Today’s tablecloth is ornate even for the standards of the White Rose Sect. Intricately woven scenes of battle, tales of conquest and even entire storylines are depicted on every single inch of the cloth. Not to mention it practically thrums with qi. Simply looking at it is almost enough to imagine you’re there in the myths and legends, fighting beside or against figures whose names have long faded into the pages of history. This single tablecloth is likely worth more than a middle sized clan and every table in the large banquet hall is covered in a similar one. Qiu takes in all of this and more as she desperately tries to keep her head down to avoid meeting Ling’s gaze.
Baofu Fuchou has made it into the top twenty.
Although he’d only narrowly manage to beat a branch family member to claim last place that was still enough to make it into the realm and likely prove to be a thorn in their side the entire time. After he managed to fend off the branch family’s second competitor the entire family left in a hurry, practically breaking decorum with how quickly they’d rushed to get away. She gets the distinct feeling they won’t make it home.
All because of her.
It’s that sobering thought that makes her raise her head to accept whatever glare the ice princess might be throwing at her. While she certainly sees Ling glaring with murder in her eyes it’s not at her. Following the Li’s line of sight she spots a hunched over figure covered in bandages obscuring every inch of her normally bared skin, the familiar robe causing Qiu to gulp. Tai Hen.
Unlike the disgustingly confident behavior she displayed before however, the Tai seems content with keeping her head down much like Qiu herself had been doing mere moments ago. And much like her, Hen too does not meet Ling’s eye. Qiu’s sharpened senses can just barely hear her mistress mutter under her breath.
“Tsk, she survived. Damned Tai.”
As glad as she is that Ling is willing to kill for her, seeing the result right in front of her is terrifying. With every move the Tai makes she flinches in pain and a shiver runs through her. Qiu’s sharp eyes can see several places where the bandages don’t move along with her quite as smoothly as the rest, the insides likely crusted over due to the dried blood in it. Eager to distract herself she looks away and attempts to start a conversation with the people at her table.
“So, I know this is the final banquet of the week and all but is there something special about it?”
“Yes, miss Shen.” Shun courteously replies. “Today’s feast shall be prepared by an immortal chef. Additionally, entertainment of the highest quality will be provided after Du Juntao’s speech.”
“W- why would an immortal cook for us?” Qiu asks with wide eyes prompting Qing to look at her funny, Shun to avert her gaze and Ling to force herself to push down a sigh. Only Bao nods along in agreement and joins her in looking from person to person to see if anyone will reply.
“Qiu. An immortal chef is not an immortal. It is a cultivator who has decided to specialize in the creation of dishes using qi-infused ingredients instead of devoting their studies to the art of battle.”
“Oooh.” Qiu and Bao both say at the same time. The redhead nods in understanding and asks. “So it’s like alchemy?”
“Yeah, Qiu. It’s almost exactly like alchemy.” Qing replies while pointedly looking at her sister who really should already know of this. Scratching her cheek Bao mumbles an embarrassed apology and sits just the slightest bit straighter, the gleam in her eyes and smile on her face making it clear she’s taken an interest in the subject.
Before they can continue further the banquet hall’s giant doors slam open and a veritable army of servants carrying all manner of platters make their way inside. The scent that wafts in alongside them ends the woman's questioning before it can begin and has Qiu swallow her saliva lest she drools.
Trails of steam follow in their wake as the rows of servants march all the way through the hall before stopping simultaneously with a sharp click of their heels. With a sideways turn the first group of servants breaks away from the pack, their destination the tables at which the sect elders are seated. Only once their platters have been set down and the lids removed causing a mouthwatering aroma to fill the hall does the next group of servants make a sideways turn.
Qiu has to wipe her chin and straighten back up to match Ling’s seemingly uncaring pose when she sees this batch head straight towards them and the rest of the important scions of the clans and sect. The moment they arrive at each table with sharp synchrony but before they manage to put their platters down another group starts to move towards the remaining competitors that made it into the top twenty, a symbolic act Qiu would not be able to parse the meaning of at the best of times much less when her full attention is taken by the alluring platters about to be revealed. It’s even enough for her not to mind the look of distaste the servant closest to her is aiming her way.
The first servant to put his tray on the table is the one closest to Ling after which the others quickly follow. Steam escapes with a hiss the moment the servant lifts the lid at a speed just slow enough to stoke everyone’s anticipation but not so slow as to cause agitation. A masterful move putting the decades of practice the servant has had on display yet that no one has the capacity to appreciate what with their gaze being transfixed by the contents of the serving trays.
