[X] [Minor Action] Meet Zhao Jinhai. The Honored Elder did say to be respectful toward him, and it might be a good idea to be on good terms with a member of his family's allied clan.
[X] [Minor Action] Meet the princess. It wouldn't hurt to formally greet the princess and get to know her. She's unlikely to be that important as princesses go and is probably far down the line of succession since you've never heard of her, but she is still a member of the royal family.
[X] [Minor Action] Spend time with Xu Kuo. You could be on better terms, and it also might be a good idea to give him some tips on etiquette.
[X] [Major Action] Work on a sect assignment
-[X] Research Assistant – Elder Wu is developing new spirit arts and has requested an assistant over the course of four weeks. Upon completion, the student will be awarded 30 sect points.
[X] [Major Action] Cultivate Qi Transfusion (10/45 successes)
[X] [Major Action] Cultivate Stone Skin – a red-level earth element art that increases defense (55/60 successes)
[X] [Medicine] Use Heaven Flower Elixir
@all: I'm working on the next update, but it's a slow process. I was out of commission for most of the last week because of an exam. For some reason my school thought it'd be a good idea to test neurology and psychiatry at the same time. Thankfully I'm free now.
[X] [Minor Action] Meet Zhao Jinhai. The Honored Elder did say to be respectful toward him, and it might be a good idea to be on good terms with a member of his family's allied clan.
[X] [Minor Action] Meet the princess. It wouldn't hurt to formally greet the princess and get to know her. She's unlikely to be that important as princesses go and is probably far down the line of succession since you've never heard of her, but she is still a member of the royal family.
[X] [Minor Action] Spend time with Xu Kuo. You could be on better terms, and it also might be a good idea to give him some tips on etiquette.
[X] [Major Action] Work on a sect assignment
-[X] Research Assistant – Elder Wu is developing new spirit arts and has requested an assistant over the course of four weeks. Upon completion, the student will be awarded 30 sect points.
[X] [Major Action] Cultivate Qi Transfusion (10/45 successes)
[X] [Major Action] Cultivate Stone Skin – a red-level earth element art that increases defense (55/60 successes)
[X] [Medicine] Use Heaven Flower Elixir
Chapter 3.2 – Introductions (Week 1, Part 1)
Solstice 13, 12053
The sun's rays glared through the window, waking Shaohuo up, and when he opened his eyes he realized it was well into the morning. He swore under his breath as he jumped to his feet, rushing to dress himself. He'd wanted to get up a little earlier so he could eat breakfast and still accept the sect assignment as Elder Wu's assistant before it was taken. He hurried out the door and headed down the mountain toward the ground floor.
After a bit of wandering, he was able to locate the mess hall. The small building was filled with the chatter of dozens of students either sitting at the tables or lined up at the front. There bowls of steamed buns, rice porridge, and lamb stew were laid buffet-style on tables laid end-to-end.
Shaohuo grabbed a bowl of steamed buns and turned to see Xiaoli waving at him from one of the round tables, where she was sitting with Yang Mi, Suyin, and a girl he'd never seen before with long, violet hair and red cultivation.
"I can't believe I got here before you." Xiaoli said with a smug grin.
His cheeks warmed as he blushed. "I can't believe it either."
"Hey!" Xiaoli grumbled.
"Good morning." Suyin said, giving him a small wave.
"Good morning," Shaohuo said, and turned to other two girls "Good morning to you two as well."
"What about me?" he heard Xiaoli say, but he'd already begun speaking to the new girl.
"I don't think we've met. My name is Li Shaohuo. I'm from the Four Rivers Province, as is Xiaoli. I'm pleased to meet you."
"Hello. I'm Yu Yazhu, of the Storm Mountain Province." She said. She nodded politely, but her tone was oddly flat.
"She's my roommate." Suyin explained.
"I see. So you've settled in without difficulty?" He asked.
"Yes?" Suyin said, looking puzzled.
"I mean with Wang Shen and all," he said.
"Oh." Suyin wrinkled her nose. "Yes, I haven't seen much of him since I got here."
"That's good to hear. Let me know if he gives you any trouble."
"I don't want to be a bother…" Suyin said, biting her lip.
"Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for, after all."
"Okay. Thank you," she said, smiling gratefully.
Suyin seemed content to eat quietly after that. Xiaoli was engaging Yang Mi in a conversation about what her home county was like, but Shaohuo focused on eating his steamed buns as quickly as he could, and then bid them farewell so he could make his way to the main office. The same clerk was sitting at the desk there, and upon accepting the mission, the clerk gave him directions to Elder Wu's testing site.
