The heavy mahogany doors of the Ling Clan's central reception hall swung open with a resounding thud, revealing the grandeur of a family that had, until very recently, held the city in its palm.
Ling Hongchen stepped through the threshold, his face instantly transforming from the mask of a harried, desperate businessman to that of a doting, proud father.
The sight of his daughter sitting within the hall acted like a soothing balm to his frayed nerves.
"Luochen!" Ling Hongchen exclaimed, his voice booming with a mixture of relief and genuine joy as he hurried toward the seating area, his eyes bright. "I thought you were busy in the Pagoda's inner peaks. Your return is like a rainstorm in the middle of a drought!"
Ling Luochen stood up, her robe rustling as she looked at her father, yet her blood-red eyes, however, did not hold the same warmth; they were sharp with the realization of the crisis her family faced.
