Seven Days Until the Match: A Pep Talk Before the Fight

Dawn had yet to break. A sliver of fish-belly white had only just appeared on the eastern horizon.

In the back courtyard of the Shocking Heron Martial Hall, Li Xiang, Qin Zhong, and Ye Qingyao gathered around a square table.

"Senior Sister Ye."

Li Xiang looked at the empty table and asked, "Did the hall master call us all the way out here at the crack of dawn just to have breakfast?"

He could hardly be blamed for wondering.

With a major battle at hand, they should have been getting themselves into fighting shape.

"Brother Li, you don't get it. Even an emperor doesn't send hungry soldiers into battle." Qin Zhong seemed remarkably easygoing, or perhaps just a little too carefree.

"Besides, even a condemned prisoner gets a Last Meal before heading to the execution ground. At least they let him leave on a full stomach."

Seeing that Qin Zhong never shied away from such talk, Li Xiang turned to Ye Qingyao across the table.

"Senior Sister Ye, what's the hall master got up his sleeve?"

Ye Qingyao sat up a little straighter. "Father may seem unreliable most days, but he never muddles the important things."

She kept them in suspense. "Anyway, you'll find out soon enough."

That only piqued Li Xiang's curiosity.

As he tried to guess, an enticing aroma drifted from deep within the covered walkway on the morning breeze.

The scent was faint, yet it cut through everything.

"It's here!"

Ye Qingyao's eyes lit up, and she stood.

At the far end of the walkway, the tightly shut kitchen door swung open.

"Breakfast is served!"

The hearty shout belonged to Hong Tianbao.

Then Hong Tianbao strolled out of the kitchen with his hands clasped behind his back.

Behind him floated more than a dozen dishes, each sealed