The winter air bit deep, crisp and unfiving. A thin yer of frost coated the training grounds, and each breath curled into the air like ghostly tendrils. Despite the frigid ditions, the Silver Lotus Sect bustled with activity.

  For the first time in years, winter was not a season of suffering. The disciples were warm, well-fed, aed—thanks to Ryl Trading's generous supplies.

  In the school area, young disciples huddled around low tables, scratg characters onto paper with frozen fingers. Shen Guang, one of the older students, helped guide the younger ohrough their lessons, occasionally gng at the Ryl Trading workers who had brought part and ink from the city.

  "You're lucky," one of the traders joked "bae, we don't give ink to kids until they stop eating it."

  he food ste, Liu Ren, a stocky disciple assigo oversee the supplies, meticulously ted sacks of rid dried meat. "We haven't had stores this full in years" he muttered.

  "It feels like a cheat." A nearby Ryl Trading mert, Gan Xiu, grinned and spped him on the back. "That's what a good trade deal does—makes life easier."

  Meanwhile, in the on maintenance area, Tao Shen, the bcksmith's apprentice, worked tirelessly to keep the ons from being brittle in the cold. "Damn frost cracks the steel." he muttered, rubbing his hands together. A Ryl Trading artisan, Wei Han, ied a bde before nodding approvingly.

  "Try heating the hilts before practice—it keeps the Qi circution steady."

  Nearby, Jian Bo, the eldest sect member, stood with arms crossed, listening to Meyu expin trade principles. "So you're saying supply and demand dictate prig? Sounds like a fancy way of saying 'charge people more when they're desperate.'"

  Meyu sighed dramatically. "It's called 'market value,' Uncle Bo. You 't just give things away for free—unless you enjoy watg the sect starve."

  Jian Bo rubbed his . "Still feels underhanded."

  Meyu grinned. "That's why you're learning. One day, you might even enjoy making a profit."

  Jian Bo snorted. "Unlikely."

  Wei Han, still iing ons, chuckled. "Better start now. She's relentless."

  While all of this was happening, sparring ook a day off with Lay squaring off against her father iraining yard. Her breath steady despite the chill thanks to the Lotus Veil Breathing. The occasional flicker of Qi Rot iwined with Gale energy swirled around her like darkened wind thanks to the weeks of training with her father.

  "Again!" Lin Wuye anded, stepping into a stance.

  She luhe air twisting unnaturally as her Qi surged. Their ons cshed, and a shockwave rippled outward. Lay felt her strength increasing, her trol tightening, but—

  CRACK.

  The wooden staff in her hands shattered upon impact, splintering intments.

  Silence.

  Jiang whistled. "That's a new one."

  Bao snorted. "Didn't even st five minutes."

  Lay sighed and was visibly upset looking at the broken on. "I need something sturdier."

  Meyu, who had been watg this unfold, sighed dramatically and reached into a silk-ed package. "Lucky for you, I anticipated your inpetence." She held up a -fed on made from bed steel infused with a core to withstand Qi bursts.

  Lay raised a brow. "How much?"

  Meyu grinned. "For you? A very fair, life-destroying amount."

  Jiang muttered "Why does doing business with you feel like making a deal with the underworld?"

  Meyu waved a hand dismissively. "Oh please, dear Meilihis one for free."

  Lay narrowed her eyes. "Really?"

  Meyu smirked. "Of course. The catch is—every time you break it, you owe me a favour."

  Lay's stomach dropped. "Define favour."

  "Oh, you'll know wheime es." Meyu's grin widened like a predator setting a trap.

  Lin Wuye just took a sip of tea ahem argue.

  The sparring sessions tinued, and Lin Wuye called forth his wife to train with the disciples. Most had never seen her fight, assuming she was only the sect's matriarch.

  Then she moved.

  A sharp whirl of wind surrounded her as she seamlessly executed Step 2—Rushing Wind. Her strikes were swift, trolled, and precise.

  Jiang blinked. "Wait, we just got schooled by a mom."

  Bao nodded. "I don't know if I should be impressed or embarrassed."

  Amidst the chaos, Zhu Fen, the you disciple, stepped forward.

  He took a slow breath.

  Then, with perfect footwork, he executed Step 1—Whispering Breeze.

  Jiang and Bao stared at him.

  Lin Wuye nodded in approval. "He's the you i history to achieve this."

  Yuxe Wuye, however, stepped forward, adjusting Zhu Fen's stance slightly. "You did well, but your breathing is ury again, and this time, let the motion flow naturally."

  Jiang folded his arms. "I refuse to accept this."

  Bao sighed dramatically. "We're getting old, Jiang. The kid's already surpassing us."