Bao’s eyes flick from plate to plate. Fried ice fowl with a faint aroma of yellow rice wine served alongside wedges of a six-hued lemon. White stalker stir fry with bok choy, garlic and steamed spirit rice. Ambrosial deer with a side of five hundred year ginseng. One platter after another continue to be revealed, the sheer amount of qi wafting off them creating an almost intoxicating effect. When the final one is placed down close to Qiu the redhead’s eyes widen and she can’t help but understand the servant’s look of distaste towards her.
Rock crab. An ingredient she’s always known as being difficult to acquire despite it being native to her realm. She often overheard high ranking servants back at the Steadfast Rock Sect complaining it took days to get to the sect and that they barely had enough time to complete the labor-intensive methods of preparing it in time for whatever celebration it was needed at. To think one could be served here…
Just when did Ling place an order for it, she wonders. How long would it even take to get here? Weeks? A month? Not to mention the difficulty of getting it all the way from the Shen clan’s territory to this place. Even as naive as she is when it comes to politics she’s aware there’s no way Ling could’ve gotten her hands on it without expending some political capital.
Qiu has to stop herself from tearing up at the show of faith. She’s always known deep inside but with a confirmation like this all possible doubt is gone. Ling truly believes in her.
As Qiu takes her first bite a warmth settles in her chest that’s not entirely physical. The taste takes her back to a time when her mother would sit beside her, carefully removing pieces of the crab’s meat to give to her. She can still remember the loving smile she’d give her, the sparkle in her eyes and the warm hand on her back.
A tear runs down her cheek as she remembers her mother’s words. To be strong and to never give up. Words that were Qiu’s sole reason to go on after she passed away taking all the color in the redhead’s life with her and leaving her in a world of hardship and pain. Qiu wipes the tear away, the corners of her mouth curling up as she looks at the ones she’s sharing a table with. The road may have been long and hard but she’s finally found a home once more.
------
“I believe there are some things we must discuss prior to tomorrow.” Ling says with a note of finality emphasized by her tea cup clacking down against the table. It’s been quite a while since they walked -or wobbled, in Bao and Qiu’s cases- back to their room after a deeply satisfying meal and until now not a single word had been spoken.
At first things had seemed normal. Bao and Shun made their way towards the alchemy station, Ling towards their supply cabinets and Qiu towards the bed where she promptly plopped down oblivious to Qing’s curious look. The first time Ling noticed she was acting a little off was when she rechecked the same set of talismans for the fourth time instead of moving on to the next. What prompted her to look around instead of continuing her task she’s not entirely sure of. She has a hunch though.
To her surprise Qing is standing right next to her, their shoulders almost touching whilst the caramel skinned girl stares at Qiu. They briefly make eye contact before Qing looks away again, either not noticing or for some reason not caring that Ling’s eyes slid right off her. Bao too isn’t proceeding in the same way as she has these past few days. Much like Ling herself she’s checking and rechecking her supplies. Unlike Ling however she has no hidden realm to venture into and all the materials she’s checking are ones she usually checks right before they become necessary, not routinely.
The biggest tell however is Shun not assisting any of the people present. While sharpening her jian is certainly a good use of what little time they have left Ling knows her well enough to be aware she’d usually only take care of her own needs once she's ensured everyone else is prepared.
After rolling around on the bed a few times and grumbling when she can’t find a good position to lay in Qiu is the first to get up and move to another spot but she’s far from the last. Heading over to their collection of teas and snacks she opens a cabinet door to find something suitable for the moment and is about to channel her qi into the formations built into the kettle stand when her fingertips brush up against Ling’s hand. Twitching briefly at the unexpected contact she meets her mistress’s genial smile with one of her own. Almost in sync they both move aside to let Shun grab the cups.
Hearing a clatter behind her Ling turns around while channeling a blue flame to heat the tea Qiu selected. She spots Bao holding a lid above the table while the container itself had slipped off and spilled snacks all over the table top. Snacks Qing is already collecting and dividing between five sets of plates.
It is only after they’ve all begun to eat and drink that Ling’s intuition prompts her to speak and put down her teacup. The sharp clack of it hitting the table lifts the fog within their minds and snaps everyone out of their collective daze. Sharing glances they feel like they can almost sense each other’s thoughts but the sensation quickly fades, leaving naught behind but a feeling of trepidation and the idea that something is going to change drastically in the near future. Yet even that too fades into a hazy memory. Of the five only Ling, Qiu and Shun have a vague idea of what might just have happened.
“What is it that we are to look for, Hu Qing.” Ling asks in a soft tone very unlike her as the last strands of their peculiar shared experience fades. The moment Qing answers the question Bao flinches and stares at her sister with wide eyes.
“A mask.”
“A mask?”
“Yes.”
“We will need to know what this mask looks like if we are to find it.”
“You’ll know when you see it.”
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for reading!