Wei Lin’s family home was typical of the wealthier merchant clans.

  It was grand without being showy; luxurious yet practical.

  The central courtyard contained a small fountain flanked by carefully tended spirit herbs which presumably came from a variety of business ventures.

  Wei Lin took us along corridors featuring beautifully painted landscapes, as well as small displays of cultivation-related items in subtle alcoves. The overall impression was that the Wei family had the wealth to own these types of items but also had enough taste not to flaunt them.

  When we entered a private dining area, we found the family seated at a large round table.

  Servants were placing the final courses of the meal on the table.

  Wei Lin’s father, Wei Ye, welcomed us with a gracious bow. He was a tall, stately man with sharp features that reminded me of his son. Although he was a mortal, he moved with the fluidity that suggested he frequently consumed cultivation products like age-delaying pills and energy-boosting elixirs.

  “Welcome!” Wei Ye smiled. “So, there are the sect siblings we’ve been hearing about.”

  Standing beside him was Wei Lin’s mother, Wei Ting.

  She was a beautiful woman with long black hair and smiling eyes that wrinkled at the corners when she laughed.

  “Lin’er has told us so much about you in his letters!”

  Next to his father sat a young man who could only be Wei Lin’s older brother, Wei Guang. Like his father, Wei Guang was tall, but he had his mother’s soft features, though he also had a cunning and intelligent gaze that matched Wei Lin.

  “Everyone, this is my family,” Wei Lin introduced his family members. “Father, Mother, Brother—these are my friends from the Azure Peak Sect.” Wei Lin pointed at each of us individually. “This is Brother Ke Yin, Sister Lin Mei, and…” he hesitated for a moment before continuing, “…and our newest member, Liu Chen.”

  Wei Ye lifted both of his eyebrows slightly at Liu Chen’s ragged appearance, however, Wei Ting immediately swooped in. “You must all be hungry after your trip! Come, sit! Sit! No talking about business today. It’s time to eat!”

  We seated ourselves around the table, with Wei Lin placing himself between Lin Mei and his father. I ended up sitting between Liu Chen and Wei Guang, while Wei Ting sat on Liu Chen’s other side.

  The spread before us was impressive, containing a combination of dishes I recognized from cultivation novels as exotic delicacies combined with everyday fare.

  There were dishes of braised spirit beast meat in herb-infused sauces that sat next to plain vegetable dishes. There was a spiritual energy-rich soup that steamed in decorative bowls, as well as plain rice served in jade-lined containers designed to help retain the perfect temperature of the rice.

  “Try the Phoenix Tail Fish,” Wei Ting urged, using her chopsticks to place a large piece of the fish into Liu Chen’s bowl. “It’s Lin’er’s favorite. The spirit herbs used in the marinade are great for your cultivation.”

  I noticed Wei Ye watching Liu Chen with a discerning eye.

  “So, Liu Chen,” he began casually, “I hear you have a rather unusual companion? A Stone Guardian, was it?”

  “Yes, sir,” Liu Chen nodded slightly defensively. “His name is Rocky.”

  “Rocky?” Wei Guang coughed, trying to hold back a laugh. “That’s a... memorable name.”

  “It fits him,” Liu Chen defended.

  “I’m sure it does,” Wei Ye chuckled. “Stone Guardians are extremely valuable. If you can find the right buyer, they may pay a handsome sum for one. Let’s say…a thousand spirit stones?”

  Liu Chen’s eyes widened at the price, but his jaw clenched in determination.

  “Rocky isn’t for sale. He’s my best friend.”

  “Two thousand?” Wei Ye pressed, watching Liu Chen’s reaction. “That’s a lot of money for a young man like you. You could start your own business, purchase cultivation products…”

  “Father,” Wei Lin interjected. “Liu Chen and Rocky will be joining Azure Peak Sect. They’re not interested in making business deals.”

  “Ah, my apologies,” Wei Ye placed his hands in mock surrender. “Just a merchant’s instincts, always searching for good investments. But speaking of the sect…” he looked at me, “how are you finding it, young master Ke Yin? I understand you’ve shown quite a bit of talent.”