  Bao patted Zhu Fen's shoulder. "grats, kid. Now, let me teach you the most important lesson."

  Jiang raised a brow. "Are you actually going to teach him something useful for once?"

  Zhu Fen looked up. "What is it?"

  Bao smiled. "Always look cool when you fight."

  Lin Wuye, watg, smiled. "If she had trained more sistently, she would have reached Step 3 by now."

  Yuxe Wuye arched a brow at him. "Are you saying I've been zy?"

  Lin Wuye took a deliberate sip of his tea, clearly choosing his words carefully. "I'm saying that had you dedicated more time to training—"

  Yuxe cut him off, her smile deceptively sweet. "So you're saying I've been zy."

  Bao and Jiang exged looks, stepping a few paces back as if avoiding an impending disaster.

  Lin Wuye cleared his throat. "I would never use such a word, my dear wife."

  Yuxe tapped a finger against her and smiled, dangerously. "I see. Then tonight, perhaps you should make dinner."

  Lin Wuye froze. "That seems… unnecessary."

  She simply hummed, turnitention back to Zhu Fen. Lin Wuye, defeated, sighed i knowing he has to eat roasted potato tonight.

  Jiang whispered to Bao like twossiping about their love life "Master Wuye might be strong, but against his wife? No ce."

  Meanwhile, Meyu was "forced" into training alongside the you disciples. Lay had personally insisted, mueyu's despair. What started as a simple warm-up quickly turned into chaos.

  Meyu, with zero martial arts experie absurd raw strength, actally obliterated two training dummies with a single punch.

  Jiang and Bao stared.

  "I—what?" Jiang sputtered.

  Bao looked at the broken remains. "Those dummies are reinforced."

  Lin Wuye rubbed his forehead. "This is beyond natural."

  The younger disciples, witnessing this, thought it was a fluke. Several challenged her to sparring matches.

  She wiped the floor with them.

  No teique. No footwork. Just pure brute force.

  She shrugged after ung another disciple several feet back. "Ats made me carry crates twice this size for hours."

  Lin Wuye observed her carefully. "If you trained properly, you could bee truly formidable."

  Meyu dramatically pced a hand over her heart. "A, I choose wealth."

  Lin Wuye sighed. "Of course you do."

  Bao, feeling slightly petitive, challenged her to an arm-wrestling match.

  She won. Instantly.

  Bao stared at his hand irayal. "I—WHAT?!"

  Meyu smirked. "Looks like you're not the stro, Bao."

  Jiang, barely holding in his ughter, patted Bao's shoulder. "Maybe we should start selling your humility."

  Jiang cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Alright, let me show you how it's done."

  Meyu arched a brow. "Oh? You want to lose that badly?"

  A group quickly gathered around as Jiang and Meyu sat across from each other, pg their elbows firmly orunk of a thick training tree. Disciples whispered among themselves, some pg bets, others just watg in disbelief.

  "This won't take long." Jiang said fidently.

  "Agreed." Meyu replied with a shark-like grin.

  Lin Wuye raised a hand. "Begin."

  For a few seds, nothing happened.

  Then, everything happened.

  The air tensed as her moved an inch, their locked hands trembling slightly. The bark uheir elbows splintered. A thick trunk should not be reag this way to an arm wrestle.

  Jiang's smirk faltered as he realized something horrifying—he wasn't winning. His physical prowess reached his peak limit a was being rivalled by Meyu.

  The disciples watg were frozen in shock.

  "They're... even?" Bao mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.

  "Impossible!" Lin Wuye muttered.

  Zhu Fen, wide-eyed, asked, "Are they breaking it?"

  A sharp CRACK echoed as a part of the trunk snapped uhe force of their struggle. Jiang's eyes widened. "Alright. Respect."

  Meyu grinned. "Likewise."

  Then, they both let go at the same time and shake hands as if they had a new found of respect for each other.

  The remaining k of the splirunk colpsed, sending a dull thud through the courtyard and the dust settled.

  Bao, still staring at the trunk, whispered, "What the hell just happened?"

  Lay sighed in disbelief. "I give up."

  A couple days ter, we would witness Jiang & Bao's Breakthroughs.

  The training intensified, and Jiang faced off against Bao.

  Bao, eager to prove himself, elled Qi into his strikes, increasing his strength. He moved faster, his blows heavier.

  Jiang smirked. "Not bad."

  Bao lunged, unleashing R Tempest—Step 4.

  BOOM.

  The grouh them cracked as the force sent shockwaves across the courtyard.

  For the first time, Jiang stumbled back.

  Lin Wuye's eyes flickered with i. "He actually—"

  Jiang rolled his shoulders. "Alright, my turn."

  Then he moved.