It was located surprisingly far away on the southern side of the mountain. Perhaps it didn't matter to the Elder since he could just fly there, but the remote location did not give Shaohuo any reassurance of the safety of this 'research'.
The mountain was not very tall in height compared to some that Shaohuo had seen in Four Rivers Province or on his journey to the sect, but it was quite wide, and its top was more like a flat ridge rather than a peak. The ridge reached its highest point at the section that housed the student residences and dipped lower toward the south. It was along this ridge that Shaohuo walked, on a path slightly downhill toward the southern end. Looking to the east, he was able to see the rest of the island, where the mountain met rolling hills and lush green forest untouched by man. It was quite beautiful. There were places like this in Four Rivers as well, such as the mountain where he collected the Celestial Lavender, but Four Rivers was so much more densely populated than Plum Forest that such places were few and far between, with most of the land used for farming.
After a while, he reached a relatively flat part of the ridge, where a man sat cross-legged on the grass beside a large, leather bag. He didn't react to Shaohuo's approach, though he must have noticed, instead continuing to gaze intently at the view of the eastern side of the island that Shaohuo had been observing just minutes earlier. He had gray hair tied into a topknot and a long, pointed beard. His aura was predominantly yellow, but the streaks of blue belied his status as an experienced cultivator.
"I am honored to meet you, Elder Wu," Shaohuo said, bowing deeply. "I am Li Shaohuo of the Four Rivers Province. I believe you were looking for a student assistant for your research?"
"Yes, yes," The elder said with a slightly irritated tone, slowly standing up and finally turning to face Shaohuo. "You'll do well enough. Even an idiot should do well enough, but so many students can't even stand still for a few minutes. Children these days have no patience. When I was young, if you didn't follow instructions you would get burned, but the sect discourages that now. No wonder you students are so rowdy these days, when we can only give students a slapping or expel them. We aren't even allowed to break any bones. They are too soft." The elder shook his head in disgust.
Shaohuo wasn't sure if he was supposed to respond to that, so he just suppressed a wince and stayed silent. After a few moments Elder Wu spoke again.
"First you will need to put this on." Elder Wu said. He picked up the leather bag from the ground and tossed it at Shaohuo.
The bag clanked metallically as he caught it, grunting as it hit his chest and knocked the air out of his lungs; it was much heavier than it looked and of course Elder Wu had made it look light as a feather. Shaohuo placed the bag on the ground and opened it to find the source of the clanking: plate armor. He was curious about what this was all about, but the Elder didn't seem to be a patient man so he hurried to put the armor on first. He'd rarely worn armor during spear training at home, but he remembered enough that after a few minutes of fumbling with straps he was able to get it all on. The armor was bulkier than the flexible cloth and leather armor he was used to. He was even less used to the helmet and visor, which made turning his head difficult and reduced his vision to a narrow slit of light that reached him through the visor. He raised a hand clad in a gauntlet slowly, turning his arm to test the weight, which dragged at him in a way he was unused to. It would probably be best not to use armor like this until he'd progressed further in his physical cultivation.
"Good." Elder Wu said, nodding. "Now stand a few paces away from me."
"Of course." Shaohuo said, his voice reverberating against the armor as he took several steps back. "Elder Wu, may I ask what you are researching?"
"There are tales that sometimes soldiers wearing full plate armor can avoid any harm from lightning arts, with the armor dispersing the art on its own," Elder Wu said, stroking his beard. The irritated tone of his voice had disappeared. "I am trying to find out how this happens, and how to replicate it. Surely the military applications should be obvious."
"Do you research new spirit arts as well?" Shaohuo said, confused, but careful not to offend the prickly man. "I was told to assist you in that research, but of course I am honored to assist you with this as well."
"Bah! The fools who wrote the assignment didn't understand my research. There was little use in trying to educate them." Elder Wu grumbled. "I do create new spirit arts, but the scope of this project is much larger. People these days don't see the value in anything outside their narrow view."
"That's too bad." Shaohuo said, trying to appear sincere.
"Enough of that. Let's begin. Do not move unless I tell you to." Elder Wu said.
Shaohuo suddenly realized what was about to happen, but the Elder had already raised a hand, sending a small sphere of lightning qi flying toward him. It hit the plate of armor protecting his chest, but he felt nothing there.
