Chapter 25 - Friends?

The Four Gardens House was one of only two restaurants in Turning Leaf town that catered almost exclusively to cultivators. The simplest tea service cost a single spirit crystal, and no amount of gold or silver would do. A full meal of rich spirit beast meat and accompanying sides could easily cost dozens of spirit crystals.

While the fees charged by the Tang family afforded them a modest amount of luxury by cultivators' standards, running the Four Gardens House consumed an equally exorbitant amount of money. The real value of the restaurant wasn't the spirit crystals it brought in, it was the access to the other notable personages of Turning Leaf town and the occasional visiting cultivators that gave the Tang family real influence and power.

That was why Tang Jin's father had reacted so strongly to last night's incident. His son had told a middle-stage Brawler that she was only fit to dine with servants at the Four Gardens House! As word spread, what would the early-stage cultivators who had made little progress since Awakening think of coming to their establishment? The lavish meals served to the City Lord or the visiting Honored Elder almost always lost money for the family! It was the regular patronage of early and middle first-stage cultivators that truly provided most of their profits.

Tang Qui, Tang Jin's father, had been wringing his hands all morning trying to find a way to make sure things didn't turn into a big deal when he saw Tang Jin leading both Ao Wen and Feng Xi towards the west balcony.

Given the events of last night, to say Tang Qui was surprised was to say water is wet. Still, he waved off the waiter who had been headed to the balcony and went himself instead.

"Chef Tang," Feng Xi greeted her fellow Artist as he entered. Until recently, they had both been late stage Aesthetes and she'd been invited to play zither at the Four Gardens House several times in the past year.

"I hear that the young have surpassed the old and Fairy Feng is now an Understudy," he said politely, trying to judge the mood in the room. Ao Wen felt dark and prickly, as though she'd been served a plate of bitter roots for dessert. His son seemed out of place and unsure if he belonged, like honey on a boar steak. Everything might be fine, maybe better than fine or it could all go terribly wrong. Feng Xi, as a fellow artist, exerted her own calming influence on everyone, filling the room with her soft, soothing presence like the aroma of jasmine tea.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of being visited by such noteworthy Fairies?" Tang Qui asked, probing gently and hoping his son would explain.

"To be honest," Feng Xi said taking the lead, "we had a bit of an altercation with Aesthete Qing over the power of his spiritual weapons. He bet my little sister that despite being untrained, he could defeat her simply by wielding the might of his Thunder King saber. Things ended on a sour note, and Tang Jin was kind enough to suggest coming here to recover from the spoiled mood."

"I see," Tang Qui said, understanding why Ao Wen would feel so prickly. "Fairy Ao shouldn't be too hard on herself," he counseled the younger cultivator. "Aesthete Qing, despite not cultivating his body, is quite strong, and his Named Blades…"

"Father!" Tang Jin interrupted. "Fairy Ao didn't lose to Aesthete Qing. She destroyed him," he corrected, wanting to prevent any misunderstanding lest it further sour an already tender feeling situation. "Twice actually. I don't believe she even broke a sweat. It took her less than five breaths the first time and he only lasted more than ten breaths in the second match because she gave him multiple opportunities to attack," Tang Jin explained.

"Destroyed?" Tang Qui blinked looking at the diminutive young woman in men's clothing. "How badly…?" Tang Qui stopped, unable to clearly ask just how badly she'd 'destroyed' Qing Chen.

"I didn't kill him," Ao Wen said. "He insulted me, repeatedly, but he doesn't deserve death for that. He insulted Tang Jin too," she continued. "How many years did you practice your sword art before you awakened? I'm sure you started by ten right? And he thinks he can beat someone like you, someone who spent years of study, just because his saber held a trace of thunder energy?" Ao Wen ranted. "My father is a craftsman, and my big sister is an Understudy, I can respect the craft, but the way he fought today showed no respect for the people who buy his wares and stake their lives on them."

Tang Jin's eyes widened in shock. She was offended on his behalf? "Fairy Ao," Tang Jin said softly. "I don't deserve such respect. After all, I cast my lot with Aesthete Qing."

"No you didn't," Ao Wen refuted, shaking her head and looking at the young man earnestly. "Aesthete Qing was looking to exploit me for his own gains. He wanted to embarrass me publicly, and before you arrived, he talked down to me in his shop so much that I had to argue just to be given the chance to test an appropriate weapon. You on the other hand," she continued, looking directly into his golden eyes. "You and I have a legitimate grievance after last night. You said hurtful things to me last night, and I said hurtful things to you in return. It never went past words though. Today, when you stepped out, I felt it was fine," Ao Wen said lightly. "We could let our blades do the talking this time. And your wager was beyond fair. You offered to hunt with me," she placed particular emphasis on that sentence. "Whether you or I kept the spoils didn't matter to me because your offer was to stand beside me against spirit beasts either way. You showed more courage in that offer than Aesthete Qing possesses in his entire body, and more honor by twice that."

Ao Wen took a deep breath before she continued. "I misjudged you Tang Jin," she admitted. "You deserve the respect due a warrior." Standing up, she moved to stand in front of him. "Today, let's drink to friendship. Tomorrow, we can start a proper hunt," she finished, extending her hand towards him.

"I don't know that I deserve all that," Tang Jin said, putting a hand on his neck in embarrassment. "But I'd be happy to be your friend," he said, clasping her wrist in a greeting between warriors. "And I'd be happy to hunt with you."

"Good, good, good," Tang Qui said with a resounding clap. "Celebrating friendship deserves something special. Jin'er, come help me bring a few dishes and tea up."

Once the two men had left the balcony and descended a level, Tang Qui paused to look at his son. "Did you really do what she said? You stepped out to fight her? And you said you'd hunt beasts with her?"

"It's not as honorable as she makes it sound," Tang Jin said, his ears burning. "At first, I just wanted to get back at her for last night so I stepped out to support Aesthete Qing. He made my Blinding Light after all. I thought I could get a little face back and maybe earn some of his favor as well." Seeing his father nod with a 'go on look, he continued. "That's when they talked about the wager. I didn't have pocket money to wager and after last night I couldn't drag the family further into a personal conflict so I was desperate to think of a good wager. That's when I thought, I'd heard she didn't manage to get the heart or beast core of the Blood Rage Cougars she fought yesterday, so it would be fair if we hunted together and the winner of our fight was entitled to all the spoils. I figured she had to be regretting not getting the hearts and cores so a chance to get twice the reward for half the effort would appeal to her. See? Not as honorable as she said," he finished lamely.

"No, you're wrong Jin'er," his father corrected. "She's right that you offered to share the risks with her. You could have wagered that the loser had to retrieve a heart and core for the winner who stayed safe at home, but you didn't. You put yourself in danger, potentially for no reward. Your grandfather would have been proud to see that," he said, placing a hand on Tang Jin's shoulder. "I'm also proud of you. You used a merchant's mind to find an offering that would appeal specifically to the other party and one that was appropriate for everyone's current circumstances. You weren't just honorable and fair, you were insightful too. Jin'er, I haven't seen you act this way around Mo Yan and his friends but I think Ao Wen brings out the best in you. I'll help gather supplies for your hunt tomorrow, and I hope to see you spending more time with a friend like Ao Wen than you do with Mo Fan. And Jin'er," his father said after hesitating briefly. "When you get back from your hunt, we can talk about the pocket money."

"Yes, Father!" Tang Jin said with a smile.