"Ah, hello everyone." Bao demurely nods at Ling, Shun and Qiu as she sits down at one of the two empty chairs at their table. While Qiu doesn't notice the problem and Ling is simply planning to use her slights as munition for later, Shun's eye can't help but twitch at her blatant ignorance of social norms.
For starters she is far earlier than expected. During formal events a meeting in the evening is supposed to begin two hours after the conclusion of the meal yet Bao is seated before dinner has even been served. Nor did she even show the common courtesy of waiting for permission to be seated, or any reply whatsoever for that matter. Had they made plans to discuss things with anyone else prior to their meeting they would now be in a very awkward situation as they would have to either cancel their talk and cause their guest to lose face or send Bao away, a grave insult that would ruin any chance at making a deal.
More so she has now put Ke Ming Gui in a difficult spot as well for if the woman stays away for another two hours to show up at the aforementioned time chances are any deal is likely to have long been worked out. Truly, Shun thinks, they are in dire straits to consider adding her to their ranks. It is fortunate that neither they nor the Ke heiress have any other plans yet still Bao's slight opens them up to ridicule for that very reason. After all it is no secret both are facing difficulties when it comes to diplomatic relations. And that is not even considering the fact that she did not even greet any of them by name, completely disregarding them as below her despite not meaning to. While Ling is slightly miffed at the unexpected change she welcomes the distraction and acknowledges Bao's presence with a slight nod. Even more so given that Hu Qing has little means to intrude upon their talk without risking her social status.
"Greetings, Miss Bao. I see you are eager to join us. If I might offer some advice, overeagerness can lead to exploitation when it comes to negotiating."
"Uhm, thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Bao nods appreciatively in reply, the bells in her hair tinkling pleasantly. She follows the ice princess's gaze to the side and nods at the approaching Ming Gui as well while Ling greets her.
"Welcome, Miss Ke."
"This one thanks you for the invite, Lady Li. May I take a seat?"
"If it pleases you, Miss Ke." Ling replies while gesturing at the last remaining empty chair. She suppresses a smile glancing at Bao's mortified face from the corner of her eye.
"Please accept this as a token of my appreciation. These mint cookies are one of my favorite recipes and are wonderful alongside a fresh tea blend." Ming Gui smiles fondly, seeming to recall a past memory while she hands over a small tastefully decorated box. A hint of a blush begins to show on Bao's cheeks and her shoulders sag as she slowly begins to realize how badly she messed up.
"Your appreciation has been noted. They shall make a fine addition to the evening tea." Ling answers her, landing the final blow to Bao's rapidly diminishing composure. She decides to push just a bit more before offering the tall woman an out. "My apologies for departing from the contest without a word, Miss Bao. I'm afraid my busy schedule did not allow me to stay longer than needed. My congratulations on your victory."
"T- thank you, Lin- Lady Li. It- it was very close, Sir Ke is a formidable opponent." Bao awkwardly replies, her voice cracking several times throughout her sentence. Ming Gui offers her a warm smile in reply.
"Thank you for your humility, Lady Hu. I shall be sure to inform him of your praise."
Further conversation is cut off by the veritable army of servants arriving with the evening meal. Little more than pleasantries are exchanged over the course of the meal as they all settle in to watch the duels and comment on them. Several pass by uneventfully before one draws the hall's undivided attention.
"Cai Yuu, twenty seven years old. Fifth Stage Foundation Establishment. Please advise"
Several tense moments pass in absolute silence until one of the Lai steps forward. If she didn't know better Ling would’ve sworn there's a hint of hesitation in his step.
"Lai Chang, twenty nine years old. Fourth Stage Foundation Establishment. Please advise."
Chang draws his blade with a flourish and takes a loose stance with its tip to the floor. His eyes hone in on his opponent like a hawk while his other hand remains half open, a thin sheet of ice slowly beginning to form across the inside of it. Yuu has not made any moves whatsoever in the time since the duel began. He simply stands with his hands folded behind his back, perfectly content to allow his opponent to make his preparations while imperiously glaring down at the Lai.
More pointless theatrics, Ling thinks. As clear as it is that this match was set up in advance she still wonders what direction it will take. Lai Chang goes on the offense first. He throws the icy dagger manifesting in his left hand in an arc to strike the Cai's right side while he himself attacks from his left. A move that would injure a lesser opponent or put them on the back foot. Cai Yuu isn't one. His sole move is to extend both arms to the side, catching the dagger in one and the blade in his other.
Qiu's eyes widen. Even she wouldn't be able to do that and the very memory of how much suffering she went through to temper her body as much as she has makes her shudder, not to mention the resources valuable enough to require the full backing of a sect. The reason for his capabilities soon becomes clear when scales spread over his hands, up his arms and across his entire body. His eyes turn slitted and his mouth elongated into a sharp toothed maw. Swelling muscles strain his outfit to its limit and Qiu begins to understand why his robe is so unadorned, any decorations would be warped by the stretching. The snow covered tree emblazoned on his chest proves the exception to the rule, his widening chest causing it to blossom into a far more impressive piece of art.