"Ow!" He felt a zapping pain scorch the unprotected areas of his body, the joints of his arms and legs as well as a zap at his forehead where the gap for his visor began.
"So you did still feel that." Elder Wu said. "Interesting. Describe how it felt."
"Uh, I felt a zap at my joints and above my eyes," Shaohuo said, blinking rapidly to clear the tears of pain that had welled up momentarily. He was seriously considering whether this assignment was truly worth the points and connection to Elder Wu, but he wasn't the type to stop something when he had already made a commitment to it.
"The unarmored areas, I see." The Elder nodded as if it made a great deal of sense. "Now hold very still if you do not wish to get hurt."
Shaohuo paled at those ominous words, but stood as still as he could while the Elder began casting an earth art. Suddenly he felt the metal at his joints shift, and his visor suddenly sealed shut, letting no light in. Panicking at the sudden loss of vision, he tried to raise a hand to the visor, but the joints had been sealed as well and the metal resisted his movements.
"Good. Now that there are no gaps in your armor, I will try using a slightly stronger lightning art." Elder Wu's voice was muffled to Shaohuo's ears. He was very glad that he'd improved his stamina cultivation because he was not sure how much air he had inside this armor.
Through his Ghost Eyes, he saw Elder Wu raise his hand once more, and this time a mass of lightning qi three times as large as the first formed in the air before spearing towards him as a bolt. It struck his chest again, but this time there was no pain. Instead, his armor warmed to an uncomfortable degree. Without the cloth padding he might have even been burned by it!
Elder Wu used another earth art to undo the binding of the joints and visor. Shaohuo took quick breaths of the fresh air that slipped in through his visor.
"Well?" Elder Wu said, clearly impatient. Shaohuo made an effort to slow his breathing; it was more due to panic than true need, really. He did not enjoy the feeling of being trapped.
"I didn't feel any pain this time, but the armor became very hot. I am not sure if it would withstand a more powerful art," he said. Hopefully with the impracticality of this idea laid to rest, Elder Wu would return to safer kinds of research.
"A cooling formation is needed then," Elder Wu muttered, immediately dashing his hopes. "We will begin again. I need to test how much cooling will be necessary."
For the next few hours, Elder Wu repeatedly shot him with increasingly larger bolts of lightning, pausing in between for long stretches of time in order to use perception arts to determine how hot the armor was becoming. He muttered to himself as he worked, but was very absorbed in the process, only speaking directly to Shaohuo when he dared to ask questions.
"You are dismissed for now, boy. We will begin again at the same time next week." Elder Wu finally said, apparently satisfied. "I will need time to acquire new armor. Or perhaps devise a new formation myself…"
Elder Wu stared into the distance, and Shaohuo took the chance to leave, bowing deeply before turning and making a hasty retreat, glad that he had survived for now.
Before heading back to his new home, Shaohuo returned to the ground level of the Sect. After a few minutes he found the mail office, where parcels addressed to the Sect were kept after being ferried in from the nearby town of Shandong. His father had sent him a brief letter wishing him good luck at the sect along with his monthly allowance, which he sorely needed since he hadn't had any money on his person for some time.
By the time he was done with his business and began walking back up the mountain, the sun was already setting. The day had passed quickly between all the travel up and down the mountain and the research with Elder Wu. Upon entering his house, he saw Xu Kuo sitting on the floor in the living room. Whether he was meditating or cultivating his Ghost Eyes was difficult to tell.
"Hello," Shaohuo said as he slipped out of his sandals.
"Yo." Xu Kuo opened his eyes and got up, stretching his arms back behind his head.
"Were you attending the lessons today?" he asked.
"Yup. Didn't see you there though." Xu Kuo said.
"My father taught me how to cultivate at home, so it wasn't necessary. But didn't you know as well? You are already at orange, after all."
"Well, everyone knows how to do physical cultivation and Ghost Eyes, but I didn't know any spirit arts." Xu Kuo said with a shrug. "Figured I could at least pick up a basic art."
"That makes sense. So, are you adjusting to life in the Sect?"
"I guess? I mean, some of the people here were real assholes in class, but I don't really care what they think." Xu Kuo said nonchalantly.
Shaohuo resisted the urge to pinch his nose. "Did you do anything to make people dislike you?"
"Not really, I keep to myself most of the time. Oh, but at breakfast some noble girl wanted to take my seat. I got there first so I said no. I mean, even if she's a noble that's just rude."
His heart sank. If it was the princess… "Do you know what her name was?"