  I swallowed my bite of Phoenix Tail Fish before answering.

  “It’s been…interesting. Senior Sister Liu runs a rigorous training program.” I smiled slightly. “But access to their library alone makes it worth it.”

  Wei Ye nodded. “And your family? Are they involved in any specific…industries?”

  “My father is a tailor in Floating Reed Village.”

  “Ah, cultivation robes possibly? Special fabrics?”

  “No,” I replied simply. “Regular clothing for the villagers.”

  Wei Ye’s smile momentarily faltered before he smoothed it over.

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  Deciding that he was done with me, he turned to face Lin Mei.

  “And you, young miss? I believe you work in the herb gardens?”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied politely. “I am responsible for the day-to-day operation and cultivation of several rare spirit herbs.”

  “Fascinating! And your family’s background in herbalism must be quite extensive to have earned such responsibility at such a young age?”

  “Actually, I learned everything at the sect,” Lin Mei’s smile didn’t waver as she continued. “My parents are farmers in the outer provinces.”

  Wei Ye’s expression became perfectly still. His eyes flashed to his son for a brief moment before he put down his teacup. The slight clinking of the teacup against the wooden saucer sounded oddly loud in the sudden silence.

  “I see,” he murmured. “How... fascinating.”

  While Wei Lin’s face might have remained blank, I saw his fingers tighten slightly around his chopsticks.

  He was clearly unhappy with the way his father was interrogating us and then dismissing us because of our simple background.

  “Dear,” Wei Ting interrupted firmly, “you said we wouldn’t discuss business tonight. Lin’er’s friends are here to enjoy dinner, not undergo an inquisition.”

  “Forgive me, dear. Old habits die hard,” Wei Ye chuckled, before turning his attention to the food. “More soup, anyone?”

  The conversation shifted to more lighthearted topics after that, but I knew that Wei Ye had already categorized and dismissed us due to our lack of important connections.

  Fortunately, the rest of the family weren’t like that.

  Wei Guang didn’t seem so bad, he seemed more amused than anything else really.

  “So, Brother Ke Yin,” he said quietly during the time the others were distracted by Wei Ting’s story about the time young Wei Lin embarrassed himself in front of his tutor, “how did my little brother really end up with such an…eclectic group of friends?”

  “Coincidence,” I replied truthfully. “We just happened to work well together.”

  Wei Guang nodded thoughtfully. “You know, when Lin’er first left for the sect, Father believed he would immediately begin developing relationships with the more prominent families. Instead, his letters were filled with stories about herb gardens and you two.” Wei Guang’s lips curled upward. “I imagine this was the first time in his life he simply…made friends.”

  The way he said that made it sound like making friends for the simple reason of friendship was almost absurd. And it probably was in their household.

  “Your father appears to be concerned about that,” I observed quietly.

  “Father is concerned about everything,” Wei Guang snorted softly. “That is why he is a successful merchant. However…” he glanced at Wei Lin and Lin Mei, who were sharing a private joke, “there are times I wonder if he realizes not everything must be a commercial transaction.”

  I found his comment interesting.

  It seems that there was still hope for Wei Guang to not end up as a ruthless businessman.

  The remainder of the meal progressed with Wei Ting attempting to create a welcoming atmosphere for everyone. She kept refilling Liu Chen’s bowl, complimented Lin Mei on her knowledge of herbs, and asked me sincere questions regarding the sect that didn’t have anything to do with status or connections.

  “More fish?” she offered Liu Chen, who was trying his best to maintain proper manners despite still starving. “You are a growing boy; you should be eating well! And take some of these vegetables; they’re perfect for your cultivation.”

  "Yes, thanks," Liu Chen mumbled, while swallowing his food quickly, and then blushing. "I mean, thank you, honorable Madam."

  "Call me Auntie Wei," she smiled, and then asked, "Tell me more about Rocky. He seems to be such a kind soul!"

