When she said that, each of us wore a different expression — I was a little curious; Mei had the look of someone who'd just understood something only she was privy to; Princess Xue's expression suggested she'd heard something like this before, somewhere, but couldn't quite place where; Lian, meanwhile, seemed entirely unbothered, though I couldn't really blame her for that.
"Would it cost you anything to tell us more?" I asked, keeping my voice soft, careful not to provoke her further given her already sour mood.
"Once you're home, you'll figure it out yourself." Her expression stayed grim.
Before any of us could push further, a quiet knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Lian said, since no one else seemed in the mood to answer.
A few servants entered quietly, set the food down smoothly, then left, closing the door behind them without a word. Princess Xue removed her veil.
"Food's here — everyone, cheer up and eat," Lian said, cheerful.
*She must really be a foodie. Guess I'm not the only hungry one here.*
Granny Wen stood, collecting the fragments of her broken nail. "I'll be leaving now." She turned toward the exit.
"Wait — join us. We won't be able to finish all this ourselves," Mei said, smoothing things over.
Lian's eyebrows twitched at that, which Xue caught immediately and smacked her on the head for.
"Ouch. Your Highness, that hurt," Lian said, a little pained.
Princess Xue ignored her and turned back to Granny Wen. "Please, join us, Granny. We don't mind the company."
She sat down quietly, watching us, untouched fork in front of her.
"Granny Wen, I've been wanting to ask — what else did you find during the divination?" A little intrigued, my voice careful.
She let out a forced laugh. "Today really is my unlucky day."
"Heh, what do you mean by that? You do know meeting my Young Master and the Princess of the Phoenix Empire is basically a gift from the heavens," Lian said, completely missing the tension in the room.
Granny Wen ignored her, turned to me, then to Xue. "I saw something else. A vision of you standing in flame that doesn't burn you, and a dragon's shadow following your path." That last part, she said while looking at me.
"Why are you helping us," I asked, suddenly. "I don't believe in free lunches." I gave her a suspicious, scrutinizing look.
"Let's just say I owe a favor to an elder of your clan. My divination was repayment for that debt — you carry a trace of his aura." She gave a tired, helpless chuckle.
"If you say so. But I don't like owing debts either. So what's the price for this divination?" Still not letting it go.
"Didn't Lu Chen tell you I don't take money — only what my mood allows. And no amount of wealth could ever replace what that nail was actually worth."
"Why are you a bit older now, Granny Wen?" Princess Xue asked suddenly, which made the rest of us actually notice it too.
Granny Wen let out another helpless chuckle. "That's one of the prices I paid for losing that nail."
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, noticing her clear reluctance to say more. No one pushed further.
"Can you do a divination for me?" Lian asked quietly, mouth still full of food, earning a disgusted look from Xue.
Granny Wen shot her a look sharp enough to freeze her solid. "Not tonight. Come back when you're ready to hear something you won't like."
I laughed a little, which only annoyed Lian more. Not that I minded.
"Granny Wen, why do you protect the mortals who come into your restaurant?" Mei asked, curious.
"Because one of my nails demanded it — protecting them is the price of living safely in whatever region I settle in."
"Interesting. But these nails you keep mentioning — what exactly are they?" Xue asked, clearly turning something over in her mind.
"You've probably noticed qi doesn't flow through me at all."
"I did notice that," Xue said.
"I assumed it was an artifact, or some cultivation technique," I added, half my attention still on the food.
"My race is unique. We don't cultivate energy in any form. We're born with ten special nails that give us the means to survive in this cruel world."
"Wow, that sounds cool," Lian chimed in, earning a round of unfriendly looks.
"It might sound cool, but every power comes with a cost. Some call it a blessing from the Dao. Others call it a curse."
"Why would you say something like that?" Mei asked.
"Because it's true. We're blessed with immense power, but the price is this — every billion years, the Dao itself challenges us, and we spend the rest hiding from powerful cultivators who'd hunt us given the chance."
"That's genuinely terrifying," Lian said, a little scared now.
*A billion years. That's an unbelievably long time. How old is she, actually? That's got to be ancient.*
*Isn't that obvious host* I can feel it's mockery but choose to ignore it.
"What do you mean by powerful cultivators? What's actually special about you, beyond the nails?" Xue asked, intrigued.
Granny Wen stood abruptly. "I'll stop here." She turned to leave, but before she vanished entirely from view: "The traitor is within your inner circle. Don't trust your elders so easily."
Before Xue could get a word out, she was already gone — no trace of her aura left behind, as if she'd never been in the room at all.
"Well, that's one hell of a puzzle she left us with," I said, playful.
"You're insufferable, Young Master Zaitian," Xue said, annoyed. After lunch, we left the restaurant once Mei settled the bill.
"So where to next?" Lian asked, clearly excited.
"Why don't you tell us, Mei?"
"The auction house. Watching people fight over goods with their wallets is always entertaining."
I fell into step beside Princess Xue, having noticed how quiet and distracted she'd gone.
*That divination must have really gotten to her.*
*Host, you can't blame her. This is your moment — take the first step. Remember the task I gave you earlier.*
*That task was forced on me. I still don't understand what your actual purpose is here. You're more of a spectator than an assistant at this point.*
"Princess. Something on your mind?"
She startled slightly, which I found a little amusing.
"Heh, have you been watching me this whole time?" A little annoyed, a little thrown.
"You've been thinking about what Granny Wen said, haven't you. Don't forget what I told you earlier — you have my clan's support, on top of your own family's."
"Just know you're not alone in this. And nobody targets a dragon's pride and walks away scot-free."
She looked at me, expression carefully guarded, though something like gratitude flickered underneath it.