hands together. "Well, whatever the reason, the deal's done! So, let's get moving before someone realizes I just took half of the emperor's ey and put it in our pockets!"

  Jiang sighing and making a facepalm, "We are going to be banned from this city one day."

  Lay looked at him, then at Meyu, then back at him. "One day? I give it a month at most."

  And with that, they left Rynd Trading, fully stocked, not a single ore spent.

  With their iations plete, Meyu led them toward a row of sleek, well-maintained carriages, eae attached to muscur, well-bred horses. They were nothing like the battered transports they had arrived in.

  Lay raised an eyebrow, running a hand along the fine craftsmanship of the carriage. "This… is a lot fahan I expected. How in the world did Ats even acquire something like this?"

  Meyu, pletely nont, shrugged. "Oh, a noble gave it to him."

  Lay blinked. "A noble... just gave him this?"

  Meyu nodded, her expression unbothered. "Mhm. Well, teically, it was the Emperor's owive."

  Jiang, who had been sipping from his waterskin, promptly choked. "The Emperor's retive?"

  Lin Wuye coughed. "Excuse me, what?!"

  Meyu waved a hand. "Oh, don't look so surprised. You should know by now that Ats has a... way of making things happen."

  Yuxe Wuye narrowed her eyes. "No. No, no, no. You don't get to just drop that and walk away from it. How?"

  Meyu tapped a finger against her , as if recalling an old memory. "Oh, well, you see, there was this 'tiny misuanding' involving a tax audit, an 'actal' fed dot, and something about the noble's prized racehorses mysteriously ending up at the wroe. Twice."

  Lin Wuye pihe bridge of his nose. "Please tell me he didn't bckmail an imperial noble."

  "Bckmail? Gods, no!" Meyu gasped in mock offense. "It was an enlighterade. Ats simply pointed out that should certain 'hts' e to light, it would be a tragedy for the noble's reputation. Iurn, he generously offered to resolve the issue by taking these carriages off his hands—purely out of kindness, of course."

  Jiang's eye twitched. "He extorted an imperial noble and called it a trade."

  Meyu nontly. "Something like that"

  Lay just stared at her. "Ats is a menace."

  Yuxe Wuye observed the sturdy horses and nodded. "With this setup, we should arrive ba less than a week."

  Meyu, however, smirked. "Less than a week? I think you're uimating us. I say Three to four days, max."

  Jiang blinked. "That's impossible."

  Bao shook his head. "Absolutely not happening."

  The carriages sped through the vast pins at an absurd pace. The horses galloped at full tilt, their hooves kig up dust as the wheels thundered across the path. Trees and ndmarks blurred past them, the world a streak of motion.

  Inside, Lin Wuye maintained some sense of dignity, but the interior of the carriage was a warzohe finely crafted wooden panels creaked uhe strain of their unnatural speed. Cushions that were meant to offer fort were instead being used as desperate stabilizers, grabbed at by everyone except Meyu.

  Yuxe Wuye, however, her hair, oneatly tied, had fully e urands whipping wildly in every dire like a possessed spirit in the wind. Her usually serey had taken on a slightly unhinged edge, her eyes squinting through the strands as if stubbornly refusing to aowledge the chaos.

  Lin Wuye cast her a ghen looked at himself—perfectly banced, sitting with practiced ease, his posture unshakee the turbulehen, he looked back at his wife. He adored Yuxe Wuye, but right now, with her hair filing like a storm-wrecked banner, eyes twitg from strands whipping against her face, she looked less like a posed schor and more like a ersonally offended by physics itself.

  Still, he loved her. Even like this. Maybe especially like this.

  He sighed. "Darling, you look… radiant."

  Yuxe Wuye, her posure crag ever so slightly as another violent gust nearly blinded her, responded without looking up. "Shut up, darling."

  Inside one of the carriages, Lay g to the edge of her seat, her knuckles white as she tried to stay upright.

  "This is madness!"

  Across from her, Meyu sat perfectly still, her hands ly folded in her p. Her hair flowed freely in the wind, yet she remained unshaken, perfectly at ease in the chaos.

  Jiang bounced unceremoniously against the side of the carriage, gritting his teeth as he tried to stabilize himself. "Meyu, why are these horses so fast?! What are they?!"

  Meyu, lounging fortably, reached into a poud pulled out a piece of dried fruit, taking a leisurely bite before responding. "Oh, they're the Emperor's retive's prized racehorses. The fastest ohe ohat always won."

  Lay, barely holding onto her seat, gawked at her. "AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO MENTION THAT EARLIER?!"

  Meyu simply smiled. "Rex! We'll be home in no time!"

  The journey did take only 3 days. She was right and by dawn as well.

  At the gates of the Silver Lotus Sect, three figures watched the carriages arrive at unnatural speed, kig up dust and rattling the worn wooden doors of the entrance.

  First was Zhu Fen, the you disciple of the sect, barely twelve years old. His oversized robes, patched in pces, fluttered as he squi the ining vehicles. "Are we utack?" he asked nervously, gripping the small wooden training sword at his side.

