The Bai Clan's Decision
The Bai Clan's main hall gleamed beneath rows of jade pillars and golden hanging lamps, their soft glow spreading across the polished floor like ripples of molten amber. The atmosphere was quiet but tense — the kind of stillness that comes before a decisive turn.
At the head of the hall sat Patriarch Bai Zhengnan, broad-shouldered and steady-eyed, his silver-streaked beard giving him a distinguished air. A man who rarely smiled, rarely gambled, and almost never made decisions without absolute certainty. Across from him stood Bai Yusheng, failing — to hide the excitement bubbling inside her.
"Father," she began, unable to keep her voice down, "I've found something extraordinary."
The patriarch raised a brow. "You say that every time you buy a new cauldron or a new sets of clothes."
Yusheng puffed her cheeks. "It's not a cauldron this time! It's an opportunity — a real one."
"Mm." He folded his arms. "That is what you said the last time too."
"Because that one didn't count!"
She stepped forward and carefully unfolded a list of ingredients Lin Xian had given her. Beside it, she placed a simple parchment sketch of a modest storefront, complete with a small painted golden cat hanging over the entrance. It was unassuming, almost plain — and yet her eyes blazed with certainty.
Her father glanced at it. "…A cat sign?"
"Yes," she answered, smiling despite herself. "It's part of the shop he plans to open. Low-key, nothing flashy. But everything else behind it… that's where the value lies."
The patriarch's expression softened the moment the name came up. "Young Master Lin. The same Lin Xian who defeated Xu Tian's prized disciple? And the boy who refined that Thousand Venom Purge Pill with his bare hands?"
She nodded firmly. "The very same."
"He's creating a new pill," she continued. "The Pure Spirit Rejuvenation Pill — with a guaranteed fifty percent qi restoration, clean refinement, no residue impurities. I saw the formula and the refinement result myself. Father… this isn't just impressive. It's a breakthrough."
Bai Zhengnan leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard slowly, weighing each word. "Fifty percent… guaranteed?"
Even the elders who had been dozing off straightened.
"Guaranteed," she repeated, unwavering.
Silence.
The patriarch stared at her, measuring her sincerity. He knew his daughter well—her words could be whimsical, but her eye for talent was flawless.
"And he wants us to supply the ingredients exclusively?" the patriarch asked.
Yusheng nodded. "Quietly. Discreetly. He's already secured the Thousand Veil Chamber as a silent backer."
For a moment, silence stretched across the hall — but it was not disbelief. It was calculation. Then, gradually, a proud grin tugged at the corners of Bai Zhengnan's mouth.
"So the Lin Clan is being pressured by the Zhao," he murmured, "and yet at the very same time… an unknown shop starts preparing to buy herbs in bulk? Hmph. That boy hides his claws well."
One of the elders coughed. "Patriarch, forgive my bluntness… but the Lin Clan is falling under Zhao pressure. Supporting them now is risky."
Yusheng's eyes turned sharp. "We're not supporting the Lin Clan. We're supporting Lin Xian."
Another elder muttered, "But Zhao Clan—"
Bai Zhengnan waved the concern away like an annoying fly. "Let them notice. The Bai Clan owes Zhao nothing. They've already tried to intimidate us twice this week. If not for our existing contracts, they would have shown their fangs by now."
His gaze sharpened.
"Hmph. Zhao Clan only sees a collapsing clan. They do not see the storm brewing behind it."
He turned his gaze back to his daughter, eyes glowing with restrained admiration. "Tell Young Master Lin the Bai Clan will support him fully. And discreetly. Mark shipments under general merchant goods, mask the quantities, and rotate delivery routes. Let the Zhao dogs chase shadows."
Yusheng bowed deeply. "Yes, Father."
The patriarch chuckled, amusement rumbling in his chest. "To think my daughter would stumble upon such a prodigious partner… This may turn out far greater than simple trade."
The elders exchanged complicated looks—fear, excitement, greed—but none objected.. Bai Zhengnan's laughter filled the hall once more.
