When Xue Qinghe arrived at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, white steam had just begun rising from the kitchen's first pot of rice.
He headed first to Ning Fengzhi's residence, and the two guards behind him stopped outside the courtyard. This was not his first visit, so there was no need for anyone to introduce each place along the way again, but today, as he passed the training grounds, he took another look. Several young disciples had withdrawn their Martial Souls. Before they had even wiped away their sweat, some were already carrying tables toward the kitchen. Another fetched water and shared it first with the companion who had trained the longest before taking a drink himself.
Xue Qinghe kept that little scene in mind without having the carriage stop for it.
Ning Fengzhi was inside reading a couple of pages of the sect's accounts. Hearing that his student had arrived, he put down his brush and asked for tea. Xue Qinghe had brought the usual letters his teacher needed to read and the academy's recent arrangements. Only after they had finished discussing business did Ning Fengzhi ask whether he had eaten on the way.
A purchasing list for the academy's repairs was tucked among the letters. Xue Qinghe circled two prices, intending to ask which merchant's quote was more reasonable, but Ning Fengzhi first had him look at the distance the stone needed to be transported. A lower price for the goods might not save money in the end if bringing them up the mountain required changing carts twice more. Xue Qinghe added the labor costs he had overlooked in the margin and consulted his teacher on a few other points before putting the papers away.
"I set out early, but I had breakfast," Xue Qinghe said with