In the great hall of Lingxiao Palace, Yao Si sat in his chair with a dark, iron-gray expression. Across the table, Hua Qingsi kept him company with a constant smile. Several jade slips lay on the table, each containing detailed records of Lingxiao Palace's twenty thousand Disciples—their names, genders, cultivation levels, and other particulars.
The tea on the table had long gone cold. Hua Qingsi shot a glance toward the door, and a serving girl promptly stepped forward to refresh the tea—no one could have counted how many times that had already happened.
"Commander Yao, please have some more tea. The Palace Master will be here any moment now." Hua Qingsi forced a thin smile.
Yao Si turned his head and cast her a cold, hollow glare. "Four days ago, you said the same thing."
No wonder his face looked so grim. He had honored the three-day agreement, returning to Lingxiao Palace on schedule to discuss the formation of the Ji-Zi Army with Yang Kai. Yet the person who had received him was not Yang Kai—it was still Hua Qingsi.
That alone would have been a minor matter. Yao Si was admittedly displeased, but not enough to make a fuss over etiquette. What truly tested his patience was that he had waited here for four full days without so much as a glimpse of Yang Kai.
His patience had been ground down to nearly nothing. He had drunk an untold number of cups of Lingxiao Palace's tea.
If not for the fact that Hua Qingsi had remained by his side this whole time, maintaining a respectful attitude, Yao Si would have suspected that Yang Kai was deliberately mocking him.
Hua Qingsi was in a wretched position herself. She had a fairly good idea what Yang Kai had been up to these past few days, but she certainly couldn't explain that to an outsider. Moreover, she knew better than to disturb him at a time like this. She felt bitter inside—their Palace Master was wonderful in every respect, save for one: he was a bit too indulgent when it came to matters between the sheets. Nearly every time he returned from a trip, he would carry on with his several wives for days on end.
She had always thought the three-day deadline Yao Si set was too tight, and now that had proven exactly right. But having finally drawn Yao Si into the Ji-Zi Army, she couldn't very well let him slip away. If he left, it would be a loss not only for Yang Kai, but for the Ji-Zi Army as a whole. Yang Kai was long accustomed to playing the hands-off boss, but as the chief steward of Lingxiao Palace, it was her burden to worry about such things.
"Why not look over the Disciples' records a bit more? Once the Ji-Zi Army is truly established, it would help to have an idea of who should fill which position, wouldn't it, Commander Yao?"
Yao Si replied coldly, "No need. I have already committed every piece of data on cultivators at the Dao Source Realm and above to memory!"
"Then…" Hua Qingsi's head throbbed. She was running out of ways to stall for time. She had already bought Yang Kai four days, which was her absolute limit. In her estimation, if half a day more passed and Yang Kai still hadn't shown up, Yao Si would very likely walk out for good.
Sure enough, Yao Si let out a cold snort. "I'll wait two more hours at most. If Yang Kai doesn't appear before me by then, the previous wager is off." He let out a short, humorless laugh. "This isn't me going back on my word—that scoundrel simply doesn't take anyone seriously!"
With his background and strength, any legion commander would welcome him with open arms. Yet here he was with Yang Kai, sitting idle for four days and not even being granted an audience.
He had never been particularly willing to serve under Yang Kai in the first place. He had only agreed grudgingly out of respect for the reputation of the Phantom Palace and the Phantom Great Emperor. Now that he had found a pretext, he was all too eager to extricate himself.
"A scoundrel? What scoundrel?" A voice suddenly rang out, and Hua Qingsi's face lit up with delight as she turned toward the hall entrance.
The first syllable of that voice had clearly come from somewhere dozens of li away, but by the time the final word fell, Yang Kai had already stepped into the great hall, striding with the bearing of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, looking thoroughly pleased with himself—a clear sign that he had been in excellent spirits these past few days.
Bian Yuqing had come along with him. She had been standing guard outside Lingxiao Peak these past few days, ready to brief him on Yao Si's situation the moment he was finished. So although Yang Kai had only just emerged from Lingxiao Peak, he already knew how things stood.
Commander Yao. Not bad at all. Hua Qingsi's work always put his mind at ease.
"Palace Master!" Hua Qingsi rose and offered a bow, visibly relieved. The tension she had been holding finally drained away.
Yang Kai waved his hand, signaling that formalities were unnecessary. His gaze settled on Yao Si, but Yao Si merely snorted coldly without so much as rising from his seat, as though Yang Kai were invisible.
Yang Kai was magnanimous enough not to hold it against him. He walked to the head seat on his own, swept his robes back, and dropped into the chair with a commanding sprawl.
A serving girl brought tea, bowed, and withdrew. Yang Kai lifted the cup, took a delicate sip, and then his eyebrows shot up in surprise. He began drinking with audible, eager gulps.
Hua Qingsi opened her mouth as though to say something, but Yang Kai shot her a glance, and she fell silent.
Yang Kai said nothing. Yao Si maintained his own silence. The entire great hall was filled with nothing but the sound of Yang Kai drinking his tea.
After a long while, Yao Si finally cast a cold look Yang Kai's way. After studying him for a moment, he spoke. "Palace Master Yang…"
"Chief Steward." Yang Kai looked up at Hua Qingsi, toying with the teacup in his hand. "What sort of tea is this?"
"You don't find it to your taste, Palace Master?" Hua Qingsi wasn't sure what he was getting at, but since he had asked, she could only answer.
"It's quite good. Where did you procure it?" Yang Kai smiled faintly.
Hua Qingsi smiled back. "It wasn't procured at all. It's grown right here in our Lingxiao Palace. There were several plots of an unusual tea varietal on Jade Emerald Peak—likely planted by someone from the former Qingzhi Sect. Madam Ningshang took a great liking to them and personally tends the tea bushes. The leaves she harvests are also processed by her own hand."