  Beside him, Elder Jian Bo, the oldest active sect member at sixty, stroked his thin white beard. His robes, faded with years of wear, barely hung onto his wiry frame, but his back remairaight. "No noble arrives at this speed uhey are here to extort us. Prepare to greet them as befits this sect."

  The third figure, Zhao Lihua, the only female elder besides Yuxe Wuye, crossed her arms. At twe, she was retively young for an elder, but her sharp gaze carried experience well beyond her years. simple, well-maintained robes, she assessed the se with a skeptical frown. "Or," she said dryly, "someone deeply unhinged is at the reins."

  As the sect's remaining disciples hurried to gather, Zhu Fen looked up at the two elders. "So... do we fight them or bow?"

  Jian Bo sighed. "We'll see. If they demand money, we have nothio give anyway."

  The carriages screeched to a halt at the entrance of the Silver Lotus Sect, dust swirling in the air as the exhausted yet deeply traumatized the ones in the carriage.

  Jiang stepped out with trembling legs, his face pale. "I will never doubt Meyu again... but I will also never get into a carriage with her in charge ever again."

  Bao groaned, his back popping audibly. "I think my soul left my body at least twice."

  Lay, meanwhile, was still gripping the carriage door, as if uain the world had truly stopped moving. "That... wasn't a jourhat was a war."

  Yuxe Wuye, now fully posed but with hair that still looked vaguely haunted, exhaled slowly. "At least we made it."

  Lin Wuye, pletely ued, patted his robes free of dust and turo Meyu. "Tell me, did Ats ever use this method of travel himself?"

  Meyu, stretg casually as if the past three days had been nothing more than a leisurely stroll, smirked. "Oh, no. He absolutely refused. He said, and I quote, 'I enjoy living.'

  More elders and disciples had gathered, drawn by the otion of the speeding ahy carriages and the spectacle of the exhausted Seew leader, Meilin Wuye and Lin Wuye, the advisor. A handful of nervous junior disciples whispered among themselves, while the more seasoned members stood at attention, ready to intervene if necessary.

  Among them, Zhu Fen, the you disciple, peeked out from behind Elder Jian Bo, his small hands gripping his tattered robes. His voice wavered as he spoke. "Elder Jian Bo... w-what's going on? Who are they?"

  Lin Wuye, stepped forward alongside Lay. "Calm yourself, Zhu Fen. No one's here to harm the sect. In fact..." He shot a quice at Meyu, who was dusting herself off with airely too-smug expression.

  "You could say we've acquired something far more valuable."

  Lay smirked, pg a hand on her hip. "The seow has its own personal mert."

  A siletled over the gathered members before Elder Jian Bo let out a deep, incredulous sigh, his already worures twisting into a deep frown of disbelief. "A what? Lady Meilin, you do realize the sect has no money, yes? We barely afford to feed our disciples, let alone hire someone!"

  Zhao Lihua crossed her arms, watg the exge with thinly veiled amusement. "I have to agree with Elder Jian Bo. How exactly do you pn to pay this so-called 'personal mert'? With goodwill?"

  A few disciples murmured in agreement, growing as they sidered their already struggling fihe sect had barely mao get by over the years, and now they were taking on a mert?

  Meyu took a step forward, g her hands behind her back with a slow, deliberate movement that somehow made the gathered elders even more wary. Her smirk widehat dangerously persuasive glint in her eye sharpening.

  "Ah, I see," she said lightly. "You're all assuming this is an expehat's adorable."

  Elder Jian Bo's frown deepehe lines on his face tightening. "That is typically how merts work. They expect payment. Unless, of course, you're pnning to enlighten us on how this 'arra' isn't a drain on resources we don't have."

  Meyu rocked slightly on her sandals, looking for all the world as if she had just been asked whether the sky was blue. "Oh, e now. Do you think a respectable mert, like Master Ats, would ever i in something that didn't be him and everyone else? Give him a little more credit."

  Zhao Lihua raised a skeptical eyebrow. "A, you're the oanding here instead of him."

  Meyu's smirk didn't falter. "That's because someone has to keep his empire running while he takes a very dramatid long nap. But don't worry—he left me with very clear instrus."

  Jian Bo crossed his arms. "Which were?"

  Meyu exhaled dramatically. "Well, first, I was supposed to ehe Silver Lotus Sect didn't starve to death during the winter. Which, you know, is important. Sed, I was to make sure no oried to weasel out of a perfectly good deal just because they don't know how to read a tract. And third, I was to be patient while a bunch of skeptical elders questioned a brilliant business decision. And look at that, I'm already succeeding at hree!"

  Zhao Lihua pinched her forehead. "Get to the point."

  Meyu grinned. "Gdly. The sect isn't paying us."

  A pause. Several fused blinks.

  "...Excuse me?" Elder Jian Bo said slowly

  Meyu pulled out a copy of the tract, tapping a perfectly manicured finger against one of the cuses. "Silver Lotus Sect owes nothing until winter is over. That art of the terms Master Daokan himself agreed to. Ats didn't eveiate. He just gave him that."

  Lay, catg on immediately, nodded sagely. "Ah, of course. That makes sehen, with a perfectly executed thoughtful expression, she turo Lin Wuye.