"Then it is settled," he proclaimed. "We support Lin Xian. His fall under Zhao pressure is nothing but a façade — that boy is planning something. And we will be on the side that rises with him."
Yusheng smiled softly to herself as she gathered the papers, remembering Lin Xian's calm smile.
> "More than he appears… indeed."
---
At the Pill Academy
Xu Tian paced back and forth inside his private alchemy chamber, tapping his foot like a man waiting for the heavens to deliver an answer.
"He said he would 'make some noise'!" he muttered. "Noise! And then the brat vanishes for a whole day—what kind of apprentice does this to an old man?!"
His three disciples exchanged helpless looks.
When Lin Xian finally entered, white hair loose and expression calm as still water, the old man nearly shot upright.
"You finally came! I've been dying of curiosity the whole night!"
Lin Xian raised a brow. "Yet you look quite alive to me."
"Barely!" Xu Tian clutched his chest dramatically. "You said you were going to 'make some noise' — then vanished! "Do you know how many times I imagined Zhao assassins dragging your corpse away?!"
Lin Xian blinked. "Would you have avenged me?"
"Of course!" Xu Tian said proudly—then added, "But I'd steal all your recipes first."
Lin Xian let out a soft chuckle. "Good to know."
Xiao Jin peeked out from Lin Xian's collar, tail twitching with amusement.
Behind Xu Tian stood three of his most trusted disciples — sharp-eyed, disciplined, and handpicked for the task. Lin Xian examined them briefly and nodded.
"They'll do."
Xu Tian rubbed his hands together. "So? What grand plan do you have today? Another miracle pill? What are we brewing? What catastrophe are you dragging me into?" Don't keep this old man in suspense!"
Lin Xian looked around the room, then spoke lightly:
> "We're producing the Pure Spirit Rejuvenation Pill."
Xu Tian froze mid-gesture. "The… what?"
When Lin Xian explained the pill's effects — guaranteed fifty percent qi restoration, no impurities, cheaper production — the old alchemist's mouth slowly dropped open.
"That's impossible," he whispered. "Even our academy's best Qi Recovery Elixirs barely touch thirty percent — and they require heavenly-grade herbs!"
"This is madness," he whispered.
Lin Xian simply smiled. "I never said we were using their methods."
Xu Tian's eyes gleamed like a dragon spotting treasure. "Let me assist! I'll provide the cauldrons, the space, the herbs —hell, I'll even mop the floor if I have to!"
"You were planning to steal my recipes a moment ago."
"Bah! Don't bring up old things!" Xu Tian pleaded, gripping his sleeve with all the dignity of a desperate merchant.
Even Xiao Jin looked at him, let out a cheeky chitter clearly laughing , and flicked his tail.
Lin Xian sighed. "Fine. But if you explode anything again, I'm leaving."
Xu Tian straightened instantly, saluting with both hands. "Grandmaster Xu Tian reporting!"
Lin Xian shook his head. "Let's hope you survive the lesson."
---
That Evening — The Lin Clan in Turmoil
Throughout the Lin Clan estate, chaos churned like a rising storm.
Merchants pulled out of agreements. Letters from allied families arrived with apologies. Two elders shouted until their faces turned purple. Another slammed a table in frustration.
To the outside world, the Lin Clan looked like a collapsing dynasty.
Yet within his private courtyard, Lin Xian sat beneath the warm lantern glow, perfectly calm. Xiao Jin sprawled lazily across the table, swatting at a dangling tassel.
"Look at them," Lin Xian murmured, smiling faintly. "Panicking so much. They don't realize the cage they're trapped in wasn't made by the Zhao… but by themselves."
He flicked a jade token into the air — the symbol of his soon-to-open shop.
> "Let the Zhao's celebrate a little longer.
The cat hasn't shown its claws yet."
Xiao Jin's golden eyes glimmered as he purred in agreement.
Outside, thunder rolled across the horizon — a quiet herald of the storm Lin Xian was preparing to unleash.
---