"I dunno? I think she said she was Hou something?" Xu Kuo said.
He sighed. "That must have been Hou Lian. How can you not know about the Hou family? They govern this whole province."
"Wait, she's from that Hou family?! Oh shit…" Xu Kuo said, his brow furrowed as he finally seemed to realize what he'd done.
Shaohuo shook his head. "I think you might not understand what kind of place the sect is. You need to be more careful with your words. One of the students here is a princess. Do you realize how much trouble you could get into if you cross the wrong person?"
"Well, I figured since we're all cultivators it doesn't really matter. I mean, I'll probably be a noble too one day, right?" Xu Kuo argued, but he looked more uncertain now.
"It's not that simple. Even if you reached blue, many people still care about blood and lineage above all else. You don't have a powerful clan to give you backing, after all. Even if you form a new clan, you could easily be snuffed out if you give someone a reason to." Shaohuo said, his voice tinged with frustration. Most of the commoners he'd met were deferential to the point of being almost annoying. How did Xu Kuo end up being the exact opposite?
"Well, what do you want from me? I'm not apologizing to her, if that's what you mean. I didn't do anything wrong!" Xu Kuo scowled, folding his arm.
"That doesn't matter since she still took offense and not responding to your disrespect in some way would make her look weak. Even if the rules forbid it I'm sure she could find some way of ruining you. The Elders might even turn a blind eye to it as long as she's not obvious about it."
"How can they do that?" Xu Kuo growled.
"That's just the way the world is, for better or worse." Shaohuo said, exasperated. "Look, I will speak to Hou Lian and convince her to go easy on you. It would still look petty for her to publicly target someone so insignificant, so maybe we can come to an agreement. Perhaps once the second week is done, she can have one of her subordinates challenge you with the understanding that you will throw the fight."
"But-" Xu Kuo began, but Shaohuo cut him off.
"I'm doing this for you as a favor, so don't make it any harder for me. Right now, I am probably the only ally you have here," he said. He didn't want to put it like that, but the boy just wasn't listening to reason.
Xu Kuo sighed, looking defeated. "Alright, fine. I'll let you deal with it then."
"Good," Shaohuo said, relaxing. "In the meantime, I think it would be a good idea for me to teach you some basic etiquette. The first rule is that you must be as deferential as possible when dealing with someone higher-status than you."
Xu Kuo just looked at him with a disgusted look on his face. Shaohuo sighed. This was not going to be easy…
A/N: Sorry for the long delay. This chapter was getting rather long so the rest of the actions for the first week will come with the next update.
For the next few hours, Elder Wu repeatedly shot him with increasingly larger bolts of lightning, pausing in between for long stretches of time in order to use perception arts to determine how hot the armor was becoming. He muttered to himself as he worked, but was very absorbed in the process, only speaking directly to Shaohuo when he dared to ask questions.
This is actually very important knowledge. We get to learn how to counter ligthning attacks as well as see repeated lightning attacks from close range, as well as information about armor and how to improve gear with formations. We might just learn something useful, even if it is just theoretical knowledge.
What an exemplary display of wuxia scientific theory by the Elder! Anyway I loved it, and can't wait until we explore the rest of the Island from the descriptions you've provided. Hopefully Shaohuo learns something about lightening arts from this though, as he seemed pretty passive in the narrative so far.
The dynamics between Shao-Shao trying to appear deferential without outright agreeing with the benefits of breaking students' bones for minor misconduct, and the Elder muttering 'kids these days' is too funny. Kudos for that, it was a great scene.
What an exemplary display of wuxia scientific theory by the Elder! Anyway I loved it, and can't wait until we explore the rest of the Island from the descriptions you've provided. Hopefully Shaohuo learns something about lightening arts from this though, as he seemed pretty passive in the narrative so far.
"Good," Shaohuo said, relaxing. "In the meantime, I think it would be a good idea for me to teach you some basic etiquette. The first rule is that you must be as deferential as possible when dealing with someone higher-status than you."
I think Shaohuo is intelligent and realistic enough to understand that etiquette lessons given you a commoner should be given with a slightly different point of view. Presentation is half the battle. For exemple, remplace "status" with "strength" and it becomes much more palatable for someone used to that setting (like a thug or a street rat), remplace with "rich" for some city-born commoner.
I'm not sure how you would need to present it to a farmer, maybe something along the lines of "status = big family", or "lots of land" ?