  As Liu Chen eagerly launched into a story about Rocky helping a lost spirit beast cub (while carefully leaving out the part about them robbing travelers), I couldn’t help but smile.

  The effort Wei Ting was putting with Liu Chen was heartwarming to see.

  It was clear that she suspected the boy didn’t have the happiest of upbringings, so she was trying to make up for it by mothering him.

  I couldn’t say the same for Wei Ye, he was giving Wei Lin a look that clearly meant “we’re going to talk about this later.”

  Wei Guang caught my eye and leaned in a little closer.

  "Don't worry too much," he whispered. "Father’s bark is worse than his bite. And Lin'er is more stubborn than he looks; he got that from Mother."

  I looked at Wei Ting who was now scolding her husband for trying to slip in another business-related question, and I agreed with him. There was definitely strength in her gentle demeanor.

  "Plus," Wei Guang added with a small smirk, "I think Father is actually pleased, although he wouldn't ever admit that. Lin'er has demonstrated more backbone by making his own decisions. Father respects that."

  “You don’t seem all too bothered by your brother’s unconventional choices,” I murmured.

  "I am the heir. I will run the family business, develop the appropriate relationships, get married strategically - all that boring stuff,” Wei Guang shrugged. “Lin'er deserves the chance to do what he wants with his life.”

  He paused for a moment before adding more seriously, "Just... look out for him, okay? He might come across as tough, but he takes everything personally."

  I nodded; I understood what he was trying to say behind the casual tone.

  "We will. He’s family."

  Wei Guang's eyes widened slightly at my choice of words, and then he grinned.

  "Good answer."

  As the dinner came to a close, Wei Ye attempted one last time to buy the stone giant.

  "Liu Chen, my boy, are you absolutely certain about that Stone Guardian of yours? My final offer is five thousand spirit stones. Just think about all you could accomplish with that amount..."

  "Father!” Wei Lin cut in, sounding genuinely angry.

  "Rocky is my friend," Liu Chen shook his head. "And friends aren’t for sale."

  Wei Ye opened his mouth once more, but Wei Ting stopped him.

  "Husband! The boy has already answered,” she gave him a pointed look that promised she would have her own private conversation with him later, before turning to the rest of us with a smile. “Now, who would like dessert? The kitchen prepared something especially delicious using spirit fruits!"

  I caught Wei Lin’s eye across the table to make sure he was alright.

  He gave me a nod in return, relaxing slightly.

  The dessert that followed was a sweet treat that literally radiated with spiritual energy - spirit fruits had been converted to crystalline forms that melted on the tongue with blasts of pure essence.

  When Liu Chen took his first taste, his eyes grew wide.

  "This is incredible!" he shouted, then quickly remembered his manners. "I mean, thank you for such a fantastic meal, honored... uh, Auntie Wei."

  “What a polite young man!” Wei Ting beamed. “You should definitely visit us again. And please bring Rocky next time, we could certainly find some nice stones for him in the garden.”

  “Mother,” Wei Lin groaned, “please don’t encourage him to bring a fifteen-foot stone giant to dinner.”

  “Why not?” Wei Guang grinned. “The dining room could use some excitement anyway. Plus, he couldn’t possibly be worse than that time you attempted to negotiate with that spirit beast merchant and ended up with three cursed items and a very annoyed goose.”

  “That was one time,” Wei Lin protested. “And we all agreed we would never mention the goose incident again.”

  The rest of the evening passed more pleasantly, with Wei Guang sharing with us embarrassing stories about Wei Lin’s early business endeavors (“He attempted to monopolize the candy market at the age of eight!”) while Wei Ting fretted over whether or not everyone had eaten enough dessert.

  Wei Ye remained relatively silent throughout the evening; but even he appeared to relax slightly by the end of the meal. Though, I was sure he’d have a serious discussion with Wei Lin about the people he chose to associate with.

  After the servants had cleared away the dinner plates and Wei Ting had finished forcing the leftovers into our hands, I caught Wei Lin’s eye once more.

  He gave me the slightest of nods.

  It was finally time to talk business.

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