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Chapter 6: A Seat at the Table

  [Early Morning – Courtyard of the Ruoqi Estate]

  [Ye Hann arrives at a traditional stone-walled compound in the heart of the city. Two stern guards let him through without a word. Ruoqi is waiting at the gate.]

  Ruoqi (sipping tea):

  You actually showed up. Wasn’t sure if you’d ghost me after saving the old lady.

  Ye Hann (smirking):

  You asked. I came.

  Ruoqi:

  I didn’t . I said: “You’re coming, right?”

  Ye Hann:

  Same difference.

  [The Inner Room – Ruoqi’s Grandmother sits upright, fully awake, her presence calm but piercing. Her eyes scan Ye Hann like a surgeon.]

  Grandmother:

  So this is the boy who pulled me back from the brink.

  Not a trace of arrogance in your face. But no humility either.

  Interesting.

  Ye Hann (bowing slightly):

  Respectfully, I don’t believe in either. Arrogance clouds growth, and humility invites wolves.

  [The grandmother laughs. A dry, knowing sound.]

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  Grandmother:

  He speaks like a seasoned cultivator in a child’s body.

  Where did you learn to make the Soul-Reversal Stabilizer?

  That formula was lost during the Second Cleansing.

  Ye Hann (careful smile):

  Let’s just say… I read an old book no one bothered to keep.

  [Pause. She studies him.]

  Grandmother:

  You’re hiding something, boy.

  But anyone who saves my life earns one question—no lies.

  Ask.

  

  

  [Ye Hann’s gaze sharpens.]

  Ye Hann:

  Who sent the poisoned lotus?

  

  

  [Silence hangs heavy for a beat. Then the grandmother leans forward.]

  Grandmother:

  A warning from the Yao Clan. They wanted to test our reaction. Not kill me—just cripple.

  We’ve been pressuring their northern assets. They don’t like losing face.

  Ye Hann (quietly):

  So this was political.

  Grandmother:

  Everything is, in our world. Now that you know… will you run?

  Ye Hann (smiling):

  I’ve run enough for one life.

  

  

  [Garden Pavilion – Ruoqi and Ye Hann sit by a koi pond. A servant brings fresh tea.]

  Ruoqi:

  She likes you.

  That’s rare. Even I don’t get more than three words a day.

  Ye Hann (musing):

  I think she sees something of herself in me.

  Ruoqi:

  A sharp blade, hidden behind quiet eyes?

  Ye Hann:

  Or maybe just someone too stubborn to die when he should’ve.

  

  

  [She stopped at the gates. Looked at him with something a little more thoughtful.]

  Ruoqi:

  You’re not like the other cultivators at school.

  Ye Hann:

  I don’t plan to be.

  Ruoqi:

  You’re going to make a lot of people nervous, you know.

  Ye Hann (grinning slightly):

  That’s the plan.

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