This is actually very important knowledge. We get to learn how to counter ligthning attacks as well as see repeated lightning attacks from close range, as well as information about armor and how to improve gear with formations. We might just learn something useful, even if it is just theoretical knowledge.
I agree we should get something out of it. Maybe it's a good opportunity to train Ghost Eyes ? If not, the simple interaction between metal and lightning should spark the idea that elements have strengths and counters, and applied knowledge of such can potential negate alltogether an Art.
I think Shaohuo is intelligent and realistic enough to understand that etiquette lessons given you a commoner should be given with a slightly different point of view. Presentation is half the battle. For exemple, remplace "status" with "strength" and it becomes much more palatable for someone used to that setting (like a thug or a street rat), remplace with "rich" for some city-born commoner.
I'm not sure how you would need to present it to a farmer, maybe something along the lines of "status = big family", or "lots of land" ?
Xu Kuo understands what makes someone higher-status, he's just never interacted with nobles before coming to the sect so he doesn't know the proper etiquette. Shaohuo's relying on guilt-tripping Xu Kuo into listening to him since he offered to help with Hou Lian. Even the knowledge that the noble is strong and rich enough to ruin him wouldn't deter Xu Kuo since he is very proud. From a modern perspective Xu Kuo didn't do anything that would be considered particularly impolite, but nobles expect not just politeness, but deference from commoners, and there's not much that would make Xu Kuo willing to act that way.
Shaohuo's method here certainly isn't perfect, but there isn't really a good way of convincing Xu Kuo at this time.
From a modern perspective Xu Kuo didn't do anything that would be considered particularly impolite, but nobles expect not just politeness, but deference from commoners, and there's not much that would make Xu Kuo willing to act that way.
Teaching Xu Kuo etiquette strained the limits of Shaohuo's patience. Still, by the end of the day he'd managed to impress upon his roommate the basic rules of etiquette among the nobility. Whether Xu Kuo chose to actually follow those rules would be up to him.
With that business taken care of, Shaohuo spent most of his time over the next few days on his own, cultivating on one of the mountain ridges closer to his house. Though he still had social obligations, it would not do to fall behind in cultivation either – that too would affect his social standing after all.
Half to Earth Mastery: 2.
Progress 28/100 to next level.
One third to Ghost Eyes: 1 plus Overflow of 9 to Ghost Eyes:
Progress 136/800.
One third to Qi Cultivation: 4.
Progress 4/6.
A red-level earth art. When activated, it improves defense by 3 for a short period of time at a cost of 30 qi.
Without any tutor to help him this time, Shaohuo was limited to practicing qi transfusion on the trees and bushes that dotted the mountainside. Progress was slow, but he did come to understand why qi transfusion might have been required for the agricultural sect assignment; he noticed that when he infused qi into plants wilted by overexposure to the hot summer sun, they tended to regain some of their vitality not long afterward. Though the dry leaves did not improve and remained dead, the partially dried portions of the plant would become greener after he transfused qi into them. He could see why this would be useful, though presumably it was not worthwhile to perform on cheaper crops like rice.
His practice of the Stone Skin art that his father had shown him went much better. He had finally reached mastery of the art; by cycling earth qi through every inch of his body's surface, he was able to increase the toughness of his skin for a time. The technique was costly in qi, but it would protect him from any technique even if he wasn't able to dodge it. It also gave him some peace of mind knowing that he'd be able to defend himself once violence was allowed at the sect again.
Having finished settling into life at the sect, Shaohuo decided to pay a visit to Zhao Jinhai. Getting to know the Zhao clan heir would help his clan, and on a more personal level another ally at the sect would be useful. During breakfast the next day, he asked around until he found out where Zhao Jinhai lived – just a few levels below his own house, as it turned out.
He knocked his fist on the door three times. There was no response. After a minute of waiting at the threshold, he thought perhaps Zhao Jinhai wasn't there at the time. He was just considering leaving and trying again later when the door swung open, revealing a young woman with silver hair dressed in plain robes. A commoner, and from the look of her, a little too old to be a student.
"Welcome, my lord," the woman said, bowing. "Are you here to speak to Lord Zhao?"
Shaohuo paused momentarily, confused. He hadn't known servants were allowed at the sect.
"Yes, I am. I am Li Shaohuo from Four Rivers." Shaohuo said, nodding.
"Lord Zhao is in the sitting room. Please come in," she said, showing him inside.
In the sitting room a low, wooden table had been set up. A boy with golden hair, presumably Zhao Jinhai, sat at a chair, sipping tea. Upon seeing Shaohuo, he rose to his feet.