  "Doesn't it?"

  Lin Wuye, sharp enough to follow her lead, rubbed his as if he had known this all along. "Absolutely. In fact, I would've been ed if Ats had iated. This level of generosity was clearly part of a grander scheme."

  Meyu waved a dismissive hand. "I knht? It's a mystery. But, if I had to guess, I'd say it's one of three reasons." She lifted a finger. "One: He saw a greater long-term be to the sect thriving rather than struggling, which meant it was an iment rather than a favor." Another finger. "Two: He nning something that required Master Daokan's goodwill, and this was just the setup." And finally, a third. "Or three: He was feeling particurly generous that day and wao see how much power he could get away with giving away before someone finally called him out on it."

  Jian Bo, however, still looked unimpressed. "That still doesn't expin what yetting out of this. You don't work for free."

  Meyu sighed. "Of course not. I get a portion of future earnings from trade facilitated between the sed the city merts, using goods provided by Ryl Trading." Her smile widened.

  "Everyone wins. The sect gets food, winter supplies, and materials. I get to expand Ats's trade work. And all of you get to sleep soundly knowing you're not going to have to scrape by on rice gruel and prayer until spring."

  A sileretched among the elders and disciples. Some of the younger ones actually looked hopeful, but the senior members were still processing just how easily they'd been maneuvered into accepting the arra.

  Zhao Lihua exhaled slowly, rubbiemples. "So you mean to tell me that while we were struggling, begging local traders for fair prices, Ats had already set up a deal where we wouldn't have to pay a single copper until spring?"

  Meyu nodded, pletely unbothered. "Yup. And you're wele."

  Jian Bo muttered under his breath before finally g with a heavy sigh. "Fine. But if this turns out to be a mistake—"

  Meyu cut in smoothly, already turning on her heel. "Oh, don't worry. It won't." She fshed a dazzling grin over her shoulder.

  "Because I'm very, very good at what I do."

  She took two steps before pausing, tilting her head as if she had just remembered something trivial. "ht. One more thing." She turned back to face them, smile widening into something that was both pyful aating. "Since Ryl Trading is c everything for the winter... you're all w for us."

  Jian Bo blinked. "Excuse me?"

  "You heard me!" Meyu csped her hands together cheerfully. "For the entire wihe Silver Lotus Sect will be handling some very basic trade work iurn for not starving. Simple, really."

  Lay scowled. "Wait a minute—"

  Meyu whirled on her, eyes gleaming. "Ah-ah, dear Meilin. You don't want to sound ungrateful, do you? After all, we did sponsor everything. The food? The supplies? The warm, cozy winter instead of freezing in the mountains? That was us." Her voice dropped into something dangerously sweet. "A's not fet... you'll be learning valuable business skills! Think of it as education. Literacy training. A favor, really."

  Lin Wuye looked betweehe out a long sigh. "We've been scammed, haven't we?"

  Meyu beamed. "No, no! Scamming implies you got nothing iurn. This? This is an opportunity." She turned on her sandals, humming to herself as she walked away, already thinking of the most effit way to put them all to work.

  Jiang, watg all of this unfold, muttered to Bao. "I hate how effective this is."

  Bao sighed. "I hate how much she reminds me of him."

  Before Jiang could agree, the sound of multiple heavy boots hitting the ground made them both turn. Meyu looked back at them with a knowing smirk. "Oh, did I fet to mention? The workers from Ryl Trading will be assisting with the rebuild. It's only fair that the sect does some work iurn."

  The carriage doors swung open, and out stepped the workers from Ryl Trading.

  They weren't just ordinary merts or traders—no, these were borers, haulers, and craftsmen, all built like warriors. Muscles rippled beh their clothes, their arms thick from years of carrying heavy goods and w manual bour. A few of the women among them looked just as strong—if not strohan some of the sect's own disciples.

  Jiang, who prided himself on his own physical prowess, felt insecure.

  He leaoward Bao. "Uh. Am I imagining things, or do some of those women look more ripped than me?"

  Bao cpped a hand on his shoulder solemnly. "No, brother. They absolutely do."

  Lay, Lin Wuye, and Yuxe Wuye all looked absolutely dumbfouheir expressions frozen in disbelief, eyes wide like characters straight out of an exaggerated drama.

  Lay turo her father, still processing what she was seeing. "I thought women in this pce weren't allowed to be borers or work hard jobs?"

  Somehow, despite the distance, Meyu's ears perked up. She casually waved a hand.

  "Ats doesn't care about gender, status or whatever you are. If you work, you get paid. Simple as that."

  Lay blihen slowly nodded, a thought settling into her mind. As a former queen, she had fought against outdated status quos, pushing for women's rights in a world that resisted. Even in her previous life, she had defied expectations, abolishing archaic traditioe being surrounded by those who sought to maintaihe logic was sound. She couldn't even argue against it.

  Lay blinked again but now in fusion, "That still doesn't expin why some of the woman are s."

  Lin Wuye, his fae of smili, a tear falling down from his right cheek, simply patted her on the shoulder. "Meilin, my daughter, just let it be."