Ling has to stop herself from rolling her eyes at Cai Yuu's transformation. A southern desert stalker. Both an ambush predator and cold-blooded, one of the worst possible choices to fight an ice cultivator in a wide open space. A clear statement if she's ever seen any.
Yuu crushes the ice dagger in one hand and with a single powerful movement smashes his fist into Chang's torso. The man barely remains upright and even that may be attributed as much to Cai Yuu still holding his sword tightly within his grasp as to the man's own efforts. With cold, dispassionate eyes the transformed warrior lets go and folds his hands behind his back once more, a sight that would be far more humorous due to his now hunched back had he not looked half as intimidating as he does.
Chang leaps back and takes a more guarded stance while circling the bipedal crocodile. Several more daggers manifest and hover over his palm before gathering into a circular shape and rotating with the tips aimed inward. Something begins to slowly take shape within the spinning orb, a single bright blue shard of ice, jagged and with multiple points at the front. The spinning knives form into a flat circle around it similar to a shield with the jagged shard at its core. Then in the blink of an eye the duel is over. Yuu twists to face his opponent and like a snake uncoiled arrives at his target in an instant, one immense fist crashing through Chang's unfinished technique to smash into his face with enough force to both knock him off his feet and send him flying off the arena. A lesson he won’t soon forget. With blood dripping down his face he bows his head and clasps his hands while speaking in a nasal voice.
“This Lai Chang thanks senior for his guidance.”
‘How interesting.’ Ling thinks while smiling on the inside and looking towards the Lai. Her eyes meet with Xueya’s, the woman’s expression turning sour. Even without Ling showing any emotion whatsoever Xueya can clearly intuit the girl’s amusement. ‘Oh yes, I can use this.’ The ice princess has to stop herself from laughing at the woman’s face. To outsiders this may seem like the Lai providing a stepping stone to the Cai and Cai Yuu showing Chang firsthand what a mistake it is to rely on a technique with such a long wind up but with the information Ling possesses it is not hard to put the true story together. This was a rebuke. Oh, the Lai provided a stepping stone alright but if she had to guess it wasn’t entirely voluntarily. They were forced or at the very least pointedly advised to take responsibility for what the Cai saw as Xueya’s cowardice and not just that, Cai Yuu did not even let the man exhibit his talents in the exhibition match.
Still, it’s not all sunshine and roses. A look at Ke Ming Gui confirms this. With the Cai’s strength so clearly on display the Ke will be of two minds on whether or not to invest as much into a deal with one of the Li. Truly, Bao’s bad timing is a costly thing. She’ll have to correct that once the lanky woman is fully on her side. A shiver runs down Bao’s spine leaving the Hu woman wondering as to the cause. Taking a sip from her cup Ling considers the fact that while Bao's social skills are on the level of a bull in a china shop her behavior is predictable enough to use to her advantage. She highly doubts the woman will be swayed by the Cai in the slightest after all nor did she appear particularly interested in the duels.
“Miss Bao, do you still have time to join us tomorrow to exchange notes with my retainer, Dai Shun, on pill concoction?” Ling asks offhandedly while still looking at the stage, slowly panning her head towards Bao towards the end of her sentence in order to give off an impression of nonchalance. Right after the Cai’s show is a horrible time to broach the topic of a trade deal after all, no, she has the exact time planned out now.
“Of course!” Bao exclaims a bit too loudly, ignorant of the errant head turning her way at the outburst. “I’m always happy to trade notes with a fellow concocter. I’ll head to your accommodations after winning the next round of the contest. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to come off as arrogant. Sir Ke is a potent opponent, I just mean since there’s still more than one person winning at this stage…” Her sentence slowly trails off after that while she looks towards Ming Gui with a guilty expression on her face. Ming Gui hides a smile behind her hand as she replies in a light tone.
“No offense taken, Lady Hu. Pride is only a sin if one does not have the skills to back it up. Thou most certainly does.”
“T- thank you. I’m sorry if I came off as rude, this won’t hinder our plans, right?” Bao practically squeaks while casting a panicked glance at Ling. ‘Subtlety, Bao.’ Nevertheless Ling feels a tingle deep inside at the woman instantly looking to her for aid. Already she seems almost dependent. ‘And easily moldable.’
“Let us put the matter aside,” Ling replies to keep the girl on her toes. “We can discuss such things after the next duel. It would be rude to discuss matters of alchemy without one of our alchemists present after all.” She adds while gesturing at Shun. With a head bow the brunette stands up and makes her way to the stage.
“Dai Shun, twenty-five years old. Fifth Stage Foundation Establishment. Please advise.”