"Hello there," he said, an easy grin on his face. "Why don't you sit down? Meimei can you get you some tea, or something else if you prefer?"
"Thank you for your generosity; I would appreciate some tea. I am Li Shaohuo of the Four Rivers. I wanted to meet you since our families are good friends." Shaohuo said, and then sat at the chair opposite from Zhao Jinhai.
"Of course. Duty and all that." Zhao said, shrugging his shoulders casually.
"Yes. And I was hoping that in light of our family alliances, we could also work together at the sect. It would be good to have allies in the case of group challenges." Shaohuo said.
"Sounds good to me." Zhao said. "I certainly won't turn down help."
"That's always a good quality to have, in my opinion." Shaohuo nodded, glad the negotiations were proceeding so well. The other boy followed the rules of etiquette but his manner exuded an informality that was a bit like Xu Kuo's. Fortunately he seemed much easier to work with.
In just a few moments, Meimei appeared again with a tray with two cups of tea, which she placed on the table in front of them. Shaohuo took his cup carefully, and between sips he took a moment to look at the other boy with his Ghost Eyes. He was at orange cultivation, and his natural aura was a blueish-green color.
"Speaking of help, does the sect permit servants?" Shaohuo said, breaking the silence.
"Oh, they don't officially," Zhao said, and gave him a sly grin. "But a few favors can go a long way. Meimei isn't allowed to live here, but she can stay at Shandong and take the ferry here to help me during the day. My parents didn't want me to be unattended, and Meimei has served me for many years."
If Meimei heard them discussing her, her face showed no sign of it as she left the room with her tray in hand.
"I can see how having a servant you can trust would be useful here." Shaohuo said. Though his family had servants, their estate was not so large that he or Meiling were able to have their own personal servants. Xiaoli had one, he knew, but hadn't brought her to the sect. Zhao Jinhai must be rather pampered, if his parents didn't want him to go without a servant for even his brief time at the sect. Or did his parents have another reason for it, perhaps?
"Trust is too rare sometimes." Zhao said, his usual easy grin fading a bit. "But I don't think it has to be that way, when we're all here for the same reasons. Maybe I'm just being naïve, but I don't think competing against each other means we can't trust each other. Friendly competition helps you grow and all that."
"I would like to agree," Shaohuo said, frowning. "I don't think competition necessarily means people can't get along. But in practice, people tend to get emotional about these things. Especially when loss comes at a high cost like it does here at the sect."
He had found that to be the case in himself as well. At times he did envy more talented cultivators like Xiaoli even when there was no cost, even though talent came with its own difficulties.
"I would prefer if we didn't have to compete. Or rather, that we just had to cooperate to meet the sect's standards for cultivation. Compete against the sect rather than tear each other down. But the elders probably have some reason for it," Shaohuo mused.
"Well, we are training to fight, like Elder Shishi said. It's just practice for real conflict, I guess. One of my old combat instructors said living at the sect forces you to learn to be alert. Maybe that's why?" Zhao said, shrugging. "There's not much point in worrying about it when it's out of control anyway."
"True." Shaohuo said. "By the way, have you spoken to Li Xiaoli yet? I can introduce you to her if you like."
"I might just take you up on that sometime. Don't get her hopes up though; I'm not ready to consider engagements yet," Zhao Jinhai said. Shaohuo was taken aback for a moment –and in the distance he thought he heard a sound like plates clattering – until he noticed Zhao Jinhai grinning wryly.
"Of course," Shaohuo said, smiling. "The Honored Elder will be sad to hear that. You may want to look out for angry letters from your family in the near future."
Zhao laughed, his eyes twinkling.
"Wouldn't that be something?" Zhao said, and took another sip of tea.
Indeed, Shaohuo tried to imagine what kind of face the Honored Elder would make, but came up blank.
A/N: Sorry for the delays again. Unfortunately at this time of year I have a lot of exams to deal with. This update is a bit short but I thought I'd at least get it out there since I haven't posted in a while. Next update should wrap up the first week.
"True." Shaohuo said. "By the way, have you spoken to Li Xiaoli yet? I can introduce you to her if you like."
"I might just take you up on that sometime. Don't get her hopes up though; I'm not ready to consider engagements yet," Zhao Jinhai said. Shaohuo was taken aback for a moment –and in the distance he thought he heard a sound like plates clattering – until he noticed Zhao Jinhai grinning wryly.
