The morning light filtered through the cracked walls of the Silver Lotus Sect, casting long shadows as the dust of the previous day's chaos finally began to settle. The air was still thick with the weight of unspoken thoughts, lingering tension, and the undeniable reality that their sect was now entangled in a much greater game.
Atlas, of course, had other concerns.
"I don't see what the big deal is" he said through a mouthful of roasted duck, sprawled lazily across a wooden bench.
"Jian Ren isn't an idiot. He's not going to run off to his Emperor and tell him, 'Hey, turns out the random merchant I just met runs the most powerful trade network in the East.' He'd rather keep that to himself."
Layla facepalming herself. "Atlas, you are eating gold-dusted dumplings. Right now. After nearly getting the sect burned to the ground. I don't know what bothers me more—the fact that you don't care, or the fact that you actually carry food this expensive around like it's dried rations."
"You say that like being prepared is a bad thing" Atlas said, waving a dumpling in her direction.
"What if I got stranded in a place where all they served was boiled grass? I'd starve."
Bao, who had just walked in, eyed the dumplings with interest. "Are those gold-dusted?"
"Indeed they are, my dear Bao" Atlas grinned, holding up the tray.
"Want one?"
Bao didn't hesitate, snatching one off the plate and biting into it with a pleased hum.
"You know, Meilin, you complain a lot, but this is actually good."
Layla stared at him in betrayal. "Not you too, Bao."
"What? Free food is free food." Bao shrugged, already reaching for another.
Meyu smirked. "At this point, I'm convinced Atlas could buy the loyalty of half the sect just by feeding them."
Atlas wiggled his eyebrows. "And yet, some people continue to resist my generosity. Truly tragic."
Before Layla could retort, another voice joined in. "Oh, what's this? My, my, Atlas, you really do spoil everyone, don't you?"
The group turned to see Yuxe Wuye, Meilin's mother, gracefully stepping into the room. Without hesitation, she plucked a dumpling from the tray and took a delicate bite, humming in approval.
"Mmm. You have good taste."
Layla gaped at her. "Mother!"
"What? It would be rude to refuse" Yuxe Wuye said smoothly, picking up another.
"Besides, why should Bao get all the good food?"
Bao, still chewing, gave a thumbs up. "Agreed."
Atlas smirked. "See? Lady Wuye has excellent judgment."
Layla buried her face in her hands. "I hate all of you."
Lin Wuye, seated beside her, looked as if he had aged a decade overnight. He let out a long sigh, rubbing his forehead. "I'm still trying to process that my daughter—my sweet, innocent, flower of a daughter—just negotiated with a high-ranking noble like it was a mere business deal."
"Father, please—"
"And did not tell him to leave!" he continued, ignoring Layla's interruption.
"She let him stay! To learn from me! What am I supposed to do with that?!"
"Teach him?" Jiang offered, before reaching over and gently closing Lin Wuye's mouth, which had fallen open again in shock. He gave the elder a few reassuring pats on the head, much like one would soothe a child after a tantrum.
"Come on, Master Lin. Let's get you back before you start spiralling again."
As Jiang guided Lin Wuye away, still muttering about nobles infiltrating his peaceful sect, the rest of them turned toward the training grounds where Jian Ren—Shen Jue—stood waiting.
Shen Jue's expression was unreadable as he faced Lin Wuye, awaiting instruction. Though the noble had shed his more formal robes for something more practical, his air of refinement remained.
"I will warn you once, and only once" Lin Wuye said, his usual gentle demeanour replaced by the weight of his authority.
"If you have come here to learn, you will learn. But if this is merely a ploy for information, I will break you before you have the chance to regret it."
A challenge.
Shen Jue met his gaze steadily. "I expect nothing less."
Atlas, still watching from the sidelines, leaned toward Meyu.
"So, what do you think? He gonna cry, or is he gonna break a rib first?"
Meyu smirked. "Depends. How much do you want to bet?"
Layla groaned. "We are not gambling on this."
Layla watched intently, her stance firm as she analyzed the fight before her.
Shen Jue and her father were evenly matched, their movements precise, calculated. Each strike was countered, every step met with an equal force.
But then Lin Wuye got a little serious.
In a blur of motion, he shifted, his Qi surging as he struck with enough force to send Shen Jue flying—straight into a thick tree, splitting it clean in half. The sound of cracking wood echoed through the training grounds.
A beat of silence.
Atlas, completely unbothered, casually turned to one of the disciple nearby. "Alright, go ahead and collect that."
One of the disciples blinked. "Uh… collect what?"
Atlas gestured lazily. "The tree. What? It's wood. I can use it for your sect's rebuild anyway. Waste not, want not."
The disciple hesitated, glancing at the massive tree trunk. "Uh… I don't think I can carry that."
Before he could say anything else, two Ryl Trading workers stepped forward and, with zero effort, lifted the tree as if it weighed nothing. They casually hoisted it onto their shoulders and started walking away without breaking a sweat.
Shen Jue, still recovering from the blow, turned his head slightly, watching the feat with wide eyes.
That was unnatural. His mouth opened slightly in disbelief.
Atlas, noticing his expression, smirked. "Oh? Something wrong, Jian Ren? I thought you nobles had seen everything."
Shen Jue looked around, expecting similar reactions of disbelief—but none came. Not from Layla, not from Meyu, not from the other disciples.
One of them shrugged. "You get used to it. We've seen these Ryl workers do far more ridiculous things."
Another disciple nodded. "Miss Meyu could probably carry that log herself if she really wanted to."
Shen Jue turned his gaze to Meyu, who merely smirked and rolled her shoulders. "Eh, it wouldn't be the hardest thing I've lifted."
He blinked. "...You're all insane."
Atlas clapped a hand on his shoulder, grinning. "Oh, Jian Ren, my dear sheltered noble. Welcome to reality."
Hours later, Atlas slipped away into one of the more secluded halls of the sect, where a single figure awaited him.
"Xiuying" he greeted, watching as the sharp-eyed woman stepped forward. Clad in a dark robe with a silver hairpin glinting in the dim candlelight, she exuded an air of quiet precision.
"Master Atlas" she said smoothly.
"I bring troubling news."
Atlas sighed, stretching his arms above his head. "Is it more troubling than a noble trying to dissect my trade empire from the inside? Because I gotta say, my standards for 'bad news' are really high this week."
Xiuying didn't react to his humour. She never did. "The Emperor's enforcers have been gathering at your main Ryl Trading outpost in the capital. They have begun pressuring noble houses to cut ties with you. None have done so. Yet."
Atlas stopped stretching. "...Huh."
"Additionally" Xiuying continued, "There are whispers in Russia. Strange weapons. Something that pierces steel with ease. Something that roars like the heavens."
Atlas scoffed. "Oh, what, someone chucked a really angry dragon at a fortress? Happens all the time."
Xiuying merely blinked. "Eyewitness reports confirm the destruction."
Atlas frowned. "And?"
"It is linked to a vast underground network" she said.
"One that has been growing in secrecy. Whoever controls this weapon is no mere warlord."
Atlas rubbed his chin, thinking. "The West, huh? If it's true… that changes a lot."
He turned back to Xiuying. "Start preparing contingency plans for Jian Ren. And dig deeper into the Emperor's bloodline. I want to know who he's met, who he's dealt with, and what skeletons are in his closet."
Xiuying nodded, vanishing into the shadows as quickly as she came.
As Atlas turned, ready to move on, he suddenly felt a presence—familiar, fast. Before he could react,
Meyu caught him.