  Bao barely had time to react before a siep sent a force equivalent to Step 3—Gale's Kiss. Jiang used the Step 1 - Whispering Breeze.

  Bao was sent flying.

  Jiang dusted off his sleeves. "Adaptation. Keep up."

  Lin Wuye folded his arms. "You've ged the Gale's form."

  Meyu, watg, grinned. "How about we call it 'Gale's Bitchsp?'"

  Jiang gred. "I will end you."

  Ign the banter, Lay tightened her grip around her neon, feeling its weight settle in her hands. This time, wheepped forward, there was ation—only focus.

  She lu Lin Wuye, her bde slig through the air with a trolled whoosh. Their ons cshed, but instead of breaking apart like before, her sword absorbed the Qi flow effortlessly. The fusion of Gale and Qi Rot no longer sputtered uably but instead flowed in sync.

  Lin Wuye nodded approvingly. "Much better."

  Lay could feel it—her baween power and trol was stabilizing. She adjusted her staesting the footwork of Step 2—Rushing Wind. The movement came naturally, almost as if her body had been waiting for this breakthrough.

  Jiang, watg from the sidelines, muttered, "She's catg up too fast."

  Bao, still sore from earlier, crossed his arms. "I don't want to talk about it."

  Meyu, ever opportunistic, chimed in. "If she unlocks Step 2, I'm raising the pri her on upgrade."

  Lay shot her a gre mid-swing. "You wouldn't dare."

  Meyu smug ba retaliation. "Oh, I definitely would."

  Lin Wuye, sensing her growing trol, took a step bad gestured toward Bao. "Enough sparring with me. Face Bao ."

  Lay's grip tightened slightly. Bao's raw strength and deep Qi reserves had always made him a formidable oppo. But she wasn't the same as before—she had survived Shen Mu, endured near death, cwed her way back stronger with weeks of hard dedicated training and hard bour.

  She exhaled, nodding. "Alright."

  Bao grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Try to st more than a few minutes."

  The match began with Bao ung forward, his strikes heavy, deliberate. Lay, adapting quickly, dodged with newfound agility, weaviween his attacks. Her Qi Rot and Gale fusion surged, lettirikes nd with an iy that caught even Bao off guard.

  The grouh them cracked with every csh. Lay met Bao's blows, not just blog but tering, redireg force where she could. Every dodge, every strike—it was trolled, measured, nothing like the desperate fight she had fought against Shen Mu.

  Bao huffed, smirking as he rubbed a faint bruise f on his arm. "Not bad."

  Lay smirked back. "I'm not done."

  She pushed forward, the air around them swirling violently. Her footwork mirrored Step 2—Rushing Wind, her body reag instinctively. For a moment, she was keeping up, their blows even.

  But Bao had more experience. More Qi reserves. More teiques.

  He caught her bde mid-swing, pivoted, and with a well-pced sweep, seumbling onto the frozen ground.

  Lay coughed, propped herself up, a out a breathless ugh. "Alright, alright. You win."

  Bao extended a hand, pulling her up with a grin. "You did better than I expected."

  Jiang whistled. "That was almost an upset."

  Lin Wuye folded his arms, nodding in approval. "You're close. Keep refining it, and Step 2 will be yours soon."

  Lay wiped the sweat from her brow, heart still pounding. She had lost, but she wasn't frustrated. She was getting there.

  Meyu, watg from the sidelines, crossed her arms and gave an exaggerated nod of approval, followed by an even more exaggerated double-handed cp. "Magnifit. Brilliant. Truly a performance worthy of sed pce."

  Lay groaned. "I swear to the heavens, Meyu—"

  Bao, still catg his breath, chuckled. "Hey, I think that was a genuine pliment."

  Jiang smirked. "Doubt it. She probably just saw another business opportunity."

  A couple days has passed and the routiayed the same but this nightfall was different.

  The entire sect—about 40 Silver Lotus members and 60 Ryl Trading wathered for a rare occasion: a winter feast.

  Large iron pots of thick stew bubbled over r fires, filled with dried venison, root vegetables, and grains. Ftbreads and dumplings steamed beside them, a luxury even during easier times. The food was simple but hearty, meant to sustaihrough the cold. Barrels of warmed spiced wine and tea were passed around, keeping spirits high.

  The st of well-earned abundance filled the air, mingling with the sounds of chatter and ughter.Jiang, tearing into a dumpling, sighed in satisfa. "I don't think I've ever eaten this well for so long in winter.''

  Bao, gulping down a bowl of stew, smirked. "Makes me wonder what all those past years were for."

  Zhu Fen, barely able to sit still, leaned forward. "Senior Jiang, do you think if I train hard enough, I'll be able to eat like this every winter?"

  Jiang gave him a solemn nod. "Kid, that's the true martial arts dream."

  Zhao Lihua, one of the elders and senior disciples, chuckled as she refilled her tea. "It's strange, isn't it? We've spent years thinking winter had to be endured. Now, it feels almost… easy."

  Elden Jian Bo, the eldest sect member, sighed, stirring his drink. "That's the power of a well-pced deal. Hard work alone doesn't always cut it—sometimes, you have to be smart."

  Gan Xiu, a Ryl Trading mert, grinned. "And you lot are finally learning that."

  As the night deepehe versation shifted towards training progress.

  Jiang leaned back, gng at the disciples. "Holy? The sect's never been stronger. Even the younger ones are catg up."

  Bao nodded. "Yeah, have you seehe new batch of disciples are almost as toned as I was a year ago."

  Zhao Lihua smirked. "Which means, pared to Jiang, they're still years behind."

  Jiang took a sip of his drink a out a sass in his tone. "Naturally."

  Zhu Fen, still eic, beamed. "And I learep 1!"

  Yuxe Wuye, amused, ruffled the boy's hair. "Yes, and if you keep up, you'll surpass these two before they know it."

  Bao scowled. "I refuse to be surpassed by an eleven-year-old."

  Meyu, lounging beside them, tilted her head. "That reminds me. Since you're all s now, surely you won't mind putting that strength to good use?" she says as she rubs her hands, which reminds them of Ats antics.

  Jiang sighed. "Here we go."

  Meyu dramatically stood, clearihroat. "Ladies. Gentlemen. Disciples. Business partners. I have a vision."

  Everyone looked at her at once.

  Uerred, she unfurled a rge part, revealiailed pns for moizing the sect.

  "Now that our disciples are educated in both martial arts and mathematics, we are uniquely positioo open the sect to outsiders—for a reasonable fee, of course."

  Jiang pihe bridge of his nose. "We're not selling our teiques. I told you this Meyu"

  Meyu waved a hand. "Obviously. We teach visitors a 'simplified' version, call it something fancy like 'Warrior's Breathihod,' and boom—instant reveream."

  Lin Wuye frowned. "The sect's history—"

  "Will remain intact." Meyu interrupted smoothly. "We just package it better."

  Bao snorted. "Sounds like a scam."

  Meyu gasped. "It's called 'marketing,' Bao. Think about it."

  Jian Bo, ever the practical one since learning under Meyu, rubbed his . "And what about trade?"

  Meyu smirked. "Well, now that you mention it—premium sect ons, hand-fed by our best bcksmiths, inscribed with a fancy Silver Lotus emblem. Exclusive, powerful, expensive."

  Jiang shook his head. "We don't have an emblem."

  Meyu immediately pulled out a sketch. "We do now."

  The part revealed an intricate emblem—a stylized silver lotus in full bloom, its petals edged with fine calligraphy strokes resembling flowing wind. Behind it, a curving bde iwined with a gust of air, symbolizing both the sect's martial prowess and its e to the elements. At the bottom, i script, was the motto: 'Strength in Flow, Wisdom in Bance.'

  Jiang narrowed his eyes. "Did you just design this?"

  Meyu smirked. "I desig weeks ago in preparation for your eventual surreo us."

  Lay, sippiea, sighed. "You already phis, didn't you?"

  Meyu grinned. "I had backups in case you refused."

  Gan Xiu, impressed, raised a drink. "I like this one."

  Zhao Lihua crossed her arms. "So let me get this straight. You want us to turn Silver Lotus into an attra, train outsiders just enough to make them feel aplished, and sell our name for profit?"

  Meyu smiled. "Yes."

  Silence for a few agonizing moments.

  Then, to Meyu's absolute delight, the disciples—who had been learning math and business—actually uood the value.

  One disciple hesitantly raised a hand. "If we do this… does that mean we'll have extra funding for repairs araining grounds?"

  Meyu beamed. "Yes, my dear, intelligent student."

  Another disciple nodded. "Aer food supplies?"

  "Absolutely."

  A third asked, "And we… wouldn't have to rely on donations?"

  "Bingo."

  Lin Wuye, realizing he was losing this battle, rubbed his forehead. "I 't believe they're agreeing."

  Meyu threw her arms wide. "It's called progress, Master Lin!"

  Jiang groaned, slumping into his seat. "I need another drink."

  Lay exhaled. "Fine. Fine! But if we do this, we do it right."

  Meyu raised her cup in victory. "Oh, you'll love it. Trust me."

  Yuxe Wuye sighed. "I don't."

  Zhao Lihua muttered, "I'm scared."

  Bao stared at Meyu. "Why do I feel like we just made a deal with Ats himself?"

  Meyu's smile widened. "Because you did."